What the 2024 Paralympics Can Teach Us About Brand Purpose and PR
Recently in Paris, Porter Novelli Strategist and Belonging Collective champion Daisy Edwards sat down with Craig Spence, Chief Brand and Communications Officer for the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to understand how the organisation has leveraged communications to turn the Paralympic movement into a global symbol of empowerment.
Here, Daisy outlines four top tips the PR industry can learn from the IPC to power-up brand purpose strategies in a way that’s meaningful, authentic, and ultimately, impactful.
1. Pushing the Boundaries of Purpose
For the IPC, the Paralympic Games transcend sport, igniting a social movement for disability rights and leaving a lasting impact in every city it reaches. Specifically, accessibility lies at the heart of the IPC’s mission, as Craig Spence notes: “We’re bringing sport to the people as opposed to the people having to come to the sport.”
From affordable ticketing that allows groups like families and schools to attend (rarely seen at the Olympics), to applying political pressure to upgrade archaic transport systems, and partnering with YouTube to reach and inspire the widest audience, the IPC’s impact extends beyond the disability community and long after the games, leaving a legacy of societal transformation.
Tip for Brands:
By staying true to its purpose and exploring the implications of that purpose across all areas of their ecosystem, brands can then identify long-standing issues they can help solve through innovation and influence. By driving meaningful change in partnership with stakeholders, brands can leave behind a powerful legacy that endures.
2. Co-creating with Partners for Lasting Transformation
The IPC’s partnerships go far beyond the transactional; they serve as platforms for co-creation, with the power to permanently transform brands. Through collaboration, what the IPC and its partners create is more than the sum of its parts, delivering long-lasting impact that extends far beyond the initial campaigns.
As Craig Spence notes, “when Toyota became our sponsor, they were a car company. Today they’re a mobility product.” Through its strategic partnership with the IPC, Toyota evolved to provide products that enable everyone, with or without disabilities, to move from A to B.
Some brands approach the IPC without a clear roadmap, but the IPC’s hands-on collaboration guides them toward meaningful, lasting outcomes. “Some of our partners come to us and say, ‘We want to do a campaign, where do we start?’” Rather than offering off-the-shelf solutions, the IPC works closely with these brands to build value-add programs that have the potential to leave a lasting legacy.
For example, Bridgestone’s partnership with the IPC on TikTok was the first time a corporate partner was introduced to the IPC’s TikTok community. “They wanted to be on there, and we said, you can only go on there if you’re leading the way,” Spence recalls. Bridgestone’s collaboration therefore extended beyond brand visibility, advancing disability inclusion within its workplace as part of a longer-term relationship.
Spence further highlights the lasting impact of these partnerships, as seen with Channel 4, which “is a completely different organisation now than it was before it won the rights to the Paralympics. All their programming [now] features disability.”
Tip for Brands:
Brands should seek value-driven partners committed to deep collaboration. By focusing on shared values and innovation, these partnerships can push boundaries and create transformative impact for both parties, far beyond one individual campaign.
3. Cultural Precision in a Dynamic World
Navigating global events like the Paralympics requires both deep cultural understanding and the agility to adapt to real-time audience behaviours. The IPC leverages the diverse perspectives of its team, which includes 52 nationalities among 140 people, to ensure its strategies resonate with local and regional audiences.
For example, in the French market, the IPC had to stay open and responsive as local behaviour defied typical patterns. Spence noted at the start of the Games, “Six weeks ago, we had a million sales, and then we sold 1.5 million tickets pretty much in the last six weeks.” This demonstrates how decision-making must go beyond surface-level data, incorporating cultural insight to fully understand audience tendencies—in this case, the spontaneous nature of the French guests.
Cultural sensitivity is equally important, with the IPC testing campaigns to avoid missteps. Craig recalled an example of an assumption-challenging ad campaign featuring a visually-impaired woman in a mosque, praying for a new handbag, rather than her sight back. While it felt right for British audiences, the IPC took steps to ensure it would land appropriately elsewhere.
Additionally, the IPC’s social media strategy shows how rapidly the landscape can shift. As Spence explains, “The go-to channel for us is TikTok now, but that wasn’t the case in Tokyo 2021. Who knows by LA? There could be a whole new social media channel.” The IPC adapts as new platforms and cultural contexts emerge: “You’ve just got to try to predict the future.”
Tip for Brands:
By layering cultural understanding with data-driven insights, brands can uncover stories behind the data, allowing for more informed responses to audience behaviour. Agility, flexibility, and adaptability are crucial to staying attuned to cultural nuances and keeping pace with, or staying ahead of, societal shifts.
4. Real Voices, Real Impact
Navigating public opinion and filtering feedback are essential for the IPC, with a strong focus on prioritising the voices that matter most—the disability community. Despite occasional external criticism for some content on its TikTok channel, the IPC stays committed to its approach, confident in its deep understanding of the community’s needs. “No one knows disability better than a person with a disability,” explains Craig Spence, pointing out that “persons with disabilities are loving [our] content [on TikTok].”
What gives the IPC the confidence to stick to its guns in the face of criticism is its diverse team, who directly represent the communities it serves. Spence emphasises the critical need for “people in the room who are speaking for their community,” ensuring decisions are shaped by those with lived experience. This diversity grounds the IPC’s decisions in authenticity, helping it avoid potential missteps by relying on genuine, representative voices throughout the decision-making process.
While they acknowledge that they don’t always get it right, the teams at the IPC listen to constructive feedback whilst staying true to its mission.
Tip for Brands:
By prioritising authentic representation and focusing on feedback from the voices that matter most, brands can feel confident they are truly connecting with their audiences. Building diverse teams that include individuals with lived experiences from the communities they serve enables brands to confidently navigate public opinion, stay true to their mission, and embrace constructive feedback—all while making decisions that are both authentic and aligned with the needs of their audience.
In conclusion
The 2024 Paralympics campaign demonstrates how aligning with a clear purpose, fostering meaningful collaboration, and staying attuned to cultural dynamics can elevate a brand’s impact. By following the IPC’s example, brands can create lasting, transformative change that leaves a profound legacy.
Porter Novelli was part of a group of Omnicom agencies who guided the launch and messaging for the IPC’s ‘We The 15’ initiative in 2021, and provided the digital communications for the campaign.
