One Very Special Brand Turns 50
This year, Special Olympics is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Numerous events are scheduled in Chicago, starting July 17 through July 21. These include a soccer tournament, concert, and numerous interactive activities.
As part of the celebration, the organization is launching a new mission called the “Inclusion Revolution.” The goal is to create a unified generation of kids who can improve the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. Therefore, it focuses on teens and young adults under 25 years of age.
From a brand perspective, Special Olympics’ average donors tend to be older adults. Now, the Special Olympics is shifting its marketing strategy to become more youthful and energetic. The goal is to inspire participation and engagement with a younger audience. There are many insights from Special Olympics’ goal of reaching new audiences.
Maintain a Common Thread in the Brand Definition
When updating your brand to appeal to a new demographic, it helps to revise the brand definition. According to Tim Shriver, chairman of the Board, Special Olympics, they have a deceptively simple brand. “We use sport to bring people together. This is the easiest way to end fear of difference. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we see ourselves as an organization that advocates for greater inclusion in all aspects of life. This includes sport, health, education, and employment.”
Now, through the “Inclusion Revolution,” Special Olympics is intent on breaking down barriers beyond sports. In this way, they can build a broad social inclusion movement across communities.
Leverage Strong Partnerships with Shared Values
Throughout its history, Special Olympics has relied on a lean, grassroots marketing program. Shriver explained that they work with organizations, athletes, and celebrities that have the same goals and objective. Their partners include Bank of America, Coca-Cola, The Walt Disney Company, ESPN, Hasbro, Toyota, United Airlines and many more. Each partner is vital to spreading the Special Olympics message and accomplishing its mission of inclusion for all.
And, it helps when the partnerships you form understand and appreciate the mission and brand values you want to transmit to a larger audience.
Bank of America: Workforce Inclusion
“What started as philanthropy and volunteerism has expanded to include a focus on workforce inclusion,” said Anne Finucane, Bank of America vice chairman and Special Olympics board member. “We’re incredibly proud to employ more than 300 individuals with intellectual disabilities in our Support Services group, which provides core operations such a warehousing and fulfillment. Support Services gives individuals facing barriers to employment the opportunity to achieve independence, financial stability and career growth, while creating a positive impact to the bottom line.”
Almost 100 Bank of America employees participate in Special Olympics as athletes, including Erin Bailey and Tyler Kennedy who medaled in the Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle. “Erin and Tyler are great examples of the potential of individuals with cognitive differences to succeed both on the field and in the workplace,” said Finucane.
ESPN: The Power of Sports
Nelson Mandela once famously said: “Sport has the power to change the world.” Russell Wolff, EVP of ESPN International, clearly agrees: “At ESPN we believe that, at its very best, sports can uplift the human spirit and has the power to positively impact people’s lives.”
He told me ESPN is proud of their 32-year relationship with Special Olympics, and over the past five years, they’ve continued to deepen their relationship with the Special Olympics movement. In the past few years, ESPN has invested over $3 million in cash and in-kind to support Special Olympics’ goal of building Unified Sports programming and resources. With their support, and support from others, Special Olympics has grown Unified Sports to more than 1.6 million participants.
“Together, ESPN and Special Olympics are committed to using the power of sports to promote social inclusion and acceptance through three core pillars of our relationship: a global programming and storytelling agreement, corporate citizenship and volunteerism.”
United Airlines: A Branding Win-Win
Often, these partnerships produce mutual benefits that help both organizations achieve specific goals. For example, Oscar Munoz, CEO of United Airlines, noted, “The spirit of Special Olympics and the athletes embody United’s shared purpose of connecting people and uniting the world. At our core, we are about serving all people. The Special Olympics shares our dedication to sparking an inclusion revolution by making sure that every single human being can reach their full potential.”
Yet, he said that the common purpose these organizations share runs even deeper. Munoz added, “Teaming up with the Special Olympics is all about making sure every person United serves knows that our airline belongs to them and that when you fly with us, the sky is their only limit.”
Now, United is taking its Special Olympics relationship global. “Together with Special Olympics, we’ve developed new employee training content to prepare our employees to choose to have inclusion and care at the core of their decisions. Nearly 25,000 employees have received new training. A third of that training is dedicated to issues people with Intellectual Disability face when they travel. By the end of this year, more than 60,000 United frontline employees will have participated.”
This illustrates how a brand partnership can lead one organization to adopt and apply the mission of the other organization.
Toyota: Reflecting Each Other’s Goals
The same can be said about the partnership between Special Olympics and Toyota. Akio Toyoda, president and member of the Board of Directors of Toyota, said, “Both Special Olympics and Toyota share the same goal in creating a society where everyone can participate, and, therefore, we like to think of ourselves as a team.”
Toyoda’s own love of field hockey personalized this partnership for him. “I feel that sports have the power to build respect towards others and share goals. When I participate in sports, I feel that I am treated as an individual, not a member of the Toyoda family. I am able to play on the same field and work towards a common goal. There is respect for teammates no matter the title, age, or ability. All of this helps make you a better person.”
Likewise, the rest of the Toyota team shares those beliefs, which makes the partnership feel seamless. “Our talented team members who are involved in Special Olympics all love and believe in sports. Working together with the athletes, we want to contribute to building recognition and appreciation for Special Olympics with as many people as possible.”
Coca-Cola: A Partnership with a Singular Mission
Then, there’s the Coca-Cola brand partnership. It offers full alignment in thinking and offers a singular mission that both organizations are pursuing together. Muhtar Kent, chairman and former CEO of The Coca-Cola Company noted, “The Special Olympics is all about inclusion, inspiration and bringing people together. And, this is exactly what Coke tries to do with refreshment and pleasure. Every person at Special Olympics works hard to live up to the values of inclusion and dignity, and Coke tries to do the same.”
Additionally, Kent shared another benefit that has emerged for Coca-Cola. He believes the partnership with Special Olympics has helped them to attract some of the best talent. They like the emphasis placed on social causes. He added, “All of our employees fully embrace the ideals and mission of the Special Olympics.”
Carefully Manage and Nurture Existing Brand Equity
Also, brands, both big and small, want to develop brand equity. As you know, this comes over time and involves establishing trust with consumers and the general public. Special Olympics has established tremendous brand equity since its inception. However, there is a lot of work that goes into maintaining it when reaching out to new audience members.
Previously, Special Olympics’ brand equity was constructed around hosting sports events for athletes with intellectual disabilities. However, many may not be sure what the organization does beyond that. That’s why Special Olympics decided that their 50th anniversary was a pivotal moment where they could broaden the company’s brand awareness and attract a younger following.
