New York – Today, Citi, proud retail bank partner of the 2014 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams, is unveiling a national advertising and marketing campaign ahead of the Sochi Olympic Winter Games. The campaign, featuring U.S. Olympic and Paralympic qualifiers, hopefuls and legends who compose Team Citi, includes broadcast, print, out-of-home, social media, and digital advertising, as well as special events, promotions and retail activations. The campaign is infused with Citi’s brand messaging and showcases many of Citi’s competitive and innovative banking products, including Citigold, the Citi Mobile app, and the Citi ThankYou® Preferred Visa card.
Citi is continuing its successful Every Step of the Way® program, first launched for the London 2012 Olympic Games, and bringing it to life through a comprehensive advertising and marketing campaign featuring the athletes of Team Citi – Julie Chu, Billy Demong, Erin Hamlin, Ted Ligety, Evan Lysacek, Dan Jansen, Picabo Street, Alana Nichols and Rico Roman. Citi has donated an additional $500,000 to the United States Olympic Committee and is encouraging fans to visit Citi.com/everystep to learn about each of the Team Citi athletes and the U.S. Olympic, Paralympic and community sport programs that inspired their journeys. With a single click, fans can choose a Team Citi athlete to support and help allocate a portion of Citi’s donation to their sport program.
“Citi is delighted to continue its support for Team USA, this time in their efforts at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games,” said Citi Chief Brand Officer Dermot Boden. “Building on the success of Citi’s inaugural Team USA sponsorship at the London 2012 Olympic Games, we are now pleased to launch a fully integrated campaign that will create an enhanced connection with our customers, our employees and fellow Olympic and Paralympic fans. Just as Citi aspires to help our clients on their journeys from ambition to achievement, we are proud to support our Team Citi athletes every step of the way as they work towards and reach their goals.”
Citi’s television campaign will kick off today with a spot featuring Nordic combined skier Billy Demong. Two additional broadcast spots airing later this month will feature alpine skier Ted Ligety and will focus on the way the Citi Mobile app allows consumers to bank from almost anywhere. The spot that begins airing today will focus on the Citi ThankYou® Preferred Visa card, which allows consumers to earn 2X points on dining and entertainment at no annual fee. Additional Information on the Citi ThankYou Preferred Visa card, including how to apply and pricing terms, can be found at www.citi.com/thankyoucards. To see what types of dining and entertainment purchases qualify, see the Card Terms and Conditions at www.citi.com/thankyoucards.
“Our customers want their bank to understand how they live and get them where they want to go – whether they are banking on their smart phone mountainside or earning points for music downloads purchased with their Citi ThankYou® Preferred Visa card,” said Elyssa Gray, Director of Creative and Media, North America Consumer Marketing, Citi. “We’re excited to introduce this advertising in which Team Citi athletes bring to life the stories of Citi’s banking products in a fun and engaging way.”
The deep and authentic connection between the athletes and their chosen sport programs drove the stories in the two remaining Citi television commercials, which feature members of two community sports programs and will begin airing immediately prior to the Sochi Games:
2010 Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek is featured alongside one of the current members of Figure Skating in Harlem (FSH), who has participated in the program for the last seven years. Since 2006, Lysacek has worked with FSH, a program that empowers young women in underserved New York City communities to achieve their dreams by combining the power of education with the discipline of figure skating.
Sled hockey player Rico Roman stars alongside members of the National Paralympic Sled Hockey Team to highlight Operation Comfort, an organization that provides rehabilitative therapeutic programs such as sled hockey, hand cycling and amputee surfing for wounded military servicemembers while they are recovering. Roman and other players featured in the spot were introduced to the sport of sled hockey by Operation Comfort after being injured in combat.
In addition to broadcast, print, digital, and out-of-home advertising, Citi’s campaign will be activated across a multitude of channels including live events, retail promotions and in-branch activations. In New York City, a portion of the Columbus Circle subway station will be taken over with ad units, as will The Grove in Los Angeles. CitiBike stations in New York City will also feature ad units. Nationwide, many of Citibank’s digital ads, branch signage, customer takeaways and ATM screens will connect the Citigold suite of banking products with Citi’s U.S. Olympic and Paralympic sponsorship under the theme “Go for the Gold.”
During the final week of the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Citi will create Team USA-themed experiences for clients, customers and employees at a dedicated event space in New York City. The venue will be programmed with athlete visits, competition viewing and interactive elements that will help ignite the unique Olympic spirit for fans here at home.
Following their broadcast debuts, Citi’s television advertisements will all be available for viewing at www.youtube.com/citi.
To mark its 200th anniversary, Citi was an official sponsor of Team USA in 2012 for the first time in the company’s history. Earlier this year Citi and the U.S. Olympic Committee announced that Citi renewed its sponsorship of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams through 2016.
This Press Release is courtesy of Citigroup www.citigroup.com
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