Nick Symmonds, the fastest man in the U.S. at 800-meters, and Hanson Dodge Creative have two things in common—we’re both dedicated to making the world more active and we both strive to work with the best brands in the world.

At HDC it’s our mission to connect leading brands with the passions of the active lifestyle consumer. But with the 2012 Olympics just around the corner, we find ourselves working to connect a U.S. Olympian to his dream of getting back to the Summer Games.

This past January, in an effort to take a stand against the current sponsorship restrictions in professional track & field and, in the process, attract national brands, Nick used eBay to auction off his left shoulder with the offer to display a sponsor’s Twitter handle in his races leading up to the Olympics (See New York Times article for full story).

After casting the winning bid and partnering with Nick, HDC quickly learned that he is not only charismatic and business savvy, but he brings a wealth of valuable insights into what it takes for athletes and brands to connect with fans in sports that aren’t necessarily mainstream (e.g., NFL, NBA, NASCAR), but still carry a strong, dedicated following.

In Nick’s opinion, world-class professional athletes in his sport, and others like it, should have the same opportunities as any other to connect with leading brands.

And we couldn’t agree more.

To assist in Nick’s cause, we produced a revamped NickSymmonds.com responsive website and continue to facilitate opportunities for Nick to share his story on national platforms. What Nick offers in return is something only very few can lay claim to: the experience, perspective and advice of a seasoned U.S. Olympian.

In our exclusive video series scheduled for release throughout the 2012 Summer Olympic season, Nick takes us through a day in the life an Olympic athlete in training. He explains how his efforts on and off the track have helped him reach his lofty goals, and shares his perspective as both a professional athlete and consumer on the current state of athletic sponsorship, social media, branding and, of course, living an active lifestyle.

See also:
EPISODE 2: Connecting Through Social Media
EPISODE 3: Connecting to the Outdoors

For more onHDC’s relationship with Nick, see articles in The New York Times, Wired, Adweek, Inc. Magazine & Mashable

By Joe Ciccarelli, Hanson Dodge Creative Marketing Manager
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Hanson Dodge Creative is America’s leading active lifestyle agency. The full-service firm specializes in helping global brands attain market leadership through the strategic integration of world-class branding, relationship marketing, social media, e-commerce and advanced interactive technology. Clients include Wilson Sporting Goods, Trek, Wolverine, Briggs & Riley Travelware, Thule and Kmart.