​One of the benefits to the vast video archives we have access to thanks to PromaxBDA is that we can highlight how the marketing teams of yesteryear chose to promote major television events.

In our excitement for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi on Friday, we dug up some of our favorite promos from Winter Games past from the PromaxBDA archives—and a few from around the web.

Our main conclusion: NBC definitely needs to resurrect the group musical number.

ABC Sports - 1988 Calgary Games

In what is perhaps the most 80s promo of all times, ABC Sports choreographed an entire musical number set to Wang Chung’s “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” to encourage fans to reach for new heights in 1988. This could be the best promo ever in the history of the Winter Games. Your move, NBC.

CBS Sports - 1992 Albertville Games/Northern Exposure Tie-In

The Eye Network got the stars of the soon-to-be Emmy Winning Best Drama Series of 1992 to remind viewers that yes, they’ll be back, right after the Albertville games.

CBS Sports - 1992 Albertville Games “Home”

CBS used the tagline “Share a Moment with the World” to promote the ‘92 Albertville Games, but they used this classic early ‘90s spot to remind viewers that “home: that’s where the dream begins.” Whereas many of the later promos we love used humor or adrenaline to drive the message, CBS stuck to inspirational themes in its 1992 campaign.

NBC Sports - 2002 Salt Lake City Games “My House”

Here’s that adrenaline we were talking about, along with the first allusions to multiplatform programming with those vintage cable, satellite and internet logos in the lower third.

NBC Sports - 2002 Salt Lake City Games “Cammi Granato”

In what we’re hoping was a spoof of the slickly-produced athlete backstory packages that NBC has become famous for, U.S. Women’s Hockey Team Captain Cammi Granato starred in this humorous promo.

Channel 7 (Australia) - 2002 Salt Lake City Games “Ian Thorpe”

Aussies being Aussies, of COURSE they would also use humor to promote their SLC coverage, this time using swimming sensation Ian Thorpe (aka “The Thorpedo,”) the star of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

NBC Sports - 2006 Torino Games

We got a very “Heroes” vibe from this 2006 spot from NBC Sports, which features a lot of explosions and shots of Earth from above. You’ll have to check it out at the top of this post, since the YouTuber who posted it has disable embedding.

Have we missed any great vintage Winter Olympics promos that you love? Leave us a link in the comments!

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