Ben Proud is a British Olympian and was a global brand ambassador for AirAsia.
Having grown up and started his swimming career in Malaysia, Ben left to the UK where he has risen to the highest level in the sport. As a way to give back to the country and region that helped him discover his talent and passion, AirAsia worked with Ben on providing a platform for up-and-coming swimmers from around the Asean region to receive world-class training from him and his coaches. In addition to the coaching, Ben was able to interact and share his knowledge with the kids who attended these sessions.
Aptly named the "Ben Proud's Talent Pool", the 4 year project started in Malaysia in its first year and worked its way across the region for the remaining 3. Heading to countries like Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Australia and Singapore - this #DareToDream initiative was set up to help inspire a new generation of swimmers and hopefully, be the building block for another future Olympian.
Each event comprised of coaching sessions and classroom sessions to over 60 kids ranging from 11-15 years old. The participants learn directly from Ben and his AquaElite coaches; a team that has helped Ben achieve medals at the highest level.
Below, you'll find some event videos from some of the clinics
In addition to working on event videos of the clinics themselves, we also looked to develop travel and lifestyle content with Ben - telling his story outside of the pool.
This particular piece of content was shot in Nagoya, Japan and was developed specifically for IGTV as a new medium of storytelling.
Above are some of the event collaterals that were built for the various events
In addition to giving back to the swimming community, Ben is also an environmental advocate; working with Adidas Parley on ocean conservation. As one of his key partners, he also wanted to work alongside AirAsia's sustainability efforts when he was able to make trips to the Asean region.
The AirAsia foundation and JourneyD work with a number of small business owners around Asean, with the aim of effecting social and environmental change through entrepreneurship. Working with both entities, Ben made a trip in 2019 to the Thai coastal town of Koh Klang - where he got to experience how AirAsia helps promote sustainability and growth in underdeveloped areas of Asean.
