Sogo Active: How Sponsorship is Helping Canadian Youth Get Active - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Sogo Active: How Sponsorship is Helping Canadian Youth Get Active Kelly Murumets, President & CEO

Canadian kids are facing an inactivity crisis! • 90% of children are not meeting the recommended daily physical activity guideline set by Canada’s Physical Activity Guides for Children and Youth • Physical activity levels fall short of the requirements for healthy development and growth • Children, including preschool aged children, are spending too much time in front of screens • Following the release of the 2007 Health Committee report on childhood obesity, the former Chair, the Honourable Rob Merrifield, M.P. commented, “For the first time in recorded history, our younger generations are expected to live shorter lives than their parents due to obesity.”

More than ever, we need to inspire our youth to be more active. • As kids reach their teens, physical activity levels drastically decline. Teenage girls are at greatest risk. • Sport participation in 15-18 year-olds declined from 77% to 59% between 1992 and 2005. • The physical activity guide for youth recommends that youth (ages 10-14), independent of their current physical activity level, increase the time they currently spend on physical activity by 30 min/day, and progress over approximately 5 months to greater than or equal to 90 min/day. • Barriers to physical activity for youth include costs, motivation, social support, and supportive environments.

ParticipACTION has a 30-year history of moving Canadians. • To Canadians, ParticipACTION is the galvanizing force that moves you to move more everyday.

ParticipACTION has a 30-year history of moving Canadians. • To Canadians, ParticipACTION is the galvanizing force that moves you to move more everyday.

Our vision is a Canadian society where people are the most physically active on earth. Our Mandate: • ParticipACTION is the national voice of physical activity and sport participation in Canada. • Through leadership in communications, capacity building and knowledge exchange, we will inspire and support Canadians to move more.

Our Strategic Areas of Focus VISION KNOWLEDGE COMMUNICATIONS CAPACITY BUILDING EXCHANGE Deliver messages Facilitate capacity Gather, translate, and LEADERSHIP through multimedia for building through disseminate the purpose of raising leveraging of assets information, data and Marshal resources and awareness, educating within the sector. research. facilitate collaborative and inspiring behavior partnerships in order to change. Support/manage achieve the collective development and /or vision. Coordinate implementation of communications to programs, but do not Influence, support, ensure consistent, deliver the program promote for sustainable unified messaging itself. change. across/within sector.

By building partnerships, ParticipACTION will be able to address the inactivity crisis more effectively. Not-For-Profit Partners Public Inactivity Private Crisis Partners Partners Canadians

ParticipACTION will partner with organizations committed to the advancement of physical activity and sport participation. Our Sponsorship Policy: • We will accept sponsorship from companies/organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to promoting physical activity that leads to a better lifestyle • We will not accept sponsorships from: – Manufacturers of tobacco or alcohol – Religious organizations – Political parties • We will support sponsors’ needs by offering our brand, content/knowledge expertise and management of capacity-building programs • We can provide national reach through ParticipACTION’s Partner Network and provincial/territorial partners

Finding a sponsorship fit that addresses the youth inactivity crisis.

In developing the concept, ParticipACTION and Coca-Cola Canada went through a rigorous process.

What is Sogo Active? • $5 million dollar initiative over 5 years • Targets 13-19 year-olds in response to inactivity crisis • Gives young Canadians the tools to design, change and control their own individual get active plan • Lives on an online platform that youth prefer. By logging on to www.sogoactive.com, youth can find places and resources to get active, and inspire their peers to do the same • By participating, youth become eligible to be selected by Coca-Cola for Torchbearer spots on the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay • Over 1,000 participants will be selected by Coca-Cola to carry the Olympic Flame in the Vancouver 2010 Torch Relay

Introducing the “the sickest way to live healthy” – sogoactive.com – the Facebook of physical activity!

A Model to Reach and Get Youth Active Provincial/ Territorial Community Canadia Coca-Cola Canada Coordinators Hosts n (PTCs) Youth

We will work with PTC partners across the country to ensure the program has regional and local relevance. • BC Recreation and Parks Association • Alberta Parks and Recreation Association • Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association • Recreation Connections Manitoba • Motivate Canada • Association québecoise du loisir municipal • Recreation New Brunswick • Recreation Nova Scotia and Sport Nova Scotia • PEI Recreation and Facilities Association • Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador • Recreation and Parks Association of the Yukon • Sport North • Kunoki

In turn, PTC partners will use their network to recruit Community Hosts who can promote the program and support youth. • Community Hosts range from traditional sport and recreation organizations (i.e. YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs) to non-traditional groups, such as faith and cultural organizations, youth engagement organizations, environmental organizations, Girl Guides, 4H Clubs, etc. • Community Hosts will address barriers to physical activity by helping youth access resources to be active (i.e. facilities, equipment, instructors, mentoring / expertise), match youth with Sogo Active groups for social support, help youth apply for micro grants, and provide other support as needed. • National organizations will also be invited to recruit their member organizations or chapters across the country to join the program and be part of the solution.

Coca-Cola Canada will apply their marketing expertise and leverage their assets, including their Olympic sponsorship, to attract youth to the Sogo Active program. 1. Creation of the Sogo Active brand 2. Advertising at Cineplex Odeon locations nationwide 3. iCoke presence and communications to membership database 4. Online advertising 5. Promotional items 6. Torch Exhibition Tour across the country

Coca-Cola Canada will apply their marketing expertise and leverage their assets, including their Olympic sponsorship, to attract youth to the Sogo Active program. 1. Creation of the Sogo Active brand 2. Advertising at Cineplex Odeon locations nationwide 3. iCoke presence and communications to membership database 4. Online advertising 5. Promotional items 6. Torch Exhibition Tour across the country

To ensure consistent messaging and promotion of Sogo Active from the various channels, standard tools and guidelines were developed. • Communications Toolkit: - Key Messages, Q&A and Backgrounder - Media Protocol - Press Release Templates - Matte Stories - Branded stationery - Presentation with speaking notes • Marketing/Recruitment Toolkit: - Brand Style Guidelines - Approved creative - Online banner ads and e-blast - Print ads, pamphlets, postcards and posters - Promotional items

Since the launch of the website in December, we have been collecting data and measuring participation rates. • # of youth registrations (by province) • # of host organizations (by province) • # of youth groups receiving funding • % of youth reporting an increase in physical activity • Average increase in physical activity As of today, Sogo Active has over 1000 youth participants and 400 Community Hosts registered in the program.

What can we learn from this partnership? Challenges • Many stakeholders • Lack of acceptance of Coca-Cola as a worthy partner in the active living sector • Coca-Cola is a large organization with its commensurate bureaucratic processes • VANOC and ICO impose many rules and regulations which slow decision-making processes • Coca-Cola Canada hired a new president and implemented an organization-wide restructuring during the project’s development and implementation • ParticipACTION is establishing its partner network concurrent with implementing Sogo Active

What can we learn from this partnership? Success Factors • Partners are committed to the program objective of getting youth active • Partners are committed to equally contributing to the venture and will equally benefit from the venture • Partners have made significant investment to the program: – Coca-Cola has made a long-term, monetary investment to the program – ParticipACTION has invested its brand and reputation • Partners bring respective strengths and assets to the initiative – Coca-Cola’s marketing genius and youth expertise – ParticipACTION’s network of provincial, territorial and grassroots organizations • Magic of Olympics