The Snoop Dogg Effect

Uncle Snoop, the mascot we didn't know we needed for what might be the most brilliant marketing campaign the Olympics has ever seen.

NBC choosing Snoop Dogg to be the official Paris Olympics correspondent just may be the single most genius marketing move of 2024. And the best marketing campaign of any Olympic Games ever.

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The D-O-double G has single-handedly broken the internet with his refreshingly real coverage of and participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

From carrying the Olympic torch, training with Michael Phelps, and running a 200M sprint, to cheering on Team USA as they won their first gold medal of the Olympics, sporting an oversized umbrella to watch women’s volleyball, setting the Olympic record for least weights lifted at an Olympic weightlifting event and the most badass Olympic pin to ever exist.

It’s safe to say that Snoop has solidified his place in the Olympic Hall of Fame in the most hilarious and endearing way.

But with the United States gearing up to host the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles, my marketing bestie raised a thought-provoking question: Are we witnessing the beginning of America’s 2028 Olympic marketing campaign?

And you know what, I think we are.

When it comes to marketing, arousal marketing and influencer/celebrity marketing stand out as two of the most effective strategies.

More importantly, though, we’ve entered an era when overt, high-pressure marketing strategies are out.

Consumers no longer want to feel like they’re being sold to. They don’t want calls to action shoved down their throats. They don’t want to be told to buy buy buy. They don’t want false urgency or scarcity in the form of flash sales that never end (unless you’re Shein or Temu in which case, do you boo).

Instead, consumers in this new marketing era want to be invited into an experience. Audiences want to be taken along the brand journey so that they can get to know you, your brand and your product/service and fall in love with it naturally.

Moreover, fear-based marketing is also on the way out. There’s enough shame and guilt in life, and what I’ve learned from hosting the Girl Boss Red Flags podcast is that consumers are tired of being shamed, guilt-tripped or otherwise manipulated into buying.

Arousal marketing, while traditionally referring to marketing that provokes strong emotions like excitement, surprise or even anger, has begun to incorporate humour as an arousal strategy. Brands now regularly use memes, funny reels, and silly trends to market their products and services and to build deeper connections with their audiences. And it works.

Research has shown that humour in marketing is highly persuasive and engaging and can improve a brand’s perception among consumers. When used effectively, humour can help consumers pay more attention to advertising and marketing, improve consumer attitudes towards a brand, and even improve brand recall.

I can tell you from experience that I have made more sales from memes than from any other type of content.

Marketers have many theories about why this works, but it all comes down to one simple truth: people want to be entertained.

This is especially true for Millenials and Gen Z-ers who grew up in a world where unprecedented world events seem to happen every other Tuesday and are looking for levity in these uncertain times.

And Snoop Dogg at the Paris Olympics has delivered the entertainment and then some.

But it’s more than just Snoop. Flavor Flav has shown up and shown out in support of the US women’s water polo team and track and field athlete, Veronica Farley, who shared that while she was competing for Team USA, she couldn’t pay her rent.

(I’m not discounting the genuine wholesomeness of these actions, just observing how the involvement of high-profile American rappers and celebrities is impacting the share of voice the US has retained in the global reporting of the Paris Olympics).

Many people on Twitter (yes, I will forever call it Twitter) have expressed their excitement for the LA Olympics in 2028 with the hopes that it will be even half as entertaining as Paris.

Snoop himself dropped an easter egg for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, saying he hopes to reprise his role as a correspondent on US soil.

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What do you think? Is this America’s pre-launch campaign for the 2028 Summer Olympics?

Until next time my chaos fairies and goblins!

xx Love,

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tay Francis (she/they) is a sociologist, researcher and trauma survivor whose passion is supporting marginalised populations and talking incessantly about hidden power dynamics. Tay lives at the intersections of social science, STEM and spirituality. She has a background in psychology, development studies and statistics, and 10 years of experience as a social impact researcher. She’s also a Human Design reader whose insights have appeared in publications such as Yahoo and Best Life Magazine. She writes from her Caribbean home, often during the witching hours, kept company by reruns of a Netflix reality show and her incredibly clingy cat, Princess Maggie.

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