‘Save your sympathy for her opponents’ the text from the TV ad reads, featuring the awe-inspiring image of swimmer Stephanie Dixon standing tall on her only leg.
The ad is part of a new campaign by the Canadian Paralympic Committee, with creative by BBDO Toronto, who handled the media as well. Timed to coincide with the buildup to the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games starting March 12, it’s the first time the CPC has ever done an advertising campaign to promote and support its athletes.
The campaign features two TV spots, focusing on swimming and sledge hockey, that feature the athletes in motion with a text overlay of their competitive achievements, showing only in the last frame that the athlete is competing with a disability.
The spots are running on donated inventory provided by CTV, TSN and RDS in English and French. There is a print component to the campaign as well, featuring similar creative, running in the Globe and Mail, also with donated media space. Print started to run the week before last and TV started on Sunday.
