For years, RONA has been supporting Canadian sports and athletes from both professional and amateur levels, acting as a proud national partner of our Canadian Olympic and Paralympic teams since 2006 and remaining so for the 2012 London Summer games. However, RONA’s Olympic partnership goes beyond sponsoring Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

London Games

 RONA developed an integrated ad campaign showcasing the collective effort and sense of camaraderie that are paramount to RONA’s success. One of the broadcast ads shows a humourous take on a relay race, with Canadians running, kayaking and flipping across Canada as they pass a screwdriver “baton” from coast-to-coast. The ad is designed to help build a sense of pride among Canadian consumers and celebrates RONA’s dedication to “Doing It Right,” regardless of the obstacles faced.

Accompanying the broadcast feature is a print ad branded with the tagline “A win for Canada is a win for all of us.” The print ads feature a RONA work glove proudly waving a Canadian flag, highlighting RONA’s $4.5 billion CDN yearly direct investment into the Canadian economy. The “Win For Us” campaign is part of RONA’s contribution to, and sponsorship of the Canadian Olympic Team (mettre un lien vers la landing de la campagne Olympique).

RONA also invited Canadians via the web to ‘Plant Your Feet’ running its 5,515 km collective relay – the distance from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast. In recognition of Canada’s support for our athletes, RONA committed to planting a tree for every kilometer run. Canadians sprinted out of the starting blocks with world-class speed, covering the distance in only 72 hours – the equivalent of running 76 km every hour for three entire days.

“We are overwhelmed by the enthusiastic participation from across the country,” says Karim Salabi, Executive Vice President, Marketing at RONA. “With the original goal now met, we are now challenging Canadians to reach 40,075 km and beyond – the distance around the earth at the equator! ” He added that to thank participants for their immense support, that RONA will extend its support of reforestation programs across Canada, and will continue to plant a tree for every kilometre logged in the collective relay. 

2010 Winter Games in Vancouver

In that capacity, RONA’s commitment during the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver focused on the 4 following elements:

1. Supporting the construction of Olympic sites as a way of giving something back to the population of British Columbia.

• Olympic sites are given new community-based orientations.
• 150 of housing units built for athletes have become reasonably priced apartments for less-privileged segments of the population.

2. Financial support to Canadian athletes to help them win medals

• Athletes who benefited from RONA’s financial support greatly contributed to our country’s overall performance by winning no less than 13 gold medals, 4 silver and 4 bronze, adding up to 21 out of the 26 medal total reached by Canada’s 2010 Olympic team.

3. Training for troubled youth through RONA’s Fabshop

• RONA’s Fabshop provided and will keep providing people less well off with the chance to learn how to become an apprentice to help them find employment. The students in these groups are either school drop-outs, single mothers, as well as people from First Nations and visible.

4. RONA Employees’ Participation

• RONA employees made up the largest contingency of volunteers sent to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games by a sponsor company. 

Awards won by RONA for its sponsorship of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games

• 2010 Sponsorship Marketing award – Award of Distinction in the Philanthropy category
• 2011 Sponsorship Marketing award – Grand winner in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games category
• 2011 Sponsorship Marketing award – Best in Show grand prize