CHALLENGE

Heighten Awareness, Reach New Audiences, Maximize Product Sales

As anticipation for the 2024 Olympics reached a fever pitch and analysts predicted record Olympic apparel sales, GK Elite, exclusive leotard provider/licensee for USA Gymnastics, was poised to meet the moment and leverage its relationship with USAG, status as the leading brand of gymnastics clothing, and vast network of retail partners to capitalize on this signature market opportunity. Among the most trusted brands in the gymnastics community, GK needed a PR agency with deep consumer & sports experience, expertise navigating the complex Olympic sponsorship landscape and a track record of delivering winning earned campaigns with globally recognized athletes to tell its story to endemic and consumer audiences. Enter Elevate.

SOLUTION

Media Relations & Influencer Engagement

Elevate created a compelling narrative that positioned GK as an essential part of Team USA’s success and developed a strategy to harness the power of earned media to tell the story to consumers via a suite of PR programs, tactics, and touchpoints:

• Outreach: Leverage athlete star power and Olympic excitement to maximize media opportunities
• Storytelling: Craft compelling stories around athlete journeys and GK Elite apparel’s impact on performances.
• Event PR: Media access to behind-the-scenes product design & athlete interviews at key touchpoints on the USGA calendar
• Embargoed Pitching: Unveil leotards via exclusive story placements, interviews with high-profile outlets, and placements in top-tier outlets stemming from factory tours and interviews.
• Product Unveils: Sustain momentum via product releases, interviews, and real-time product unveils as athletes debuted leotards as they competed for Olympic gold.

IMPACT

Reach New Audiences, Heighten Awareness & Drive Sales

The results were exceptional, with more than 1,000 earned media placements generating over 2.5 billion media With over 1,000 media placements that generated over 1.47 billion earned impressions, including dozens of feature story placements in high-impact national outlets across news, sports, business, fashion and lifestyle media; the campaign Elevated GK Elite’s brand awareness and helped drive sellouts of launch inventory, doubling the tally from the 2020 games.