TV Ad Asks Olympics Viewers to Support Children’s Games in Sarajevo

An international-relief group used the recent Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, to remind television viewers of the continuing plight of children in the former Olympic city of Sarajevo. The charity says it hopes to continue to keep the war-torn Bosnian city in people’s minds long after the last gold medal was awarded.

With financial backing from John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, the American Refugee Committee in Minneapolis created a 90-second commercial that was broadcast during CBS’s coverage of the games’ opening and closing ceremonies, as well as a 60-second version that aired about 40 times during CNN’s and TNT’s Olympic coverage.

Using emotionally charged footage and a toll-free number, the spot raised money for a new children’s fund that is financing the construction of playgrounds and recreation facilities for youngsters in Sarajevo.

The promotional spot marked the first time that the International Olympic Committee allowed a charity, other than an amateur sports foundation, to use the Olympic name and rings to promote a cause on television.

The commercial opens with footage of the colorful opening ceremonies for the 1984 winter games, which were held in Sarajevo. Dancers and flag bearers clad in blue, yellow, and red are shown celebrating.

The jubilation gives way to images of exploding cannons and a man carrying a wounded child, as a Sarajevo resident says, “I can’t put together these two things: the flame of the Olympics, the flame of destroying.”

At the end of the spot, the actress Sigourney Weaver says: “The children of Sarajevo never forgot the Olympics. Please don’t forget them. They need hope. They need you.”

While she speaks, a toll-free number for the Sarajevo Olympic Children’s Fund flashes on the screen. The ad closes by noting that the ad was sponsored by John Hancock, which spent more than $3-million on the commercials and for the toll-free phone lines that contributors called.

Leaders of the American Refugee Committee say that about 100 phone calls were generated each time the spot aired. Midway through the Olympic Games, more than $10,000 had been raised. A number of callers inquired about holding fund-raising events in their hometowns.

The refugee charity — which has aided Bosnian refugees with food, medical aid, and shelter since 1993 — plans more fund-raising events to benefit the children’s fund. The group is also considering creating a new campaign to benefit the fund that would air during the 2000 Summer Olympic Games.