The 2014 Winter Olympics was going to see a lot of tearful winners, hugs and flags. And that was just in the advertising.

Meanwhile, TD Ameritrade faced the task of how to sponsor the games in a unique way and make a distinctive point about TD Ameritrade’s approach to investing.

So TD Ameritrade encouraged everyday investors with a integrated campaign that showed—whether you are an athlete or an investor—how achieving big goals depends upon a series of smaller ones.

Using real footage from Winter Olympians, the “It Adds Up” campaign followed athletes back in time before they were famous.

In-branch posters echoed the contrast between athletes in preparation and today’s stars. Social channels encouraged the sharing of the hashtag #ItAddsUp to support a new generation of Olympic athletes.

The campaign and sponsorship of Olympic and Paralympic athletes firmly repositioned TD Ameritrade as a premium, long-term investment brand.

The first component to break was the “It Adds Up” microsite and social media campaign, which both informed investors about TD Ameritrade’s approach to guiding investors and illustrated how with every mention of #ItAddsUp, TD Ameritrade would contribute to the training fund for up-and-coming Winter Olympians.

The TV and online advertising campaign broke in December before the Olympics and lasted for the duration of the games. An online video linked back to the social media component and helped widen the reach of the TV.

Simultaneous with the TV campaign, TD Ameritrade in-branch posters continued to illustrate the fact that before anyone achieves the big wins, they’re focused on the small ones, and that behind every medalist is a medalist in training.

Focus groups showed that investors were impressed by the difference, honesty and humanity of the approach.

More than 325,000 visited the microsite to learn more about TD Ameritrade’s approach to investing.

Industry experts singled out TD Ameritrade’s Sochi campaign as “millennial friendly…we’ve heard time and again that retirement savings is intimidating …Millennials can relate to the 2014 athletes and the 2018 hopefuls…it’s never too early to start” (Sonen Capital/The American Marketing Association).

Meanwhile, one of the USA’s leading athletic-sponsorship companies stated that the approach was “perfect for (the) TDA brand...and spot on for the company’s image” (opendorse).

* More than 78,000 #ItAddsUp mentions

* Grew social media audience by 12% (44% increase on Twitter; 12% increase on Facebook)

* 65 press stories resulting in 97 million earned media impressions (including coverage in the New York Times and TODAY Show)