The Brands Betting on Team USA: The 2026 Winter Olympics Kick Off
The 2026 Winter Olympics, coinciding with Super Bowl LIX, serve as a major advertising event where brands like Delta, Starbucks, Michelob ULTRA, Xfinity, and Bank of America are strategically backing Team USA through targeted storytelling and multi-platform campaigns that emphasize travel, athlete routines, celebration, viewing experiences, and athlete development.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are officially underway, marking one of the most high-stakes advertising moments of the year, and notably sharing the spotlight with football’s biggest night, Super Bowl LIX. As Team USA athletes compete on the global stage, brands are already showing up in force—putting real ad dollars behind the Games’ biggest, most watched moments.
From long-standing Olympic partners to newer challengers looking to break through the noise, the Winter Games are quickly proving to be a defining media moment for 2026. And with audiences tuning in across more platforms than ever, how brands show up is proving just as important as where they show up.
The Brands Backing Team USA
So who’s putting their brand behind Team USA this Winter Olympics? Here’s a look at the sponsors activating around the Games—along with where we’re already seeing their ads appear.
-
Delta - Official Airline of Team USA
- Activation Strategy: Delta is telling a journey story—connecting travel, preparation, and the road to the Olympic stage.
-
Starbucks — Official Coffee Partner of Team USA
- Activation Strategy: Starbucks is leaning into emotional storytelling—connecting early mornings, dedication, and the routines that fuel Olympic athletes.
-
Michelob ULTRA — Official Beer Sponsor of Team USA
- Activation Strategy: Michelob ULTRA is positioning itself at the intersection of celebration and performance—showing up both during live events and in post-competition viewing moments.
-
Xfinity
- Activation Strategy: Xfinity is leaning into one of the biggest Olympic realities of 2026: how people watch matters just as much as what they watch. They’re positioning themselves as the gateway to the Games, featuring celebrity spokesmen—a strategy we don’t see going away any time soon.
-
Bank of America
- Activation Strategy: Bank of America continues its long-term narrative around opportunity, access, and athlete development—using Team USA as a symbol of what’s possible when young talent is supported early.
-
Eli Lilly
- Activation Strategy: While GLP-1 advertising continues to dominate TV and CTV spend, Eli Lilly is using the Olympic moment to step back from product-first messaging and lean into brand-building instead.
One Event. Many Screens.
Unlike past Olympic cycles, fans aren’t tuning in one single way anymore—and that’s creating both massive opportunity and complexity for advertisers.
Viewers are watching the 2026 Winter Olympics across:
- Traditional linear TV for marquee, live moments
- Streaming & CTV platforms for full-event coverage and replays
- Digital and social channels for highlights, athlete-driven storytelling, and real-time engagement
For brands, this fragmented viewing behavior means:
- Opportunity: Reach audiences wherever—and however—they’re watching, with tailored creative for each screen
- Challenge: Ensuring consistent messaging, frequency control, and efficient spend across platforms during an already competitive ad window
The brands winning this Olympics won’t just be present—they’ll be intentional about how their media mix works together.
The opening ceremonies may be just the start, but Olympic advertising momentum builds fast. Ongoing coverage will continue throughout the Olympic weeks—breaking down the ads running across platforms, where brands are investing, and how spend is shifting in real time.
Related
2023 MediaRadar Prediction: Gambling Advertisers Bet Big on Traditional Formats
In 2022, gambling advertisers, led by companies like DraftKings and FanDuel, increased their spending by 22% to over $738 million—primarily investing 69% in traditional media such as national broadcast and cable TV (notably CBS and NBC) and print ads—reflecting a strategic focus on established formats despite the younger demographic and growth of betting apps, with TV ad spending alone rising 27% year-over-year.
2023 MediaRadar Prediction: Beauty Advertisers Take Advantage of the Lipstick Effect
The 2023 MediaRadar report highlights that despite mixed signals like a 10% drop in Estée Lauder’s makeup sales, beauty advertisers capitalized on the "lipstick effect" during economic downturns—evidenced by a 48% surge in lipstick sales in Q1 2022—and overall beauty ad spending rose 13% to $4.6 billion through October 2022, with top categories including anti-aging skincare, cosmetics, deodorant, haircare, and skincare, which is projected to grow to a $145 billion market by 2028, indicating continued robust advertising investment into 2023.
Prospecting Alert: Top 10 TV Advertisers - Winmo
The article highlights the top 10 U.S. TV advertisers spending at least $200 million on Network TV in 2018, focusing on Verizon Wireless as a key example with $355.71 million in Network TV spend, noting recent executive changes and suggesting targeted agency and marketing opportunities to capitalize on their significant media investments amid a growing $72.4 billion TV ad market.
Q4 2023 12 for ‘24 - Fitness & Weight Loss
In 2023, the fitness and weight loss industry saw a 14% year-over-year decline in ad spend to over $917 million through November, driven largely by a 99% drop from Aviron Interactive and a 4% reduction in brands, with TV dominating media spend, Q1 showing a 20% increase, and top sectors like weight loss services, fitness equipment, and prescription weight loss accounting for 90% of the $826 million spent, while twelve leading brands collectively increased their advertising by 83% to $640 million.
Discovery+ Brings a Unique Flavor to OTT—Which Advertisers are Taking a Bite?
Discovery+, launched in January 2021 as a leading non-fiction streaming service with over 20 million subscribers by Q3 2021, attracts advertisers like Kraft Heinz, Lowe’s, and Toyota by offering diverse real-life content from brands such as HGTV and Food Network, a variety of innovative ad products, and data integration tools, resulting in over 540 advertisers and a 15% monthly growth rate in advertising since August 2021.
Top 10 Most Searched Company Profiles in Winmo: Q2 2021
The article highlights the top 10 most searched company profiles on Winmo in Q2 2021, detailing key brand activities such as Planet Fitness restarting advertising to boost membership with a focus on Gen-Z and millennials through digital and TV ads, and Arby’s increasing its digital ad spend while shifting away from national TV, reflecting broader marketing shifts amid post-pandemic recovery and changing consumer behaviors.