An integrated social media campaign launched by Paris’ bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, on the occasion of the beginning of the international phase, has been “impressive” organizers claimed Friday.
A statement released by the bid said “From February 1, people around the world were invited to participate in Paris 2024’s #Sharing week on social media, where they engaged with the bid’s digital accounts and its leadership team, sharing what they loved most about Paris.”
The effort has resulted in hundreds of millions of online impressions across several media platforms, including 1.2 million views of the bid’s manifesto video on Facebook in only 100 hours.
Leveraging the #MadeForSharing hashtag that was unveiled during a light show on the Eiffel Tower February 3, Paris 2024 redesigned its website and Instagram skin to reflect the sharing theme, and filled its online channels with content ready to be consumed by an international audience.
The results, organizers say, helped in “underlining Paris’ status as the globe’s most shared city on social media.”
Along with the 1.2 million video views, Paris 2024 reported that across its media accounts between February 1 and 7 the hashtag #Paris2024 earned 328 million impressions and #MadeForSharing received 83 million impressions.
The digital social media campaign by Paris’ bid seems to respond to rival Los Angeles 2024 claims that it’s the home to new technology and will leverage it to deliver a “a new Games for a new area.” LA plans to deliver the Games to young people on platforms they prefer, and have embraced California social media startups such as Snapchat to reinforce the message.
Los Angeles has been leading the “social media race,” but Paris’ recent efforts have helped close the gap. At post time, LA had 81.6k Twitter followers leading Paris’ 76k. On Facebook LA is ‘liked’ by 220,672, ahead of Paris with 125,587. With 16k Instagram followers, LA has a marginal lead on Paris’ 15.6k.
Budapest, the third city in the race, is further behind with 1,064 Twitter followers, 62,438 Facebook ‘likes’ and 3,533 Instagram followers.
While social media helps spread the bids’ messages and branding, and shows enthusiasm and public support – the eventual impact on the 95 or so International Olympic Committee (IOC) voters who will elect the winner September 13 in Lima, Peru may be limited.
Paris 2024 CEO Etienne Thobois said “the growth on our social media numbers shows the immense global interest in Paris’ 2024 bid, and the ability it has to share its story with the world.”
“Social media brings people together around the world.
“At Paris 2024, we invite the world to share our city and their stories of sport and Olympism.
“Like Paris 2024, young people have made sharing a way of life, with the aim of building a fair, more sustainable and more human world. This is why we want to keep on growing our social and digital engagement.”
