Navigating Audiences and Controversy: Who Was the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony For?

What are two important things they teach you in great business schools?

1 – Your target is not your market. 

That is, your marketing’s core target audience is only a portion of the people who will buy your product.

2 – Know and delight your target! 

In other words, count on the halo effect from your efforts on your target audience to influence your whole market.

An obvious example is a soda brand that might specifically target the 10-25 age group in its marketing outreach. However, its market is much bigger and includes that 50-year-old guy who wants to think he’s still that lean and handsome young man.

Identifying your target market is critical to success, regardless of the product, service, or event you’re creating.

But how should you handle it when you are addressing the whole world?

Does it make sense to pick a target audience for the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony and ensure you delight the majority of your audience?

According to Thomas Jolly, the event’s creative director, “We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that.”

Yet, in light of the events’ controversies, I suspect they had specific audiences in mind.

It indeed wasn’t the whole world. Was it sports aficionados across the globe? Was it the French people? Parisian Creatives? Emmanuel Macron?

The most notable controversy is the scene during the festivity sequence involving Barbara Butch, an icon in the French LGBTQ community, wearing a silver, halo-like crown and sitting at the center of a long table flanked by drag queens.

The group broke into dance when French artist Philippe Katerine appeared on stage singing his latest song, “Nu,” painted in blue and wearing only some strategically placed flowers.

So, was the scene an homage to the Greek god Dionysus, as organizers proclaim? Or was it a mockery of Christianity, as some suggest? 

I’ll let you judge.

The organizers found refuge behind the sacrosanct freedom of expression. Yet, no matter how subtle it might be, I can’t help but think that they deliberately knew their choices would stir some controversy.

The pick of artists among them is not innocent. I’m a big fan of Philippe Katerine. I’ve followed and enjoyed his creative ventures since the 1990s, but let’s face it: Behind the mask of creative freedom, provocation is his fuel. 

On the positive side, these controversies further increased the event’s high visibility. I doubt two billion people watched the entirety of that very long ceremony. Still, the relays in the media and the internet boosted its memorability.

Engagement spiked, sparking debates. The controversies also boosted targeted appeal, attracting audiences that shared the organizers’ views.

On the negative front, the controversies alienated and even offended groups that possibly were in the target audience, leading to an increased negative perception of the event and some backlash.

But if provocation and controversy were part of the equation for the organizers, how effective was their strategy? Was the risk worth it?

It depends greatly on who you consider to be the organizers’ core target audience. The audience is global for an event like the Olympics, but the core target audience isn’t eight billion people.

If you consider a large global audience of sports aficionados across diverse cultures as the target, then it’s a mixed bag with vocal negative impressions from the more conservative people.

Reducing the core audience to the French people and expecting a halo effect, the outcome is overall positive, as post-event polls showed. 

And if you narrow it down to Parisian creatives and artists, it was a stellar success!

It shows the importance of knowing your target audience and how, if chosen effectively, it can help you influence your whole market.

I’m not in the minds of the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony organizers, so I might never know who they were indeed targeting.

But if you ever consider going controversial in your marketing outreach with part of your audiences, consider the following:

Alignment with your values

Ensure the controversial stance aligns with your brand’s core values and long-term strategy.

Preparedness for Backlash

Have a crisis management plan to address any negative fallout from the campaign.

Ethical Considerations

Consider the ethical implications of the controversial stance and whether it aligns with your brand’s ethical standards.

Understanding the Audiences

Know the target audience and larger market well enough to predict their reaction to the controversy.