Launching a superhero in free fall with sports brand On Running for the Winter Olympics.
In the run-up to the Winter Olympics, On Running was about to launch a magnificent campaign to celebrate the first black male Skeleton athlete Akwasi Frimpong in Olympic history – when disaster struck… Despite a disappointing ending, we managed to spread the story far and wide.
Even before becoming the first black male Skeleton (extreme toboggan) athlete in Olympic history, Dutch-Ghanaian Akwasi Frimpong’s life story is marked with perseverance and triumph in the face of adversity. Already the first athlete from Africa to win an elite Skeleton race – at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Frimpong was set to make 2022 his year.
This is where Black Ice comes in, a stirring film about Frimpong’s life narrated in a unique way: shot on location across Europe and Africa, but interspersed with animation from the graphic novel on which it was based. Written and directed by Richard Bullock, and produced by Hungry Man Productions and Swiss sportswear company On, the stirring film depicts Akwasi’s truly arduous journey – which forged his resilient spirit and ultimately transformed him into a symbol of modern Africa.
Our story was set to cement Frimpong’s legendary status with his expected success in Beijing. But crisis struck once again, with Frimpong’s hopes for 2022’s Beijing Winter Olympics dashed, after he contracted Covid-19 right before his final qualifying races. Nevertheless, we managed to get Frimpong and the film the exposure they deserved – landing features and interviews worldwide, emphasising the superb craft of the film to creative press and Frimpong’s inspiring story to sports publications.
Watch the 1 minute trailer here
Watch the 11 minutes film here
COVERAGE
We were proud to help launch this heroic story and this superb creative. Ultimately, both Frimpong and Black Ice showed that resilience is about more than winning: it’s about the struggles that show true bravery, and the toughness of the human spirit.
29 Pieces of coverage across international creative and sports press, including interviews on the BBC, ESPN, Sports Illustrated and Forbes and creative articles Creative Review, Adweek, Adformatie, Campaign Brief, B&T and Ad Age