Citi's New Paralympic Campaign Wants to Change Perceptions

July 2, 2021 

With the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games opening on August 24, Citi, the global partner of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), is set to kick-off a new campaign to highlight the athletic achievements of Paralympians, aiming to change the public's perception of people with disabilities.

The IPC and Citi share a goal to positively change societal perceptions of people with disabilities. In 2019, Team Citi supported the journeys of 49 Paralympic athletes from 26 countries and territories, players of 13 different sports and collectors of over 100 Paralympic medals. These athlete ambassadors supported the company’s global efforts to foster a more diverse, inclusive society and to help change how people with disabilities were viewed.  

The upcoming campaign will invite sports fans to “stare at greatness,” with the goal of flipping a perceived negative script of staring at people with disabilities into positive stares of admiration. The global advertising campaign is set to initially launch next month on social media with the participation of Team Citi. A broadcast spot will follow ahead of the Games and the campaign will also roll out in-market activations, including murals from artists living with disabilities.

“The initial spark of it stemmed from an initial conversation we had with (Paralympians) Scout Bassett and Brad Snyder,” said Citi CMO Carla Hassan. “What they said to us is, ‘Look, we want people to be impressed by our talent, our skills, our dedication to our craft. How we take action in our communities. We don’t want to serve just as an inspiration because we’re living our day-to-day lives.’” 
 

In August, Team Citi members will share what makes them “stareworthy” using #StareAtGreatness on Twitter and Instagram, amplified by Citi and other community ambassadors. Through this movement, Citi and Team Citi will call on people across the globe to share their own experiences tied to a disability, to help change the perceptions around people with disabilities.

“When I heard this was going to be the campaign, it aligned with everything that I believe in. Growing up, everyone used to stare at me. Kids used to stare at me, kids used to point, and I never understood why,” said wheelchair basketball player and two-time Paralympic medalist Trevon Jenifer, who is featured in the Citi campaign and will once again compete for Team USA this summer. “As I continued to get older, I understood that it’s because of something different, something they had not seen before.” 

Since its partnership with IPC in 2018, more than 12,000 Citi colleagues across 15 countries have attended events in support of Citi’s first global, mission-led partnership and spent time volunteering. At the Paralympic Games, they will compete in 13 sports. 

Source: Sports Business Journal