Special Olympics New York celebrated 50 Years since it was originally founded with the launch of a new ‘Your Brand Here’ campaign featuring young athletes from throughout the state.
The campaign sets out to challenge brands on why they are so keen to support elite athletes and those playing the most popular sports, but less inclined to back the Special Olympics.
It features three Special Olympic athletes from New York (weight lifter Genesis Duran, gymnast Izzy Brinkerhoff and multiple medal winner Daniel Fletcher) and takes a creative approach which mirrors a classic Nike or Gatorade sports spot. But the notable, visible sponsor logos and products that would be in these ads have been removed to illustrate the disparity in support.
The work is led by a hero spot and supported by a set of social images and photography.
The creative features Duran, an 11th grade student from Washington Heights, who is a five-time gold medalist in soccer and basketball and the only girl on her all-male sports teams which Duran credits as helping her become confident and competitive.
Alongside Duran is Special Olympics ambassador and Albany resident Izzy Brinkerhoff who is a middle school student who has won 10 gold medals for gymnastics, bar, floor and vault, as well as Long Island resident Daniel Fletcher who has won 200+ gold, silver, and bronze medals in a number of sports including powerlifting, bowling, floor hockey, softball, bocce, equestrian, and athletics (track & field).
The creative pieces all aim to drive viewers and brands online to find out more information about the Special Olympics at www.specialolympics-ny.org.
Comment:
Special Olympics New York provides inclusive opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to compete in Olympic-style, coached sports, to stay active for life, to achieve goals at local and international contests and to taste victory and overcome defeat.
The New York organisation’s work follows on from event sponsor Toyota’s April 2020 ‘All Dreams Are Equal’ activation (see case study) and the Orlando 2022 logo launch (see case study).
It also has strong echoes of other direct brand sponsor challenge campaigns like the Belgium Special Olympics ‘Dare To Sponsor’ campaign in 2018 (see case study) and the Megan Rapino fronted ‘Future Official: It’s Worth Watching’ Budweiser initiative activating its sponsorship of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the USA (see case study).
Links:
Special Olympics New York
https://twitter.com/SpecOlympicsNY
https://www.facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsNewYork/
https://www.instagram.com/specialolympicsny/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/special-olympics-new-york/
https://www.youtube.com/c/SpecialOlympicsNewYork
Special Olympics
https://www.specialolympics.org
https://twitter.com/SpecialOlympics
https://www.instagram.com/specialolympics/
https://www.facebook.com/SpecialOlympics
https://www.linkedin.com/company/special-olympics/
Edelman
https://www.edelman.com/offices/new-york
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