How Nike Won Without Paying for Olympic Sponsorship—While Adidas Dropped $150M on London 2012

In 2012, Adidas paid $150 million to be the official sponsor of the London Olympics.

Nike? Not even on the list. Yet somehow, they became the brand everyone talked about.

Here’s how Nike pulled off one of the boldest marketing moves in Olympic history.

The Setup

The 2012 London Olympics were set up to be Adidas’s ultimate marketing win.

With a $150 million sponsorship deal, they had front-row access to everything—Adidas branding across all Olympic venues, athlete gear, and prime-time coverage reaching over 1 billion people in nearly every country on Earth.

It looked like guaranteed domination.

Adidas seemed untouchable—until the twist…

Nike wasn’t an official sponsor.

No Olympic rings.

No paid athlete endorsements.

Not a single ad could mention the word “Olympics.”

Most brands would’ve backed off.

Nike didn’t.

They spotted a loophole—and turned it into a guerrilla marketing masterpiece.

The brilliance of Nike’s strategy came down to this:

They didn’t focus on the Games. They focused on the athletes—and the everyday people watching them.

Here’s exactly how they pulled it off:

1. The Shoe That Stole the Show

Even though Adidas was the official sponsor, athletes were free to choose their footwear.

Nike jumped on the opportunity—outfitting around 400 athletes with striking neon yellow-green shoes, known as “Volt,” that stood out on every track and broadcast.

By the end of the Games, that bold color—and the energy it carried—was unmistakably associated with Nike, not Adidas.

2. Inspiring Everyday Greatness (in Alternative Londons)

While Adidas filled their ads with Olympic superstars, Nike took a different path.

Their “Find Your Greatness” campaign spotlighted everyday people—teenagers, amateur athletes, and regular folks pushing their own limits. The message? You don’t need a gold medal to be great. Greatness is for everyone.

On top of that, Nike wasn’t allowed to reference London, UK in any of its campaigns.

So, in classic Nike fashion, they found a creative workaround—filming their ads in other places named “London.”

From London, Ohio to Little London in Jamaica, and even a local gym called London Gym, Nike managed to tie their message to the spirit of the 2012 Olympics—without breaking a single rule.