SASOL is a South African petro-chemical company that sponsors the country’s National Olympic Team. In terms of popularity, however, most Olympic sports, especially track and field events, trail far behind soccer, cricket and rugby. For this reason, most people aren’t that familiar with our top athletes. We were asked to create a campaign that depicted our brand as “more than just a sponsor” and showed a closer involvement with the Team. This idea is brought to life by the character “Joe”, a “volunteer coach” who undertakes to help train the Olympic athletes on behalf of SASOL.

In the lead up to the Games, the campaign launched with a sixty-second television commercial that established the role of our main character. This was followed by six shorter commercials, as well as three print executions. Four additional five-second stings were used during live broadcasts of the Games. “Joe” also appeared on popular national sports talk shows. SMSs were sent to our database, reminding them when to watch the most important events. The campaign culminated with Joe’s presence at the “Welcome Home” ceremony held for the athletes at the Johannesburg International Airport, which was widely covered on national television and radio.