When MasterCard Canada became a sponsor of Toronto Fashion Week in 2011, it signaled a commitment to high-fashion. But the credit card co. needed to find a way to activate at the retail level.

Toronto is not regarded as a fashion hub like Paris, Milan or New York, yet various Toronto neighbourhoods are hotbeds for fashion, carrying their own unique style. So MasterCard created a retail program called Stylicity leveraging both the spring Fashion Week and the unique offerings of Toronto’s neighbourhoods to frame the city as a destination for all things fashionable.

Working with MacLaren McCann, the brand recruited fashionable Toronto retail stores, restaurants and spas in key neighbourhoods to offer cardholders exclusive discounts and experiences that coincided with the event.

Creative was a reflection of each neighbourhood’s unique street-style and fashion, with TSAs and wild postings featuring real people styled in their own wardrobes. Recognizable locations in the heart of each neighbourhood served as the backdrop, and executions were interspersed with maps highlighting nearby Stylicity locations.

The Style Reporter, a first-of-its kind fashion supplement was distributed in the Toronto Star, at World MasterCard Fashion Week and in fashion-conscious neighbourhoods. The piece featured offers and included editorial created by key influencers, such as Pink Tartan founder Kimberley Newport-Mimran.

Media drove to a Stylicity blog, where local fashion bloggers posted about their experiences and directed readers to where they could find their next meal or purchase. Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest integrations also helped spread the word.

The goals were to lift MasterCard transaction volume at Stylicity partner locations and create broad consumer awareness and participation, establishing Stylicity as the retail program associated with World MasterCard Fashion Week.

Because this was a new program, the benchmark was an increase in normal spending versus the same period the year prior. The campaign exceeded expectations, with a 600% increase in unique MasterCard usage, a 71% increase in gross dollar volume spend on cards and a 78% increase in the number of transactions.

The Stylicity blog received more than 10,000 unique page visits, double the expected number. Facebook likes increased by 400% and Twitter followers rose to 5,200 from next to none. In addition, Stylicity partners nearly doubled (99 from 52) compared to the fall 2011 pilot.

Metro was about to launch a new line of exclusive, high-quality wines and needed to convince Quebec consumers that the wines at the grocery stores were as good as those purchased at the Société des alcools du Québec (Québec’s liquor stores).

Metro’s target consumer is women with children, between the ages of 25 and 54. She loves to cook and try new things, but she doesn’t have much time and appreciates practical solutions.

When Metro launched its Hémisphère line of wines (selected by expert sommelier Patrice Tinguy) in October 2012, the strategy was to use the sommelier’s credibility and the wine’s country of origin to showcase its high quality and exclusivity, as well as suggest ways to enjoy it.

The stores were used as the primary media for this campaign, with section designed by ZIP communication for the Hémisphère line. Special displays and posters were installed, and Metro’s website and weekly flyer included specially created content and sections. Wine tasting events were held, and QR codes on displays led consumers to a microsite that gave detailed information about the wines.

Taste tags were used to help shoppers find their perfect wine match, and a colour code directed them to wines from their favourite region. Metro’s four Hémisphère wines did well against other wines in store, consumers gave positive feedback during taste tests, and sales surpassed expectations at the launch and have been growing ever since.

Wendy’s Canada was considered somewhat late in the game when it decided to launch poutine in April of last year. The cheese-curd-dripping-with-gravy meal had experienced a surge in popularity amongst Canadians thanks to niche, upscale poutineries.

New product launches are often supported with large production budgets, but in this case, the brand had less than $300,000. To amplify the reach with PR, the restaurant created a campaign to have poutine declared the “National Dish of Canada,” supported by an online “Poutition” that lived on the Wendy’s Canada Facebook page, inviting people to “like” the page to sign the petition. Wendy’s involvement in social media at the time of the launch was minimal, and the challenge for partner agency MacLaren McCann was to grow the Facebook page from a fan base of less than 16,000 to 50,000.

A YouTube video communicated the history of the poutine and the brand developed a line of Poutition merchandise such as t-shirts, buttons and lawn signs. To drive store traffic and encourage sampling, poutine coupons were given to all participants. In-store point-of-sale signage featured QR codes that connected users to a mobile version of the Poutition. The bilingual campaign was supported by a national radio spot, a digital media buy, localized OOH and a TV commercial.

The campaign exceeded all objectives and helped redefine the role of social media for Wendy’s Canada. It generated over 17 million media impressions, the brand’s Facebook following increased by 279%, and share of voice in social conversations related to poutine jumped to 63%, surpassing the goal of 20%.

To launch Friskies Indoor, a range of products specifically for indoor cats, the brand partnered with CBC celebrity designers Steven Sabados and Chris Hyndman, and introduced a contest that prized one Canadian with a “$10,000 room makeover, specially designed by Steven & Chris, for you and your cat.”

With the help of The Think Tank, Friskies’ promotion was brought to life in-store through television displays in the pet aisles of national retailers such as Walmart and Sobeys. In addition, major retail chains featured flyers with Steven & Chris introducing the Friskies Indoor product.

The contest microsite and videos (featuring the style gurus giving viewers design tips for a home with indoor cats) were created to aesthetically reflect the style sense of the designers while promoting the Friskies product. The site also featured a blog by leading Canadian veterinarian Margie Scherk on a variety of topics.

The contest surpassed expectations with more than 70,000 entries and over 240,000 page views. And the promotion helped rejuvenate the Friskies brand, with its dry food product delivering a growth of 42%, while Friskies wet food grew by 5%.

Holt Renfrew wanted to target younger, influential shoppers, so working with Infield Marketing, the retailer surprised pedestrians with an interactive execution, intended to “shock and awe” a youthful audience. To celebrate 175 years of Holt Renfrew style, “Random Acts of Fashion” was created, with the Hot@175 Mobile Tour pop-up shop visiting seven different Canadian cities in September 2012.

The execution transformed street spaces into a fashion frenzy. Consumers walked the eight-foot runway leading into a Holt Renfrew showroom where they could model limited-edition sweatshirts, each produced by a different designer from around the world to celebrate the retailer’s anniversary.

In addition to the designer threads and musical stylings of an on-site DJ, the pop-up shop also featured six televisions, each equipped with their own personal listening device, featuring the designer’s story and inspiration behind the sweatshirts.

The mobile tour connected Holt Renfrew with a younger consumer presenting the brand as spontaneous, and after the one-month city-wide tour, the retailer tracked more than 74 million impressions and close to 19,450 consumers engaged with the retailer on the street. Revenue was up, with the Holt Renfrew generating $112,500 in sales.

Nestlé Purina PetCare partnered with the PetSmart Charities of Canada in 2010 to create an adoption program. The goal was to raise awareness of (and find “forever homes” for) the thousands of homeless pets at shelters and rescue groups.

PetSmart stores introduced cat adoption centres where visitors could interact with kittens and cats in need of a home. Store windows, walls and pet cages were marked with sponsorship signage, introducing Purina Pro Plan and MAXX Scoop as the official food, litter, bowls and litter pans sponsors.

Pet adopters received a starter kit with more than $200 worth of coupons from Purina. A postcard in the kit drove consumers to join Purina’s online community at Mypuppy.ca or Mykitten.ca, providing information and resources to help them care for their new pet. A free bag of Pro Plan puppy or kitten food was supplied to create more loyalty to the brand and drive consumers back to the store.

In addition to the adoption centres, the brand also supports the PetSmart Charities of Canada’s “National Adoption Weekends,” where local adoption agencies team up with PetSmart to bring homeless pets to stores and Nestlé Purina brand ambassadors interact with visitors to find the right product for their new pet.

To win over premium pet food consumers as well as new puppy owners, P&G-owned brand Eukanuba decided to reinforce its position as “Trusted by Experts” with the help of its key retailer Mondou in Quebec.

With more than 70 years in the market, and over 50 stores across the province, Mondou is trusted by pet owners. The retailer’s Mira Foundation, which has a high awareness in Quebec (95%), has provided handicapped people with guide dogs free-of-charge for more than 30 years. And Eukanuba has supported the foundation for over 15 years, supplying free food to Mira pets in training.

Partner agency SVM developed an exclusive, tailored in-store campaign (spanning window poster, dangler, pallet talker and floor paw print signage, as well as a flyer ad) to connect with shoppers. The POS was installed in every Mondou store in Quebec and remained in stores beyond the initial four-week period.

By leveraging this strong partnership and bringing it to stores, a powerful connection between shoppers and Eukanuba was created and the brand was established as being trusted by experts.

Facing declining sales in an increasingly competitive in-store environment, Stride Gum was challenged to target a hyper-stimulated, easily-distracted and overly-connected teen audience.

With Mac’s convenience stores typically located near schools, it has a higher percentage of teen shoppers compared to its competitors. So Stride launched a contest in Mac’s locations in Ontario and Western Canada during the back-to-school period, offering teens the chance to win prizes worth up to $1,000 by entering UPC codes online, as part of the “Stride High” initiative (other contests involved submitting “ridiculous” videos to win cash).

The program, created with the help of Sid Lee and LPi Group, integrated multiple touchpoints throughout the path to purchase – including an e-blast to the MyMacs.ca database, a custom pre-pack displayer, as well as POS featuring QR codes inviting shoppers to enter the contest via mobile.

Digital ads on Mymacs.ca linked to the contest microsite and entrants could share their participation on Facebook and Twitter. Also, a staff incentive program encouraged employees to upsell Stride products by mentioning the contest at the point-of-purchase.

In-store support and online activity exceeded expectations, with the microsite receiving over 43,000 visits and more than 12,000 unique visitors. About 2% of entries came from mobile, and the contest generated 340 Facebook “likes” during the promotional period.

The program generated a unit sales increase of 180% in Ontario and 80% in Western Canada. There was also an 8.4% increase of market share in Ontario and a 5.5% increase in the West. Compared to regular promotional activity, the program created a 147% return on investment, as it drove four times more sales for Ontario and three times more sales in the West.

Becel wanted to highlight the importance of moms taking care of their heart with simple lifestyle changes, mainly through exercise and diet. The brand put out a call-to-action, appealing to women on an emotional level and illustrating how eating Becel and walking can lower their cholesterol.

For the “Know your number, know your risk” campaign, Becel created branded pedometers and gave them out for free to shoppers that purchased its product at participating stores. The budget was limited, so efforts were concentrated on in-store activations at 106 Metro locations in Quebec during Heart Health month in February.

The 76,000 pedometers were custom branded with the Becel logo and its website, and accompanied by a booklet that suggested tips for good health and encouraged the shopper to “know their number.” In-store POS delivered the message and featured the pedometers positioned near the Becel bunker in the dairy section.

Total net sales for the promotion equated to more than $348,000, incremental units versus the baseline were up 83%, average customer penetration increased 21% and the ROI benchmark was exceeded.

James Ready wanted to recognize and reward its loyal customers, so it launched a campaign that immortalized 100 of the brand’s most ardent fans with their pictures on the back of its beer labels.

Created by Leo Burnett, the campaign launched with a call-to-action, asking JR drinkers to post (on the brand’s Facebook page) reasons why they’re the most “Awesomest James Ready fans.” For example, one fan showed his loyalty by tattooing the James Ready logo on his arm, and another crafted an elaborate throne made out of JR cardboard cases. The brand’s followers could vote for their favourite submission and 100 of the top entrants had their picture turned into a commemorative label on James Ready beer bottles, which were then sold in stores across Toronto.

The “Drinkers of Awesomeness Bottles” campaign was designed to reward drinkers for their loyalty without investing in paid media, and it received hundreds of submissions on Facebook and generated earned media thanks to press outlets picking up the story.

Maison Orphée, a producer and importer of high-end oils, realized that to survive, it would have to broaden its distribution beyond boutique grocery stores.

The brand’s products were priced highest in its category, creating a listing barrier with category managers at Loblaw, Metro, Sobeys, IGA and Super C in Quebec, Ontario and B.C.

Compared to the boutique grocery store shopper, the supermarket shopper does not have the same in-depth knowledge of refined oils, such as flavour characteristics, different types or how to use them in the kitchen. This insight led Maison Orphée’s agency, Lg2, to change its product labelling from describing the product inside the bottle, to ways it could be used in meals, such as sesame oil in Asian-style stir-fries, extra-virgin olive oil for salads and pestos, and grape seed oil for cooking, frying and fondues.

The packaging transformation convinced supermarket buyers to list Maison Orphée products in stores. Despite a drop in SKUs from 56 to 35 and zero investment in advertising, sales saw an increase of 67.93% since the brand redesigned its labels.

Competitive pressures from Maynards’ direct competitor Wrigley were strong, and the share gap between the two was tightening. Maynards needed to fight back, so it launched a new sour candy called “Granny Smith” which also became the inspiration for a new character of the same name and the centrepiece of Maynards’ marketing efforts.

Working with The Hive, the brand created packaging for the namesake candy that included graphics that looked as though the bag had been knit by Granny Smith herself. Maynards supported the product launch with an out-of-home campaign that literally showed Granny Smith on shelves and in vending machines, which ran across billboards and transit media. In addition, the brand tapped into a cultural phenomenon by creating a “Sour Granny Smith” meme, which appeared as wild postings in urban cores and online.

The campaign ran from May to July, and Granny Smith has also made recurring appearances on Maynards Facebook and YouTube pages. The video has over 230,000 hits, and the campaign was picked up by Buzzfeed, Creativity and Funny Or Die, and sparked conversation on Reddit.

Desjardins General Insurance (DAG) is a sponsor of the Montreal Auto Show, where consumers flock to see the latest cars and concepts. The company’s challenge was to interest attendees in also learning about Desjardins insurance products.

For the past six years, Desjardins has partnered with the Montreal Auto Show to have an on-site presence with a kiosk showcasing its services. The insurance company’s objective for 2012 was to rejuvenate this kiosk and increase traffic. Targeting young drivers, Lg2 created a multi-player videogame competition for Desjardins, dubbed “Made-to-Measure Parking.” It focused on DAG’s approach of providing “made-to-measure” protection and savings that apply to each individual customer.

The booth invited players to park a number of cars (making sure not to get any scrapes) using an iPad as the steering wheel. Giant screens that showed the participants parking the vehicles were positioned for easy viewing for passersby. After the competition, DAG advisors interacted with participants to educate them on products. The experience continued on a dedicated microsite where visitors could take part in the multi-player game, controlling the cars with their smartphones.

Traffic at the Desjardins General Insurance kiosk increased by 200% compared with 2011, and results set a five-year record in lead generation, swaying the company to partner with the Auto Show again to execute the Made-to-Measure Parking game in 2013.

To become a leading hair care destination, Shoppers Drug Mart partnered with Unilever to target a female audience of “solution seekers,” who are highly motivated to try something new if they believe it will help solve a hair care problem.

The four-week “30 Ways to Beautiful Hair” program, created in partnership with Ariad Communications, was designed to help female shoppers quickly identify, select and purchase the products required to achieve a desired look.

Consumers were greeted with end-aisle displays in stores, and do-it-yourself styling cards were merchandised next to corresponding Unilever products that could be used to achieve one of the 30 different styles. In print, four perforated DIY styling cards were included as a special insert in Glow magazine, and the program was also featured in the Shoppers flyer. Cityline featured the program in its “Fashion Fridays” segment, and the partnership also included in-store demonstrations leveraging Nexxus celebrity stylist Tony Masciangelo at a high-traffic Shoppers location.

The Shoppers and Pharmaprix websites hosted “30 Ways to Beautiful Hair” online styling hubs with interactive styling information, and users were able to filter looks by hair type (such as Curly & Waves, Smooth & De-frizzed, Volume, Short and Everyday). The program also utilized Shoppers’ Optimum loyalty program, offering bonus points for purchasing three of the recommended Unilever products.

The hair care category experienced 9% growth during the four-week period, and another 10% growth in the styling category (reversing the 52-week decline of -1%). The program also garnered more than 2.5 million impressions, with the Shoppers website having received more than 800,000 page views.

Doritos Jacked chips are 40% bigger, bolder and thicker than regular Doritos. So PepsiCo amped up the product’s introduction, by orchestrating a hijacking launch concept using an “alternate reality game” created by Capital C that essentially blurred the online and real world together. Even though the game was fictional, it had real consequences.

The Doritos Jacked story’s antagonist, the Micro Munchers Association of Canada (MMAC), was a mysterious group whose sole purpose was to promote and celebrate “micro foods.” The conflict between the chip and association started in April when Doritos Jacked accidentally launched on the inaugural Micro Muncher Appreciation Day.

In retaliation, the Doritos Jacked Facebook page was taken over by the fictional association, with a video showing a Mini Cooper Countryman hijacked with the Jacked chips inside. There was a list of demands for the Doritos community to meet, such as playing online games, in order to earn enough “Compassion Points” that would help release bags of Jacked and clues to the Mini Cooper’s location.

In the second week of the campaign, the MMAC rewarded Doritos fans by setting up a giant projection screen for them to play multi-player games, as well as giving away 300 bags of Jacked Doritos and 250 t-shirts. The association gave the remaining Jacked bags to a handful of “hardcore” fans at campuses across the country. They were then challenged to distribute the product samples in a creative way that reflected its bigger, bolder and thicker attributes.

After three weeks of demands, the MMAC released the final clue to the Mini Cooper’s location. One fan cracked the code using Google Maps, discovering an image of the car hidden on the streets of Tiny, Ontario – the Micro Munchers’ hometown – and taking home the keys as a reward.

Doritos’ approach paid off, with over 75% of the Doritos community aware of the new product as well as a Facebook following increase of 30,000 fans. Over 40,000 consumers engaged with the Facebook app, for an average of 8.5 minutes, and the brand’s sales increased dramatically within the first five weeks.

Fruité wanted to build on its licensing deal with Dreamworks by leveraging the studio’s Madagascar 3 movie launch. So the brand created hype around a new consumer-chosen flavour and established Fruité as an exciting brand within the Lassonde portfolio.

To capitalize on the pre-launch period of the film, Fruité worked with Draftfcb to build a contest that invited customers to vote for their favourite Madagascar 3-inspired flavour, which launched during the summer.

Customers could vote through Facebook or on a microsite where they could also interact with the brand through games and enter to win prizes, with a trip to New York City to help with the film premiere up for grabs.

The campaign saw more than 50,000 votes during the promotional period, around 38,000 codes were submitted for instant prizes, and 32.5% of visitors to the microsite played the online games.

In 2010, Nestlé Purina created a national program called “Paws for the planet” in which the brand donated funds to Evergreen, a national organization that aims to conserve and restore natural landscapes and degraded environments. Since its launch, Purina has contributed over $280,000 to the non-profit.

In 2012, research showed that a strong creative concept was required if the brand was going to get consumers to take more notice of the program. Consumers loved the concept of giving back to the environment, but they also asked, “What’s in it for me?”

Working with The Think Tank, Purina introduced an “Eco and pet-friendly backyard makeover” contest to the third edition of its “Paws for the Planet” program, where each unique entry triggered an additional $5 donation to Evergreen (to a maximum of $25,000). Pawsfortheplanet.ca hosted the contest and provided tips for pet owners looking to reduce their pet’s eco paw print.

It was supported by 9,300 in-store displays, all created with sustainable certified corrugate, and the program was featured in major retailer flyers as well as OOH. Purina employees and Evergreen volunteers rolled up their sleeves to create a “pet friendly green space” at their non-profit’s head office, planting over 250 native plants, shrubs, trees and flowers.

A PR media tour featured Clarine Lee-Macaraig from Evergreen providing eco and pet-friendly backyard tips, and was picked up by CP24, Rogers Daytime Toronto and Daytime Peel. The message generated over 10 million impressions.

The concept proved to be a success, with the microsite receiving more than 44,000 unique visitors and half a million page views. More importantly, Purina hit a donation amount of $75,000 in the first five weeks of the 13-week campaign. The funds helped Evergreen execute programs such as a planting initiative that helped improve the health and quality of York Region’s parks, as well as the Austin Drive Park project in Markham, where volunteers removed invasive plants from the area.

The world’s oceans are a main source of protein for almost a billion people, but today, nearly 80% of the world’s fish stocks are either exploited or depleted.

The state of the oceans is not fully understood and sustainable seafood is not high on a customer’s priority list when it comes to supporting CSR initiatives, making it a challenge for Loblaw to engage its customers on the topic.

Three years ago, the retailer launched its Oceans for Tomorrow sustainable seafood initiative, with the commitment to source 100% of seafood sold in stores from sustainable sources by the end of 2013. It’s been collaborating with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) as well as independent marine science advisors, government agencies and seafood vendors.

Previously, the majority of MSC certified products sold in Loblaws stores were private labels. But in late 2012, two key national brand vendors, High Liner and Bento Sushi, came on board with products that showcased the MSC logo on packs. With more items in stores across departments and brands carrying the same clear and consistent MSC message, an opportunity to build a strong consumer awareness campaign presented itself.

Loblaw created a two-week promotional event, supported by flyers, extensive in-store signage and demonstrations (with visits from the High Liner Captain) in over 500 stores, as well as online, PR activations and promotion through NGOs and the retailer brand partners’ own channels.

The campaign garnered five million media impressions to date, there was a significant increase in consumer engagement, and sales growth versus last year on MSC certified items was up 35%.

Desjardins created a tool that would help Canadians control their own financial prosperity.

Financial institutions typically focus on education, while the real problem is actually behavioural. So with the help of Lg2, Desjardins created the first-ever Canadian Personal Finance Index – a comprehensive scale that provides an assessment of a person’s ability to manage their own finances.

Findings from an online survey of 3,000 respondents pinpointed Canadians’ behavioural strengths and weaknesses when it comes to managing their finances. It also delivered findings specific to demographics (age, gender, province, marital status, income), thereby allowing Desjardins to tailor specific tools for each group.

Available online, the self-evaluation tool helped Canadians assess and improve their personal financial management skills, acquire responsible habits and ensure greater and more sustainable financial freedom. One year after its launch, more than 76,000 Canadians had used the tool.

To become a leading hair care destination, Shoppers Drug Mart partnered with Unilever to target a female audience of “solution seekers,” who are highly motivated to try something new if they believe it will help solve a hair care problem.

The four-week “30 Ways to Beautiful Hair” program, created in partnership with Ariad Communications, was designed to help female shoppers quickly identify, select and purchase the products required to achieve a desired look.

Consumers were greeted with end-aisle displays in stores, and do-it-yourself styling cards were merchandised next to corresponding Unilever products that could be used to achieve one of the 30 different styles. In print, four perforated DIY styling cards were included as a special insert in Glow magazine, and the program was also featured in the Shoppers flyer. Cityline featured the program in its “Fashion Fridays” segment, and the partnership also included in-store demonstrations leveraging Nexxus celebrity stylist Tony Masciangelo at a high-traffic Shoppers location.

The Shoppers and Pharmaprix websites hosted “30 Ways to Beautiful Hair” online styling hubs with interactive styling information, and users were able to filter looks by hair type (such as Curly & Waves, Smooth & De-frizzed, Volume, Short and Everyday). The program also utilized Shoppers’ Optimum loyalty program, offering bonus points for purchasing three of the recommended Unilever products.

The hair care category experienced 9% growth during the four-week period, and another 10% growth in the styling category (reversing the 52-week decline of -1%). The program also garnered more than 2.5 million impressions, with the Shoppers website having received more than 800,000 page views.

PepsiCo, with its extensive portfolio of brands, has long promoted its soft drinks and snacks under the banner of “Power of One” (with marketing that combines its top food and beverage products).

However, the promotions are usually sporadic and at store-level, with no consistent creative or visual identity to tie the programs together. Capital C was tasked with linking the company’s products, such as Pepsi and Lay’s or Mountain Dew and Doritos, to develop a “Made in Canada” brand solution that would be brought to life across U.S. markets.

To capture the feeling of celebration, PepsiCo used the symbol of streamers to illustrate that its products can be a part of consumers’ moments of celebration.

The company leveraged its sponsorship of the NFL for the soft launch. For example, in Indianapolis, the company executed a huge OOH takeover of the city for Super Bowl XLVI. And during the summer, the first-ever national awareness campaign for PepsiCo “Power of One” products rolled out, with the company executing an OOH component in major U.S. markets such as New York, Dallas, LA, Chicago and Baltimore.

Capital C developed creative that showed everyday occasions relevant to families across America, with examples of two PepsiCo products emitting streamers and the tagline “Soak up summer.” The OOH campaign also included a domination of transportation hubs in the NYC area such as Grand Central Station and Penn Station.

Research conducted by agency SVM for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) Canada and its Keurig brewing system found that consumers saw the machine as fast and easy. However, they did not see it as a better-quality, high-value option or believe that the single-serve coffee was fresh, had a superior taste or better aroma than traditional brewers.

To counter this, SVM developed a new self-serve Keurig sampling unit with K-Cup packs to be used in the deli section of supermarkets. Two different size units were created to accommodate different kinds of retailers, and included instructions to educate shoppers about the product and how to use the single-serve system.

The unit allowed shoppers to sample a variety of coffees, and it generated traffic and buzz for the product. The year after a pilot project, the brand installed a sampling prototype in Sobeys stores.

Research showed that 98% of shoppers liked the Keurig self-serve concept in their store’s coffee section and preferred the layout and process over supermarkets’ traditional coffee service. Freshness (60%), coffee selection (53%) and convenience were the key benefits mentioned.

For retailers, the addition of an eye-catching brewing system in their coffee section enhanced the shopping experience and created opportunities to attract new customers. And GMCR Canada benefited from the value-added visibility outside the regular coffee aisles in retail locations.

Metro was about to launch a new line of exclusive, high-quality wines and needed to convince Quebec consumers that the wines at the grocery stores were as good as those purchased at the Société des alcools du Québec (Québec’s liquor stores).

Metro’s target consumer is women with children, between the ages of 25 and 54. She loves to cook and try new things, but she doesn’t have much time and appreciates practical solutions.

When Metro launched its Hémisphère line of wines (selected by expert sommelier Patrice Tinguy) in October 2012, the strategy was to use the sommelier’s credibility and the wine’s country of origin to showcase its high quality and exclusivity, as well as suggest ways to enjoy it.

The stores were used as the primary media for this campaign, with section designed by ZIP communication for the Hémisphère line. Special displays and posters were installed, and Metro’s website and weekly flyer included specially created content and sections. Wine tasting events were held, and QR codes on displays led consumers to a microsite that gave detailed information about the wines.

Taste tags were used to help shoppers find their perfect wine match, and a colour code directed them to wines from their favourite region. Metro’s four Hémisphère wines did well against other wines in store, consumers gave positive feedback during taste tests, and sales surpassed expectations at the launch and have been growing ever since.

ComQi’s Passport was created to bridge the virtual and physical retail environments by allowing consumers to interact with content and messaging on digital screens using their smartphone. Content on the screen is paired with a unique QR code, which users can scan to access product information, coupons, loyalty programs and interactive gaming. It can also incorporate social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, so that consumers can share their experiences with friends.

Consumers have access to way-finding information, “what’s on” listings and specific offers, with some companies also integrating queue management, reservations and ticket purchasing systems. The Passport differentiates itself from other mobile-focused applications in that it uses HTML5 technology to allow rich web-based apps to run on any device, therefore consumers never need to install an application on their phone.

Between 2010 and 2011, the gap between discount and mainstream beers was thinning, as the minimum price increased and big brands were offering more deals, more often. The changing landscape eroded the price advantage that James Ready historically enjoyed, and the brand was at risk of losing drinkers.

The objective for agency Leo Burnett was to protect brand erosion by building a connection with JR drinkers, and the challenge was to do it with a limited budget using James Ready-owned assets.

To bring attention to its fans’ affinity, James Ready introduced a Facebook-first – the James Ready Awesome Awards – which included categories such as the “Awesomest Tattoo,” “Awesomest Furniture Made of 2-4s,” and “Awesomest James Ready song.”

Fans posted hundreds of entries on its Facebook wall, and the brand invited them to see the nominees and winners revealed in a four-part, near-live award ceremony hosted on the social site. Before the show, fans posted comments sharing their award show outfits and made winner predictions. By watching the show live, people could win prizes such as a “five-of-a-kind” t-shirt, an industrial-grade hot dog roller and even have pizzas delivered to their front door. In the end, the brand shipped 17 solid gold Awesome Award trophies to its most loyal and vocal fans.

The campaign received hundreds of picture and video submissions and the brand saw a 365% jump in page views as well as a 107% increase in people talking about the page.

Over the years, James Ready has surprised drinkers with up to 600 items and messages (such as board game pieces or fun ways to save money) underneath its beer bottle caps. Not only did the caps generate big buzz, but they also provided James Ready advocates with genuine collector pieces.

Working with Leo Burnett, the brand launched a campaign in June 2011 with an in-case newsletter, messages behind bottle labels and a Facebook post that introduced the James Ready Spelling Bee Lottery. Each new cap featured a letter, number or form of punctuation. Drinkers were encouraged to save the game pieces and then visit the James Ready Facebook page at a specific date and time.

On July 26, James Ready posted a video featuring a word and prize. The first person to post a picture of the word spelled out with their collected beer caps won. The promotion ran until mid-December, with a total of 44 video posts.

Fan following grew by 24% despite having no paid media support, the page generated a Facebook engagement score of 19% in the first month, and people returned an average of 21 times to engage with the content.

The Air Miles Reward Program redesigned its iPhone and Android mobile app to include a “Check-in Challenge” feature that ranked members according to how often they checked-in at partner locations, with the top collectors awarded bonus Air Miles points. The app provides collectors with a convenient way to earn reward miles, as well as browse its more than 1,200 Air Miles partners.

More than 94% of existing iPhone app users upgraded to the new one within the first month of its launch, and the integration of the “Check-in Challenge” feature increased engagement by over 1,500% in the first few weeks.

A campaign announcing the new app for launched in February 2012 and was picked up by more than 50 media outlets, generating up to 60 million impressions. It was also named the number one Lifestyle app and one of the Top 25 Free Apps in the iPhone and Android app stores.

The financial services category – perceived as complex, intimidating and conservative – is a difficult one to transform. The challenge for RBC was to develop a new consumer-friendly model that would encourage product exploration and interaction with its staff.

First launched in October 2010, RBC introduced a new retail format and technologies to empower customers to discover options and ask questions.

The RBC retail stores include interactive merchandising zones that allow clients to discover ways the bank can help them to achieve their goals, and interactive large screen discovery tables and tablets enable clients to explore financial questions.

Instead of long hallways leading to closed doors, the bank introduced open spaces where customers were encouraged to interact with the technologies. RBC staff members were on the floor ready to answer questions and provide advice, and events and seminars were held to educate potential and existing clients.

Results, when compared to RBC’s previous branch design, showed a 30% increase in client experience scores, a 36% increase in its competitive rating and a 10% increase in the likelihood that consumers would recommend RBC to family and friends, all supporting a national roll-out.

To drive sales of its outdoor living brands online, Walmart turned the “showrooming” phenomenon to its advantage. Working with agency Mediative, the retailer created an interactive online experience replete with lifestyle and shopping content.

Walmart’s Outdoor Living Centre (OLC) microsite featured interactive buying tools, tips and advice, inspirational lifestyle content and top product recommendations, all related to the grilling, barbeque and patio product categories.

During the peak period for outdoor living shopping, OLC outperformed the retail department. Consumers who viewed products after visiting OLC were 73% more likely to purchase versus those who only visited individual department pages. The microsite attracted new shoppers, and its success resulted in a second collaboration between Walmart and Mediative to launch the Walmart Editorial Auto Centre.

Traffic was driven by shopper needs and inspiration, rather than product details – resulting in more than 90% of impressions coming from outside the department. Customer feedback indicated that OLC increased the likelihood of visiting a Walmart store location. Online traffic and sales increased, with 172,000 visits and 113,000 product views on Walmart.ca, and 3,000 orders as a direct result of the microsite.

Sobeys wanted to create a new way for shoppers to navigate and discover meal inspiration that acknowledges a deep emotional relationship with food. The result was “Moodie Foodie” – the first app that matched a person’s mood to their food.

The app, created by Leo Burnett, serves up food inspiration based on how the person is feeling – from flirty, feisty and playful to carnivorous, experimental and “hangry” (angry because you’re hungry). The app emphasized and reinforced Sobeys’ passion for food and provided a form of genuine utility the consumer couldn’t get anywhere else.

The app was designed to have users participate in building the different mood and food categories, essentially having them help feed the growth of the app. Moods and foods can be shared with friends on Facebook or Twitter – driving more downloads and participation. And a multi-platform media campaign supported the launch to create awareness.

Within the first few days of launch, it became the second most downloaded app in Canada in the iTunes Lifestyle section. There were over 20,000 downloads in its first month, achieving Sobeys’ goal of making it to the iTunes “What’s Hot” list, and more importantly, engagement is high with new foods and moods being added by users every day.

Research shows that 70% of girls avoid physical activities because they’re self-conscious of how they look. Having a positive role model, like their mom, plays an important role in shaping their self-esteem. With this insight, Dove went out to find eight “Dove Self-Esteem Role Models.”

Originally developed in the U.S., the Dove “Women Who Should Be Famous” program was adapted for the Quebec market by Montreal-based agency Bob, and included a new partnership with retailer Jean Coutu. The “Women Who Should Be Famous: Dove Self-Esteem Weeks at Jean Coutu” program launched in two waves.

In the recruitment phase in May, consumers were invited to submit a woman they believed to be inspirational on a microsite. In the reveal phase in September, the brand invited shoppers to the store for a meet-and-greet with the chosen eight.

Dove drove consumers to the website through e-blasts and 225,000 newsletters with an invitation to visit the stores. Dove’s self-esteem message also reached Quebecers via radio spots, window posters, displays and danglers in Jean Coutu stores. Around 75,000 booklets were produced with the personal stories from each of the role models and also included coupons for Dove products.

The goal was to drive cross-category purchases at the retailer, while raising awareness of the Dove Self-Esteem Fund in Quebec. Based on results from the first wave, the program exceeded the ROI benchmark. It reached 2.7 million households, with the microsite receiving over 12,900 page views, and 832,000 paid online media impressions were garnered over the two-week period.

About one in 10 Canadians live with bladder control issues, which can leave them feeling embarrassed, self-conscious and frustrated. Kimberly-Clark brand Depend launched its Real Fit for Men and Silhouette for Women absorbent briefs to address this issue.

The idea for the product launch was to destigmatize absorbent underwear by inviting those with and without incontinence to experience the new Depend products for themselves. The launch plan was adapted from the U.S. by OgilvyAction to create a Canadian-specific TV spot, PR and shopper marketing program.

To combat emotional angst, the brand invited Canadians to sample the briefs though a Walmart co-branded custom content article and print in Zoomer magazine. The ads drove trial by offering to send readers a sample when they visited Tryitoncanada.ca and Walmart.ca. This was complemented with online advertising as well as a targeted e-blast that had an average open rate of 28.5% and click-through rate of 6%.

In addition, Depend partnered with Loblaws to send out direct mailers with a coupon for the product, as well as Shoppers Drug Mart to deliver e-blasts highlighting the product to members of its Optimum loyalty program.

The program was supported by actress Lisa Rinna as well as three famous NFL players trying the product out for themselves to demonstrate that it looks and feels just like real underwear.

The campaign was the biggest for Depend Canada, spanning nine months. There has been 9% category growth since launch, and the campaign garnered 33 million media impressions, with 7,000 visits to the Depend site in the first week of launch, and the 30,000 samples ran out in the first six weeks.

Dove wanted to promote its new Nourishing Oil Care product line locally, but the Unilever brand also wanted to support its international positioning of “Real Beauty by Real Women.”

To accomplish both, partner agency Capital C shaped the global positioning to resonate with Canadian women. The brand first created mass market awareness by airing 15-second TV spots, 10-second closed-captioning creative, search, out-of-home, print and editorial content. Dove also partnered with influential bloggers to create written content related to the product and add credibility to the brand.

Online, Canadian women were asked to post their “Hair Challenge” story and a photograph to the Dove Facebook page for the chance to win a hair session with Dove celebrity stylist Mark Townsend. To promote the contest, the brand partnered with morning talk show Breakfast Television, and the content generated by the hair challenge was used to create a series of “How-To” webisodes for the Dove Facebook page and YouTube channel.

As a result, the campaign grew Dove’s Facebook page by over 20,000 fans and generated 4.3 million social media impressions overall – surpassing estimates by 400%. Dove’s share of voice rose 6.6%, the highest among Dove’s competitive set. And Dove’s Nourishing Hair Serum became the number one selling hair care product in sales volume for three months at Walmart.

As people become more informed about food production, the new battleground for the QSR industry is the perception of food quality. McDonald’s has long been confident in its food, practices and procedures, however consistently low food quality scores revealed that some were not as confident.

The QSR found that food quality advertising actually fuelled negative perception, so McDonald’s enlisted Tribal DDB to help target consumers who actively question the provenance and nutritional value of its food.

The only way people would start to listen to McDonald’s was if it actively acknowledged consumer concern during the consideration and pre-shop phases of their path to purchase. This insight led to an integrated campaign across web, television, in-store and outdoor that provided shoppers who had questions with unfettered and unfiltered access to the company.

A website allowed Canadians to ask any food-related question they wanted, and received answers within three days. The brand created shareable video responses. “Behind the scenes at a McDonald’s photo shoot” achieved 8.1 million views, “What is in the sauce that is in the Big Mac?” garnered 2.5 million YouTube views and “How McDonald’s Canada makes their world famous fries” racked up close to 2.1 million at press time.

The brand received more than 18,000 questions, exceeding the campaign target by 600%, and the site generated more than five million Canadian interactions with an average engagement of four minutes, and over 13 million YouTube channel views.

Food quality perception metrics have exceeded all expectations. An independent study showed that the top three measures for food quality perception among the brand’s target improved by 70%, 31% and 39%, respectively, translating into increased pre-shop purchase intent. The campaign also saw a startling 48% improvement in overall opinion of McDonald’s among lovers, haters and fence-sitters combined.

In today’s busy world, a man doesn’t always have the time to shop in stores, so Gotstyle The Menswear Store enlisted its AOR Dorsey/Holme Experience to extend shopping beyond the retail store by leveraging the latest video chat technologies.

With Gotstyle’s video-based shopping service, which launched in October 2012, customers could video-call the store using Skype or FaceTime, and connect directly with an expert stylist to guide them through a live shopping experience. After selecting an outfit, the customer could pay via credit card and request delivery anywhere in Toronto’s downtown core.

The launch of the video shopping service was supported by the “Naked Man” YouTube video, which garnered nearly 30,000 views online in less than three weeks, and aired in rotation on the main jumbo screen at World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto. A shorter version of the video also played in Cineplex theatres prior to the premiere screening of the James Bond film Skyfall and a “Naked Man” Facebook and online videogame launched in November to further promote the service. The campaign has garnered significant earned media, and consumers embraced the video shopping service, which subsequently led to significant incremental revenues for the store.

Candy is the ultimate impulse buy, and so the category is highly competitive with new products introduced every day. Overcoming the challenge of category competition was only half the battle for Maynards, which was also looking to build umbrella brand affinity and awareness amongst elusive millennials.

Thanks to reality TV and YouTube, we live in a world where anyone can be famous. Many young people are cultivating themselves as pseudo-celebrities and have a deep desire to be discovered. The “Make Your Face a Maynard” program capitalized on this obsession.

The campaign, created by The Hive, invited consumers to engage with Maynards by giving them the chance to become an actual candy, sold in stores across Canada. A cast of silly characters were featured in OOH that spanned transit, malls and movie theatres, alongside TV spots and online ads. Special packaging and in-store displays rounded out the brand experience, and all communications drove to the Maynards Facebook page where they could digitize their face into a Maynards candy.

The campaign ran from mid-July to the end of September 2011, generating over nine million earned media impressions. Over 50,000 new fans joined the Facebook page to create thousands of candy faces, and after the program ended, an additional 50,000 new fans joined the page to plead with the brand to bring back the contest for another year. More importantly, the program drove purchase intent (+22%), unaided brand awareness (+24%), relevance (+16%) and uniqueness (+24%), surpassing expectations.

As people become more informed about food production, the new battleground for the QSR industry is the perception of food quality. McDonald’s has long been confident in its food, practices and procedures, however consistently low food quality scores revealed that some were not as confident.

The QSR found that food quality advertising actually fuelled negative perception, so McDonald’s enlisted Tribal DDB to help target consumers who actively question the provenance and nutritional value of its food.

The only way people would start to listen to McDonald’s was if it actively acknowledged consumer concern during the consideration and pre-shop phases of their path to purchase. This insight led to an integrated campaign across web, television, in-store and outdoor that provided shoppers who had questions with unfettered and unfiltered access to the company.

A website allowed Canadians to ask any food-related question they wanted, and received answers within three days. The brand created shareable video responses. “Behind the scenes at a McDonald’s photo shoot” achieved 8.1 million views, “What is in the sauce that is in the Big Mac?” garnered 2.5 million YouTube views and “How McDonald’s Canada makes their world famous fries” racked up close to 2.1 million at press time.

The brand received more than 18,000 questions, exceeding the campaign target by 600%, and the site generated more than five million Canadian interactions with an average engagement of four minutes, and over 13 million YouTube channel views.

Food quality perception metrics have exceeded all expectations. An independent study showed that the top three measures for food quality perception among the brand’s target improved by 70%, 31% and 39%, respectively, translating into increased pre-shop purchase intent. The campaign also saw a startling 48% improvement in overall opinion of McDonald’s among lovers, haters and fence-sitters combined.

Though small compared to New York or Paris, the city of Montreal is still considered to be fashionable. Rockland Mall is in a remote area of the city and is sometimes forgotten when it comes to shopping. With a young professional female audience, Rockland needed to give them a reason to drive the extra miles away from the trendy downtown boutiques.

High-end fashion isn’t just about buying the most expensive items, it’s also about matching different items and delivering a high-end look. Fashionistas typically find items at separate stores and match them at home.

Rockland’s most distinctive strength resides in its boutiques – unlike its downtown competitors, they are all located under the same roof. This led Rockland’s agency Lg2 to create an interactive shopping section in the mall, called the “Moodbox Experience.” The booth allowed users to match featured items from Rockland stores as if they were at, for example, Michael Kors, Judith & Charles and Birks at the same time.

It allowed consumers to put together an outfit, then print a map of the mall to find the stores that stocked the items. Using Kinect technology, cameras detected the user’s movement and height, and interactive screens showcased the participant wearing the clothing in a virtual environment.

In less than a month, more than 2,000 consumers experienced the Moodbox, with more than 73 users each day at peak periods and a 63% conversion to printing, sharing and shopping. Time spent was an average of three minutes.

Sobeys wanted to create a new way for shoppers to navigate and discover meal inspiration that acknowledges a deep emotional relationship with food. The result was “Moodie Foodie” – the first app that matched a person’s mood to their food.

The app, created by Leo Burnett, serves up food inspiration based on how the person is feeling – from flirty, feisty and playful to carnivorous, experimental and “hangry” (angry because you’re hungry). The app emphasized and reinforced Sobeys’ passion for food and provided a form of genuine utility the consumer couldn’t get anywhere else.

The app was designed to have users participate in building the different mood and food categories, essentially having them help feed the growth of the app. Moods and foods can be shared with friends on Facebook or Twitter – driving more downloads and participation. And a multi-platform media campaign supported the launch to create awareness.

Within the first few days of launch, it became the second most downloaded app in Canada in the iTunes Lifestyle section. There were over 20,000 downloads in its first month, achieving Sobeys’ goal of making it to the iTunes “What’s Hot” list, and more importantly, engagement is high with new foods and moods being added by users every day.

As people become more informed about food production, the new battleground for the QSR industry is the perception of food quality. McDonald’s has long been confident in its food, practices and procedures, however consistently low food quality scores revealed that some were not as confident.

The QSR found that food quality advertising actually fuelled negative perception, so McDonald’s enlisted Tribal DDB to help target consumers who actively question the provenance and nutritional value of its food.

The only way people would start to listen to McDonald’s was if it actively acknowledged consumer concern during the consideration and pre-shop phases of their path to purchase. This insight led to an integrated campaign across web, television, in-store and outdoor that provided shoppers who had questions with unfettered and unfiltered access to the company.

A website allowed Canadians to ask any food-related question they wanted, and received answers within three days. The brand created shareable video responses. “Behind the scenes at a McDonald’s photo shoot” achieved 8.1 million views, “What is in the sauce that is in the Big Mac?” garnered 2.5 million YouTube views and “How McDonald’s Canada makes their world famous fries” racked up close to 2.1 million at press time.

The brand received more than 18,000 questions, exceeding the campaign target by 600%, and the site generated more than five million Canadian interactions with an average engagement of four minutes, and over 13 million YouTube channel views.

Food quality perception metrics have exceeded all expectations. An independent study showed that the top three measures for food quality perception among the brand’s target improved by 70%, 31% and 39%, respectively, translating into increased pre-shop purchase intent. The campaign also saw a startling 48% improvement in overall opinion of McDonald’s among lovers, haters and fence-sitters combined.

GoodNites has a niche target demo – moms struggling to deal with their child wetting the bed after they’ve stopped wearing diapers and training pants.

Research shows that mothers are opposed to using disposable youth pants as they feel it may be detrimental to a child’s self-esteem. This led the Kimberly-Clark brand to develop a Bed Mat that doesn’t confine a child and appeals to moms in its ease of being able to simply put down, pick up after a night of bedwetting, toss away and replace.

It was also found that mom isn’t necessarily thinking about bedwetting when she’s getting ready for a routine shopping trip, or even when she’s at the store. And because her child is older now, she rarely goes down the baby care aisle. Working with agency OgilvyAction, GoodNites introduced mom to the product where she is most likely to shop, placing clip strips in relevant Walmart aisles – such as laundry, toilet paper and snack – and inviting her to try the Bed Mats with the promise of a better night.

Also partnering with Shoppers, the brand placed shelf signage, end-aisle displays and clip strips in stores, as well as sent out a Shoppers e-blast that introduced the product and enticed consumers to purchase by offering bonus Optimum points. The campaign was a success, driving incremental category growth for the brand, gaining listings at key retailers and achieving share and volume targets.

The world’s oceans are a main source of protein for almost a billion people, but today, nearly 80% of the world’s fish stocks are either exploited or depleted.

The state of the oceans is not fully understood and sustainable seafood is not high on a customer’s priority list when it comes to supporting CSR initiatives, making it a challenge for Loblaw to engage its customers on the topic.

Three years ago, the retailer launched its Oceans for Tomorrow sustainable seafood initiative, with the commitment to source 100% of seafood sold in stores from sustainable sources by the end of 2013. It’s been collaborating with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) as well as independent marine science advisors, government agencies and seafood vendors.

Previously, the majority of MSC certified products sold in Loblaws stores were private labels. But in late 2012, two key national brand vendors, High Liner and Bento Sushi, came on board with products that showcased the MSC logo on packs. With more items in stores across departments and brands carrying the same clear and consistent MSC message, an opportunity to build a strong consumer awareness campaign presented itself.

Loblaw created a two-week promotional event, supported by flyers, extensive in-store signage and demonstrations (with visits from the High Liner Captain) in over 500 stores, as well as online, PR activations and promotion through NGOs and the retailer brand partners’ own channels.

The campaign garnered five million media impressions to date, there was a significant increase in consumer engagement, and sales growth versus last year on MSC certified items was up 35%.

When MasterCard Canada became a sponsor of Toronto Fashion Week in 2011, it signaled a commitment to high-fashion. But the credit card co. needed to find a way to activate at the retail level.

Toronto is not regarded as a fashion hub like Paris, Milan or New York, yet various Toronto neighbourhoods are hotbeds for fashion, carrying their own unique style. So MasterCard created a retail program called Stylicity leveraging both the spring Fashion Week and the unique offerings of Toronto’s neighbourhoods to frame the city as a destination for all things fashionable.

Working with MacLaren McCann, the brand recruited fashionable Toronto retail stores, restaurants and spas in key neighbourhoods to offer cardholders exclusive discounts and experiences that coincided with the event.

Creative was a reflection of each neighbourhood’s unique street-style and fashion, with TSAs and wild postings featuring real people styled in their own wardrobes. Recognizable locations in the heart of each neighbourhood served as the backdrop, and executions were interspersed with maps highlighting nearby Stylicity locations.

The Style Reporter, a first-of-its kind fashion supplement was distributed in the Toronto Star, at World MasterCard Fashion Week and in fashion-conscious neighbourhoods. The piece featured offers and included editorial created by key influencers, such as Pink Tartan founder Kimberley Newport-Mimran.

Media drove to a Stylicity blog, where local fashion bloggers posted about their experiences and directed readers to where they could find their next meal or purchase. Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest integrations also helped spread the word.

The goals were to lift MasterCard transaction volume at Stylicity partner locations and create broad consumer awareness and participation, establishing Stylicity as the retail program associated with World MasterCard Fashion Week.

Because this was a new program, the benchmark was an increase in normal spending versus the same period the year prior. The campaign exceeded expectations, with a 600% increase in unique MasterCard usage, a 71% increase in gross dollar volume spend on cards and a 78% increase in the number of transactions.

The Stylicity blog received more than 10,000 unique page visits, double the expected number. Facebook likes increased by 400% and Twitter followers rose to 5,200 from next to none. In addition, Stylicity partners nearly doubled (99 from 52) compared to the fall 2011 pilot.

Candy is the ultimate impulse buy, and so the category is highly competitive with new products introduced every day. Overcoming the challenge of category competition was only half the battle for Maynards, which was also looking to build umbrella brand affinity and awareness amongst elusive millennials.

Thanks to reality TV and YouTube, we live in a world where anyone can be famous. Many young people are cultivating themselves as pseudo-celebrities and have a deep desire to be discovered. The “Make Your Face a Maynard” program capitalized on this obsession.

The campaign, created by The Hive, invited consumers to engage with Maynards by giving them the chance to become an actual candy, sold in stores across Canada. A cast of silly characters were featured in OOH that spanned transit, malls and movie theatres, alongside TV spots and online ads. Special packaging and in-store displays rounded out the brand experience, and all communications drove to the Maynards Facebook page where they could digitize their face into a Maynards candy.

The campaign ran from mid-July to the end of September 2011, generating over nine million earned media impressions. Over 50,000 new fans joined the Facebook page to create thousands of candy faces, and after the program ended, an additional 50,000 new fans joined the page to plead with the brand to bring back the contest for another year. More importantly, the program drove purchase intent (+22%), unaided brand awareness (+24%), relevance (+16%) and uniqueness (+24%), surpassing expectations.