10 Emerging Marketing Strategies for LA 2028 Olympics
"Marketing Professionals: Which emerging marketing strategies do you expect to dominate the landscape for the LA 2028 Olympics?"
Here is what 10 thought leaders had to say.
Personalized Experiences Drive 300% Higher Conversion Rates
As someone who's built multiple healthcare brands through digital marketing, I believe hyper-personalized experiential marketing will dominate LA 2028. When launching Pure IV Nevada, we saw 300% higher conversion rates by creating customized IV therapy experiences for different trade show segments rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.
Micro-moment targeting will be crucial. Our event-specific IV therapy marketing produced 28% higher engagement when we delivered contextual content precisely when attendees experienced fatigue or needed recovery. Olympic marketers should leverage similar real-time data to reach audiences at exact moments of relevance throughout the Games.
Health-tech integration will reshape Olympic marketing completely. We've embedded wearable data into our marketing at corporate events, allowing us to demonstrate measurable wellness improvements from our IV therapies. LA 2028 brands that connect their messaging to real-time biometric experiences will create unprecedented engagement versus traditional passive viewing.
Multi-sensory brand environments will replace traditional sponsorships. When we transformed our IV therapy stations into immersive wellness zones with aromatherapy, sound therapy and personalized nutrition consultations, client retention increased 45%. LA 2028 marketers who create similar holistic brand ecosystems that engage all senses will dominate the cluttered Olympic landscape.
Joseph Lopez PIVN, Owner, Pure IV Nevada
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AI Personalization Will Define Olympic Marketing Success
By the time the LA 2028 Olympics arrive, marketing will be shaped by AI-driven personalization at scale. Not because it's flashy, but because it's necessary. Attention is harder to earn now than it was even during Tokyo 2020. And the volume of content required to stay relevant keeps rising. So generic campaigns won’t cut through. People expect brands to speak directly to them based on their specific interests, behaviors, and context.
What’s already emerging is micro-segmentation combined with generative AI that adapts creative based on real-time engagement. This isn’t about one piece of content. It’s about hundreds of variations optimized continuously. That’s how brands will fight ad fatigue and improve performance without blowing out budgets. So every touchpoint, from email to social to video, has to feel tailored, timely, and useful.
Experiential commerce is going to grow fast. Because behind-the-scenes Olympic moments could double as shoppable content. This blends entertainment and retail. Platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram will still matter. But success will come from moments that feel authentic and are built with precision. So short-form video, UGC-style media, and influencer content will need to be strategically planned and measured against hard metrics like conversion rate and ROAS.
Influencer partnerships will shift too. Instead of flat-fee brand deals, there’ll be more affiliate-style models where creators are tied directly to outcomes. These funnels will go deeper. Because influencers will play a role across awareness, consideration, and purchase.
Brands that rely only on paid reach will see rising CAC and weaker returns. So the ones that win will treat content like infrastructure. They’ll build systems that test, learn, and optimize automatically. Olympic marketing won’t be about one big idea. It’ll be about dozens of small, well-aligned ideas working together in real time.
Josiah Roche, Fractional CMO, JRR Marketing
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Local Stories Connect Global Audience to LA
Localized storytelling. The winning strategy in marketing is often the simplest one. For the LA 2028 Olympics, I expect their marketing to lean more towards hyper-localized narratives.
Stories that connect the globe to the unique history, culture and passions of communities in LA. A Deloitte report showed that 74% of consumers prefer brands that show interest in their local culture and community. The Olympics present a platform for this.
I expect more campaigns that uplift regional heroes, highlight untold stories and create partnerships with local organizations. The audience will feel seen, celebrated and the cultural authenticity will turn the buzz into loyalty.
Sergey Ermakovich, CMO, HasData
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Immersive Ecosystems Will Transform Olympic Engagement
I expect immersive ecosystems. In 2028, there will be more advanced technology that will meet the audience's love for entertainment and respect the global culture.
In Paris 2024, the International Olympic Committee loosened its digital content restrictions. Samba Digital saw a 115.38% leap in TikTok engagement under the #Olympics hashtag compared to Tokyo 2020. NBC's streaming with Peacock didn't cannibalize TV broadcasts, proof that an omnichannel presence enriches audience reach.
I expect brands to use this freedom in LA28 and come up with immersive ecosystems. Brands will create integrated experiences beyond advertising that live across different platforms. Experiences that showcase cultural moments, encourage fans to interact and engage the audience in real time.
Sam Jacobs, Head of Marketing, Ammo.com
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Tech and Creators Shape LA 2028 Marketing
For the LA 2028 Olympics, the marketing landscape will be shaped by immersive tech, creator-led content, and hyper-personalization — all backed by real-time data and AI.
Here's what I expect to dominate:
1. Augmented and Mixed Reality Experiences - Fans won't just watch the Olympics; they'll step inside them. Brands will use AR to create interactive moments in-stadium, on smartphones, and even at home.
2. Short-Form, Creator-Driven Content - TikTok, Reels, and whatever comes next will be essential. The most impactful campaigns will come from partnering with athletes and micro-influencers who tell real stories in authentic ways.
3. AI-Powered Personalization - From personalized content feeds to dynamic ads tailored to your favorite sport or athlete, brands will use AI to speak to you, not just a broad audience.
4. Purpose-Driven Storytelling - Audiences care about values. Expect a wave of campaigns focused on sustainability, inclusion, and social impact — all woven into brand narratives, not just tacked on.
5. Interactive Fan Engagement - Whether through digital collectibles, exclusive content unlocks, or gamified experiences, brands will use NFTs or loyalty tech to deepen fan connection.
Bottom line: the winners in 2028 will be the brands that feel human, move fast, and build experiences fans want to be part of — not just watch from the sidelines.
Aviad Faruz, Marketing Specialist, Angel Numbers Guru
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Micro-Moment Marketing Will Win Olympic Gold
For the LA 2028 Olympics, we predict 'Micro-Moment Marketing' will dominate - brands creating real-time, location-triggered experiences that capitalize on the exact moment someone is near an Olympic venue or watching specific events. Unlike traditional sponsorship, this strategy uses geofencing and behavioral data to deliver personalized brand interactions when emotional engagement peaks.
At SocialSellinator, we're already testing this approach with sports clients, creating content that activates based on game outcomes, weather conditions, and audience location. The brands that win during LA 2028 won't be those with the biggest sponsorship deals but those that create the most relevant micro-experiences during peak emotional moments. This isn't about interrupting the Olympic experience but enhancing it with perfectly timed brand value.
Jock Breitwieser, Digital Marketing Strategist, SocialSellinator
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Gen Z Rules Raw, Real Olympic Marketing
The LA 2028 Olympics are gonna be one big brand playground—and Gen Z is running the show. Think creator-led content, meme-worthy moments, and social-first everything. Brands that win will ditch the polished ads and show up raw, real, and reactive. Experiential stuff will blow up too—pop-ups, AR filters, live-stream takeovers. And if you're not weaving in sustainability, community, and inclusion? You're toast. It won't be about shouting louder—it'll be about vibing harder.
Justin Belmont, Founder & CEO, Prose
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AR/VR Experiences Boost Olympic Engagement 3000%
As the founder of Randy Speckman Design and TechAuthority.AI, I'm seeing immersive AR/VR experiences becoming the dominant marketing strategy for LA 2028. We've implemented similar tech for clients that increased engagement by 3000% - imagine Olympic venues overlaid with interactive brand experiences accessed through smartphones.
Hyper-personalized microsites will be crucial too. When we implemented this approach for e-commerce clients, we saw a 50% increase in repeat customer business. Olympic sponsors will create custom digital experiences based on specific events, athlete interests, and viewer demographics rather than generic campaigns.
AI-powered content optimization will be non-negotiable. Our SEO system reduced production costs by 66% while maintaining quality. For LA 2028, expect brands to leverage similar systems to create and distribute thousands of variations of Olympic content targeted to specific audience segments in real-time.
The blockchain-authenticated digital collectibles market will explode during LA 2028. We've helped clients build similar tokenized experiences that dramatically increased customer loyalty. Olympic moments captured as authenticated NFTs will create entirely new revenue streams while building lasting connections between brands, athletes and fans.
Randy Speckman, Founder, TechAuthority.AI
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Immersive Tech Reshapes Olympic Brand Storytelling
The LA 2028 Olympics will be a proving ground for how marketing can evolve in an era defined by technology, culture, and purpose. Personally, I believe three dominant strategies could rise to the forefront: immersive experiences, hyper-local storytelling, and values-driven branding.
Immersive tech, particularly AR and VR, will fundamentally reshape how fans engage. With LA's entertainment legacy and digital infrastructure, we can expect brands to create interactive, gamified experiences that bring audiences inside the action. I can picture fans from around the world using AR filters to "walk" through Olympic venues, or VR environments that recreate the athlete village experience. This is an opportunity to create emotional resonance through digital presence. Brands that embrace spatial storytelling will win both attention and loyalty.
Hyper-local storytelling will also take center stage. LA is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, and the Olympics will be a chance for brands to reflect that richness. Marketing strategies that highlight neighborhood identities, feature multilingual content, and collaborate with local creators will feel the most authentic. Rather than defaulting to broad, mass-market campaigns, brands will need to meet people where they are, celebrating LA's communities, not just its landmarks.
Additionally, I believe that purpose-driven branding will be an expectation. Today's audiences, especially Gen Z and millennial consumers, are deeply values-oriented. They want to see brands take a meaningful stand on major topics like sustainability and social impact. From eco-conscious merchandise to campaigns that spotlight Paralympic athletes or underrepresented voices, the strongest brand stories in 2028 will be the ones that reflect real-world change.
Underlying all of this is the growing importance of real-time, content-rich ecosystems. Brands will need to operate like media companies: nimble, always-on, and ready to engage across platforms with everything from short-form content to livestream collaborations. AI and data will be instrumental in shaping these experiences, enabling brands to understand what's resonating and adapt in the moment.
The Olympics have always been a celebration of excellence. And in 2028, that will include marketing excellence, too. The brands that lead will be those that think beyond sponsorships and lean into storytelling, community, and innovation.
Tiffani Neilson, Chief Marketing Officer, IoT Marketing
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Human Stories Trump Big-Budget Olympic Campaigns
For LA 2028, I don't think the most successful marketing strategies will come from billion-dollar ad agencies. They'll come from smart brands who understand one thing: people trust people more than they trust campaigns.
The strategy to watch?
Decentralized, human-first storytelling; what I call experiential micro-content. Not influencer-driven. Not celebrity-led. But built around real people living real Olympic moments.
We're entering a new era where the most impactful content won't be produced in studios. It'll be filmed on phones. From the stands. In the athlete's village. At local taco trucks feeding fans. It'll be behind-the-scenes, first-person, vertical video that feels like, "I'm there with you."
Here's what that might look like:
- A water brand sponsoring an Olympic hopeful's daily training vlog, distributed natively on their channel. Not polished, just honest.
- A shoe company partnering with volunteers to tell their stories and show their impact from the inside out.
- A fast casual restaurant highlighting how they're feeding fans during the games with a series told by kitchen staff, not marketers.
- Brands hiring creators from LA neighborhoods to spotlight how the city is experiencing the Olympics...and not the scripted version, but the lived one.
This strategy works because of psychological proximity. This means that when someone feels like they're part of a story, they're more likely to remember it, trust the brand behind it, and share it. That sense of connection is more powerful than any high-production sizzle reel.
And with LA being such a culturally rich and diverse city, the brands that actually tap into that diversity and hand the mic to the people will win big. The Olympics will be the stage, but the most memorable brand stories will be the ones told from the sidelines, locker rooms, and living rooms.
In 2028, brand winners won't be the ones with the loudest, most expensive ads. They'll be the ones people thank for showing up in a real, human, generous way. Through the people whose stories actually make the Olympics meaningful.
Michelle Merz, Marketing Consultant, Slantics
