Some brands don’t have to be Olympic sponsors for consumers to get that idea. With days to go to the opening ceremonies of the winter games in Sochi, a poll of U.S. adults found more than one-fifth of them thought Pepsi is one of the Olympic sponsor brands, even though it has no connection to the games. (A larger number correctly tagged Coke as a worldwide Olympic sponsor). A similar amount thought Nike sponsors the winter games, when it’s only partnered with the U.S. Olympic team.
Red Bull, Adidas and Starbucks also got some Olympics gold without spending theirs in Sochi. Check out out the public perception of brands as Olympic sponsors in this graphic, from research company YouGov
