The Olympic games are inarguably the biggest sport competition in the world. So big, that brands invest millions of dollars to share the spotlight and attract eyeballs during the games.

At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, several Nigerian athletes were in the race for gold. However, as the competition progressed, it appeared that we weren't winning any medals. And with zero budget for our brand to bag a sponsorship deal, it looked like the game was over in every sense.

No budget to get our brand in the race and nothing in sight for Nigerian athletes or fans to cheer about. Or was this the case?

Just before the final whistle, we decided it was not.

In the midst of the gloom, we wanted to find something worth celebrating for fans and athletes. So we asked ourselves - what do Olympic athletes and chocolate lovers have in common? Our first answer came very quickly - Nothing! Obviously!

Soon, it finally clicked - if there's one thing that's undeniable, it's the fact that both athletes and chocolate lovers have a voracious appetite; they're always hungry for more, never satisfied, always reaching for top of the shelf, and after they get it, they want to have it again, and again, and again. This insight unlocked an unlikely campaign.

A creative campaign, celebrating two categories of people with a voracious appetite for "GOLD" - Olympic athletes and chocolate spread lovers. The first, hungry for the Olympic gold, and the latter for Golden Penny Chocoh - the apex homegrown brand of chocolate spread on Nigerian shelves.

The message: When reaching for gold - whether it's the Olympic medal, or top-shelf chocolate spread - you never settle, you go ALL IN. And that's worth celebrating.

Our campaign materials depicted athletes from different games/events in which Nigerian athletes participated including; basketball, boxing, swimming, and athletics, as a way of declaring our solidarity with the teams and celebrating them for their hunger despite the outcome of the tournament.

The creative assets were crafted using an ancient art form - Ombromanie, also known as hand shadow art and popularly used/seen in shadow puppetry. This art form allowed us to create the perfect juxtaposition of the two - athletes and chocolate lovers - reaching for "GOLD".

Through this campaign, we helped to position the chocolate spread brand as a gold-status, top-shelf, highly desirable product, while coloring and sharing in the emotions of fans around a monumental event like the Olympics.

The campaign ran, at no cost, on social media, helping the brand to stand out despite being a non-sponsor during the Olympics. It generated thousands of brand engagement with a 99.9% positive sentiment score, turning a sad Olympic loss into a moment of cheer, support and celebration.

For many Nigerians, we made a gloomy Olympic season colorful once again.