Your Favo(u)rite Olympic Tv Commercials

[Durban Sandshark]

Bert Le Clos sings a variant of Nat King Cole's classic "Unforgettable" called "Unbelievable1" for SuperSport's moments in sports that year commercial as it looks into the new year. He pretty much stole the show with his post-swim interview and captured South Africa's (and the world's) attention even when his now-heartthrob son Chad just upset Michael Phelps for gold in London.

Yao's appeal to kids has always been high, as evidenced in that Coke commercial I showed you yesterday. We get to witness that appeal again with an Oreo cookies commercial dealing with a dunking challenge with a boy.

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Edit : "Unbelievable!"

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Liu Xiang, another Chinese sports icon, appears here in a couple of Coca-Cola commercials on this post. Both from the Chiness Olympic year of 2008.

Liu and his roommate fight over the only Coke bottle in the fridge all with both clutching and never letting go in all sorts of situations--yes, even at the track in an empty stadium--until, because he's the star in the commercial, Liu gets it. But don't feel too bad for his buddy just yet...

The conflict for the Coke bottle rages on here with members of the Chinese Coca-Cola Dream Team including Liu and Guo Jingjing battle all over Beijing leaping off and over buildings for who ultimately gets it.

[Durban Sandshark]

During the London Olympics, somebody uploaded the acquatics version of the ABC 1976 Summer Olympics promo that has John Nabors, Shirley Babershoff, Laura Searing, and diver Tim Moore--"up close and personal, the ABC way". Nabors became an Olympic legend, of course, with gold. Looking at it now, though, Greg Louganis never had a mention. The US women famously was robbed of gold with the cheating, except in that one realy, at the pool due to the East Germans taking steroids. Babershoff especially--and was crucified by the press at the time for telling it, calling her "Surly Shirley".

Slovenia's shining sports star, skiier Tina Maze, enjoys Teekane's Natural Herbal Teas in all of its flavors. So she's stunned to see the Teekane mascot, a guy in his Teakanne tea kettle costume, after discussing what qualities she likes about Teekane and the flavors at the Teekane shop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx-jJQlCt38

[Durban Sandshark]

Kids across Australia were asked by McDonald's (Maccas to you) about their knowledge on the Olympic Games when they were coming to Sydney in this trio of Maccas 2000 commercials shows

Canadian sprinting legend and double gold medalist from Atlanta Donovan Bailey stays connected with his Jamaican heritage. One way of doing so is with Grace coconut water.

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Irish high jumper and its national record holder Deirdre Ryan for Electric Ireland, proud sponsor of Team Ireland 2012

Future Russian flagbearer and London silver medalist in women's tennis (should've won gold IMO, long story) Maria Sharapova makes her way to the US National Tennis Center for her match with everyone around her sardonically, annoying, enthrallingly, and boredly singing depending on the person including John and Patrick McEnroe the famous West Side Story song "I Feel Pretty" zeroing on her attractive model-like looks much to her (silent) dismay...until the her mad game literally speaks loudly in a Nike commercial.

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Nike back in the mid-1990s (circa 1995-97) ran a series of commercials centering on a support group therapy session for people who are incredibly fast. These commercials starred Michael Johnson, Gary Payton, Gail Deevers, Kenny Lofton of the Cleveland Indians, a Japanese chef, and Helio Castroneves(?) to support the Nike Zoom Air series. In this one, Michael Johnson recalls a nightmare he had to session leader Jean Smart. Payton and Lofton are quickly shown in this.

He's simply known as Epi, a Spanish basketball legend from Barcelona who passed the torch to Paralympic archer Antonio Rebello in arguably the best torch lighting ever. Juan Antonio San Epifanio, a former mainstay on the Spanish national team up to 1992 from 1980 and for FC Barcelona, pitches his support for his club's primary basketball sponsor Regal, a Spanish insurer that is actually a division of Liberty Mutual, as he passes along to the current players on the team, currently embarking a Euroleague Final Four title in London.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9DXkScPbmc

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Maurren Maggi and comedian Rafel Pimenta having some fun with each other and suprisingly meeting fellow Brazilians, everyday runners here, while promoting Caixa's card and its benefits and Olympic promotions

Another Chinese commercial ithat was part of that massive push for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Liu Xiang is back with a Nike commercial tearing up the hurdles. With people everywhere in China emulating him to the finish. Yi Jianlian and Li Na also star.

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Kellogg's for years would produce general all-around commercials emphasizing the importance of a good breakfast as "the most important meal of the day" acting like de facto PSAs along with and instead of just advertising specific cereals. Sometimes it would have celebs like LeVar Burton. Other cases no. What you're about to see is an Australian Kellogg's commercials like this back in 1992 starring Andrew Gaze, one of Australia's greatest basketball players and a 5x Olympian, discussing to kids about starting the day right with a good breakfast. It's notable for two things: Gaze is wearing a now-rare Atlanta Hawks-style Australia basketball jersey and pants (both of which I would like to get my hands on) and also the girl who responds about the basketball not bouncing, simulating not eating a great breakfast, is now Mrs. Lleyton Hewitt, Bec Cartwright, who married him after six weeks of dating. Audio not quite in sync though.

Rabo Bank is more than proud and happy to support the Dutch national field hockey teams. How so? Just take a look at how those hockey sticks and anything inspired by them have swept The Netherlands everytime those teams succeed and the oranje-clad fans eat it all up.

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Hayley Wickenheiser visits The Brick appliance store and emulates what Sidney Crosby famously used to do with the family's washer in his youth (now in the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame) in this 2010 commercial that no doubt was a tie-in for Vancouver to get to know Canada's Winter Olympians. Surely she did the same thing to practice her wrist shot growing up to be the legend she is.

We've had the Carl Lewis here on the Pirelli commercials last year. 2x gold medalist Marie-Josee Perec, La Gazelle, gets shown her Pirrelli shine on. And she runs through all sorts of elements and landscapes here than Carl does, barely escaping them. Music by the recently broken up Chemical Brothers.

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That Australia basketball jersey Andrew Gaze wears in the Kellogg's commercial was something the Boomers never wore in the Olympics. The AOC had an exclusive deal with Adidas to be its official athletic outfitter at the time up until 2000-2004 when Nike was involved and then back again starting with 2008. In fact, those jerseys were never manufactured by Adidas to begin with. As far as the commercial goes, Drewy has a good-natured, easygoing appeal that kids liked as pro basketball in Australia was still booming back then that made him into an Australian basketball icon with him playing for the Melbourne Tigers (coached by his dad Lindsay at the time) and his national teammate Luc Longley playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves--Gaze eventually made it to the NBA two years later as a deep shooting guard for the Washington Bullets in 1994 and then won a ring with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 (but never was on the Spurs playoff roster). Without a doubt, he surely likes kids.

Vancouver gold medalist in speed skating from the Czech Republic, Martina Sablikova, goes through her typical day of training by drinking Danone's Actimel yogurt smoothie that contains 10 million active cultures in each bottle, hence the name, helping her in her practice skating and endurance running in the Czech Republic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEY9GVq1S08

Everybody at the pool somewhere in Australia--I think it's either Brisbane or Sydney--is attracted and react to the sun in whatever they all do. Including Stephanie Rice and Marc Vanderbent, who plays the lifeguard here. Eventually, it all inspires them to happily munch on SunRise Rice.

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Nike sometimes toes the line of hard-edged and controversial ads and apparel that can ruffle the feathers of some. But it sure gets people talking. I mentioned here that Nike back in 1996 unleashed a series of commercials each starring an American Nike endorser like Agassi, Lisa Leslie, and The Dream Team members with slogans that seemed too cocky and unsportsmanlike during its Atlanta campaign. Following well-made, like almost all Nike commercials are, 1996 Atlanta-influenced commercial is the tamest of them, if you can call it that, with Agassi, Uta Pipping, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Michael Johnson, Gwen Torrance, Tom Dolan, Charles Barkley, Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, Paolo Maldini (?, Italy's soccer federation was signed to Nike then), and Scottie Pippen. The song itself, Iggy Pop and The Stooges' classic "Search And Destroy", contrasts differently in meaning with the video footage on display here. But it works very well.

Middle aged man takes a swim at an Italian beach, only to suffer the wrath of a (unseen) shark despite cries for help. Where was the lifeguard? Too preoccupied and distracted watching SKY Sport's Olympic coverage of the Italians winning at the pool. So was everybody else at the beach apparently.

[Durban Sandshark]

Still no more IBM Olympic athlete commercials from 1998-2000 have appeared. When IBM was the official worldwide Olympic Sponsorn and just before the long-running "Solutions For a Small Planet" campaign. This captures Big Blue working with the Lillehammer Organizing Committee in 1994 to help plan, manage, and design the Olympics there. "The equivalent of putting on two Super Bowls a day for 16 days" Wow! Great way of putting that. It's all about having great starts.

I fondly remember this LA 1984 M&M's Olympic commercial. So inspired by this one, I actually drew what it would be like if the M&M's wore the uniforms of various nations in the real Olympics like in basketball to placate my curiousity. I only drew the plain ones because I'm not much of a big fan of the peanut ones. Got a lot of play back then on TV, not just on ABC. Back then, M&M's had a jingle for its commercials, so obviously there was a special Olympic version for the "official snack food of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games".

Friends gather around the TV to eagerly watch with Cokes in their hands their old childhood friend, Canadian sprinter Nicolas Macrozonaris, go for gold and recall when a geeky girl named Julie run after Nick to kiss him as kids much to his horror, "Yackety Sax" and all. Only to be shocked when they spot Julie all grown up and hot finally fufilling her fantasy in this animated French 2004 Canadian Coca-Cola commercial. Certainly came in handy at that time since Macrozonaris is of Greek heritage and is from the Montreal-Laval area, which has a big Greek community. Can't find an English version of this

Fiona May having fun with her daughter and Kinder's Fetta Al Latte (chocolate and milk cream) cookie sandwich snack around their house

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Before the Internet and Red Button, British Olympic fans back during the Seoul 1988 Olympics had to rely on Teletext for in-depth Olympic news, results, and coverage along what was offered by the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4

Reminds me of the Earth Grains and Coca-Cola 1984 LA Olympic commercials where the athletes (actors, really) get together from various backgrounds over food and soda. Canada Safeway's Calgary 1988 commercials sees these "athletes" dining together at the Olympic Village over breakfast and talking about themselves with food supplied by Canada Safeway supermarkets.

Dutch gold medal-winning gymnast Epke Zonderland pitching for M-Line pillows. Surprised that M Line manufactures pillows. Thought it was something else.

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Going to bring along Indian Olympic commercial for the first time here. Amul Milk, an official sponsor of the 2012 Indian Olympic Team, has a commercial using some CGI showing a gymnast and a volleyball player in milk after it's poured in a glass and likes to call it "the original energy drink". Can't ID the song for you.

Another commercial coming from lndia is from Seagram's Royal Stag. Here, in this engagingly and emotively one that highlights the rich and golden Indian heritage the three stalwarts of the last London Olympic Games represent – gold medal winners of the London Olympics 1948 field hockey passing the beacon of hope to the current set headed to the same shores after 64 years. Leslie Claudius (Olympic gold in 1948, ’52 and ’56), Keshav Dutt (gold in ’48) and Jaswant Singh Rajput (Gold in ’48) feature handing the baton to Bharat Chetri, the goalkeeper captain of the Indian Hockey team to London Olympics 2012 in the past meeting the present ad in the hopes of "making it large". Unfortunately, Chetri and his team finished a disappointing 12th out of 12 teams. That has much to do with the rapid changes in international field hockey since the Indian heyday--1980 doesn't really count--that India hasn't effectively caught up like with artificial turf.

For a while back I brought up Sir Chris Hoy's Gillette commercial. Victoria Pendleton gets her turn for Proctor and Gamble's Pantene Pro-V, when she does not likegetting frizzy hair being the best in the world as Britain's most successful female cyclist, that was shown on British TV. She certainly was among Britain's shining lights and marketable stars like Hoy and Ennis in the lead up for London 2012 last year.

He may be terrible in interviews and may not be articulate to go along with his handsome looks and hunky bod befitting of a rock star and the hedonism too. But at least Ryan Lochte accomplished getting some gold at the Olympics. No, I haven't seen his show "What Would Ryan Lochte Do?" Full one minute AT&T 2012 commercial with him seemingly swimming nonstop from across the Atlantic Ocean all the way to London with his voiceover discussing what luck can't do for you in your Olympic swimming endeavors. Entitled "Warming Up". Jeah!

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A sibling rivalry is going in Spain as two of the best basketball players the nation has ever produced, both of whom NBA stars and even were traded for each other. What side are you on? Team Pau or Team Marc? Come see this San Miguel beer commercial to choose your side! BTW, this beer they promote here is an alcohol-free version, and San Miguel also happens to sponsor Spain's national senior basketball teams.

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IBM tells the story of a Norwegian man named Ulf Soren who manually handled all the times and results from the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo that took hours. and how by 1994 in Lillehammer, he oversaw the processing of those Olympics results digitally in seconds as IBM's Olympics operations manager with his team.

Canadian Seoul 1988 Hyundai Olympic commercial coinciding wishing the Canadian Seoul 1988 Summer Olympic Team well and the first offshore Hyundai plant from South Korea in Bermont (?), Quebec

Uncle Ben's in France? Didn't know that. A young Orphelie Winter--now a multimillion-selling pop singer and actress from France and The Netherlands (Dad's Dutch) since 1996, not an Olympian--appears at :20 with long curly blonde hair and sings in this 1991 Uncle Ben's rice commercial, dressed up as one of those French Olympians at the Olympic Village about to eat what resembles a seafood dish loaded with Uncle Ben's white rice. Uncle Ben's was an official partner for both Olympic Games back then. I think for me this will act as one that's more mediocre than bad

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As a tie-in to the premiere of ESPN Films' The Diplomat on Katarina Witt tonight, this will be a great time to show this very fun 1991 Diet Coke commercial after she turned pro following an incredible career on the ice as cashed in on endorsements. Yeah, she's so hot she could melt the ice! Too bad it's a little short than needed. Heard some people from that set she was great to work with. And it shows as she beckons the guys from the soda bar to skate with her. Love that great smile after sipping the Diet Coke! Also love how she skates backwards slipping into the shadows in the end! Not long after that, she became a figure skating analyst for CBS' Albertville Winter Olympic Games broadcast. Enjoy!

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Mark Spitz coaches in vain Crash The Bandicoot as he struggles with being at the swimming pool in this Sony Playstation commercial promoting the Crash the Bandicoot 3 Warped video game

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A grandfather and his granddaughter mutually bond over his Olympic memories and M&Ms (supposedly) at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics in another 1984 Olympics M&Ms commercial.

Digicell likes to send its heartfelt thanks to Shelly-Ann Fraser and Usain Bolt for both winning gold for Jamaica at London 2012 as a proud sponsor of the 2012 Jamaican Olympic Team

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Olympic divers in this thread today.

Greg Louganis, arguably the greatest diver ever, appears in this 1982 Mercantile Bank Texas commercial at the beginning height of his dominant reign. Focusing on his mentality and momentum from climbing the ladder to his actual dive. This won a CLIO Award. The whole presentation and style was a big deal with plenty of commercials back then like this.

For some of you, your favorite Olympian hunk is back! Alexandre Despaite in this Gillette commercial from last year shown on Canadian TV with an obvious tie-in for London with Gillette Proglide Gold Line of products. Surely there's a Quebecois version...

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Italian basketball legend Carlton Myers, the flagbearer in the Sydney 2000 Opening Ceremony, is surprised that Renato brought along Tartufone Mottta cake at a party.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a87935IDJ4

Goes without saying that the following 1979 Coca-Cola commercial is very interesting under its famous "Have a Coke and a Smile" campaign. Mike Lookinland (aka Mike Brady from The Brady Bunch) plays a young aspiring US Olympian off to train and compete likely in the upcoming Moscow 1980 Summer Olympics, if not the Winter one in Lake Placid, with seemingly the whole small town wishing him well on his train ride and sharing Cokes with his girlfriend. Funny, Mike Brady never displayed a strong ounce of athletcism--and famously wasn't allowed to play ball in thouse. But Mike's an actor, after all. Six months later, the US boycotted Moscow, rendering this meaningless. I do remember the voiceover, but his name escapes me. Heard it in many things.

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Before Dirk Nowitzki, Detlef Schrempf was THE face of German basketball. In this 1995-1996 Adidas commercial, the 1984 and 1992 German Olympian, he discusses how Americans consume so much notable German stuff and still imported only one German pro basketball player--him. By then, an NBA All-Star with Indiana Pacers before returning to Seattle, where he previously played at the University of Washington, as a Supersonic. Directed by John Kelly, who enjoyed working with Detlef.

Chinese soccer player Zheng Zhi recalls being 19 years in 1999 and China failing to qualify for the Sydney 2000 Olympics amidst shattered dreams everywhere and aiming to do better as hosts in Beijing in this Beijing 2008-themed Adidas Olympics Impossible Is Nothing commercial on Chinese TV.

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Going to bring into something more upcoming as we increasingly excited about Sochi. OTTO Workforce, a large European service provider, sponsors Polish short track speed skaters Aida Bella and Marta Wojcik as part of the Project X Dni Do Soczi 2014. Cutting a watermelon with a skate? Never would do that...

Arbie, the face of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), helps Canadian Olympic athletes train for London. Been a Team Canada Olympic partner since 1947.

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British Telecom (BT) extolling the virtues of BT Infinity, 4x faster broadband than Sky's and at the Internet heart of London 2012, through the use of athletes in a few Olympic and Paralympic sports. Music: In This Shirt by The Irrepressibles.