The 2016 Olympics in Rio are shaping up like a steamy jungle adventure. Here at Spyglass, we feel like a bunch of Indiana Joneses ready to chop through the dense vegetation of negative media hype, hoping for a little less focus on mosquitos, banditos and leaky-pipe-oritos—and more magic moments of culture and competition. If your brand is thinking about jumping on the social media bandwagon during the games, you’ll need to know the dos and don’ts of Olympic tweeting. NBC spent almost $1.3 billion for the rights to air the event, and reports say NBCUniversal believes it will sell well over $1 billion in advertising for its telecast. It’s no surprise that those brands, including the Olympic brand itself, are drawing a legal line in the sand to keep unpaid social media interlopers off their paid media turf. But if you play your cards right, you’ve still got a chip, a chair and a chance to make your mark.
Here’s how to stay out of hot water on social media and develop a gold medal strategy for riding the social waves.