Bank of America believes that when people with intellectual disabilities are given the chance, they can achieve more than others think possible. To prove it to an audience of millions, we worked with ESPN to give a former Special Olympics athlete the opportunity to sit at the anchor desk and be the first ever analyst with intellectual disabilities at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games.
By working as partners with ESPN, we wanted show highly engaged sports enthusiasts that Bank of America’s commitment to people with intellectual disabilities was more than just a sponsorship. Together, we wanted to use the depth and scale of ESPN’s on-air and online coverage of the World Games to give former Special Olympics athlete Dustin Plunkett an exclusive platform to share his personal perspective and show the world what he was capable of achieving.
Dustin was a member of ESPN’s live team covering the opening and closing ceremonies, he also worked in studio as part of the nightly highlight show, and taped segments with athletes, families, and volunteers at venues throughout the Games.
To complement Dustin’s on-air role, we drove awareness of Bank of America’s commitment to Special Olympics and Dustin’s story through high visibility ad placements across display, social and search, including ESPN’s digital platform, MLB social channels and Bank of America social channels. Our content featuring Dustin was more authentic and native to ESPN’s Special Olympics digital experience, leading to higher, more quality engagement.