Bank of America

The Boston Marathon® is the world's most elite road race, attracting the fastest runners on the planet. Yet, it also opens the course to charity runners, each committed to raising up to $15,000. If they can’t raise it, they must pay it out of their own pocket. This task is impossibly difficult, especially since they are limited to their own personal network of friends and family. In their first year as the presenting sponsor of the Boston Marathon®, Bank of America was operating in a low-trust category, with falling brand favorability, so they had to show up in a new way to gain back trust. This iconic race presented a real opportunity to flip the script on what it means to be a sponsor into something way more meaningful. We revolutionized an expected logo-slapped sponsorship into an eye-opening spotlight, honoring the runners driving change for their communities. We shifted Bank of America’s entire media budget to be a platform to tell these runners’ heartfelt stories and amplify their fundraising networks. By leveraging Bank’s media, employees, and national reach, the campaign supercharged each runner's fundraising potential, sparking 268,000 donations, generating a record-breaking $71.9 million for 243 charities, increased brand favorability by +5.7 ppts, and forever changing the way marathons fundraise.