How #rio2016 Played Out on Social
The Olympic Games began in Olympia, Greece around 3,000 years ago. The ancient games went on for nearly 12 centuries and included many track and field events that would look familiar today (albeit a lot slower).
Since those early days, a lot has changed.
Even since the first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896, world records have been broken every four years as the event has become an iconic media spectacle.
This year, Michael Phelps became the most decorated olympian of all time, with 28 medals, and Usain Bolt maintained his position as the fastest man in the world.
While the first Olympic athletes were fighting on behalf of gods and demigods, modern athletes are competing for glory (and good publicity) under the backdrop of ubiquitous corporate sponsorship.
Since the Rio games began, we’ve been monitoring the social chatter surrounding the event. Here are three key social takeaways from this year’s Olympic Games.
The Gender Distribution is Skewed Towards Men:
Around 78% of the olympic conversation on social media is coming from men. Sentiment is similar for men and women, with both groups maintaining a relatively positive view of the event.
Similarly, much of the conversation around the major brand sponsors of the Olympics is also being fueled by male Tweeters.
Men are posting about Olympics brands in social media twice as often as women: https://t.co/58vQt3VA13 pic.twitter.com/WQAFT6EWXA
— Adweek (@Adweek) August 9, 2016
Top Words and Hashtags:
In the midst of another legendary performance, Usain Bolt cracks the top-5 of Twitter word mentions. Rounding out the top-10 are Usain, gold, team, Janeiro, and time.
The top Olympic hashtag is far and away #rio2016. Of all the hashtags mentioned, it made up 26% of mentions, and of the top seven hashtags, it comprised 64%.
#phelpsface had a major moment last week as well, and came in 33rd place overall based on our listening queries.
There were 151.4k mentions of #phelpsface on social since Monday. What else should we track? #rio2016 #Olympics pic.twitter.com/jEJBah9Tef
— Sprinklr (@Sprinklr) August 11, 2016
The Rio Olympic’s first meme #PhelpsFace was a great one. Will we see any more? pic.twitter.com/ii5a7DhcY3
— Adweek (@Adweek) August 11, 2016
Going for Gold
During events that gain such broad international attention, brands would be wise to use social listening as a means to join in the conversation in an informed and relevant way. By using the most popular hashtags, interacting with people who are doing the same, and creating content based on trending topics and how they apply to their brand, brands can provide gold medal value for customers and potential customers alike.
