August 5th officially kicks off the 2016 Summer Olympics and for seventeen days the world will watch in awe, amazement, and anticipation as the most competitive event in the world unfolds. Even though most viewers will watch on TV, digital viewing is becoming a close alternative, specifically on YouTube. In the past year, the watch time for sports videos surpassed television. In an article found on www.thinkwithgoogle, search interest on YouTube was higher for the last Summer Olympics than for the last World Cup or each of the past six Super Bowls. With this latest rise in digital marketing, the 2016 Olympic marketers will cater towards a video marketing plan primarily focused on culture, non-sports related messaging, and time efficiency. Even with two months to go until the opening ceremony, we are already seeing this change in sports marketing. The Olympics are much more than a sports competition; they are a cultural event representing nearly every country across the globe. Olympic marketing brands would be at a disadvantage if they did not use this creatively. With more than 1 in 3 “non-sports” fans planning to watch the games, advertisers will also want to create and target specific brand segments utilizing custom affinity audiences to broaden their reach and do so in an effective marketing window. It is inspiring for our agency to see digital marketing making an impact on a historic event such as the Olympics. We look forward to see what’s to come.