PR Strategies for Brands Facing Protests at the Olympic Games

With the Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy, set for Feb. 6–22, protests tied to the cost and environmental impact of preparing the region for the Games have been unfolding for years. Demonstrations opposing the Olympics have been documented since at least 2023, underscoring a familiar reality for organizers and sponsors alike.

Protests surrounding the Olympics are nothing new. They have become a predictable part of the Games’ global footprint, often unfolding in ways that feel routine to activists but deeply unsettling to organizers and the brands that invest millions to associate themselves with the event. For sponsors, the pattern is familiar: large-scale visibility attracts large-scale scrutiny.

From decades of experience working on mega sporting events and Olympic-related accounts, one lesson stands out. There is no universal playbook for managing protest-driven risk. Effective responses must be tailored to the specific political, social and cultural context of each host city. Brands can rarely predict how protests will intersect with their promotions, but they can plan for the likelihood that they will become targets.

That planning should be a core component of every Olympic media strategy. Too often, brands approach the Games as a celebration of sport while underestimating the reputational risks that accompany them. As protests against mega events have become more frequent and more organized, preparation has shifted from optional to essential.

Media training is a critical starting point. Because Olympic Games now routinely attract protest activity, training should be led by individuals with deep knowledge of the local political landscape and the specific protest movements operating in the host region. In practice, many agencies staff Olympic teams with generalists drawn from across the firm rather than specialists selected for local expertise. While common, that approach leaves brand spokespeople ill-equipped to respond to nuanced questions about protests, governance or community impact.

For Milan-Cortina, brands would benefit from training led by experts familiar with Italian political dynamics and anti-government or anti-Olympic movements. That preparation allows spokespeople to put protests into context rather than defaulting to generic responses that have lost credibility over time. Even with planning timelines largely set, this type of training can still be incorporated without overhauling entire programs.

Looking further ahead to the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in 2028, brands may want to consider a more proactive approach. Engaging directly with protest groups and offering space on brand-owned platforms for activists to explain their opposition to the Games could generate goodwill and meaningful differentiation. While unconventional, such transparency could help brands break through the sponsor clutter and earn positive attention beyond traditional Olympic marketing.

Another underused resource is historical context. Olympic historians, paired with crisis communications specialists, can help brand teams understand how past protests have disrupted promotions and how sponsors navigated the fallout. The 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, where brands faced backlash over Russia’s anti-gay laws, and the 2022 Beijing Olympics, which prompted bipartisan congressional scrutiny of major sponsors over human rights concerns, remain instructive examples. In both cases, brands were forced to respond to questions that extended far beyond athletics.

Staffing Olympic account teams with these realities in mind is equally important. As protests follow the Games wherever they are held, account teams should prioritize experience with business and political reporters, not just sports media. Protecting a client from negative coverage requires fast response capabilities, strong writing skills grounded in AP style and spokespersons prepared to address brand, governance and reputational questions under pressure.

An effective Olympic team does not need staff who can recite athletes’ statistics. That information is already widely available. What matters is a rapid-response unit anchored by crisis communications expertise, supported by strong writers, brand marketing specialists and subject-matter experts who can provide context as events unfold.

It is impossible to know in advance which brands will be targeted by protesters. What is certain is that protests will occur and that brands must be prepared for them. Beyond the risk of disrupted promotions, sponsors face another challenge: cutting through the noise of dozens of competing Olympic messages.

One way to do so is through principled positioning. Brands that publicly support the right to peaceful protest and take a clear stance against awarding the Olympics to totalitarian regimes can elevate themselves beyond traditional sponsorship roles. Such positions can generate significant positive attention and establish leadership, even for brands that are not among the Games’ largest sponsors.

In an era when Olympic sponsorship carries both visibility and vulnerability, preparation, context and values-driven communication are no longer optional. They are central to protecting brand equity on the world’s biggest stage.