The Canadian Olympic Committee has launched a campaign to drive pre-games excitement and generate support for Team Canada at Rio 2016 themed around the idea that country’s harsh weather and challenging terrain ensure its athletes are defiantly hardcore.
This may be an initiative promoting preparation for the Summer Olympics, but the ‘Ice In Our Veins’ creative is all about Canada’s winter warriors.
The work aims to draw a clear distinction between Canada’s frozen landscape onscreen and Rio de Janeiro famous tropical beaches.
Led by a striking 60-second commercial centrepiece and an accompanying set of stunning images for press, outdoor and social channels, the campaign has been developed by agency Cossette with plenty of competitive climate commitment and defiance.
The spot sees around 12 Canadian Olympic hopefuls and stars, representing a range of sports, training intensely on icy tundra landscapes – while warm flames lick the bottom of each frame and execution and dramatic copy lines praise the competitive performance benefits of training in sub-zero environments.
‘The cold steels our resolve. The wind thickens our skin … so that, in the heat of the fight, all we feel is the fire in our hearts, and the ice in our veins.’
Launched in 27 April in both English,
and French language versions,
the work is also amplified socially with assets all carrying the #TeamCanada hashtag.
With #100DaysToGo, #TeamCanada is ready for #Rio2016 with ice in our veins: https://t.co/ToqUOPEzDZ
— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) April 27, 2016
‘I never played tennis with spikes on my shoes, that’s for sure,’ says Milos Raonic wearing crampons under his footwear to keep him from slipping.
‘I think [the campaign] is something that will resonate not only throughout Canada, but I think many parts of the world,’ Raonic commented on the creative approach
The core work is accompanied by individual athlete cut downs and edits: ranging from Raonic,
to Olympic diver Jennifer Abel.
‘It means a lot to us, the athletes, to be a part of this as we’re getting close to the Games. We are a winter country, but we’re participating in the Summer Games… summer athletes can perform well too. Winter makes us tough and that Canadian grit is what I will bring to Rio,’ said Abel of the campaign.
Other stars of the activation include beach volleyball duo Heather Bansley and Sarah Pavan, sprinters Aaron Brown and Justyn Warner, javelin thrower Liz Gleadle, boxerMandy Bujold, mountain biker Catharine Pendrel, canoeist Mark de Jonge and swimmersKaterine Savard and Ryan Cochrane.
The campaign was created for the Canadian Olympic Committee by a Cossette team led by chief creative officers Peter Ignazi and Carlos Moreno,w hile the core spot was directed by Mark Zibert.
The production house was Skin and Bones, editing was by Saints Editorial, the media agency was OMD and the communications agency of record was North Strategic.
The campaign also includes a competition that will see one fan win a trip to Brazil through the Canadian Olympic Club.
Over the next 100 days, Team Canada will roll out additional films, behind-the-scenes footage, photos and interviews to further demonstrate Canada’s athletes truly do have ice in their veins.
Comment
As the start of the Games grows ever closer, National Olympic Associations and Official sponsors are rolling out their campaigns ahead of Rio to leverage excitement, generate support and build pre-event followers.
Indeed, there is already an avalanche of activations and creative out there – but Team Canada’s distinctly wintry approach to Rio’s summer Games will generate some cut through because of the climate contrast alone.
After all, when everyone else zigs, zag!
The launch coincides with the 100 days to go countdown and follows in the footsteps of the recently launched Team Canada kit collection advertising (launched on 12 April).
This Rio work also builds on Proximity Canada’s somewhat more pensive and thoughtful campaign for the Sochi 2014 Winter Games in Russia (which also featured stunning tough landscapes and single athletes trekking and training in the snow).
Links
Team Canada YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/CanadianOlympicTeam
Team Canada Website:
Team Canada Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/cdnolympicteam/
Team Canada Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TeamCanada
@OlympiqueCanada | #TeamCanada
Team Canada Google+:
https://plus.google.com/u/1/+CanadianOlympicTeam/posts
Cossette Canada:
