After the exploits of athletes competing at the Rio Olympic Games this summer, attention now turns to their Paralympic counterparts as it is their turn to be in the spotlight of the world’s prying eyes. There have been some inspiring stories that have come out of the Olympics and with some equally inspiring ads and that trend continues in terms of Paralympics ads. Here are some of the more inspiring ads to come from the Paralympics this year.BP – The Energy Within
BP is an international partner of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and to celebrate the Paralympics this year, BP have been running a campaign that aims to show us what drives an athlete to be the best they can. BP have made a number of ads, each featuring an athlete who in telling their stories draw inspiration by using “The Energy Within” to conquer all the obstacles in they way and beating the trials and tribulations in their path. According to director of brand Duncan Blake, many athletes competing in Rio will discover an energy within that they didn’t know they possessed. This energy within is also what drives BP to keep searching for newer, better, safer ways to provide the energy that the world needs.
Channel 4 – We’re The Superhumans
Channel 4 will be broadcasting The Paralympics in the UK. After their award winning coverage of the Paralympics in 2012, the broadcasters are once again showing us that para-athletes are superhumans in the way they break down barriers and stigmas. It’s not just para-athletes who are capable of doing spectucular feats as this ad features an array of people, old and young doing the seemingly impossible, finding the superhumans in themselves and inspring others at the same time.
Allianz – The World Belongs To Those Who Dare
Allianz is another company that supports the IPC and it believes that the world belongs to those who dare. With over 4,000 athletes taking part in the Games, it is an opportunity for athletes to exceed their limits on a grand scale. Their limitations are their source of inspiration and those among them who dare to believe that they can achieve the highest of feats will end up inspiring the world.
Nissan – #DoItForUs
Nissan have been trying to do their bit as TeamGB and ParalympicGB sponsors by getting British athletes to take part in ads where athletes were “briefed” to incorporate Nissan as a brand into the events they were taking part. The briefing didn’t go to plan for the company however as TeamGB failed to incorporate any of the things mentioned in the briefing while competing in Rio, Nissan will be hoping their hashtag won’t fall on deaf ears when ParalympicGB compete.
Sainsbury’s – #RoarTogether
In 2010, Sainsbury’s revealed it would be the first company to solely sponsor the Paralympics in London. The Paralympics allowed the company to advertise themselves with a freedom that would not have existed if they had tried to advertise during the Olympics with Sainsbury’s branding appearing inside of the stadium as well as kit apparel used during the Games. Like Nissan, they too are trying to harness the power of social media to get Great Britain behind the Paralympians with the #RoarTogether hashtag.
Proctor & Gamble – Raising An Olympian
Part of P&G’s Raising An Olympian series, this is a story of how a mother nurtured her son despite his blindness to take up sport. US Paralympian Lex Gillette is now a three-time medallist and the Paralympics but had it not been for the encouragement from his mother, seeing potential in him that no-one else saw, he may not have taken up track & field.
The Paralympic Games have grown to be one of the biggest global events in the world with over 150 countries taking part in the London Paralympics in 2012. Many memories were made from those games and many more will be made at this year’s Games.
