Special Olympics

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Marketing a Movement

Campaign Strategy & Fractional Leadership

Client

Service

PSA Strategy & Placement, Fractional VP of Marketing

Scope

Strategy, Management

From PSA campaign to global marketing leadership

Special Olympics came to Five Ones with a bold new inclusion campaign and a need for someone to bring it to the world. What began as media strategy and placement for their first-ever public service campaign grew into a fractional VP of Marketing role — leading global campaigns across 227 accredited Programs in more than 177 countries and territories. For five years, Five Ones was at the center of one of the most far-reaching nonprofit marketing efforts in the world.

$46 million in earned media. Three campaigns. One message.

Special Olympics provided the creative assets. Five Ones handled everything else — strategy, media relationships, and placement across broadcast, print, and out-of-home channels nationwide. We began with paid placements on streaming, podcasts, and digital to build early momentum, then shifted to a fully earned model that ultimately outperformed the paid effort. The PSA landed on 24 TV and cable networks, 28 sports networks — the community Special Olympics is most deeply connected to — and in 59 national magazines including People, Time, Forbes, and Oprah.

PSA Campaign Strategy & Media Planning
Broadcast Placement — TV, Cable & Radio
28 Sports Networks including ESPN & ESPN2
Print Placement — 59 Publications, 132 Markets
Out-of-Home — Bus Shelters, Billboards & Mall Screens
Paid Augmentation — Streaming, Podcasts & Digital Ads

$ 0 M

Earned media value

0 B

Impressions

Broadcast airings

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Countries reached

Coordinating a worldwide movement, three times a year

As Fractional VP of Marketing, Julia McDowell led the strategy and coordination of Mission Moments — three-times-yearly campaigns where all 227 Special Olympics Programs worldwide were mobilized to participate in a locally relevant way around a shared global message. We also led the Challenge Accepted social activation, pairing celebrity ambassadors with Special Olympics athletes to demonstrate ability and champion inclusion — generating 40.7 million potential impressions and 1,711 tweets from 1,161 contributors in the campaign's first major moment alone.

Five Ones is a creative collaborative that delivers strategic guidance and exceptional execution for nonprofits and associations that need visionary leadership and marketing momentum.