2021 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Challenge & Objective

Homelessness does not discriminate; not even for military veterans. In 2019, ATCO partnered with Homes For Heroes Foundation (H4HF) to build the tiny home ATCO Village in Calgary, AB, providing a robust support system for veterans experiencing homelessness.

As a well-known Alberta brand and military supporter, ATCO created a festive light display and employee drive-by to thank these special veterans and celebrate the Village’s first anniversary. ATCO also matched $100,000 in donations made to H4HF to help them in their quest to build future villages across Canada.

The campaign goals were to increase positive sentiment for ATCO; drive H4HF donations; increase the number of visitors to ATCO.com/H4HF; as well as drive earned media and increase social engagements on ATCO’s channels.

Insights & Strategy

ATCO has a 75-year tradition of working with the military, including work with the Department of National Defense and NATO, and has a number of veteran employees across its organization. ATCO provided its expertise in the design, build, manufacture, delivery and placement of the tiny homes in ATCO Village and is working on a second village in Edmonton. The organization is helping H4HF expand their village network across Canada.

The strategy was to create a magical experience that ATCO can share through social media and its employees, as well as drive $100,000 in donations to H4HF through paid and earned media while engaging ATCO employees and their families to thank veterans from the safety of their vehicles.

Execution

The day kicked off with gifts delivered to ATCO Village neighbours to thank them and invite them to enjoy the lights. Later, ATCO Village’s 15 residents were delighted to receive hand-delivered curated care baskets and a personal invitation to join ATCO on the grounds that evening for a special surprise.

As dusk came, ATCO Village resident veterans stepped out of their homes to see their courtyard transformed by a spectacular display of lights dancing to music in their honour. ATCO’s Chair & CEO thanked the veterans and welcomed ATCO employees,executives, and their families, as they drove past with honks and hand-painted signs showing their support of these veterans from the safety of their vehicles. All Calgarians were invited to enjoy this complimentary COVID-19-friendly light display for the full month of December and were encouraged to donate dollars to the H4HF.

Results

The campaign resulted in 100% positive media sentiment. It raised $100,000 in donations to Homes For Heroes Foundation half-way through the campaign; increased visitors ATCO.com/H4HF by 324%, with 354 per cent unique page views; and it resulted in 225 million impressions. It also increased social media engagements by 40% and was covered by multiple news organizations.

Credits

Agency Team Credits:
Mike Mills - President / Studio M
Bryan Reid - Director/Creative Director / Studio M
Laurie Kerr-Jones - Executive Producer / Unified Content
Peter Miller - Senior Editor / Unified Content
Jason Ryan - VFX/Graphics Artist / Unified Content
Rebecca Burtnik - Online / Producer / Unified Content
Kristina Mileska - Colourist / Unified Content
Aaron McCourt - Audio Mixer / Unified Content
Luke Ionico - Assistant Editor / Unified Content

Client Team Credits:
Donna Pincott - Vice President, Brand, Community Investment & Marketing/ATCO
Corey Evans - Senior Manager, Sponsorship and Event Marketing/ATCO
Shannon Ohama - Manager, Corporate Sponsorships & Events/ATCO
Jaclyn Turvey - Senior Advisor, Corporate Sponsorships & Events/ATCO
Stacey Frulling - Senior Advisor, Corporate Sponsorships & Events/ATCO
Erin McKeage - Advisor, Corporate Sponsorships & Events/ATCO
Tracey Gledhill - Executive Event Advisor/ATCO
Chantel Thiessen - Advisor, Indigenous Relations Programs/ATCO
Josephine Naicker - Senior Manager, Technology Audit/ATCO
Petra Seitz - Advisor, Employee Resource Centre (ERC)/ATCO

External Contributors:
Dave Howard - President / Homes For Heroes Foundation
Don McLeod - Onsite Veterans Peer Support Worker / The Mustard Seed
David Stokes - Owner / Exhibit Studio Ltd.
Kelly Hunik - Production Manager / Exhibit Studio Ltd.
Chris Dornan - Owner / High-Performance Public Relations
Geoff Hughes - President / Park Digital