When you're leading the strategy and growth of an active lifestyle marketing agency, an opportunity to work with an Olympic athlete presents a golden moment to make your mark in a highly competitive industry. With the 2012 Olympic Games on the horizon, Sara and her business partners took a big running leap when they placed a winning eBay bid to ink a (temporary) tattoo on an Olympian. Yes, you read that correctly.
The New York Times featured the story, and the agency team built a high profile campaign and content program around the partnership, garnering just the right kind of bold attention for the growing firm.
“The more we spoke with Nick, the more we learned about him and his passion for his sport, and his interest in brand sponsorship opportunities, the more we were comfortable with whatever would happen” after winning the auction, said Sara Meaney, president for strategy and growth at Hanson Dodge.
“Nick is a great spokesperson, an interesting character and a great athlete,” she added, “and our investment has paid off exponentially.”
“Knowing this is an Olympic year,” she said, “it added up to a very interesting proposition.”
Nick Symmonds, the outspoken track athlete and two-time Olympian, finished fifth in the London 2012 Olympic final with a personal best of 1:42.95. And he was wearing the agency's brand as a temporary tattoo all the while.
The agency's work with Nick continued beyond the Olympics, and Sara and Nick co-presented the story of the successful sponsorship and interactive campaign at the 2013 SxSW Interactive conference in Austin, Texas.