TBWA/Chiat Day
Robin Williams
January 2000
Val Morgan
Narrator
For the first time, the IOC launched a global promotional programme during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The programme is themed "Celebrate Humanity" and is designed to communicate the core values of the Olympic Games.
The programme, launched in January 2000, ran on television, on radio, and in print throughout the world before and during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The creative tells stories of Olympic athletes and the remarkable dedication, the friendship, the strength of character and the joy in effort that they demonstrate. The campaign rejoices in and invites the world to celebrate these values.
The campaign is based on the global brand audit conducted by the IOC in 1998 and 1999. The promotional announcements, created and produced by award-winning advertising agency TBWA/Chiat Day, include six television announcements, eight radio announcements and complementary print executions. "Celebrate Humanity" was originally produced in English, French and Spanish, and subsequently translated into fifteen further languages. The English-language version is narrated by Academy Award winning actor Robin Williams.
--from Olympic.org
Strength is measured in pounds.
Speed is measured in seconds.
Courage...
You can't measure courage.
Just a reminder:
At the Olympic Games
You don't have to come in first
To win.
To be a giant.
This has forever been our passion,
this desire to be a giant.
Not to stand on one's shoulders or have one for a friend,
Though these may be fortunate things,
But to be one.
Giants step over barriers that seem never-ending.
They conquer mountains that appear insurmountable.
Giants rise above fear,
Triumph over pain,
Push themselves and inspire others
To be a Giant,
To do Giant things,
To take Giant steps,
To move the world forward.
Someone once said,
"You don't win the silver,
You lose the gold."
Obviously...
They never won the silver.
They gather together, thousands and thousands and thousands still more
For sixteen straight days the stadiums roar
They line all the fields, they polish the courts
A rainbow of colors together for sport
They sprint, they jostle, they jump, they shout
They sometimes get hostile but they work it all out
They smile, they laugh, they learn life's lessons
They respect one another regardless of weapons
The big and the small together seem awkward
but amazingly enough they push the world forward
And when it's all over it's as good as it gets
A lifetime of memories with zero regrets
Then they pack up the balls and roll up the mats
Put on their best suits and the finest of hats
They all wave goodbye, they hug and they kiss
And you think, that maybe, just maybe, it could all be like this
When you smile, I smile, that's the deal.
I'll not walk past you, and not look you in the eyes, and not acknowledge you.
Instead we'll pass each other and say hello.
Not with our words--they're not the same--but with our faces.
I meet you and see there is good in your eyes.
There's passion in your heart and there's a friendly hello in your smile,
And for the first time we can relate and appreciate each other.
That's all it takes.
That's where it starts.
Because I know that you will smile and I will smile
And all the rest is easy.
You are my adversary, but you are not my enemy.
For your resistance gives me strength,
Your will gives me courage,
Your spirit ennobles me.
And though I aim to defeat you, should I succeed, I will not humiliate you.
Instead, I will honor you.
For without you, I am a lesser man.
"Many of my favorite Olympic memories were not gold medal situations. They were inspiring moments of humanity that transcended borders, obstacles and languages--and unified people around the world. I feel this campaign conveys that, and I am proud to be a part of it."
Through Val Morgan, a leading distributor of cinema advertising, "Celebrate Humanity" ran in cinemas throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as in key markets in the United Kingdom, the United States, Latin America and the Middle East.
More than 30 international airlines aired "Celebrate Humanity" in the lead up to and during the Olympic Games.
During the Games, "Celebrate Humanity" aired on large screens at each Olympic venue and Olympics Live site, as well as on screens around the world, including Kodak's large screen in Times Square, New York City.
Radio, print, and other media support for "Celebrate Humanity" was extensive. "Celebrate Humanity" aired on 203 radio stations in 25 markets in the United States, for a total of more than 11,000 spots. More than 100 further countries aired the audio campaign.
Broadcasters around the world aired the seven television spots providing extensive coverage for "Celebrate Humanity." In Australia alone, media partners provided more than US$10 million in media support to "Celebrate Humanity," and the slogan became a common part of the Australian vernacular regarding the Olympic Games. CNN International aired the campaign around the world for more than eight months at a rate of 30 times per day--an estimated total of more than 6,500 times.
