How the Paris 2024 Olympics sponsorships impact perceptions of French brands #FrenchFinance

This article was originally published in the Brand Finance France 150 2025 report

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games were a platform for French companies to showcase their brands in front of the entire world. While leading sponsors included global giants like Coca-Cola, Visa, Toyota, and Airbnb, several iconic French brands, including LVMH, Air France, and Orange, were prominent sponsors.

At its core, the purpose of sponsorship is to influence stakeholders – consumers, business partners, employees – more effectively than traditional marketing methods. Brands aim to align with rights-holder attributes, like the Olympic Games’ reputation for prestige, excellence, and achievement. The goal is to deliver a return on investment (ROI), typically measured by both short-term sales increases and long-term brand-building, ultimately strengthening the brand’s reputation and its connection with audiences.

Brand Finance’s 2024 Global Brand Equity Monitor (GBEM) study highlights the positive impact of Olympic sponsorship on brand familiarity, engagement, and associations. According to the research, these improvements in brand perception are notably stronger among Olympic fans than non-followers. This suggests that audiences who are engaged with the Olympics are positively influenced by the sponsorship activations to which they are exposed.

Several LVMH brands featured their designs as part of their sponsorships of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Louis Vuitton created bespoke medal trunks and torches, while the brand’s Men’s Creative Director Pharrell Williams carried the Olympic torch at the Opening Ceremony. This high-profile activation epitomized dedication, authenticity, and unity—values associated with both the torch and Louis Vuitton’s brand ethos and heritage.

Brand Finance data reveals that Louis Vuitton’s partnership with the Olympic Games significantly enhanced its global prestige and reputation among international audiences, with stronger performance among Olympic fans versus non-fans. According to Brand Finance data, luxury apparel buyers who follow the Olympics rate Louis Vuitton more highly across key metrics such as ‘reputation,’ ‘social commitment,’ ‘brand I love,’ ‘trust,’ and ‘recommendation.’ Olympic fans rated the brand’s reputation at 8/10, underscoring the effectiveness of this collaboration in solidifying Louis Vuitton’s position as a leading luxury brand among international audiences.

Air Francethe flagship carrier of France, transported thousands of athletes during the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympic Games. Through its ‘Bringing the World to Paris’ campaign, the airline showcased its extensive international presence, literally connecting nations for the Games.

Brand Finance research finds that international Olympic fans who are planning to take a flight within the next 12 months report a stronger connection with Air France at every stage of the brand funnel, compared to those who are not Olympic fans. The most significant gap is seen at the ‘consideration’ stage, with an 11% difference between fans and non-fans, followed by ‘awareness’ and ‘familiarity.’ This is strong evidence that Air France’s Olympic partnership is significantly correlated with the brand’s recognition and appeal in international markets.

The research also reveals that Olympic fans who are airline users view Air France more favourably than non-fans. Among fans, the airline excels in key areas, with 42% perceiving it as ‘trustworthy,’ 34% acknowledging its ‘great customer service,’ and 29% recognising it as a ‘symbol of success.’ These enhanced perceptions could potentially translate into greater consideration, and subsequently usage, of the brand in the future, as fans may be more likely to choose Air France based on their strengthened trust and admiration for the brand.

Orangethe official Telecommunications Service Provider for the Paris 2024 Games, supported 20,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes and millions of spectators by providing connectivity for 878 sporting events across 120 venues. Brand Finance research shows that sponsoring the Paris 2024 Olympics considerably boosted awareness (+5%), familiarity (+9%), and consideration of Orange (+15%), in France, with similar uplifts experienced in international markets. Olympics fans also perceive Orange to have a stronger reputation, improved ESG credentials, and are likely to recommend the brand more. Although Brand Finance research was conducted shortly after the Games, we can already infer an uptick in usage amongst Olympics Fans, suggestive of the sponsorship having an immediate improvement on short term sales. The onus is now on Orange to remain true to its commitment and further develop its long-term brand building metrics in order to capitalise on what has appeared to be a successful association and sponsorship of the Olympics.

It’s clear that by sponsoring the Paris Olympic Games, French brands boosted their familiarity and appeal, particularly among Olympic followers. By employing sponsorship impact modelling and analysing changes in business performance, brands can better understand the return on investment and the value created in terms of both short-term sales activation and long-term brand building. For brands that want to align with the Olympics’ rights-holder attributes, this financial quantification enables them to effectively manage their long-term growth strategies and continue to capitalise on their association with one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events.