The Olympics are about to begin! A look at how to play social media, long videos, and e-commerce platforms

The Paris Olympics has officially opened, and major Internet platforms have come up with a variety of ways to play around this theme. Let’s take a look at what these mainstream platforms have to say!

At 01:30 on July 27, Beijing time, the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics was announced. Famous scenes such as the French version of "Burning Winter" and the Iron Knight on the Seine River became hot searches, bringing the audience a spectacle of the intersection of art and modern technology.

Opening Ceremony Iron Knight

The opening ceremony was full of emotion, and topics related to the Olympics have long been in the top 10 hot searches since the start of the Olympics. It is a grand event that everyone is paying attention to. So how did you watch the Olympics during the Olympics?

This year, the ways to watch the Paris Olympics are more diverse than in previous years. In addition to Douyin, Kuaishou, Tencent, and Migu, which have become the rights-holding broadcasters of this Olympics, China Film Group has also joined hands with China Central Radio and Television to launch the "Watching the Olympics in Cinemas" event, which has greatly enriched the audience's viewing experience.

"Watching the Olympics in Cinemas" event

Some social media platforms, long video platforms and e-commerce platforms have obtained the broadcasting rights for this Olympics, and some have official status. So which one is more interesting in terms of specific gameplay?

1. Douyin vs. Weihong: interesting activities arouse users’ enthusiasm

Douyin, Kuaishou, and Weihong have always been the mainstream social media in China, so they are naturally indispensable in the Olympic events.

However, in this Olympics, in addition to the differences in content format (TikTok and Kuaishou are short video platforms, while Weibo and Xiaohongshu are mainly text and pictures), the identities of the four platforms are also different. So what are the similarities and differences between the platforms with and without broadcasting rights during the Olympics?

Kuaishou has once again obtained the status of Olympic rights holder broadcaster after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and has sufficient experience in Olympic activities. In the Paris Olympics, Kuaishou is also making every effort to "go to Kuaishou and follow the Olympics" with 700 million friends.

In terms of interaction , Kuaishou invited users to pass the torch online during the countdown to the Olympics, and during the event, there were games such as guessing the winner and playing games, which enhanced user participation and provided opportunities for brands to participate . In terms of content , Kuaishou also invited well-known sports commentators, Olympic champions, celebrities and other guests to the studio to give wonderful explanations of the events, and created a "cloud home" for the whole people to follow the Olympics with self-made content and UGC content on multiple platforms. The sponsorship of self-made content also helped brands catch up with the Olympic express train .

Kuaishou content during the Olympics

Douyin, another short video platform, also started a crazy mode, launching a number of self-made programs during the Olympics. It ignited users' enthusiasm before the games and gave them a full experience during the games . Interactive games such as answering questions, giving likes and cheers, and sharing cheering cards guided users to integrate into the Olympic atmosphere, and also gave major brands the opportunity to be embedded. In addition, users can also watch the Olympic Games on demand and full-game replays on Toutiao, expanding the scenarios for users to watch the Olympics .

Tik Tok content during the Olympics

From the perspective of the two major short video platforms, variety shows, short dramas and other platform-generated content as well as various online game play methods have become the focus of attracting users to participate in Olympic activities, enriching brand content in a more immersive Olympic viewing experience. In contrast, Weibo and Xiaohongshu, which are mainly based on pictures and texts, mainly attract user participation through in-site topics.

Judging from the "2024 Weibo Sports Paris Olympic Games Planning Plan", Weibo's topic interactions mainly revolve around star athletes and popular sports teams.

Weibo Olympic Planning

Xiaohongshu started to exert its strength during this Olympics and launched three platform sub-IPs : "Everyone Sports Games" took advantage of the Olympic atmosphere and spread the message through folk masters and offline major events; "Paris Life Festival" focused on Paris' fashion, art and lifestyle, in line with Xiaohongshu's content direction; "Watching the Olympics Together" held interactive competitions in Paris and launched viewing activities in China to conform to the public's daily play habits.

Xiaohongshu's Three Major Olympic IPs

Whether it is short videos or pictures and texts, the above four platforms have brought rich Olympic experiences to users, and also provided a youthful venue for brands to leverage Olympic marketing, increasing brand exposure opportunities in the excitement of the event and the strong sports atmosphere.

2. Migu Tencent VS iYouMango, the rights and interests gameplay enhances user stickiness

The fragmented content of social media platforms determines that users' attention is relatively scattered, so the diverse and varied interactions on the site are suitable for short video platforms to develop Olympic-related content, and also provide opportunities for e-commerce platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou to implement marketing strategies. In contrast, users attracted by long video platforms are more focused on the competition itself.

In this Paris Olympics, Migu Video, backed by China Mobile operator, and Tencent, which has multiple business lines, have become the rights-holding broadcasters of this Olympics, and are destined to have more advantages in attracting user attention.

Migu Video already has sufficient experience in sports event cooperation, including live broadcasts of multiple sports events such as the European Cup, Chinese Super League, Premier League, UFC, NBA, FA Cup, marathon, etc. It is worth noting that Migu Video is the platform with the most rights and interests in this Olympic Games, including real-time broadcast, delayed broadcast, on-demand playback, short video and other rights and interests.

Judging from the Migu Video website, the homepage of the app is already full of Olympic content, setting an agenda for users. In the Olympic section of the app, in addition to the live broadcast of the day, there are also schedules, medal tables, China moments, panoramic reviews and other content, providing a comprehensive viewing experience . In addition, there are exclusive self-made columns such as Olympic Frontline and Morning Call to bring first-hand reports to sports fans .

Migu Video Site Page

The homepage of Tencent is still dominated by dramas and variety shows, but the Olympic page also provides content related to events and medal progress, and there is a self-made column providing a condensed version of the Olympic progress. Among them, the "Film, TV and Anime Olympic Support" section connects Tencent's currently broadcast dramas or variety shows with Olympic-related content, providing users with entertainment outside of the Olympics . In addition, Tencent's family bucket-style business can also provide users with a variety of Olympic information, such as Tencent News, Tencent.com, QQ and other channels are all good choices.

Tencent Video website page

On the two major platforms of Migu and Tencent, brands have abundant opportunities for implantation through multiple in-site columns , leveraging the opportunity to establish strong links with the Olympics and sports in the minds of users .

iQiyi, Youku and Mango TV, which do not have official identities, have relatively weak advantages. However, iQiyi, which has long been paying attention to sports events, has also set up Olympic-related columns in the sports section to highlight its professionalism in sports with focus content. Youku maintains user attention through shorter content such as Olympic hot spots.

Pages on iQiyi and Youku

From the broadcasting perspective, long video platforms are more suitable for die-hard followers of the Olympics and also provide more opportunities for brand marketing. Migu Video and Tencent Video can be said to have won this time.

3. Taobao VS JD.com: In-site activities cater to young people’s discourse

Of course, in addition to long and short video platforms for watching events, e-commerce platforms are also players that cannot be ignored.

Alibaba appeared in the Paris Olympics as a top sponsor, making cloud computing surpass satellite for the first time in the broadcast of this Olympics, announcing that the Olympics has officially entered the digital age. IOC President Bach said, "Alibaba has made valuable contributions to the organization and television broadcast of the Olympic Games, and has made more important contributions to the future of sports through cutting-edge technologies, especially in the fields of artificial intelligence and cloud technology."

Taotian Group, a subsidiary of Alibaba, naturally took advantage of this official status and launched a series of activities for the Olympics.

On the day when the Olympic Games started, Taobao launched the "High Five Red Packet" activity. Users can get red packets by high-fiving on the activity page, and they can get a chance to double their red packets by participating in the guessing game. At the bottom of the page are recommended sports equipment based on the events, calling for nationwide exercise.

Taobao's "High Five to Receive Red Packets" campaign

Taobao also launched the Taobao Sports Games, where sports competitions are held every two days. Users can win red envelopes, medals or lottery opportunities through real sports performances in life.

Taobao Sports TVC

From the short film shot by Han Qiaosheng at the invitation of Taobao, it can be seen that youthful and interesting sports have become the theme of Taobao's gameplay in this Olympics. As an e-commerce company , it is easier to narrow the distance with users .

JD.com, which has no official status, started with the gold medal. Users can search for "win gold" on the site to enter the "win gold scratch lottery" activity page to participate in the lottery. Although JD.com did not obtain official rights, the scratch lottery method has already hit the favorite method of young users in recent years .

JD.com "Golden Scratch Lottery"

In addition, Kuaishou, mentioned above, also created a sports and health carnival and a gold medal goods carnival, working with merchants and influencers to meet the full-link needs of users from watching the game to consumption.

IV. Conclusion

When the Olympics started, the first thing that social media platforms, long video platforms, or e-commerce platforms considered was how to attract users’ attention to the platform. This year, the performance of several major platforms delivered a good answer.

In the face of large-scale events, content platforms take into account both the professionalism of the events themselves and the fun that users love, while e-commerce platforms use sports to promote user consumption. After looking at the Olympic-related actions of several major platforms, which one do you like the most?

Author: TOP

Source: WeChat public account "TopMarketing" (ID: 1082248)