With only a few weeks to go until the Olympic Games, global brands have pulled out all the stops in their honorary campaigns. So which have been our favourites, and can non-sponsors get involved?

As ever, Coca Cola is one Games sponsor to have gone all out with its global campaign, which will roll out across 50 markets. Back in January, the company launched its first offering- a campaign entitled “Taste the Feeling”, which also featured the hashtag #ThatsGold. These TV ads show a combination of past jubilant Olympics footage featuring 79 athletes, and special everyday moments to emphasise the message. They will first be shown in the US to coincide with the Opening Ceremony. As well as TV, Coca Cola have extended their campaign to social media and out-of-home, displaying images of Olympians in both LA and Barcelona. The company will also be marketing on-site during the Games themselves. Exciting interactive displays will include a “liquid immersion experience”, where ticket holders can step inside a Coke bottle, and 360-degree photo opportunities with the Olympics torch.

Official Olympics partner Lacoste produced another one of our favourite video campaigns, “Support with style”, created to showcase the “spirit, style and elegance” of the brand. The company followed a group of dancers around the city directed by choreographers I Could Never Be a Dancer, making for an animated campaign. And we also loved Kellogg’s campaign entitled #GreatStarts, which re-envisages famous movie “wake up” scenes from films, while including British Olympic winners such as Rebecca Adlington and Sir Steve Redgrave. The print campaign also extends to social media, where the company are encouraging followers to share their “great starts” footage for the chance to win tickets to the Olympics.

Previously created for the Rugby World Cup, Samsung’s series “School of…” has once again been used to promote the Olympics, resulting in another of our favourite campaigns. The humorous original video offering showed comedian Jack Whitehall “schooled” in the rules of Rugby, by celebrities such as Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallagio. In the introductory video of their latest campaign, Samsung, in conjunction with BBH Sport, shows Johnson and Dallagio on the phone to Whitehall, who decides to ditch them in favour of new sporting legends such as Bradley Wiggins and Sir Steve Redgrave. It also serves to promote Samsung’s Galaxy S7 edge phone. The subsequent videos in the series show Jack Whitehall tutored in various Olympic sports, including cycling, rowing and boxing, which promote additional product features such as long battery life, water resistance, and improved glass protection.

While there have been some great campaigns from sponsoring brands, the rules are strict when it comes to non-sponsors, resulting in a lack of additional ad hoc marketing whether in formal campaigns or social media. Nevertheless, we’ve seen some great examples from the likes of Under Armour, who took the Cannes Lions Film Craft Grand Prix for their “Phelps” campaign. Although the brand supports 250 Olympic athletes, it has not been able to explicitly refer to the Games during its initiatives, due to non-sponsor status. However, that hasn’t stopped Under Armour creating one of our favourite sporting campaigns this year, under the theme “Rule Yourself.” In addition to a spotlight on Michael Phelps, the brand also featured the US women’s Gymnastics team.

What do you think about the brand campaigns surrounding the Olympics? Do you think non-sponsoring brands should also use the event as a marketing opportunity? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and share your comments on our Facebook page.