Paris Opening Ceremony, an Olympic Masterclass in Branding

Louis Vuitton and me.

I wanted to go. Paris was hosting the Olympics; I’d been living in the south of France for nearly six months, a train ride away. Having worked at both Nike and Louis Vuitton, I knew this year’s event would be good, one for the record books. The French never did anything halfway. 

But I had already orchestrated my escape from the bustling Riviera crowds to the lush green comfort of a Pacific Northwest summer. I flew back to my native America a few weeks before the Opening Ceremony and, with a heavy heart, did what most people do: I watched it on TV.

It was exquisite, spectacular, moving—and a brilliant masterclass in branding. The Parisian strategy felt particularly germane as I write my nonfiction debut, Brand Global, Act Local (due out next summer). The world knows France by its brands, and for good reason: France has a flair and panache for branding, and this year’s Olympics took the cake. And the brioche.

The Opening Ceremony unveiled Paris to the world, dancing through our imagination. Like quality French craftsmanship, it wove together contrasting threads: French aristocracy—Versailles and the marching bands—with the vibrant modern creativity of French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura performing on the Pont des Arts. The weaving was literal: they marched toward one another on the magnificent bridge, Aya and her dancers in glinting gold effortlessly integrating with the traditional marching band in their crisp blue uniforms. Everyone was tapping their toes to the beat, classics and modernity in perfect harmony. 

It was a celebration of diversity and creativity, alighting across the famous monuments to, once again, reimagine history through today’s eyes. We watched a mysterious masked figure carry the Olympic torch over charming Parisian rooftops, up centuries-old stone stairs, and into the Louvre, where the flame wended its way through galleries full of resplendent masterpieces. Thanks to another modern twist—this time with a sprinkle of AI magic—the canvases sprung to life, famous figures exiting their frames. Their eyes moved miraculously, following the flame’s color and movement. The most bewitching eyes in history—the Mona Lisa’s—tracked the masked runner as he ran by. 

Frame cut back to the Seine, where we descend by drone towards the famous Gothic buttresses of Notre Dame. We learned about her innovative construction in the Middle Ages and, since the inferno, the carefully, lovingly crafted reconstruction. Hanging between the raw scaffolding, balletic dancers from what could have been Cirque du Soleil rappelled amidst the beams, their strong legs twirling amidst fragile beauty. 

But there was more. Cut to the gold medals being forged with the same craft likely commissioned by French kings and queens. Over a quivering flame, talented workers molded the gold with small bits of the Eiffel Tower, making these medals more anchored in their birthplace than any Olympic medals of the past. LVMH sponsored these games for the first time in its hometown, their jewelry brand, Chaumet, making the medals.

In a fantastic marketing ploy, after watching the exquisite pouring of liquid gold, we were treated to a behind-the-scenes view of the artisans at Louis Vuitton handcrafting massive wooden trunks, each monogrammed tray carrying these valuable medals in all their glory. They would be hoisted from the headquarters of Louis Vuitton and marched in another noble parade across the Pont Neuf—the bridge on which I once commuted to the LV bureau—to the Olympic site of the Eiffel Tower. 

Not since Athens has there been a more glorious, broad, historic and modern, and locationally anchored Olympic Opening Ceremony. It was the perfect embodiment of the core tenet of my book: Brands build meaning through culture. The best global brands adapt their marketing to integrate the assets and treasures of cultures. 

The Parisian strategy for this year’s Olympics illustrated this perfectly. We think of Paris as an classic, centuries-old city—and yet here comes this dazzling sporting event, using cutting-edge tech and contemporary performers to bring the city to life. They transformed old-world Paris into a modern city without losing any of the history or charm. We’re used to seeing Olympic sports isolated in closed venues around a city, siloed and discrete. But in Paris, they showcased France by placing the games in and around these historic venues. Fencing at the Grand Palais! Volleyball under the Eiffel Tower! The Triathlon in the Seine! 

It was an explosion of creativity on so many levels. Paris became elastic, as these historic sites and images lived and breathed.

There’s an art to striking the right balance, but there’s also a strategy, which I describe as a fulcrum. The Brand Fulcrum is a strategic framework I developed to help manage a brand’s vitality and relevance over time. Strong, dynamic brands balance multiple—and occasionally competing—themes. Gucci, for instance, represents over one hundred years of traditional craftsmanship, still working with small, family-owned factories around Italy. In fashion, Gucci reflects the fashion zeitgeist of an era: Tom Ford’s daring designs in the 1990s or Alessando Michele’s inclusive approach of the 2010s. Gucci stores featured its classic bamboo bag alongside Michele’s wild mixed prints. The contrasts work to compliment one another and, in balancing both sides of the fulcrum, enrichen the brand’s depth and value.

The fulcrum helps visualize the extremes of a brand's identity—authenticity or tradition on one side, and innovation or trend on the other—ensuring that the brand can push its boundaries while staying balanced. When a brand begins losing its market relevance, I’ve found this framework a useful tool for reflection and strategy. Each side of the Brand Fulcrum creates a certain value; together, they extend the brand’s range, elasticity, and reach, important tools for staying relevant for the broad and evolving marketplace. 

When I worked at Louis Vuitton, I watched the skilled craftsman stitch the edges of fabric in trunks. As the camera panned over the LVMH trunks during the Opening Ceremony, I had to smile. How was that Olympic related? It was a shameless marketing insert. But it worked, both intellectually and artistically. The connection was that those medals were delivered to the world’s best athletes on the podiums in LV trays, which were shelved in LV trunks, which were made in the ateliers in Asnières. In other words: local artisans crafting a global brand.

Like the craftsmen stitching those golden threads, Paris wove many threads together in its hosting of this grand festival. History, modernity, art, architecture, music, creativity, and the rebuilding of legacy. The French created relevance. Classic and modern don’t usually go together—and yet Paris housed a global phenomenon in an old, beautiful, classic city. When you combine the two, you create elasticity. 

This brilliant strategy capitalized on the fact that Paris is the number one travel destination in the world. That wasn’t a coincidence! More than thirty million viewers tuned in to watch this year’s Olympic games—and they were all treated to a front-row seat of the joy of visit all of these glorious monuments and magnificent works of art on a trip to Paris. Now that’s the Brand Fulcrum at work! 

Thanks for reading and post your thoughts or comments below.
For more information about my work as a consultant, teacher, and speaker, go to katherinemelchiorray.com. And to learn more about the Brand Fulcrum and other game-changing frameworks, keep an eye out to pre-order BGAL here.

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