Activating its Special Olympics sponsorship and leveraging the 2023 Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, Coca-Cola teamed up with agency Grey for a campaign called ‘Your Support Is Real Magic’ which seeks to generate attention and support for the athletes, the event and the umbrella cause.
The World Games is the most anticipated Special Olympics competition of 2023 and, despite the fact that it is being held in Berlin, only 7% of Germans knew the Special Olympics existed previously. Part of the ‘Your Support is Real Magic’ strategy is to change that by promoting inclusivity and acceptance in the sporting world.
The campaign message also highlighted the Special Olympics’ mission as a global movement that aims to create a world of inclusion and community.
Launched to coincide with the Saturday 17 June start of the World Games, the activation spanned outdoor (OOH), print, TV, VOD and social. It set out to raise awareness of and support for the Special Olympics – a global movement of people creating a new world of inclusion and community – around the World Games in Berlin (which run from 17 to 25 June).
The integrated campaign targeted the mainstream mass public while also particularly aimed at football fans across the country from Dortmund to Berlin as the Grey team sought to redirect some of the passionate fandom and love that Germans have for their football clubs towards the athletes competing in this year’s event.
It was led by an OOH strand featuring striking portraits of participating athletes with intellectual disabilities displayed in key locations across Germany.
‘Your Support Is Real Magic’ also introduced German sports fans to Special Olympics sports stars through a trio of television commercials, as well as through partnerships, print, video on demand, and social.
The international strand of the campaign also included some local country-specific activations outside the host nation – such as in the UK.
“The athletes of the Special Olympics have big ambitions, like other athletes they dream bigger and support can make those dreams happen,” said Coca-Cola Europe Strategy & Creative Marketing Manager Alessandra Francesca Rebecchi. “It’s so exciting to launch this campaign and give prominence to the incredible sportspeople competing in Berlin and promote a more exclusive sporting world for all.”
Grey CCO for Global Accounts laura Visco added: “Being part of this campaign has been an absolute honor. Collaborating with these inspiring athletes and witnessing their stories first hand has been a profoundly humbling journey. I hope this campaign can serve as an inspiration, rallying others to actively advocate for the Special Olympics”.
The campaign was created for Coca-Cola by creative agency was Grey where the team was led by Chief Creative Officer Laura Visco, Creative Directors Enrique Torguet and Manuel Castillo, Copywriters Frederik Wetzel, Ben Lambert and Alex Mawby, Head Of Strategy David Toussant, Planner Milan Zum Hebel, Account Managers Mo Kahwaji, Kelli Nelson and Maddie Hine, Project Manager Asli Yardimci, Producer Anthony Borkett and Photographer Anthony Kurtz.
Production was by BIRTH with Director BRBR, Producer Rachel Bashford and Director Of Photography Tobias Blickle, while post production and VFX was run through GPS.
Comment
The Coca-Cola Company is a long-standing partner of the Special Olympics, and the ‘Your Support is Real Magic’ campaign is key to the partnership.
As a founding partner of the Special Olympics World Games, Coca‑Cola has been a proud global sponsor since 1968, and we’re delighted to support them once again in Berlin for this year’s event.
The Special Olympics World Games is a truly international spectacle, with more than 7,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities participating in the games, representing over 170 different nations. The Games are spread over eight days, taking place at 13 different venues, with more than 300,000 spectators watching the athletes compete in multiple sporting categories.
Coca‑Cola champions the vision of an inclusive society through the power of sport, believing in the transformative impact of the Special Olympics World Games on participants’ lives. By supporting the event, Coca‑Cola embraces the desire to break down barriers, bring communities together and give more people the chance to thrive.
Another notable 2023 campaign leveraging the Special Olympics Berlin World Games was a joint initiative in the UK from Team GB, ParalympicsGB and Special Olympics GB titled ‘What A Level Playing Field Looks Like’.
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