Two years before the Paris 2024 Games, the IOC's global partners are picking up the pace. With the desire to take full advantage of the next Olympic and Paralympic meeting to activate a global partnership made difficult by the health conditions at the Tokyo 2020 and then Beijing 2022 Games.
The latest arrival in the IOC's TOP program, the Allianz insurance group has only known the Games in COVID mode since its entry into the narrow circle of global sponsors. Not easy. For Paris 2024, the German-based insurer has already put itself in battle gear. With what means? For what results? Marie-Doha Besancenot, the CSR, brand and communications director at Allianz France, answered questions from FrancsJeux.
FrancsJeux : How did you experience the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Games, where the Allianz group made its debut as a global partner of the IOC within the TOP program?
Marie-Doha Besancenot : These were the first, in fact, since the partnership between Allianz and the IOC covers the period 2020-2028. But the group was already present as a partner of the Paralympic Games since 2006, before becoming the first partner of the IPC in 2011. In Tokyo as in Beijing, the experience was obviously very special – due to the health crisis – with limited possibilities for activating our global partnership with the IOC. Only employees directly affected by the Paris 2024 Games went on site to get their bearings. In terms of activation, we mainly worked on our team of athletes. Team Allianz has 9 athletes, Olympic and Paralympic. With the exception of established athletes like Clarisse Agbegnenou and Michaël Jérémiasz, it is mainly made up of young hopefuls, who represent the new Olympic disciplines, including surfing, breakdancing and BMX. They were our first vector of activation for Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022.
Will the Paris 2024 Games see the Allianz group pick up the pace?
Yes. They will be the first Games in Europe since our entry into the IOC TOP global program. And the headquarters of the Allianz group is in Europe, in Munich. This Olympic partnership, and the international visibility of the Paris 2024 Games, can allow us to achieve the ambition set by Allianz: to join the top 25 most recognized brands in the world. With 2.500 points of sale in France, the group's French subsidiary will be able to benefit from the advantage of having the Games at home.
How do you activate a global partnership for an event like the Olympic Games, where the brands are not visible on the competition sites?
Our activation is based on three pillars. The first is employee engagement. The health conditions of the last two Games did not allow us to go very far in this area, but we are intensifying actions for Paris 2024, by allowing several hundred employees to volunteer over ten days. The second pillar is business. Belonging to the TOP program allows you to work alongside very large global companies. The IOC also offers us a framework to encourage exchanges. We want to capitalize on this proximity to develop activities together. Finally, the last pillar is the brand. With the Games, Allianz can reach a new level in terms of notoriety and visibility. In France, for example, Team Allianz can contribute to this. Our Allianz France agencies also, with their locations throughout the country. They will be mobilized and already have the communication tools.
Do you make a difference, in the activation of your partnership, between the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games?
No. The two events constitute a whole. We don't make a difference. Team Allianz is proof of this: alongside athlete Typhaine Soldé, we welcomed a new disabled athlete during the Winter Games this year, alpine skier Oscar Burnham, to have a representative team for these two events. We are already talking with France Télévisions Advertising to know their Paris 2024 plans and anticipate a purchase of spaces for the two events, Olympic and Paralympic.
Does your partnership with the IOC also concern an insurance aspect?
It guarantees us to be the only insurer whose name is associated with the Olympic Games. For Paris 2024, we have already won certain calls for tenders. Allianz is particularly interested in buildings built to host the Olympic Games and in the insurance of sporting events. For the Rio 2016 Games, we insured the French Olympic team, in all its dimensions. At the time, we dedicated a campaign to the shadow experts, all those who enable the performance of athletes, including coaches and physiotherapists.
