The organizers of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles have settled on a slogan, and it is "Stars Align." This is the sort of phrase that sounds inevitable once you hear it — Los Angeles, Hollywood, celestial bodies, athletic luminaries — which may explain why the committee says it kept returning to the concept despite exploring other directions.
"This is something we've been thinking about for a long time," said Alex Merchán, chief marketing officer for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. "They're a symbol of hope and inspiration, of awe and optimism, and that's exactly what the Games represent."
(What, you were expecting the slogan to say, "Against awe"?)
The announcement arrives more than three years before the opening ceremony, which gives the phrase considerable time to settle into the public consciousness — or, alternatively, to be quietly adjusted should focus groups in 2027 reveal unforeseen difficulties. LA28 describes the slogan as "both a rallying cry and an invitation for athletes to compete on sport's biggest stage," a formulation that manages to be both a mission statement and a welcome mat simultaneously.
To introduce the campaign, LA28 has released a 60-second film set to "Can't Stop" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, a band whose association with Los Angeles is approximately as subtle as the Hollywood sign. The choice suggests a marketing strategy that will lean heavily into the city's cultural exports, which is to say: expect more of this.
The Games themselves will mark the third time Los Angeles has hosted the Summer Olympics, following 1932 and 1984. Whether the stars align for the organizers' sponsorship goals remains, for now, a matter of astronomy rather than accounting.
Original story published in adweek.com: "LA28 Reveals Star-Powered Slogan Set to Shine Across Olympics Marketing"