The COVID-19 pandemic has caused chaos around the world. The athletes of Special Olympics have felt the forced social isolation caused by the pandemic more than most as they lost access to playing sport and meeting their teammates. In response to the global lockdown, Special Olympics Europe Eurasia and creative agency 256 Media decided to take our flagship European Football Week digital—creating an online hub for Special Olympics footballers, coaches, and supporters to train, engage, and celebrate football across Europe and beyond!
Now the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) has recognized this innovative campaign and awarded the Faces of Football platform with a 2021 Content Marketing Award for the Best Use of Technology! Special Olympics and our agency partner 256 Media won a Gold medal in recognition of our efforts to drive inclusion through football and technology.
National Programmes across the Europe Eurasia region engaged with Faces of Football and helped us to reach an audience of 13 million, taking our brand recognition to new heights along the way. By registering onto the platform, streaming and producing the valuable resources offered on Faces of Football, athletes and supporters of the movement could connect with their peers and enjoy the competition of European Football Week 2020 from the safety of their home.
“The sense of isolation experienced by many as countries went into lockdown is nothing new to those with intellectual disabilities. Marginalisation and exclusion are common experiences. In developing Faces of Football, 256 Media answered our call and supported Special Olympics in designing our activities in the digital sphere.”
The development of Faces of Football was made possible not only by the creative and dedicated work of 256 Media, but also thanks to our two fantastic sponsors, Toyota Motor Europe and Lions Clubs International Foundation, who never fail to show us their support and enthusiasm in being part of the Special Olympics community.
The Content Marketing Awards, which are presented by the Content Marketing Institute, are the largest and longest-running international content marketing awards program in the world for content creation, distribution, and innovation.
Each year, they recognize and award the best content marketing projects, agencies, and marketers in the industry. This year’s panel of all-star judges reviewed nearly 1000 entries to determine the best of the best in content marketing excellence.
