Connecting IRL

With the pandemic disappearing into their rear-view mirrors (er, hopefully) consumers ventured back out into the world. And that meant OOH could reclaim its traditional place in the marketing mix. Some brands took the opportunity to reimagine what that might look like, with hybrid programs fueled by all of their lockdown-honed social skills.

Case in point: Lactalis. The brand took full advantage of that mainstay of OOH executions – the billboard – and blended it with old-school call-in tactics and the current love for all things retro and collectible. The end result: “For Trade: One Cheestring”

The execution served as the tent pole of the “Keep It Cheesy” campaign. Created by Broken Heart Love Affair, it featured a giant billboard at Yonge and Dundas in Toronto, depicting a memorable childhood moment for millennials: the cafeteria lunch trade. The unbranded billboard asked passersby what they would trade for a single Cheestring, with a phone number to call with their offer. That unassuming billboard attracted more than 1,000 offers, including Shaquille O’Neal rookie cards, a yacht and even dinner with a caller’s mom. (An actor who fielded the calls good-naturedly refused all offers.)

“When you go to market with something that’s relevant and deeply rooted in culture, consumers will engage,” explains Enrique Larez, marketing director for cheese and tablespreads, Lactalis. “We wanted to be playful. When you put positivity out in the world, you get positive results back.”

Major outlets picked up the story and program hosts reminisced about eating cheese strings as kids. The billboard was the first in a campaign that also featured a TV spot, OLV, social and additional OOH.

For its street-level “Window Shopping” campaign, IKEA also turned public spaces into topics of conversation. The campaign supported the launch of IKEA’s first store in Toronto’s downtown core, one that focused on small-space living.

In a twist on the traditional billboard approach, Rethink came up with the idea of converting actual downtown homes (featuring real people) into living streetlevel ads. The home interiors featured IKEA products while the exterior displayed IKEA branding, so passersby would get the experience of shopping in IKEA’s showrooms without ever having to leave their neighbourhood. The “living billboards” were featured in areas within a strategic radius of the new downtown location and showcased a variety of spaces that would reflect the diversity of Toronto life.

The billboards were a key part of a launch campaign that yielded more than 31 million impressions. Foot traffic for the new store was 41% higher than baseline.

Decathlon’s “Ability Signs” campaign, meanwhile, reimagined and redefined store signage and the international symbol of access, one of the most recognized signs in the world.

Decathlon is the largest sports retailer in the world, though it currently has a small footprint in Canada. When it opened its tenth store here, it wanted to amplify its mission of making sports accessible. Without the marketing budgets of established players, Rethink tapped into Decathlon’s culture of strong, cost-effective grassroots initiatives to generate buzz. The purpose of “Ability Signs” was to shift the focus from what people with disabilities couldn’t do, to what they could.

D2C: From coupon to

One side effect of the pandemic has been that more and more people have become dog owners. So, working off the premise that dogs love to chew things – homework, furniture legs, wallets – and knowing the angst and exasperation it causes to puppy parents, the "Chewpon" campaign gave dogs something better to chew on: Milk-Bone dog treats.

“[Leo Burnett] had the idea of turning something that was chewed up into part of the solution,” says Adam Zitney, VP of marketing, Smucker Foods of Canada. “I knew we were on to something when the idea was being discussed and it elicited crazy stories from my team and the agency team of what has been chewed up. It struck a chord in the room.”

Decathlon’s existing retail signage system was updated with 25 custom icons depicting the international symbol in an active rather than static position – playing a sport such as basketball, rugby or tennis. Parking space stencils were created, as was a website (AbilitySigns.ca) where people or brands who wanted to join the movement could download the icons for free.

While the initiative started in Canada, the symbols were adopted globally; several cities of Seine-Saint-Denis added accessible parking spots using "Ability Signs" ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic games. The Decathlon headquarters, also located in France, incorporated "Ability Signs" in its parking lots and main office buildings.

The campaign earned 227 million organic impressions and reached 73 countries, making it the most shared social campaign in Decathlon’s history.

The campaign converted owner-uploaded images of items that dogs had chewed on into coupons for dog treats. To get one, dog owners DM’d photos – ranging from stuffed animals to passports – via social media. Milk-Bone responded (with help from partner WebSaver) with customized coupons for Milk-Bone treats.

The campaign included promoted video and print media that drove people to Milk-Bone’s social channels, leading to a 215% increase in Facebook visits and a 132% increase in Instagram followers. With a small but targeted $10,000 media budget, the campaign became Milk-Bone’s most talkedabout social media campaign.

THE WIN > Fondation Émergence

“The 54-Second Watch” by Havas

Montréal Gold Design