P&G has launched a Canadian extension of its Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which focuses on celebrating athletes’ endeavours in communities across Canada as much as it does their success in competition.
P&G Canada will share the stories of all four Canadian athletes and charitable causes they’ve contributed as part of the Canadian extension of its global Olympic campaign, featuring them on P&G Good Everyday microsite, with a new donation partnership to help the Canadian Olympic Foundation support Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
In an email, Geraldine Huse, president of P&G Canada, tells strategy that with the COVID-19 pandemic, economic downturns, social unrest and the urgency of addressing climate change, the company was inspired by the many athletes who put their own dreams on hold and stepped up to a different stage in 2020, making a positive difference in their communities.
“We wanted to shine a light on Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls who have demonstrated what it means to inspire, not only with their greatness but with their goodness,” Huse says. She adds that the message has broad appeal, reaching Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls, their parents and supporters, aspiring athletes and “all Canadians who want to do good.”
The initiative is being promoted through social, PR and engaging with athlete and other influencers through the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees. P&G will also be supporting Team Canada Olympians and Paralympians with retail partnerships through in-store and digital campaigns featuring a wide portfolio of P&G brands at Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaw, Walmart and Sobeys.
The activation at Walmart is specifically in support of the Paralympic Foundation of Canada. Starting today and running through Aug. 4, P&G Canada will donate $1 to the Paralympic Foundation of Canada when consumers purchase a P&G product at Walmart and upload a receipt as part of P&G’s “Good Everyday” program. “Good Everyday” is a new consumer loyalty program that helps “turn everyday actions into acts of good.”
The athletes featured were among the 52 recipients of P&G’s “Athletes for Good” fund, a grant-issuing joint program with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee to supports charitable efforts by Olympic athletes. The recipients include four Canadians: Paralympic athletes Tara Llanes (pictured, above), Tammy Cunnington, Marissa Papaconstantinou (below) and Olympic athlete Pamphinette Buisa.
Llanes, for example, helped get adaptive mountain biking added to Whistler’s Adaptive sports programming, along with equipment rentals for people with cognitive, sensory and physical disabilities. Papaconstantinou is a longtime ambassador and supporter of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and raises awareness for the institution.
The concept also ladders back to 2020’s “Lead with Love” campaign, which P&G has described as a “call to action for consumers to join us as a force for good.”
According to Huse, as part of that campaign, P&G is committed to using the power of the Olympic and Paralympic movements to spark conversations about important issues like equality and inclusion and environmental sustainability, and will use each of the next four Olympic Games to measure progress. For example, P&G is partnering with Olympic swimmer Penny Oleksiak to tout the environmental benefits of using its Tide Coldwater detergent.
As part of the global Olympic campaign, P&G has also released “Your Goodness is Your Greatness,” a spot created by W+K that features memorably emotional and sportsmanlike Olympic moments. In Canada, Huse says P&G will deploy a mix of digital and TV to support the “Your Goodness Is Your Greatness” campaign. The CPG has been working with Carat for media buying, Barefoot Proximity for digital and Porter Novelli Canada for PR.
https://youtu.be/QZ5bg3uV7_M
