As the Official Fresh Food Partner of the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams, Woolworths aimed to leverage a coveted exclusive partnership with Nine to deeply connect with Australians during a peak national moment. The core marketing challenge was to authentically link Woolworth’s fresh food leadership and community support to elite athletic achievement, drive strong brand affinity and increase future purchase intent.
Alignment with the Olympics and Paralympics – moments of peak national pride – presented Woolworths with an unparalleled opportunity to embody Australians’ shared values of perseverance, health and community. By positioning “fresh food as fuel” as integral to the journeys of Australia’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes, from their grassroots beginning to global triumphs, Woolworths harnessed the power of emotional storytelling to forge a deeper, more enduring brand connection. An exclusive partnership with Nine allowed for seamless brand integration across Total TV, Audio and Publishing, ensuring relevance at every touchpoint throughout the Games. The strategy prioritised visibility during emotionally charged moments, consistent reinforcement of Woolworths’ support for athletes, and content that made the role of fresh food feel both meaningful and memorable.
Road to Paris: A multi-platform Olympic journey
The unifying media idea, “Fuel for the Nation’s Passion”, was brought to life through a multi-channel approach:
TV: Hero creative featured Paralympian Col Pearse training on his family farm, aligning Woolworths with authenticity and national pride. TVCs aired in contextually powerful placements, including directly before and after Col’s events.
Audio: From sponsor tags in Nine podcasts like Road to Paris and Please Explain to longform vignettes on Ben Fordham Breakfast and medal coverage on 2GB, Woolworths was consistently present in Olympic storytelling.
Publishing: Video executions featuring Woolworths’ ambassadors ran across The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the Wide World of Sports digital platforms. Print and display formats further cemented the message in premium editorial environments.
Social & Digital: Tailored short-form content like “Fresh Facts” linked fresh food and athlete performance in engaging, snackable formats.
A 24/7 Olympic presence
Each media channel played a distinct and deliberate role in delivering the campaign’s emotional and strategic objectives:
Total TV delivered reach and emotional impact through storytelling aligned with key Olympic moments. Audio ensured brand consistency and continuity, embedding Woolworths into the daily routines of listeners. Publishing provided a high-trust environment to reinforce the campaign’s narrative and elevate brand meaning. Branded content and social created moments of discovery and connection, translating the campaign into formats that felt native, relevant and shareable.
+83%
Exceeded the unprompted awareness benchmarks for major events by 83%
+24%
Increase in positive sentiment
+19%
Olympic viewers were +19% more likely to shop at Woolworths versus pre campaign
84%
Aware that 'Woolworths gives back to athletes' communities'. An increase of 33% pre-wave
Source: Gemba Olympics Effectiveness Study 2025
View more big marketing moments from Powered by Nine
It's time for your brand to leverage the power of Nine to drive business outcomes.
