Toyota, the Official Mobility Partner of Special Olympics GB, and Ladbible Group have launched a campaign to encourage young people to celebrate the Special Olympics World Games, taking place in Berlin from 17-25 June. The initiative celebrates the competitors and complements Toyota’s established mission to encourage budding athletes to pursue their own sporting goals. It also furthers Toyota’s commitment to unlocking the full potential of the human spirit through movement and mobility. The partnership was brokered, and is being managed, by mSix&Partners.

The campaign runs across social and out-of-home, and aims to drive change and help ensure Special Olympics GB athletes receive the same recognition as other athletes when they reach the pinnacle of their sport. It also aims to show young people that what they think may be impossible really can be achieved.

Insights from the Ladnation consumer research panel of more than 55,000 young people show that 76 per cent of Ladbible Group’s audience likes to see the more human and relatable side of athletes; 74 per cent agreed that it is more inspiring to see the challenging reality of achieving goals rather than just the ultimate success.

To launch the campaign, a large mural has been created by London-based artist, Will Redgrove, celebrating the Special Olympics GB tennis player, Lily Mills, in her home town of Highbury in London, where her sporting journey started.

The mural illustrates Lilys remarkable progress, from being born with meningitis and developing learning disabilities, to winning double gold at the 2019 Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi. During the creation of the artwork, Redgrove worked with Arts For All, a charity that helps disadvantaged people through weekly art sessions.

The mural will be amplified on Ladbible and Sportbible channels, which globally achieve a combined 395.1bn video views every month. In addition, Toyota is sponsoring an episode of Ladbible Group’s established original series ‘Round Table’, produced by Ladstudios, Ladbible Group’s award-winning in-house content studio. The episode, distributed on all Ladbible’s channels, including Ladbible TV, home to 2.4m subscribers, will bring together Olympians, Paralympians, and Special Olympics athletes to openly discuss their experiences in a comfortable, candid environment.

Further content, including Instagram reels and TikTok, will include a ‘A Day in the Life’ self-shot series, going behind the scenes of the daily lives of an Olympian, a Paralympian and a Special Olympics athlete. The series features athletes including sprinter Jonnie Peacock and bocce player Michael Beynon within their communities and support networks, to highlight to young people that super athletes have normal lives. The campaign is also supported via display and paid amplification.

“We’re looking forward to sharing the Ladbible content, which will showcase the Special Olympics and the incredible personal stories of some of the GB athletes taking part in the World Games,” said Stuart Sanders, Director Communications and Product at Toyota (GB). “We hope these will inspire everyone to become involved in sport by showing the challenges, but also the benefits, of the training and preparation on the road to achieving a personal goal.”