NZ Paralympic team gives people something to talk about in new campaign via Saatchi & Saatchi

Paralympics has kickstarted its marketing campaign for Paris 2024 by releasing three film spots by Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand and Finch.

“We’ll Give You Something to Talk About” is the tagline of the campaign, a theme born from the experience of many disabled athletes. Each 30-second spot features a Paralympian shown to be fueled by the disparaging voices they’ve heard throughout their lives.

Says Rachel Barr, marketing manager, Paralympics New Zealand (PNZ): “We want to showcase the individual journeys of our Paralympians, touching on the battle with their own internal voices, the external cacophony of comments and expectations all athletes experience and have to overcome, and the idea that we should talk about disability. We want to celebrate and shout about our Para athletes’ incredible accomplishments, and we want New Zealanders to talk about them as the amazing elite athletes they are.”

Three-time Paralympic champion swimmer Paralympian #164 Cameron Leslie MNZM, who features in the campaign, says he struggled to get people to believe in him early in his career. “Disability can so often be talked about in whispers and behind people’s backs,” says Leslie, a quadruple amputee. “Those of us with disabilities go through life proving people wrong and sport became my way to truly prove that.”

Born with bilateral talipes (or club feet), Devon Briggs was told he wouldn’t be able to walk – let alone become a world champion. “I was called all kinds of names as a kid and made to feel like I was more worthless than others,” says Briggs, who won gold and set a world record at the 2024 Para Cycling Track World Championships and is shown in the campaign preparing to ride on the track. “But riding a bike has been more to me than racing or winning. It gives me the ability to be free and feel just like everyone else.”

Paralympian #195 Anna Grimaldi MNZM, who’s visible in the run-up to the long jump in her film, struggled with self-confidence through her childhood and early in her in career. “I’ve always had to work hard in terms of my own head space,” says the Dunedin athlete, who battled with ‘imposter syndrome’ after winning back-to-back T47 long jump gold medals at the last two Paralympic Games. A foot injury also seriously affected her confidence. “I’m very keen to challenge the perceptions around being ‘normal’. What is considered ‘normal’?”

The visually striking and thought-provoking films were directed by Lex Hodge of Finch with post-production from Saatchi & Saatchi Studios and audio thanks to Franklin Rd. Advertising critic website, David Reviews, has already given the campaign five stars.

Says Steve Cochran, chief creative officer, Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand: “If this campaign has Kiwis rethinking their attitudes and goes towards changing some of the negative sentiment that Para athletes, and many people with disabilities have to endure, that would certainly be something to talk about.”

The integrated campaign includes OOH, with partners LUMO, that shows negative quotes with dynamic shots of the athletes in action obscuring individual words and therefore changing the meaning. Extensions of the idea will be visible in many other formats too, thanks to other NZ Paralympic partners. For instance, the campaign will feature in Harvey Norman stores nationwide on their display televisions. NZ Herald and Newstalk ZB will also encourage people to ‘talk about it’ within their coverage of the games. TVNZ, the official broadcaster of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, has also incorporated elements of the campaign into their own promotion.

In addition, there are long-form interviews talking to Paralympians and Para athletes on legacy, their pride in wearing the fern, and their own personal journeys. And the whole campaign is complemented by the Seeing is Believing – Paralympic Education Programme presented by Toyota – available to all primary schools across the country, which includes a Paralympic Games Paris 2024 ‘Talk About This’ resource, tailored to the New Zealand curriculum.

There is evidently a growing movement to draw attention and drive conversation on this topic. The NZ Paralympic campaign itself has some similarities to this year’s Channel 4 OOH Paralympic work, which launched at the same time. This wasn’t a deliberate strategy but more a happy coincidence.

Says Lee Sunter, ECD, Saatchi & Saatchi: “It’s great that more organisations are trying to change the conversation – getting people to talk about Paralympic athletes’ elite sporting ability. There’s a lot more to come from our campaign, and with the response so far, it will make for some exciting conversation around the Paris Games.”

The campaign is live and runs through the event until September 8th.

Client: Paralympics NZ
Marketing Manager, Paralympics NZ: Rachel Barr
Head of Commercial and Marketing Paralympics NZ: Jenifer Hunt

Creative Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi NZ
Chief Creative Officer: Steve Cochran
Executive Creative Director: Lee Sunter
Executive Creative Director: Jordan Sky  
Snr Creatives: Cece Chu, Ryan Price, Claire Herselman, Kat Takaki
Snr Designer: Dennis Grbin
Senior Retoucher Nick Browne
General Manager: Susie Darling
Group Business Director: Aaron Hodgson    
Chief Executive Officer: Mark Cochrane
Business Director: Quentin Fullerton-Smith
Chief Strategy Officer: David McIndoe
Strategy Director: Sarah Hodgetts
Executive Producer: Jane Mill
Producer: Jess Drysdale

Production Company: FINCH
Director: Lex Hodge
Managing Director/Executive Producer: Cory Esse
Executive Producer: Rebekah ‘Bex’ Kelly
Producer: Nikki Walker 
DOP: Duncan Cole 
Production Designer / Art Director:  Neville Stevenson/Joseph Leary    
Wardrobe Stylist: Kylee Strathdee
Edit House: Saatchi & Saatchi
Editor: Morgan Parish
Colourist: + Online: Tracy Powell 
Post House / VFX: Toybox
VFX Producer: Steen Beech
Lead VFX Artist: Leonie Willis  
Sound Company: Franklin Rd
Composers: Shane Taipari & Stefaan Van Leuven
Sound Engineers: Cole Goodley & Shane Taipari