It seems the Olympics Opening Ceremony may reach Super Bowl proportions when it comes to the advertising, from what we've seen so far. Nike, Gillette, Samsung, Powerade, Apple and more have come out with powerful, engaging stories that will likely keep viewers entertained when the camera takes a break from the first-day festivities.
Below, get a preview of some of the best work you'll see at the Opening Ceremony.
Nike goes even beyond Nike in the spectacular "Unlimited You" ad, which shatters the brand's famous "Just Do It" tagline and shows athletes from all walks of life reaching new (and unbelievable) heights. Wieden & Kennedy Portland was behind the spot, directed by The Daniels of Prettybird.
Apple turns to late Poet Laureate Maya Angelou to tell the story of the "Human Family" in its iPhone spot going on-air tonight. TBWA/Media Arts Lab was behind the ad.
Honda delivers a fresh take on truck commercials in this mesmerizing stop-motion ad from RPA and directed by PES via Reset.
Actor Christoph Waltz plays all kinds of Americans, and gives a new angle on U.S. patriotism, in Samsung Mobile USA's funny spot promoting the new Galaxy Note 7. Wieden & Kennedy Portland created the ad, directed by Noam Murro of Biscuit.
Walmart will also honor hard-working Americans, but in a more dramatic way, in this gritty film set to Aerosmith's "Dream On," created out of Saatchi & Saatchi New York.
P&G's Gillette will be debuting a new cut of its moving "Perfect Isn't Pretty" Olympics anthem, which captured the not-so-perfect side of athletic competion -- one guy even throws up. The ad was created by Grey New York and directed by Karim Huu Do via Caviar Content.
Dick's, known for its contemplative sports storytelling, gets a little bolder with a new ad showing how gold is in all of us. Only a few, however, have the tenacity to actually dig for it. The spot was created out of Anomaly and directed by Eliot Rausch out of Stink.
Visa shows how competing in the Olympics becomes a much more powerful story when told from the P.O.V. of refugee and swimmer Yusra Mardini. The official payment provider of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Visa also sponsors Team Visa athletes, including the ten members of the Refugee Olympic Team. BBDO New York created the ad and Siri Bunford of Knucklehead directed.
Powerade adds another heavy-hitter to its "Just a Kid" campaign with this spot showing how boxer Shakur Stevenson's tough childhood helped propel him to the Games. Wieden & Kennedy Portland created the ad, directed by Romain Gavras of Iconoclast.
Although Toyota said it was not intentional, its feel-good "Stand Together" spot, which shows citizens across the country grasping hands and connecting from a stadium all the way to big city streets, seems to channel the famous "Hands Across America" 1986 charity event. The real-world stunt sought to create a human chain that extended from Los Angeles to New York City to help fight world hunger.
P&G's Tide likens its "small but powerful" Tide Pods to Olympics Gymnast Simone Byles, who stands just 4'8" but can do some pretty remarkable things. Saatchi & Saatchi New York was behind the ad.
