Just 10 days before the 4 February start of the Winter Olympics, the BBC – the UK broadcast rights holder – dropped its Beijing 2022 campaign led by a mixed-media animation promotional spot called ‘Extreme By Nature’ as it seeks to build anticipation and excitement for its coverage.
‘Extreme by Nature’ takes the form of a mixed-media animation created in partnership with BBC Creative and Blinkink that combines an array of in-camera effects, 3D printed frames and stop-motion animation to bring the frozen backdrop of the event home.
The promo ran across the BBC’s on-air and digital platforms and assets after debuting on its Saturday night flagship show ‘Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel’ on BBC One.
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The BBC’s 2022 work follows in the footsteps of the public broadcaster’s previous Winter Olympics promos such as its spots from February 2018 ‘The Fearless Are Here’ and its promot from January 2014.
Launched with less than two weeks to go to the Games, this roll out would be considered by most sports marketers as being somewhat slow off the blocks for such a global sports extravaganza – perhaps reflecting the controversy around the Beijing event and the knock-on effects for many partners and sponsors.
Interestingly, the BBC’s opening Winter Olympics 2022 creative makes no mention of host nation China: a possible sign of the UK broadcaster distancing itself and the event from the host nation as relationships between the superpower and many of the IOC’s (Western) partners remain strained due to issues ranging from human rights and politics to state censorship and media control.
After all, so many other broadcaster promos, teasers and trailers typically lean into familiar host nation culture, imagery and history – such as recent examples of work for the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
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