The Association des professionnels de la communication et du marketing (APCM) recently held their annual gala where they took time to recognize some of the best marketing-communications campaigns from Quebec-based agencies. This year’s event drew over 325 professionals from agencies and clients across the province.
STRAT GRAND PRIZE and BEST CAMPAIGN STRATEGY AWARD WINNER
Team: Home Depot Canada and Cossette
Case: “Devenir le no 2, c’est beau!”
Case summary: After identifying the attributes likely to differentiate the brand and influence consumers, Cossette developed a campaign focused on the exclusivity and choices offered, while establishing a real dialogue with Quebecers through multiple platforms.
Results: As a result of this campaign, Quebec is now the fastest growing market in Canada and Home Depot is now ranked second among industry leaders.
BEST LAUNCH STRATEGY AWARD WINNER
Team: GSP and Sid Lee
Case: “Lancer la marque Georges St-Pierre”
Case summary: Georges St-Pierre was suffering from the general public’s incorrect association of mixed martial arts with violence. In order to change the public’s perception, Sid Lee proposed positioning the GSP brand as a superhuman being that uses his strength and knowledge to help the weak and the oppressed overcome ignorance and intimidation.
Results: The launch of the GSP brand was hugely successful, earning high visibility, attracting new participants and motivating former participants to become more involved in outreach to the public.
BEST STRATEGY FOR USE OF TECHNOLOGIES AWARD WINNER
Team: Adidas and Sid Lee
Case: “Accroître l’attachement de la clientèle feminine à la marque Adidas”
Case summary: Young women no longer felt targeted by the Adidas Originals brand. Sid Lee used the Instagram mobile platform to offer them the opportunity to define themselves by uploading their style as it reflects the urban look of their city. Participation in this campaign then led to a “battle of the cities”, intensified by a web ecosystem.
Results: The campaign generated impressive quantitative results in various media and a high interaction rate with young women of the next generation.
BEST EXPERIENTIAL STRATEGY AWARD WINNER
Team: Videotron and Wasabi Communications
Case: “Activation de la commandite du RIDE Shakedown”
Case summary: To make a younger audience aware of Videotron’s new cell phone offer, Wasabi recommended sponsorship of Canada’s premier snowboard event, the RIDE Shakedown. Relying mainly on Videotron’s technology to promote the event, the campaign created an unprecedented experience both during the event and in social media.
Results: Taking advantage of its RIDE Shakedown sponsorship generated results for Videotron that far exceeded the planned objectives.
BEST INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGY AWARD WINNER
Team: Canadian Cancer Society and Morrow
Case: “La face cachée des salons de bronzage”
Case summary: To make young people aware of the dangers associated with exposure to UV rays in indoor tanning salons, Morrow developed a shock campaign based on aestheticism, using the face of a young woman who had survived two melanomas and who was a former user of tanning salons. The pictures taken using a UV camera reveal the harmful consequences of such use.
Results: Thirty websites and seven television channels covered the launch of the campaign and the CCS’s petition to regulate the industry, which collected over 60,000 signatures and was tabled in the National Assembly.
BEST MEDIA STRATEGY AWARD WINNER
Team: Chambre des notaires du Québec and Bleublancrouge
Case: “1-800-NOTAIRE”
Results: By connecting with Quebec’s most popular news show, the campaign earned many awards. It was named the best televised campaign in Canada and in Quebec, earned gold at the 2011 Canadian Media Innovation Awards in the television category, and won the Television Media Grand Prize at the Prix Médias du Québec.Case summary: People do not know why they would have to consult a notary. BBR had the spokesperson for the Chambre des notaires, comedian Pierre Légaré, react live to the comments on the television show, Tout le monde en parle, through clips broadcast during the show.
HEART CUP SPECIAL AWARD WINNER
Team: Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport, CART1ER and Astral
Case: “Ça a l’air bon ce que tu lis!”
Case summary: The goal of the reading awareness and promotion campaign was to interest young people in reading, by helping them realize that they are already reading a lot and that not only is reading useful but it can be fun.
ExSTRATordinaire COMPETITION
Two exSTRAT awards and a special Honorary Award were presented as part of exSTRATordinary competition, the general public component of the STRAT contest:
AGENCY AWARD WINNER
Name: Véronique Desrosiers
Company: Écorce Atelier Créatif
ANNOUNCER AWARD WINNER
Name: Chloé Boissonnault
Company: Astral Média Radio
HONOURARY AWARD WINNER
Name: Normand Grenier
Company: Grenier aux nouvelles
DÉFI MARKETING TD ASSURANCE 2012 COMPETITION
For the 13th edition of the Défi marketing TD Assurance 2012 competition, four university teams had been given the task of developing a marketing plan for the Fondation maman Dion, to help with its expansion into all regions of Quebec and to ensure its continuity. In addition to addressing the foundation’s objectives, the program had to meet the competition’s criteria of excellence, defined jointly by Quebec’s universities and the American Marketing Association.
- WINNING TEAM: Lychee Marketing of l’École des sciences de la gestion de l’Université du Québec à Montréal, represented by Julie Auclair, Julie Coulombe-Cloutier, Fanny Forgues, Émilie Marinier, Catherine Ménard and Line Ricard (professor).
LA RELÈVE PUBLICITAIRE CHALLENGE
For the 21st edition of the La Relève publicitaire challenge, the APCM was proud to partner with the National Bank of Canada and its consultant, Bos. Some 42 students from six universities participated in the challenge, which involved developing an integrated advertising plan targeting young adults to interest them in the financial institution’s products and services. The competition gave students the opportunity to apply the theoretical concepts learned during their studies.
WINNING TEAM: Eureka! Solutions of Concordia University – JMSB represented by Amber Cochrane, Mélissa Ferrara, Joëlle Gourdji, Alexandra Heiman, Ashley McDonough, Simon Weber and Harold Simpkins (professor