It seems like very little is going right when it comes to the 2016 Summer Olympics Games happening right now. Just look at any news source and you can easily create a laundry list of all the mistakes and problems that are surrounding this year’s Olympics and its host country. To some, it may seem as if this is could very well be the worst Olympics that has ever happened.

But in spite of all the failures and turmoil surrounding this year’s event, the marketers in us couldn’t help but notice that there have been some positive marketing “wins” so far during the games. In the midst of all the #Rioproblems, here are a few exciting things that we want to award a gold medal in marketing:

1. Snapchat’s Game Highlights
   While the young generations are more and more likely to cut cable and satellite from their lives, it’s essential to adopt new forms of broadcasting for an event. As a self-proclaimed cord cutter, most of my engagement with the games has happened through Snapchat. Of course, not every single event is featured on this increasingly ubiquitous platform; it only features the most popular events and highlights. But where Snapchat really wins is not only can you witness the event highlights from the perspective of the people who are actually there but you can also watch more candid and authentic behind-the-scenes insights into the teams and athletes. The snap story, such as “Pre-Gaming with USA Basketball Team,” is only one example of the myriad of fun and entertaining windows into the lives of our Olympic heroes. And of course, no Snapchat promotion would be complete without a specialized filter so that everyone can capture and share their Olympic spirit.

   2. NBC’s Capitalizing on a Twitter Influencer
   Leslie Jones, who recently starred in the reboot of Ghostbusters, found herself a ticket to the Rio Olympics after enthusiastically tweeting about the events. Her sincere enthusiasm combined with her SNL worth wit made for incredible Olympics commentary entertainment. Her tweets garnered so much attention that it caught the eyes of NBC producers. In a clever and strategic move, NBC has invited Leslie to join Ryan Seacrest in Rio to comment on the most popular sporting events. There’s no doubt that her Twitter audience will tune in to watch her as she joins NBC’s broadcast of the games.

   3. Victoria’s Secret’s Brazilian Ambassadors
   Brazil doesn’t have many international celebrities on the global stage, however, Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima have served as the perfect duo to act as the faces of Brazilian culture in front of the entire world. Both are world-renowned supermodels and have always expressed their fierce pride in their national heritage. Lima and Ambrosio have primarily gained their celebrity status through their long-standing relationship with beloved lifestyle brand, Victoria’s Secret. This was a great strategic move to attract a new audience to the Olympic events; Victoria’s Secret is a cherished brand in the millennial female life and often propels its models into celebrity stardom, thus winning the admiration of millions. Both Lima and Ambrosio have been featured in various segments about food and culture for NBC, showing how to make traditional recipes, as well as entertainment segments with Ryan Seacrest. Did we mention that both models have a combined total 14.8 million followers on Instagram?

   4. Social and Humanitarian Causes Unite and Uplift
   Where you have an event with the global scale that comes with the Olympics, you can always find incredible philanthropic stories and causes. Just a quick look through the featured stories on their website and it’s clear that the event is used as tool to elevate social and humanitarian causes. One particular story that was posted on their website front page and Facebook was about the rise of Olympic gold winner, Rafela Silva, from the biggest slum neighborhood in Brazil. Even the opening ceremony gave a visually stunning statement about the dangers facing the environment. On a somewhat lighter note, buzz generated around the use of shelter dogs as the ball catchers for the tennis games as a way to promote rescue and adoption. It’s evident that this exciting event unifies the world each and every time it comes around.

So despite the rocky road we’ve experienced leading up to the start of the 2016 games, there are still incredible stories and great marketing occurring for us to find inspiring and learn from. What is your favorite #olympicswin so far? Share it with us @TheCoreBlog!