Canadian Tire Corporation - Best Brand Activation Event

Company: Canadian Tire Corporation
Company Description: Canadian Tire Corporation Limited is a Canadian retail company which operates in the automotive, hardware, sports, leisure and housewares sectors.
Nomination Category: Event Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Brand & Experiences - Brand Activation

Nomination Title: Canadian Tire Christmas Trail

The date on which this nominated production was first presented:
The Canadian Tire (CT) Christmas Trail was open to employees, media, influencers and the general public from November 7th through December 23rd when provincial COVID-19 restrictions forced the ultimate closure of the Trail.

Canadian Tire’s (CT) brand purpose is to be there for the jobs and joys of life in Canada, no matter what life looks like. The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced this purpose, as the retailer was heavily relied on to provide essential products and services to keep Canadians safe and healthy while they navigated the pandemic. During the holiday season, the busiest and most important to its business, CT was forced to reconsider how it would engage with consumers, amidst the cancellation of most holiday events due to COVID-19.

CT, “Canada’s Christmas Store,” saw the opportunity to show Canadians how they could still celebrate the season safely, knowing their desire to do so still exists.

Market research showed that consumers want a “one-stop-shop” retailer to make holiday preparedness easy and convenient, offering more time to enjoy the season with loved ones. CT’s goal for the holiday season remained unchanged regardless of COVID-19: provide Canadians what they need to create a special Christmas for their families, safely. Research also showed that nostalgia was a prominent theme in 2020, inspiring the activation’s creative direction to resonate with Canadians.

The objective was to drive brand affinity and defend CT’s position as "Canada's Christmas Store" while reinforcing its purpose of supporting all Canadians. The activation was designed to offer internal and external stakeholders, including residents of the Greater Toronto Area, a way to preserve beloved Christmas traditions, while generating positive word-of-mouth awareness and excitement through traditional and social media channels. CT also wanted to contribute financially to its non-profit organization Jumpstart Charities (Jumpstart).

The strategy was to show up for Canadians by providing ways to celebrate cherished Christmas traditions and safely create new ones, reinforcing that while Christmas 2020 felt different, the magic was still very much alive.

Cue Canadian Tire’s Christmas Trail (the Trail): a 1.5-kilometre multi-sensory drive-along experience on the historic Black Creek Pioneer Village site in Toronto. Media, influencers, employees and the general public experienced the enchantment of Christmas by driving through a winter wonderland, witnessing holiday lights, carolers and of course, Santa and his elves.

The Trail also included:

Curated, Instagrammable vignettes featuring stunning assortments of Christmas décor to create shareable photos;
A safe photo opportunity with Santa to help fill the void for families unable to get their traditional photo in 2020;
Exclusive experiences for members of one of Canada’s largest customer loyalty programs – Triangle Rewards;
A donation to Jumpstart through 100% of ticket proceeds;
Comprehensive microsite and email alias for ticket purchases and streamlined communications.

The Trail ran from November 7, 2020 – December 23, 2020, achieving three consecutive ticket sell-outs thanks to awareness generated by top-tier earned media coverage (49 stories, 27.8M impressions) and highly branded, organic influencer content (653 pieces of content, 1.5M social impressions).

CT reached over 22,100 guests through the Trail, with 63% of guests who completed the post-event survey stating that they felt the Trail increased their perception of CT as a leading Christmas retailer. Similarly, 98% of employees who attended the Trail said it made them feel proud to be an employee. Lastly, $149,085.00 was donated to Jumpstart from ticket proceeds.

List the appropriate creative and production credits for this entry: Advertising Agency/City: Client: Art Director: Cinematographer: Creative Director: Designer: Director: Illustrator/City: Music Producer/City: Photographer/City: Printer/City: Producer: Production Company/City: Programmer: Writer: Web Development Firm/City:

External Communications:
Stephanie Nadalin, Associate VicePresident,ExternalCommunications, Canadian Tire Corporation
Cathy Kurzbock, Manager,ExternalCommunications, Canadian Tire Corporation
Harriet Renshaw, Advisor,External Communications, Canadian Tire Corporation
Jessica Leroux, Advisor,External Communications, Canadian Tire Corporation
Michelle Jones, Specialist,ExternalCommunications, Canadian Tire Corporation

Events:
Jordana Novak,Associate Vice President, Events, Canadian Tire Corporation
Sandra Mancini, Manager,Events, Canadian Tire Corporation
Toni Masci, Manager, Community Events, Canadian Tire Corporation
Elliot Abish, Senior Advisor,Events, Canadian Tire Corporation
Lisa Chinnery, Senior Advisor, Events, Canadian Tire Corporation
Nathalie Nahas, Advisor,Events, Canadian Tire Corporation
Isobel Medel, Advisor, Events, Canadian Tire Corporation
Juliana Sozzi, Advisor, Events, Canadian Tire Corporation  
Kate Dionne, Advisor, Events, Canadian Tire Corporation 
Erin Wilson, Specialist, Events, Canadian Tire Corporation  
Tyler MacDonald, Specialist, Event Finance and Operations, Canadian Tire Corporation
Mitchell Peck, Coordinator, Events, Canadian Tire Corporation

Employee Communications:
Michelle Ghandour,Associate VicePresident,EmployeeCommunications, Canadian Tire Corporation
Leah Gaucher, Manager,EmployeeCommunications, Canadian Tire Corporation
CaitlinDeCourcey, Advisor,Employee Communications, Canadian Tire Corporation
Cynthia Roberts, Administrative Assistant, Employee Communications, Canadian Tire Corporation

Films:
Jay Gordon, Manager, Creative Production, Canadian Tire Corporation
Erin Graham – Producer, Creative Services, Canadian Tire Corporation
Jonathan Perry, Digital Content Specialist, Creative Services, Canadian Tire Corporation
Spencer Torok, Video Editor, Creative Services, Canadian Tire Corporation
Sean O’Neill, Videographer and editor, Creative Services, Canadian Tire Corporation