Launched two weeks ahead of the PyeongChang 2018 opening ceremony, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) rolled out a fresh brand platform highlighting Canadian values called ‘Be Olympic’.
The #TeamCanada campaign, launched on 23 January, celebrates the country’s Winter Olympians, highlights their shared values and challenges all Canadians to consider just what it means to ‘Be Olympic’.
The COC’s objective in sharing #TeamCanada athletes’ stories is to ‘inspire all Canadians through the power of sport: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year’.
At the heart of the eight-week, integrated campaign is a set of cinematic short films revolving around athlete stories and insights.
This video led approach spans a spearhead 60-second spot with 30-second and 10-second clips, supported by an array of narrative assets and elements ranging from digital and social video content, Out Of Home advertising, print media stories and social media pieces.
The hero commercial at the campaign’s centre is a dreamlike, beautiful and highly stylized TV ad called ‘Virtue and Victory.
It introduces the stories of Canadian athletes that illustrate and reflect both Canadian and Olympic values. And features a team of Canadian Winter athletes: including Denny Morrison (long track speed skating), Chloé, Maxime and Justine Dufour-Lapointe (freestyle skiing), Eric Radford and Meagan Duhamel (figure skating), Mark McMorris (snowboard), Hayley Wickenheiser, Vicky Sunohara and Caroline Ouellette (ice hockey).
This lead TVC closes with a call to action for all Canadian sports fans to learn more about the athlete stories and learn from additional copy, photography and related materials to get behind the #TeamCanada scenes at www.beolympic.ca.
This commercial, like the entire campaign (and the country of course), comes in dual language versions.
“We wanted to shine a light on moments in our athletes’ stories that showcase the best of us–values that define what it means to be Canadian and to be Olympic,” said Derek Kent, COC Chief Marketing Officer.
“In doing this, we honour their dedication and their journey. We want to encourage Canadians to dig deeper and be inspired by our Olympians’ incredible passion for sport. Inspired by their values of determination, unity and resilience.”
The lead ‘Virtue & Victory’ ad features vignettes of each athlete story showcasing their values and these are told in further, more focused details through a series of individual athlete digital/social videos.
This supporting series includes ‘Mark McMorris – determination, bravery’,
‘Denny Morrison – resiliency, courage’,
‘Dufour-Lapointe sisters – unity, strength’,
‘Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford – grace, excellence’ and
‘Hayley Wickenheiser, Vicky Sunohara, Caroline Ouellette – leadership, excellence’.
As well as work revolving around a COC’s Winter Olympic 2018 manifesto,
additional campaign assets include ‘Be Olympic’ themed spots: including ‘Be Excellent’,
‘Be Courageous’,
and ‘Be United’.
The activation phase follows previous tease phases dating back to a One Year To Go spot,
and a more recent strand of work that has seen Team Canada social media channels highlighting Be Olympic stories as part of a 100-Day Countdown to the upcoming Games in PyeongChang.
“Defining what it means to Be Olympic represents a year’s worth of insight work and careful thought and consideration,” said Colin Freeman, Senior Manager, Brand Marketing for the COC.
“We are proud of this work and are inviting Canadians to engage and learn more about these incredible stories at beolympic.ca. We had a world class partner to work with in Sid Lee.”
“This platform gave us the opportunity to re-envision what it means for athletes and all Canadians to Be Olympic. With this particular campaign, we wanted to illuminate some of this country’s most courageous athletes and tell their stories in a thought-provoking way. We hope this ad campaign starts a conversation about our shared values as Canadians,” added Sid Lee executive creative director Tom Koukodimos.
In addition to working with the Sid Lee team, the campaign’s creative partners include director Ian Pons Jewell, Revolver Films, OMD, North Strategic, Grayson Matthews and Art Jail.
“Playing for Team Canada is one the greatest honours for any athlete. Every time you put on the maple leaf, you are representing Canadians and Canadian values. As Canadians, we have a duty to be leaders within the Olympic Movement and encourage all athletes to Be Olympic,” said four-time Olympic hockey champion Hayley Wickenheiser in a campaign PR package.
“I had been through so much with the motorcycle collision and stroke that I felt highlighting the struggles of Olympians as something bigger than just winning medals was a refreshing perspective on the Olympics that everyone can relate to in their own way. Seeing that creative vision come to life through the campaign really captures what I believe is the true spirit of the Olympic Movement: We can all aspire to be better in our everyday lives. That’s what Be Olympic means to me and that’s what Be Olympic means to my comeback,” said Denny Morrison, four-time Olympic Long Track Speed Skating medallist.
Comment:
There something of the fashion industry about this campaign: with creative akin to a magazine shoot.
Which helps it cut through some of the more standard ‘competition’ and ‘excellence’ Olympic clutter.
Going back to values is sensible: especially considering a global sporting landscape littered with financial scandal and drugs cheating controversies.
The partnership between COC and agency Soid Lee dates back to 2016 and this is the biggest brand platform emerging from the partnership.
The tie-up has already seen some early work leveraging the next summer Olympics in Tokyo 2020.
The PyeongChang 2018 campaign follows on from the distinctly wintry ‘Ice In Our Veins’ campaign for Rio 2016 (see case study) and #WeAreWinter for Sochi 2014 (see case study).
Links:
Canadian Olympic Committee (COC)
https://twitter.com/teamcanada
https://www.facebook.com/teamcanada
https://www.youtube.com/canadianolympicteam
https://www.instagram.com/teamcanada/
https://www.snapchat.com/add/team-canada
Sid Lee
