BBDO Toronto conceived of a “Greatness is Rare” campaign to show the remarkable talents of Canadian Paralympians who will be competing in the upcoming 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

In this spot, we are introduced to captain of the Canadian Para ice hockey team, Greg Westlake.

Kacper Larski of production house Asymetric directed the three spots in this campaign which does more than promote the athletes and their exploits. It also launches a digital strategy by giving Canadians the opportunity to become a broadcast partner for 10 days in March to share the extraordinary achievements of Canada’s Paralympic athletes during the Paralympic Winter Games. The Canadian Paralympic Committee is inviting Canadians to use Facebook or Twitter to “broadcast” the coverage of the Games to friends and family via social media platforms.

On the GreatnessIsRare.ca microsite, people can select the events they wish to broadcast via Facebook or Twitter. When the event begins, a livestream is automatically posted to the user’s feed for their followers to see, as if they are the broadcaster.

Martin Richard, executive director of communications and brand, Canadian Paralympic Committee, said, “Canadians are indicating they want to support our Paralympians and watch the Games, and we would like to let everyone know they will be able to witness every minute of action from PyeongChang. Through our media consortium, including traditional broadcast, live streaming, and live coverage on social platforms, it will be easier than ever to follow the Canadian Paralympic Team.”

New research from Ipsos suggests that 60% of Canadians plan to engage with the Paralympic Winter Games in some manner, led by conventional TV (50%) and online (17%). The Canadian Paralympic Committee hopes that by inviting Canadians to become broadcasters of the Games on GreatnessIsRare.ca, the online engagement statistics will be exceeded and more Canadians will get to see these amazing athletes compete.

The 2018 Paralympic Winter Games run from March 9-18.

Credits

Client Canadian Paralympic Committee Agency BBDO Toronto Todd Mackie, Denise Rossetto, chief creative officers; Matt Hubbard, associate creative director; Mike Schonberger, associate creative director/art director; Beatrice Bodogh, VP, head of broadcast, producer; Julie Larpe, French producer. Production Asymetric Kacper Larski, director; Kyle Hollett, line producer; Kiel Milligan, DP. Editorial Married To Giants Monica Remba, offline editor. Postproduction Alter Ego David Whiteson, online editor; Connor Fisher, colorist. Music Grayson Matthews Vlad Nikolic, engineer.

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