Singapore brands quick to catch Schooling Olympic gold wave

As Joseph Schooling touched down in Singapore to be mobbed by hundreds of fans following his historic gold medal in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, brands have been almost as quick as the butterfly swimming champion to make the most of what is a perfect marketing opportunity.

Singapore Changi airport itself was among the first to celebrate the 21-year-old’s stellar achievement, posting a mocked-up arrivals board on Facebook showing Schooling’s Olympic record-breaking time. 

Before he had even left the airport, Singapore Airlines had launched its campaign, gifting Schooling a million air miles. 

Ride-hailing app Grabcar initially took some heat from the public for launching a campaign offering free rides only to the Schooling family, before quickly following up with an offer for the general public. 

McDonald’s and KFC were also quick off the mark, with the former offering free chicken nuggets in honour of Schooling’s own “golden nugget”, while Honestbee also had a medal-related offer. 

Several other brands and organisations also got in on the act, with many choosing to focus on Schooling’s record-breaking time of 50.39 seconds. 

Many brands just offered their congratulations, together with their branding, of course.