Who’s Going for Gold: Olympic Insights from Meltwater
What have swimming, Gen Z men and Qantas got in common? They’re all-in on the Olympics!
With less than a month to go until the Olympics start, is interest in the big event from Australia starting to ramp up? With just over 200 of the expected 500-strong Australian squad announced across 20 sports, you’d expect ardent sports fans to be getting in on the action. So, who is lifting the nation and who is getting into the spirit?
Here are the top 5 insights based on analysis by social and media intelligence company Meltwater, using data from billions of social media conversations across channels including X, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Reddit and Twitch. As well as showing what’s hot and what’s not, these insights could also be used to provide the ability for those involved with the Paris Olympics, plus the future organisers of the Games of the XXXV Olympiad, also known as Brisbane 2032 to get foresight of potential areas of opportunity and challenges before they arise.
1. The Matildas are dominating social media
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, but Australia’s women’s national football team, the Matildas, has continued to take the whole world by storm on social media. In the past 30 days, the Matildas have topped the social media charts thanks to the announcement of the team for Paris, ongoing media interest and Mackenzie Arnold’s clothing range with Oli Clothing.
2. Swimming is leading the pack
Swimming has led the way with social media engagement over the last month, following the focus on team selection and the end of Cate Campbell’s legendary Olympic career. The sport produced nearly twice the amount of posts (645 v 365) as compared to football and gained more than three times the amount of engagement (92.4K v 29.5K). Diving was the next most popular sport in terms of engagement, followed by tennis and boxing.
3. Which sponsors are getting the most bang for their Olympic buck?
So when it comes to sponsors spending the big bucks, is it worth it? In the last month, while Qantas, ASICS and P&G have had very similar levels of posts, it has translated into vastly different levels of engagement. Here, Qantas takes the lion's share at 73.2%, followed by Speedo, with Allianz actually in third at 6.8% - these two produced 8.5% and 4% respectively of the share of voice by volume.
4. It’s a man’s Olympic world (so far)
Interestingly while the Matildas dominate from a sports perspective, the group most engaged are men under 34, who hog 49% of the conversation. Females of the same age make up the next biggest group (26%) and then women aged 45-54 make up the next biggest group with 16%.
5. State of origin
There’s also competition amongst our Aussie States as to who might be most Olympics and sports-obsessed. NSW leads the pack in engagement with Olympics-related posts with 1.83K posts this quarter, followed by Victoria at 1.4K posts. Queensland is a close third with 1.2K posts, while Western Australia and Southern Australia trail significantly behind. What’s interesting is how the ‘chatter’ varies by state.
Meltwater's recent AI-powered insights also reveal intriguing differences in state-specific interests regarding the Olympics. While NSW and Victoria lead the excitement around the Aussie swimming team, NSW is also buzzing about the opening ceremony and the financial investments needed for Paris 2024. Victoria, on the other hand, is captivated by the controversial issues surrounding doping in the games. Meanwhile, in Queensland, the spotlight is on the massive preparations for hosting Brisbane 2032, which is potentially overshadowing even the sports themselves.
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In other sponsor news, traffic showed ASICS copping a spray when it comes to the design of the Australian basketball team's uniform, with some users questioning the choice of Indigenous artwork on the side panels and the inclusion of Japanese lettering. Global sponsor Airbnb has also faced criticism due to accommodation prices during the Paris Olympics, with some owners complaining about the lack of bookings and low prices.
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About Meltwater
Meltwater empowers companies with a suite of solutions that spans media, social, consumer and sales intelligence. By analysing ~1 billion pieces of content each day and transforming them into vital insights, Meltwater unlocks the competitive edge to drive results. With 27,000 global customers, 50 offices across six continents and 2,300 employees, Meltwater is the industry partner of choice for global brands making an impact. Learn more at meltwater.com.
Meltwater also operates the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST), a nonprofit organisation devoted to nurturing future generations of entrepreneurs. For more information, follow Meltwater on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or visit our website.