IOC Appoints Saatchi & Saatchi to Run

Official IOC Press Release
www.olympic.org
08 July 2003

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has selected Saatchi & Saatchi New York as its agency for the creative development and implementation of the IOC's global promotional campaign "Celebrate Humanity".

The objective of the programme is to promote the spirit of Olympism and reinforce the core values of the Olympic Movement, such as friendship, fair play, dream and inspiration. The campaign will be a series of public service announcements with placement through Olympic media partners as part of existing television and media contracts. The campaign is scheduled to launch in early 2004, the year of the Athens Olympic Games.

"In the agency review, Saatchi & Saatchi clearly met all of our objectives and demonstrated a passion for the Olympic ideals. Saatchi will bring a unique perspective to the development of the campaign which reinforces the global nature of the Olympic Movement" said Gerhard Heiberg, Chairman of the IOC Marketing Commission.

Commenting on the announcement, Saatchi & Saatchi Managing Partner Scott Gilbert said: "At Saatchi, we pride ourselves on being an ideas company and creating ideas that make a difference.  What could be more inspiring than working with the Olympic Movement, whose goal is to contribute to building a more peaceful and better world through sport. This is a dream come true for everyone here at Saatchi & Saatchi."

The original "Celebrate Humanity" campaign was created by TBWA/Chiat/Day Los Angeles in 2000 as the first global promotional campaign for the Olympic Movement.