2021 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Objectives & Challenges

Dealing with the obstacles COVID-19 presented, as Canada’s Store, Canadian Tire (CTC) felt the responsibility to leverage its long-standing partnership with Hockey Canada to facilitate a safe return to our national game in communities it serves while increasing consumer consideration for in-store and ecommerce purchases.

With the pandemic affecting hockey associations nationwide, Canadians risked losing an entire season of play. As the number one retailer of hockey equipment globally, a season-long stoppage would have a considerably detrimental effect on its retail business, as well as the overall wellbeing of Canadian families who rely on hockey as a means to stay connected to the community.

Furthermore, internal research illustrates that in NPS scores amongst its competitors, a key differentiator is CTC’s capacity to ‘Care about Canadians’. Through an initiative that afforded rich storytelling, CTC demonstrated its commitment to Canadians, entrenching its position within a passion point and re-affirming Canadians’ decision to shop the brand.

Insights & Strategy

Active families were looking for a way to play hockey safely, but running short on options considering the forced closure of indoor rinks. Recognizing a real need at the community level, CTC stepped up to take on the role of empowering ‘do-it-yourselfers’ to take hockey outside the confines of the local arena keeping communities active, outdoors, and engaged.

From this, Operation Puck Drop was born, supplying Canadians with the tools they needed to act. This nationwide initiative intertwined CTC’s strengths as an endemic piece of both Canadian hockey and Canadian communities.

Execution

With 11,072 submissions, quadrupling anticipated demand, the need for this type of initiative was solidified and CTC began to take physical action to provide communities with the required tools.

To encourage Canadians to take matters into their own hands, the OPD microsite integrated seamlessly into CTC’s existing ecommerce platform via a campaign-specific landing page inclusive of ‘How To’ videos and shoppable links for those inspired to build their own rinks.

Furthermore, CTC awarded 200 households with a turnkey outdoor rink installation kit, while three households were selected for a custom installation enhanced with products from CTC to create a dream hockey backyard.

The campaign came to life during the World Junior Hockey Championships, celebrating the success of getting Canadians back on the ice. Through partnership with TSN, vignettes highlighting the campaign’s impact were produced and shared via broadcast inventory and campaign channels.

Results
The campaign achieved 154% of booked impressions and a total audience of 33.5M. Also, 98% hockey households found the program relevant considering the pandemic; 83% took positive action toward the brand; notably, 38% of those surveyed stated increased purchase consideration, with 26% sales conversion.

Success was further validated through retail metrics; while the hockey category was down 16% YoY, CTC’s market share grew 47% over this period. This direct impact reinforces that Canadians continue to turn to the brand to meet their hockey needs as they find ways to get back on the ice.

Credits

Canadian Tire:
Kim Saunders – VP, Community & Partnerships
Eva Salem – VP, Strategic Marketing
Darryl Boynton – AVP, Strategic Partnerships
Irene Daley – AVP, Strategic Marketing
Erica Juba – Manager, Strategic Marketing
Graeme Paterson – Manager, Community & Partnerships
Kelsey Suter – Associate Marketing Manager
Taylor Durand – Advisor, Community & Partnerships
Jonathan Flynn – Digital Associate Manager
Riley Emerson – Marketing Consultant, Community & Partnerships
Clara Lee – Strategic Marketing Coordinator

Wasserman:
Linsey Ferguson – VP, Canada
Troy McCann – Senior Director, Marketing
Phil Samek – Senior Director, Experience
Andrew Westbrook – Director, Consulting
Jacob MacDonald – Associate Director, Creative + Content
Leah Turney – Director, Experience
Scott Leathem – Senior Manager, Consulting
Erica Rochester – Senior Manager, Experience
Cam Williams – Senior Manager, Experience
Silvian Ly – Manager, Experience
Steve Barkley – Digital Designer, Creative + Content

TAXI:
Frank Macera – Creative Director
Michael Mehrasa – Copywriter
Will Cuthbert – Art Director
Jessica Brasil – Designer
Anna Vershinina – Editor
Lindsay Barrett – Producer
Joe Miller – Strategist
Rudy Novak – Account Manager
Andy Bugelli – Account Supervisor
Afton Franklin – Account Director
Seth Waterman – Group Account Director

touché!