Athletes, celebrities, and executives illustrate brand opportunity at Winter Olympics

The GIST: The Winter Olympics are underway and seem to be trekking in the footsteps of Paris 2024, a.k.a. the “Social Media Olympics.” Once again, we’re seeing trends play out in real time as athletes and celebrity fans play an increased role in driving brand engagement. We’re breaking down the top headlines out of Milano Cortina this week.

❄️ The Olympics are doubling down on coolness with a Snoop Dogg x Moschino collab. The intersection of celebrity and fashion really came alive in Paris, and brands are continuing to realize the opportunity through winter. The capsule is exclusively available online and at Moschino’s Milan flagship — we know today’s sports fan loves a hype drop.

🚀 U.S. Ski & Snowboard CEO Sophie Goldschmidt told Sportico that the governing body has doubled its revenue since the last Winter Games. Goldschmidt credited the role of hospitality experiences driving this increase, and was candid about marketing winter sports outside of their traditional scope.

• In December, we spoke with Goldschmidt about her perspective on marketing “the ultimate lifestyle sports,” highlighting her openness to incorporating all sorts of brand categories into U.S. Ski and Snowboard’s portfolio. Since then, the governing body has inked deals with iHeart Radio and Google.

💛 ICYMI, a Spanish skater went full Minions in Milan, incorporating the film franchise into his costume, music, and choreography. The show almost didn’t happen due to a rights dispute, but fortunately was approved. According to Sportico, the Minions franchise banked nearly $20M in media exposure from the performance, showing that serious athlete fans have a priceless platform.

• Skater Tomas Guarino was clearly a fan and wanted to promote it on ice, potentially opening up the floodgates for Olympians to promote creative IPs. Competing streamers may not be able to air the Olympics, but this could be another way to promote releases (especially since the franchise promoted its next film at the Super Bowl and teamed up with Chloe Kim).

• Bridgerton fans waiting for the fourth season’s final episodes to drop may notice that the Games fall within the perfect timeframe to call out the hit Netflix show, not to mention its reputation for crafting dreamy soundtracks for figure skating routines. If the shoe fits…