“FEEL THE RUSH reaches out to all Canadians to get them excited about Paralympic Sport, and to people with disabilities to get them involved. In this way it aims to get more Canadians in the stands and on the podium at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver,” said Henry Wohler, President of the Canadian Paralympic Committee. “It is a key part of our 2010 communications programming and we hope to expand its scope to summer sports and deepen its reach in the years ahead.”
The (IABC) Blue Wave Award of Excellence recognizes outstanding achievement in a comprehensive communications project or program. FEEL THE RUSH was identified as possessing all the elements of best practice in research, analysis, planning, strategy, production, execution, and evaluation.
Funded by Own The Podium–2010, FEEL THE RUSH is a national initiative featuring the 2006 Torino Paralympic Winter Games and focused on the Paralympic winter sports of hockey, curling, nordic and alpine skiing,. The campaign encourages Canadians with a physical disability to “feel the rush” of confidence and empowerment that comes with participating in sport, not just at the high performance level, but in an everyday way as well.
FEEL THE RUSH is a multi-faceted marketing communications campaign including events, community outreach, web site, multi-media features, and ancillary materials. The program utilizes both mass media and targeted approaches which operate within the disabled community, health care and rehabilitation centres.
“This program would not have been possible without the support of the Own the Podium initiative and Sport Canada,” said Phil Newton, Communications Counsel to CPC. “The campaign unfolded just as it should and everyone at CPC and our agency, Cossette Communications, can be proud of a job well done. We hope to run this program in future years with full inclusion of summer sports. Keep your eyes open for FEEL THE RUSH in the future.”
