The Winter Olympics are more than just a sporting event: they’re a global cultural moment, and JCDecaux’s OOH networks play a critical role in translating Olympic excitement into real-world brand impact.
The upcoming Winter Olympics is taking place in Milan-Cortina, Italy, bringing together the world’s top winter athletes and millions of fans across continents. As people move through airports, city streets, and other high-traffic public environments, brands have a rare opportunity to meet audiences in real life, at scale.
Street-level OOH, including billboards and street furniture, turns cities into extensions of the Olympic stage by placing brand messaging directly within the flow of everyday life. As part of omnichannel strategies, these formats provide real-world touchpoints that enable repeat exposure, reinforce key messaging, and amplify Olympic sponsorships beyond broadcast.
Omega’s longstanding relationship with the Olympic Games continues as the brand serves as the Official Timekeeper for the 32nd time, reinforcing its association with precision, excellence, and performance. In New York City, Omega’s OOH presence appears across street-level inventory near major gathering points such as Bryant Park and surrounding Midtown corridors, aligning the brand with spaces where fans naturally congregate during the Winter Games and driving foot traffic to points of purchase, a phenomenon further amplified by the fact that 99% of sports fans spend money locally after viewing a relevant OOH ad.
The use of DOOH also allows the luxury watchmaker to include eye-catching and relevant motion as part of their creatives, with visuals of Olympic athletes in snow-covered landscapes further attracting audiences to both the event and the brand. Positioned alongside these high-energy environments, Omega’s messaging remains closely tied up to Olympic viewing moments through consistent, high-visibility exposure.
In Chicago, Acura’s digital expressway billboards reinforce Team USA sponsorship within a market defined by deep hockey loyalty. While the creative reflects a national Olympic partnership, its placement along major commuter routes ensures strong frequency and visibility in a city where the sport holds cultural significance, and thus, leverages the existing hockey fan base to amplify limited-time promotions.
Together, Omega and Acura illustrate how street furniture and billboards function as integral components of Olympic advertising strategies, bridging national sponsorships with local context and keeping the Games top of mind well beyond the screen.
As the Official Beer Sponsor of Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics, Michelob ULTRA is leveraging the scale of large-format displays across all LAX terminals to convert global sporting fervor into localized purchase intent. For beverage brands, the airport environment serves as a high-impact catalyst, capturing travelers at the precise moment they are primed for refreshment.
The strategy is backed by a TravelWorld study highlighting the surge of "impulse buying" in transit hubs, where time-sensitive travelers view shopping as an integral part of their journey leading to spontaneous transactions in up to 35% of cases. Furthermore, research from Solomon Partners confirms that OOH leads all media in consumer recall, even surpassing TV and social media. By tapping into the 300% engagement boost typical of major sporting events (OOH Sports), Michelob ULTRA ensures its brand remains the top-of-mind choice for fans transitioning from the airport to their Olympic viewing destinations.
From strategic precision in airports to immersive street-level advertising, OOH advertising is proving to be a cornerstone of Olympic marketing. Brands like Acura, Michelob, and Omega, show how aligning global moments with local relevance can turn the Winter Olympics into more than a broadcast. Instead, it becomes a lived, shared experience.
As the world turns its eyes to Milan-Cortina, OOH ensures that the Olympic spirit isn’t just watched: it’s encountered, remembered, and felt.
