Category Archives: Transit

PepsiCo Scores with Hockey Fans Across the Country

FEBRUARY 10th-25th, 2020 | MONTREAL
TRANSIT • DIGITAL SUPERBOARD, VIDEO MURAL

For many years now, PepsiCo has been an important partner of the NHL and the NHLPA (National Hockey League Players’ Association). Leveraging an undying passion for hockey, PepsiCo is deploying exceptional ad campaigns, partnerships and sponsorship activations designed to cement the relationship between fans and the many assets in the league’s brand portfolio.

After unveiling a national brand image campaign on TSN to launch its new Pepsi Zero Sugar product (previously unknown as Pepsi Max), PepsiCo was now looking to capitalize on the free-agent transaction deadline to make a splash in the Francophone market. Our Media Creativity team came up with an innovative multiplatform proposal allowing PepsiCo to integrate its brand to our content, with visibility throughout our day-long coverage aimed at maximizing target audience touchpoints.

Using platforms that perfectly complemented one another, the strategy obviously put RDS front and centre as Quebec’s ultimate sports authority in terms of news, as well as expert analysis and commentary.

  • TV: RDS featured Pepsi Zero Sugar integrations on its various sets, as well a co-branded imagery, throughout the 2020 transaction deadline day
  • Digital & Social: Daily visuals highlighting different rumours and trades were showcased in Facebook and Instagram stories on the RDS and ÉNERGIE 94.3 accounts, and banners appeared at RDS.ca
  • Out of Home: Whenever a deal went down, an eye-catching “Transaction Alert” visual – with RDS and Pepsi Zero Sugar branding – popped up in real time on Astral’s large-format digital network in Montreal, as well as in the metro. Throughout the campaign period, visuals also appeared in restaurants and bars from the Astral Lifestyle network. And to top it all off, transaction-day coverage was broadcast live in Montreal’s Central Station on February 24.

Media Agency: OMD
Creative Agency: BBDO

An optical illusion for Loto-Québec’s scratcher “Grande Vie”

JANUARY 6 – MARCH 1st, 2020 | MONTREAL
TRANSIT • LUMIQUAI  McGill Metro Station

With a single advertising face in the Montreal subway, Loto-Québec managed to have public transit users dream a little. For its “Grande Vie” lottery ticket – which gives winners $ 1,000 every day for life – the Astral Special Projects team and the creative agency Sid Lee developed an infinity mirror. This optical illusion allowed transit users to reflect on the infinite possibilities a “Grande Vie” winner will face with its prize or even allows us to visualize what a daily prize of $ 1,000 could feel like.

Astral’s Special Projects team is always there to help you put your ideas into action, from the most serious to the most fun campaigns!

Media Agency: Sid Lee
Creative Agency: Sid Lee

ACTIVIA #CorpsEsprit

August 5 – 18, 2019 | MONTREAL
DIGITAL MURAL • BERRI-UQAM METRO STATION

Every summer, Montreal is host to a massive yoga gathering. Danone wanted to make the most of this event, which promotes a healthy body and mind, to promote the various Activia products and their benefits. Along with Wavemaker and Carl, Astral’s Special Project team developed a digital and dynamic out-of-home campaign Berri-UQAM’s new digital network. Thus, when a new metro car arrived at the station, a message would be displayed on the screens and various visuals of the campaign would appear. Other videos were also projected in the station while users wait for the next metro. To tie everything to the yoga theme, the floor in front of all four screens in the station was covered with fake green yoga mats, the dominant colour of the Activia brand.

Media Agency: Wavemaker
Creative Agency: Carl

Brasseurs du Nord – Boréale Beer

JUNE 17 – AUGUST 18 2019 | MONTREAL
TRANSIT • MURAL

Summertime is always a good period in the year to increase the awareness of alcoholic beverages. Brasseurs du Nord made no exception to this rule and took upon Astral to display its campaign for its Boréale beer.

Using nature and outdoor activities as main themes, the campaign could be seen on an impressive mural at the Place-des-Arts metro station in Montreal. Creatives have also been created for our Superboards and Horizontals along the exits of major highways leaving Montreal and Quebec City – thus making reference to the call of nature promoted in the campaign’s various visuals.

Media Agency: OMD (Montréal)
Creative Agency: lg2

Desjardins & Operation Enfant Soleil

JUNE 3 – JULY 7 2019 | MONTREAL
TRANSIT • METRO MCGILL & PLACE-DES-ARTS

Astral and Desjardins collaborated to integrate a contactless transactional keypad onto a Lumiquai advertising face in two Montreal Metro stations (McGill and Place-des-Arts). The keypad allowed subway users to safely donate $5 to Opération Enfant Soleil using their credit card, debit card or their smartphone.

Media & Creative: Desjardins

Mazda3

JUNE 3 – JULY4 | MONTREAL
TRANSIT • SOCIETE DE LA PLACE DES ARTS

For a 5th consecutive year, Mazda Canada benefited from an extraordinary visibility by choosing to advertise with Astral, using a Domination at Montreal’s Place des Arts. This location offers a lot of circulation during the summertime, attracting many people with all the festivals and activities buzzing in the Quartier des spectacles this time of year.

 

Mazda exploited all possible advertising faces at Place des Arts to promote the all-new Mazda3 models: posters in the parking lot, makeup of many stairs and escalators, murals and illuminated advertising faces, Mazda was everywhere! Vinyls were also placed on the ground where 2 Mazda3 models were driven into Place des Arts. Interactive screens were installed near the 2 cars on display, allowing passers-by to schedule an appointment for a test drive.

 

Media Agency: Mindshare
Creative Agency: J. Walter Thompson (Montreal)

Home Claim Forgiveness from belairdirect

JULY 11 – NOVEMBER 24 2019 | MONTREAL
TRANSIT • 1000 DE LA GAUCHETIERE

In a campaign to raise awareness of its Home Claim Forgiveness policy in Quebec, belairdirect used many Astral transit and static out-of-home products. The insurance company wanted to reach families with young children living in the Montreal suburbs. Our Superboards with extensions and Dominations of busy metro stations were all indicated to surprise and catch the attention of the desired target.

Impactful creatives, such as a huge tree branch that fell on a Superboard or a fire that destroyed posters at the Montmorency metro station and 1 000 de la Gauchetière Terminal simulated realistic cases of possible insurance claims – and where the Home Claim Forgiveness policy could help the homeowners.

Earlier this Spring, belairdirect took a more narrative approach in its advertisements. This campaign is part of this new approach where customers of belairdirect effortlessly master the situation they face with confidence and the peace of mind belairdirect’s insurance products provides them.

Media Agency: PHD
Creative Agency: Sid Lee (Toronto)

Desjardins Insurance

APRIL 17 – MAY 15*  | MONTREAL
TRANSIT • McGILL STATION

Desjardins Assurances teamed up with Astral Out of Home to show commuters that water damage can happen anytime – even when they’re away from home. With its new program “Alerte”, it is now possible to receive a real-time notification on your smart phone whenever there’s a flooding at your house. Using a digital mural at McGill metro station and a large Métrovision board hanging right above, we coordinated both faces to give the illusion of water flowing from one to the other. As water continued to “fall”, the digital mural filled up until the water level reached the top of the Métrovision screen.

Desjardins Assurances supported this execution by wrapping 4 station pillars, as well as 3 full platform walls.

*Due to the recent flooding incidents, Desjardins Assurances quickly withdrew its campaign out of respect for the victims. *

Creative Agency: lg2
Media Agency: Touché

Cirque du Soleil – VOLTA

MARCH 27 – JUNE 25| MONTREAL
TRANSIT • SUBWAY CAR WRAP

To promote its brand-new show called “VOLTA”, Cirque du Soleil teamed with up Astral Out of Home to take over the McGill metro station and a few Montreal subway cars. The concept behind “VOLTA” is to immerse spectators in a fascinating story about freedom of choice and the uncontrollable power of destiny. The Montreal metro seemed like the perfect venue to give commuters a preview of Cirque’s latest thrill ride.

The campaign included an impressive takeover of McGill station, as well as backlit station posters, platform posters, digital ads on the Métrovision network, and 3 subway car wraps. Outdoor signage was also developed, using horizontal, vertical and superboard formats.

“VOLTA” is playing in the Old Port of Montreal until July 23.

Creative Agency: Cirque du Soleil
Media Agency: Evenko

Reno Depot

OCTOBER 2016 | LONGUEUIL
TRANSIT • TSA

For a third consecutive year, Sid Lee worked on a campaign for Réno-Dépôt, highlighting the Sico paint colors available in-store. This year’s execution was first carried out in an RTL bus shelter in Longueuil, on the south shore of Montreal. An interactive screen captured the colours of cars, commuters and so much more in real-time, and then combined them with the range of Sico colours before being used in a 45-second commercial.

This campaign follows a 2014 initiative, where Réno-Dépôt and Sid Lee designed a way to capture the colour of the sky in real-time before matching it to a colour from the Sico paint range on a large format digital board.

Creative agency: Sid Lee
Media agency: Sid Lee Média
Video production: Sid Lee Studio

SAQ

MARCH 13 – APRIL 10 | MONTREAL
TRANSIT • 1000 DE LA GAUCHETIÈRE

Sid Lee and SAQ, in collaboration with Astral Out of Home, unveiled a new installation located at 1000 De la Gauchetière to highlight the large quantity of products offered online at SAQ.com.

Using a simple optical illusion, a high-traffic underground hallway was wrapped to look like a wine cellar of infinite depth. Each product showcased also had a matching barcode that could be scanned by the SAQ mobile app, allowing immediate purchase.

A special high-end section was also integrated into the mural, to promote the very exclusive products also available online at SAQ.com.
Adding onto previous successful campaigns with SAQ, this one really stood out because of its new and unique method of execution.

Creative agency: Sid Lee
Media agency: Sid Lee Média

Desjardins

JANUARY 16 – FEBRUARY 13 | MONTREAL
TRANSIT • DIGITAL MURAL

By making use of Momentum, Astral Out of Home’s dynamic digital content service, Desjardins was able to promote how quick and easy it is to use their app for submitting insurance claims. Digital murals within the Montréal subway system were updated in real-time, showing the estimated minute arrival of the next train. This tailored digital messaging encouraged commuters to make use of the Desjardins app while they waited.

Media agency: Touché
Creative agency: LG2