“Special Olympics New York challenges brands to sponsor these athletes”

C H A L L E N G E

For 50 years, Special Olympics New York has been a force of opportunity and empowerment for those with disabilities. But after decades of selfless work, the organization still faces a constant uphill battle to generate the funds required to sustain their mission.

I N S I G H T

Professional athletes are being showered with lucrative brand endorsements. Even amidst a pandemic, brands reportedly continue to sponsor pro athletes to the tune of nearly $30B, while Special Olympics New York struggles to keep essential programs alive with an operating budget equivalent to just 0.03% of that amount. This led us to a wild thought: what if we could inspire sports sponsors to steer dollars away from the same old pros and towards the Special Olympians who desperately need them?

T H E I D E A

Our pro bono campaign—which began during Edelman’s Shark Tank for Good initiative—looked and felt like an iconic sports ad with one key element missing: an actual brand sponsor. The epic 60 second spot (along with three print ads) highlights three badass NY Special Olympians in the classic Nike & Gatorade aesthetic, but in place of a product was our tagline: #YourBrandHere. We launched the video on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter then urged followers to tag brands and ask them to sponsor these athletes. The campaign quickly made waves with the C-suite set on LinkedIn, and we’re thrilled to share that a new, high-level brand sponsor is currently in talks with Special Olympics New York about a future collaboration.