Autodesk on Tuesday was named the Official Design and Make Platform of the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic games in Los Angeles (LA28) and for Team USA. As part of its sponsorship, the company’s software will be the official platform of a $1 billion no-new-permanent-build plan that focuses on temporary construction and adapting existing infrastructure, with sustainability in mind.

The partnership kicks off on Aug. 11 with a 30-second ad that will air during a broadcast of the ceremony that hands off the Summer Games from its current host, Paris, to LA. The spot will also be featured in a broadcast segment on NBC and via organic social and paid media across YouTube​, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn through December.

Autodesk’s commercial demonstrates how its software will be used to support temporary overlay and construction plans, visualizing CGI wire frames over a stadium, a skate park, an airport and train tracks to create a “smarter, more sustainable… city of the future.”

The deal represents the first time Autodesk is showing up on a global stage with a partnership of this scale and a major move orchestrated by CMO Dara Treseder, who joined the company in October 2022 after leading marketing at Peloton for nearly three years. Previous stints for the executive include Apple and GE.

“This isn’t just your mom’s brand partnership,” Treseder told Marketing Dive. “This is really a strategic partnership ... it’s that lovely intersection where brand and business meet to drive business results for both parties.”

Treseder spoke with Marketing Dive about the Olympics partnership, what the company looks for in an agency and how all marketing is performance marketing.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

MARKETING DIVE: What does this partnership represent for Autodesk and LA28?

DARA TRESEDER: Over the next four years, LA28 is going to leverage Autodesk software across every industry we serve, whether it’s architecture, engineering, construction, operations, design and manufacturing or media and entertainment. 

For LA28 to achieve its objectives, it has to work with powerful, dynamic technology, which Autodesk will be providing. Because of the strategic nature, this is not just a regular partnership, where you throw a logo on there and you do some ads. There’s a deep strategic connection. This is really only the beginning of what will be four years of business and storytelling opportunities. 

During your tenure, Autodesk has run campaigns that tapped into “Star Wars,” the Oscars and beyond. What’s your approach for these cultural tie-ups?

Authenticity is key — we want to celebrate what’s real, we don’t want to fake it — so having that real connectivity is so important. 

When I first joined as CMO, one of the first things I did was the Oscars campaign. Autodesk had been playing a role [in Hollywood] since 1996. Almost every Oscar-winning animated movie had been brought to life with Autodesk software, but we hadn’t told that [story].

Our software has been used to design and make the world’s most iconic games and stages, including a lot of what we’re watching in Paris, but this is the first time that we’re publicly saying we are the technology behind the design.

You have to have the authentic connection, and you have to have the ability to drive outsized impact. It’s also beyond just marketing. [The Olympics partnership] gets everybody excited. It allows us to bring together different factions across the company.

Autodesk partnered with Maximum Effort on that Oscar campaign and on an ad around “The Walking Dead,” and with Goodby Silverstein & Partners on the LA28 spot. What do you look for in an agency partner?

I love surrounding yourself with the most creative people because that outside perspective and the conversation it stimulates allows you to think outside the box. You’re able to be more imaginative, creative and innovative than you might be otherwise. 

At Autodesk, how are you balancing performance marketing and brand-building?

All marketing needs to perform — if it’s not performing, what is it? The way it performs, you’re tackling different parts of the funnel, customer journey and experience. 

This LA28 partnership is across the board for us. It’s at the very top of the funnel, getting people to learn about Autodesk. Autodesk can be used to design and make anything, Autodesk is helping to bring the LA28 games to life.

You move down the funnel and some of our customers are going to be actually using our software through that $1 billion temporary overlay construction plan. That opportunity will inspire other customers who are already in the funnel doing business with us, so in addition to bringing in the new, it will also excite the existing customers, as well. 

What does this partnership say about your approach to the CMO role?

I’m a veteran CMO now. This is not my first or second rodeo. What’s really important is spending the time and energy to make sure that you pick those fewer, bigger, better [bets]. At Autodesk, we’re not just trying to do everything all over the place. We focus on what’s most important.

We’re very excited about this partnership, it’s not something we’ve ever done before and it’s a big bet for us. But we know this bet is absolutely worth it because the authenticity is there, we know we can have outsized impact driving the business forward.