Citi’s New Campaign Challenges Perceptions of Disabilities in Sports

The Insights

• Citi’s “What Happened?” campaign aims to give voice to Paralympians and de-stigmatize disabilities by focusing on athletes’ achievements and pivotal career moments rather than their disabilities.
• The campaign features authentic storytelling from six Team Citi Paralympians, including Alice Tai and Trey Jenifer, and highlights the athletes’ resilience and skill, challenging preconceived notions about disabilities.
• Deployed across various platforms in the U.S. and U.K., the campaign aligns with Citi’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and seeks to foster broader societal dialogue about disabilities.

Citi launched its 2024 Paralympics multimedia ad campaign, titled “What Happened?” earlier this week as the brand aims to give athletes a voice and to de-stigmatize people living with disabilities.

The campaign, utilizing both digital and linear advertisements, focuses on how six Team Citi Paralympians are reshaping the narrative surrounding adaptive athletes and individuals with disabilities. The campaign features athletes such as Alice Tai and Trey Jenifer, with a focus on authenticity and personal storytelling. The idea was developed by the Paralympians themselves.

Each featured athlete addresses the question, “What Happened?” However, rather than dwelling on their disabilities, they pivot the conversation to highlight their athletic prowess and the significant moments that propelled them to champion status. This strategic choice not only challenges preconceived notions about disabilities but also celebrates the athletes’ resilience, skill, and accomplishments.

According to Tina Davis, Citi’s Head of Enterprise Marketing and Brand Engagement, supporting Para sports and athletes has an important impact on changing people’s perceptions. As Davis pointed out, Citi is committed to cultivating a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In 2012, Citi became a founding partner of PARA SPORT and established partnerships with the International Paralympic Committee, Move United, and over 50 Para athletes.

“With input from our athletes, we learned they’re not afraid to be asked about their impairments and we want this campaign to empower all people with disabilities to have this discussion and be proud of what they have accomplished or goals they’re still working towards,” said Davis.

Citi’s campaign targets a broad consumer audience through a mix of linear and streaming TV (OTT), financial and newsprint publications, newsletters, social media, and high-impact digital platforms. The campaign is active in both the U.S. and U.K., strategically placed in premium and contextually relevant spaces to maximize the impact of its powerful advertisements.

In the lead-up to the Paris Summer Olympics and Paralympics, Citi ads are prominently featured throughout digital and streaming coverage aligned with the event’s themes. However, it is unclear how much Citi allocated its marketing budget towards its campaign.

In contrast to other Olympic and Paralympic campaigns, Citi’s “What Happened?” campaign evolved from Citi’s previous “Stare at Greatness” initiative launched in 2020. Citi’s earlier campaign challenged societal norms that discourage staring at individuals with disabilities. This message is carried forward in “What Happened?” highlighting Para athletes’ accomplishments and changing perceptions. It continues Citi’s commitment to impactful storytelling and social responsibility, as demonstrated in its recent multichannel B2B campaign for the World Food Programme.

“As you’ll see from this multimedia campaign, our goal was to reframe the “What Happened?” question and celebrate the incredible accomplishments of Team Citi athletes, and also open the door for a dialogue that fosters a change of perceptions,” said Davis. “Their uniqueness is their superpower, and that makes them great athletes and even better role models.”