Tag Archives: digital

Intact Insurance, the Montreal Canadiens and Bell Media in a new partnership for a media-based multiplatform campaign

OCTOBER 2019 – APRIL 2020 | MONTREAL & TORONTO
OUTDOOR • DIGITAL SUPERBOARD

Intact Insurance has been a Montreal Canadiens partner for several seasons now. With Bell Media’s collaboration, a multiplatform campaign was developed to extend the reach of the client’s message.

Intact renewed its annual sponsorship of Canadiens hockey on RDS by adding contextual media components. The Media Creativity team innovated by proposing a brand-new format, i.e. a 10-second audio-video break-in animation, airing live during play stoppages. The animation was inserted on a wide shot of the ice rink and arena. In addition, a countdown spot aired at the end of a first-period commercial break, featuring Intact Insurance’s well-known spokes-character Rogatien – the taxi driver played by Patrick Huard.

The campaign also included dynamic creatives, both online and on Astral’s Digital Network. On game nights, the score was displayed in real time and each accompanying message was adapted accordingly.

The same technology (real-time score + contextualized message) was used for Intact Insurance’s Toronto campaign. During Maples Leafs games, different messages appeared on the Astral Digital Network, and showing the live score.

Media Agency: PHD Montreal
Creative Agency: Cossette

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

UBER EATS: LET’S EAT

18 NOVEMBER TO 29 DECEMBER 2019 | TORONTO
DIGITAL • BRANDSCAPE, DIGITAL LARGE FORMAT, ROOFSCAPE

For its Let’s Eats campaign, Uber partnered with the MLSE to display game scores for the Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors to promote their food delivery service. In order to carry out this execution, Astral has developed a technology making it possible to update TSN’s real-time data on their digital products instantaneously.

Media Agency: Mediacom Canada

Uniqlo Opening

SEPTEMBER 16 – OCTOBER 4, 2019 | EDMONTON
DIGITAL • DIGITAL SUPERBOARD
In September 2019, UNIQLO – a Japanese apparel brand – was launching its first store in Edmonton (AB)at the famous West Edmonton Mall. In order to create local buzz and excitement around the opening, UNIQLO Canadapartnered with Astral. Using our real-time technology, a countdown clock leading to the store opening was featured on strategically located digital boards in the busy West Edmonton Mall area. Other campaign creatives were displayed on various Astral faces in town, in high traffic locations.
The campaign was a hit: on opening weekend, a massive line up could be seen at the store, showing that Edmontonians really were excited about the arrival of UNIQLO!
Media Agency: Isobar
Creative Agency: DentsuBos

Find your GO Time

JULY 1st – AUGUST 25, 2019 | TORONTO
OUTDOOR • LARGE FORMAT DIGITAL

This summer, Metrolinx launched its high impact media campaign for GO Transit, the Greater Golden Horseshoe regional bus and rail service. The insight behind the campaign was that there are thousands of things drivers could be doing with their time instead of driving if they had taken the train or bus. Much of the campaign’s investment was in out-of-home and Astral was there to support the dynamic campaign.

Instead of developing 500+ different visuals for this campaign broadcasting each of them on our Digital Network at specific times, we used an app that could display a single visual with a wide variety of different messages. Those creatives were synchronized to display a different message at different times of the day. The clock on the Astral digital boards were also set to only show time and matched the time in Metrolinx’s creative.

Thanks to responsive technology, the resolution of the displayed image remained the same regardless of the size of the screen on which it was projected on our Digital Network.

Astral has a wide range of technological products and does not hesitate to offer its customers innovative out-of-home solutions for their campaigns! The ‘Find Your GO Time’ campaign is just one example of our know-how.

Media Agency: PHD Canada
Creative Agency: BBDO

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

Fujifilm

APRIL 22 – MAY 19 | TORONTO 
DIGITAL • DIGITAL LARGE FORMAT

Having to compete more and more with high-performance cameras on smartphones, Fujifilm decided to stand out – where its competitors cannot – to achieve superior image quality using a zoom.

In 2017, a concept for Fujifilm won the 2nd prize in Astral’s Carte Blanche For Creatives contest in the Toronto market. Two years later, the idea finally came to life! A camera with a Fujifilm X Series lens was installed in a waterproof case on an Astral large-format digital billboard overlooking the Gardiner Expressway. The camera’s real-time photos gave the drivers a clear view of what they could not see, the traffic in front of them.

Coupled with traffic data, the message and photo captured on the superboard were updated in real time in Fujifilm’s pre-established visual using an online application.

Media Agency: Dentsu X
Creative Agency: DentsuBos

KitchenAid

APRIL 15 – MAY 12 | TORONTO 
DIGITAL • DIGITAL LARGE FORMAT

The 2018 Toronto Carte Blanche winning concept is currently up and running in their market! Zulu Alpha Kilo developed a colorful concept for the contest. The idea was to synchronize the color of the CN Tower and KitchenAid’s legendary stand mixer on our large format digital boards in the same area. The campaign began on April 15, 2019 and will be live for four weeks. You can admire Michael Romaniuk & Patrick Godin creative idea here.

In May 2020, Zulu Alpha Kilo won an OBIE award from the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA), recognizing creative excellence in OOH Advertising. The Mix N’ Match campaign for KitchenAid took the Bronze.

 

Media Agency: Zulu Alpha Kilo
Creative Agency: Cossette

Earth Day

APRIL 22 | MONTREAL
DIGITAL • DIGITAL LARGE FORMAT

Last April 22 was Earth Day, and lg2 seized the opportunity to display its winning 2018 Carte Blanche for Creatives concept for the Quebec market. Some of Astral’s large format digital billboards were equipped with cameras to monitor the number of cars circulating nearby. Just like in sports competitions, the billboards tallied the score for “Earth vs. Cars”, demonstrating the impact that automobile pollution has on our planet. The pollution tally goes up constantly, while Earth’s score remains stuck at zero.

Media Agency: LG2

Audi

AUGUST 20 – SEPTEMBER 15 | TORONTO + VANCOUVER
DIGITAL • DIGITAL LARGE FORMAT

Sunrises and sunsets are the most photo-worthy moments of the day, not just because of their beauty, but also as symbolic representations of new beginnings and endless opportunity. Audi wanted to tap into this imagery to tease the launch of its latest models, as a way to convey a sense of renewal. To accomplish this in a creative and eye-catching way, Astral installed a camera on a digital billboard, capturing the real-time city skyline in the background. These images were updated regularly and overlaid with the campaign headline, promoting the launch events.

Media Agency: Touché
Creative Agency: Taxi

McDonald’s

NOV 7 – NOV 13  |  MONTREAL
DIGITAL • DIGITAL SUPERBOARD

McDonald’s, through its Media Agency, OMD, made use of Astral Out of Home’s Momentum service to boost its campaign, McJoueur. McDonald’s wanted to intensify the debate that is raging in the Greater Montreal area: who, between Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk, created the best McDonald’s burger? Each of the Montreal Canadiens created their own signature burgers, and put theirs to the test. Consumers could buy both burgers and then vote on their favourite. For maximum impact, large format digital boards in the Greater Montreal area were specifically chosen for this campaign. The digital outdoor campaign showed the real-time popularity of the burgers as they were purchased in McDonald’s restaurants.

Momentum, Astral Out of Home’s new service, brings life to digital ad campaigns by including dynamic content and allowing updates on campaigns in real-time.

Media Agency: OMD
Creative Agency: Cossette