bp / summer olympics | KJ Bowen Art Director

At the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, BP announced its partnership with the US Olympic Committee and Team USA. Two months later, the Deepwater Horizon incident made its Olympics involvement seem impossible. Many argued that the iconic stage of the Olympics was the last place you choose for showcasing a deeply tarnished brand. But BP was set to honor its commitment. BP sponsored 9 courageous athletes from all over the U.S. who had overcome adversity and strived for excellence. My team and I brought the athlete’s emotional backstories to life in over 250 pieces of content; in pre rolls, flash and rich banners, augmented reality cards, social media, posters, print and commercials. BP, along with Team USA’s fans, coaches and family, was part of the team behind the team. With this campaign, perception of the BP brand took a huge leap upwards, from a negative 2.6 before the Games to a positive 5.9 during the Games, the second largest gain of all major Olympic sponsors besides Visa (YouGov poll.) In the end, the team beat the odds and came home with 7 golds, 3 silvers, 1 bronze, 3 world records and 9 American heroes.

This :30 TV spot aired leading up to the Olympics.

To introduce the athletes, augmented reality (AR) trading cards were given out at events and placed in Time and other magazines.

How the AR cards worked.

Targeted rich banners gave Olympic fans the opportunity to meet the athletes leading up to the Olympics.

It was a journey. Our efforts helped fans get to know Team USA, then led fans to get behind them on Facebook. This approach was anchored by a belief that behind Team USA is an even bigger team, one that includes us all. This :30 TV spot ran next.

Hundreds of videos were available on Facebook and Youtube to give fans a deeper look, like this video.

A second wave of rich banners during the games showcased the team behind the team.

Sentiment of fans was overwhelmingly positive. Facebook interactions were 82% positive and the earned value of these interactions reached over 39 million people.