Megan Thee Stallion joins a parade of celebrities helping NBCUniversal to tout its looming coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In a promo that debuted during NBC’s annual telecast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the three-time Grammy-winning recording artist performs at the Palace of Versailles, the site of the equestrian competition at the next athletic extravaganza. She is joined by a flying, fire-breathing, talking horse, while proclaiming, “And that’s how we do the Olympics, Hot Girl Style.” Viewers then see a group of skeptical marketing executives listening to the artist pitch the idea as a way to reimagine the Games.
“As America gathers together today on Thanksgiving, we wanted to surprise the nation with an Olympic moment as big as the holiday, and what better way to do that than with ‘Thee Olympics’, featuring Meghan Thee Stallion and dressage horses at Versailles,” said Jenny Storms, CMO, Sports and Entertainment, NBCUniversal, in a statement. “As we approach the new year, even more surprises are in store as we continue to bring to life the biggest media event of 2024 — the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
The promo is part of a larger marketing effort by the Comcast-backed media conglomerate, which has committed to pay $7.75 billion for U.S. broadcast rights for the Olympics between 2021 and 2032. NBC has been promoting the Paris Olympics for months, with executives betting that the Paris locale means NBCU will have fewer time-zones to navigate compared to recent efforts that have sent the company to big cities in Asia.
NBCU has already tapped Peyton Manning to nod to the Summer Olympics during “Sunday Night Football” and Dolly Parton to urge viewers to “save the date.” Storms’ team has worked on crafting “combustible moments” that focus on athletes’ stories and efforts by Paris to make the Olympics more bespoke, such as setting up beach volleyball in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower or having the opening ceremonies move down the River Seine. The Paris Olympics take place between July 26 and August 11, 2024, with the 17th Summer Paralympic Games set for between August 28 and September 8, 2024.
In the process of making the new Megan Thee Stallion vignette, NBCU worked with US Equestrian, the national governing body of equestrian sport in the United States, to ensure the spot looked authentic. NBCU also worked with music producer Harvey Mason Jr., who created the modernized version of the popular Olympic anthem “Bugler’s Dream” that is heard in the spot.
