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The Dignity Revolution

When it comes to celebrations of unity, no event has stronger social ties than the Special Olympics. That’s why New Media Strategies was proud to serve as the official social media agency of record for the 2011 World Summer Games in Athens and other initiatives to end the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the R-word.

Capturing the spirit of the games would mean covering the achievements of 7,000 athletes from 180 countries via inspiring interviews and features created for the blog Change Thru Sport; Twitter and Facebook postings around-the-clock; and digital media outreach to sports media worldwide.

Hoops & Hurdles

  • NMS produced more than 50 blog posts live in Athens during the games, syndicating each to sports network Yardbarker and distributing them back to the U.S. sports media market.
  • In support of Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day, NMS executed the #1 cause-related Act.ly petition of all time, encouraging fans to join in global acts of unity. Our efforts helped secure commitment in the petition from Joe Jonas, Maria Shriver, Coca-Cola, and many influential bloggers.
  • NMS’ campaign to end the R-word showed the power of cause marketing on Facebook, through Tweet chats, powerful YouTube testimonials and blogger outreach. Pledges to end the R-Word grew exponentially after NMS gained the attention of key influencers such as the popular musician John Mayer and major news outlets like The New York Times, Gawker, and HuffingtonPost.

Winning Moment

New Media Strategies has been an invaluable partner to the Special Olympics over the year… from our campaign to end the R-word, to honoring the legacy of my mother and Special Olympics founder, Eunice Kennedy Shriver through online petitions pledging acts of kindness, to this month’s coverage of our World Games, NMS amplifies our ability to connect the world to the inspiring stories of our athletes across social media channels.”

– Special Olympics Chairman and CEO Timothy P. Shriver.

Our One-Day Campaign to End the R-Word:

  • 3.8 Million Impressions
  • 55,000 Facebook Fans
  • 10,000+ Pledges
  • 100+ Blogs
  • 1,200 Tweets
  • 16,000 Video Views