Video ad platform XR Extreme Reach, which has partnered with NBCU to deliver linear + digital ads for NBC's coverage of the Paris Olympics, has been analyzing the ads in the games for DEI representation, specifically based on skin tone and gender.  

Compared to this year's Super Bowl ads (which only showed 14.3% for dark skin representation in ads), darker skin tones are significantly more represented in this year's Olympics ads, according to the analysis.  

Ads during the first weekend of the games, based on skin tone representation, performed above the total number of U.S. TV ads shown in the first half of the year, with darker skin tones represented in 38% of the Olympic ads versus 28% for all H1 ads.   

By gender, however, ads fell 3% below the total first-half benchmark of 43%.   

Top-performing categories by skin tone included telecommunications, home & garden, and apparel/footwear/accessories. Lower performers included retail, automotive, travel, consumer products and services.   

Top-performing categories by gender included cosmetic hygiene and home and garden. Laggards included entertainment/media/leisure, legal/financial, automotive, travel and telecommunications. 

The company offered some guidance to advertisers: “Keep track of evolving benchmarks and audience feedback to continuously adapt advertising strategies and maintain alignment of creative to the broader audiences and communities we serve.” 

Pictured above is Olympic Champion Carl Lewis in Tide's "Stains Happen To The Best Of Us," ad running in rotation during the Paris games.