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
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
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
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
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
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)
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)
TRANSIT • VIDEO WALL
October 1, 2018, election night across Quebec: Astral presents a simulcast of CBC’s special coverage. On screen, passers-by can see the show hosted by anchorman Patrice Roy, with static ads in the left-hand corner indicating live results. Because there’s no sound on the broadcast, subtitles are added to make sure everyone can understand what’s going on. An innovative way to keep up with the latest news while waiting for the next subway train.
Media Agency: PHD Montréal
TRANSIT • MURALS
Launch of the radio show « Véronique et les Fantastiques » hosted by Véronique Cloutier by humorously highlighting all her collaborators – her « Fantastiques » : Sébastien Dubé, Joel Legendre, Arnaud Solly, Bianca Gervais, Frédéric Pierre, Marie Soleil Michon, Étienne Boulay, Anne Élizabeth Bossé, Guylaine Guay, Rémi Pierre Paquin, Sarah Jeanne Labrosse, Pierre Hébert, Antoine Vézina, La Bronze et Phil Roy
Media Agency: Bell Media
Creative Agency: Rethink
TRANSIT • DIGITAL MURAL
TRESemmé created a dynamic campaign that blew through Berri-UQAM and McGill subway stations in Montreal. Two wind sensors were installed on the subway platform to record the speed of the wind in the tunnel. The windspeed would then activate a video of the TRESemmé ad, showing the model’s hair blowing in the breeze caused by the incoming train. TRESemmé wanted to promote the strength of their new range of hairspray, which holds hair in place even after exposure to strong winds without losing its shape.
Media Agency: Mindshare
TRANSIT • VIDEO WALL + METROVISION
To raise awareness of the new Super Screen Go, commuters discovered a masked super hero come to life upon arrival of their train at the McGill metro station. Astral developed a technology that activates a video based on measuring the force of the wind. The Superhero’s cloak ends up moving with the force of air on the platform. In addition, the digital mural below aired a synchronized spot encouraging passengers to watch while they waited.
Media Agency: Bell Media
Creative Agency: Bell Media
Media agency: Cossette Media
Creative agency: Cossette
TRANSIT • DOUBLE DECKER
As part of Montreal’s 375th anniversary celebration, the Astral Out of Home production team collaborated with special-effects specialists Blood Brothers to produce the always popular “March of the Zombies” Halloween event. Astral Out of Home executed a bus wrap on a Grayline double-decker, while the Blood Brothers crew went to work on the final 3D execution.
Until October 28, the bus will go around the streets of Montreal carrying a group of zombies, a distraught tour guide and some decontamination agents. The campaign will close on October 28 with a parade through the Quartier des spectacles. Last year, over 10,000 “living dead” joined in the freaky fun.
TRANSIT • BUS WRAP
La Bête, a Quebec City bar and steakhouse, collaborated with Astral Out of Home on an impactful campaign for a period of 8 weeks in the summer of 2017. On the RTC’s 800 line, we created the very first Metrobus wrap. The 800 line runs through most of the city’s major arteries and stops very close to the restaurant itself, guaranteeing lots of visibility all summer long, during festivals and the vacation season.
By wrapping the side and back of the articulated bus, and then adding a king poster, the client reached their goal of promoting its ready-to-eat take-out service.
Creative Agency: HATEM
TRANSIT + OUTDOOR • MURAL + HORIZONTAL
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Unibroue invited 5 illustrators to put their own unique spin on the microbrewery’s famous beers. In collaboration with Astral Out of Home, the artists were asked to draw directly on the ad faces of two 10×20-foot horizontal billboards to create their personalized version of the Quebec brewery’s iconic beer labels. The creative execution took two full days to complete. The campaign was also deployed on backlit posters in Montreal’s Sherbrooke and McGill metro stations, as well as in the 1000 de la Gauchetière office building.
Agency: dada communications
Video production: Bif Productions
Artists: Rupert Bottenberg, Jason Botkin, Jérémie Lemarbre, Mélodie Lehoux et Raphaële Bard
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
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
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
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
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
TRANSIT • FULL BUS WRAP
Le Massif, in Charlevoix, the highest vertical East of the Canadian Rockies, wanted to attract skiers from the Quebec City area, especially those impatiently awaiting the beginning of the season. Astral Out of Home wrapped an entire RTC (Réseau de Transport de la Capitale) bus, in collaboration with the agency Kabane, which developed the concept. The objective was to transport skiing enthusiasts into the spectacular scenery of Le Massif and whet their appetite for the new season, while reminding them that the ski hill is only 80 km from the provincial capital. The campaign can currently be spotted throughout Quebec City on the RTC bus fleet. A video was also produced for social media.
Creative Agency: Kabane
Advertiser: Le Massif de Charlevoix – Katherine Laflamme
Agency: Kabane
Creative Direction: Simon Litalien
Copywriter: Alexis Thériault-Laliberté, Antoine Bénéteau
Artistic Direction: Éric Forest
Strategy: Alexis Thériault-Laliberté, Julie-Tremblay-Potvin
Production and editing: Bruno Marchand
Sound: Studio Expression
Client service: Émilie Claveau
TRANSIT • INTERACTIVE DIGITAL MURAL MCGILL STATION
Astral Out of Home worked with the Société des Casinos du Québec and Cossette to create an interactive experience on a digital mural in McGill metro station. 3D motion-capture technology was used to attract the attention of passers-by with an image that mimiced their movements. People were then invited to play an interactive game where they had to catch as many pieces of confetti as possible in 20 seconds, as our camera filmed their arm movements. Each participant’s score was displayed live on screen, and the goal was to beat the previous high score. This playful and effective way reminded commuters of the fun and excitement associated with casino gaming.
Media Agency: Cossette Communication-Marketing
Creative Agency: Cossette Communication-Marketing
TRANSIT • MC GILL STATION DOMINATION
Commuters passing through the McGill metro station certainly won’t fail to notice this station wrap during the holiday season. Every turnstile, booth and barricade has vinyl decals displaying the Coca-Cola brand, and 4 oversized murals have been set up at carefully selected locations inside the station. Maximum visibility will be provided during this very busy time of year in strategic areas within close proximity of all downtown’s biggest stores. Leveraging its French tagline “Savoure l’instant”, Coca-Cola wants to remind metro commuters to savour every moment when they’re doing their holiday shopping.
Media Agency: UM Canada (Universal McCann)
Creative Agency: Craft Toronto
TRANSIT • INTERACTIVE FLOOR PANEL AND DOMINATION
At the start of the new Montreal Canadiens season, RDS teamed up with Astral Out of Home to spread hockey fever among mass transit users. A skating rink was installed in the lobby of the 1000 de la Gauchetière building, with an interactive projector that simulated the effect of ice cracking under the footsteps of passers-by – a spectacular effect referencing the Bell Centre skating surface. Also, the RDS “dressing room” dominated the Bonaventure metro station and highlighted the sports channel’s flagship shows, including the primetime hits “Le 5@7”, “HOCKEY 360” and “L’ANTICHAMBRE”, which are all #1 in their respective timeslots. The enormous, 50-foot-long players’ bench was located on the subway platform, in the direction of Côte-Vertu. The wrap execution continued with a series of campaign posters positioned throughout the station, which leads to the Bell Centre. This marketing offensive was completely created and executed through a collaboration between Bell Media’s internal agency and Astral Out of Home.
Media Agency: Bell Media
Creative Agency: Bell Media
TRANSIT • STATION DOMINATION
RED BULL IMMERSES YOU INTO MUSIC
To celebrate the Red Bull Music Academy 18th anniversary, a 185 feet full coverup was installed on every wall angles of the Place-des-Arts subway platform, in both directions. We took advantage of some structures that we’ve never used previously for this specific project. The final result is simply breathtaking. A gigantic mural of 68 feet by 16 feet was also installed at the Sherbrooke station, as well as several backlits and posters throughout the subway network.
Creative agency : Baillat
Media agency: Touché!
TRANSIT • WRAPPED DIGITAL MURALS + PLATFORM POSTERS WITH VINYL EXTENSIONS
GAZ METRO PROMOTES RENEWABLE ENERGY
To put forward the ecological use of renewable energy and natural gas, Gas Métro decided to work with the Astral Out of Home Transit products to create an impact to possible customers. A total of 6 digitals murals were wrapped in the Montreal subway, the 1000 de la Gauchetière and the Central Station. In addition, a nifty vinyl wrap around a dual platform poster at the Berri subway station transforms efficiently both posters to a trailer truck.
Creative agency : Cossette
Media agency: Cossette
TRANSIT • DOMINATION 1000 DE LA GAUCHETIÈRE + SOCIÉTÉ DE LA PLACE DES ARTS
Coffee roaster Van Houtte dominated the hallways of both 1000 de la Gauchetière and the Société de la Place des Arts promoting their coffee products using the tagline “Taste Every Nuance“ and connecting with passengers during their morning and evening commute.
Media Agency: PHD Montréal
Creative Agency: Tuxedo
TRANSIT • DOUBLE DECKER
With the help of a double-decker bus wrap, Sony Pictures promoted the release of the film Sausage Party. With its bright colours, the visual was a perfect execution to attract the attention of passers-by.
Media Agency: Universal McCann Canada
Creative Agency: Clockwork Productions
TRANSIT • DOUBLE DECKER
Space for Life (Espace pour la vie) used the Double Decker bus to remind tourists of the different attractions found at Space for Life including the Biodôme, Insectarium, Botanical Gardens and Planetarium.
Media Agency: Équipe Espace Pour La Vie
Creative Agency: Orange Tango
TRANSIT • SOCIÉTÉ DE LA PLACE DES ARTS • DOMINATION
During the summer festival season, Mazda dominated Place des Arts with backlit posters, vinyl wall, stair and escalator wraps, and ran ads on the the digital network. In addition, they placed a Mazda CX9 in the display area.
Media Agency: WPP Group Québec Limitée via Mindshare, une division du Groupe M
Creative Agency: J. Walter Thompson Montréal
TRANSIT • UNIVERSITÉ-DE-MONTRÉAL STATION • MURALS
Apple dominated the Université-de-Montréal station with one large format mural, one 12 x 16 board and a Backlit domination. Metro riders can see both visuals together with their complimentary colours from the dock at either side while they wait for the subway to arrive.
Media Agency: OMD Canada
Creative Agency: Juniper Park \ TBWA
TRANSIT • PLACE-DES-ARTS STATION • STATION DOMINATION
Bell dominated the Place-des-Arts subway station in their signature blue and white colours during the Montreal Jazz Festival. Perfectly situated in the heart of the “Quartier des Spectacles”, this was the station most used by festival goers.
Media Agency: Media Experts
Creative Agency: LG2
TRANSIT • STATION DOMINATION • BERRI-UQAM STATION
Statistics Canada dominated Berri-UQAM station by wrapping the turnstiles, baricades, ticket booths and pillars in fun, colourful creatives to remind transit users to complete their Census forms for 2016.
Creative Agency: Manifest
TRANSIT • CHAMPS-DE-MARS STATION • WALL WRAPS
La Ville de Montréal used two murals at Champs-de-Mars station to promote the city’s St-Paul street and its shops. The integration of the murals into the environment created an optical illusion that was seemless and gave the impression being on St-Paul street.
Creative: Ville de Montréal
STREET FURNITURE + TRANSIT • TSA + BUS
Prince Edward Island Tourism dominated Toronto TSAs and Montreal Buses using iconic PEI lifestyle images and sweeping beach landscapes that the island is famous for to encourage consumers to travel to the island this summer. To complement the campaign, they sponsored a food truck in Toronto that offered lobster rolls at lunch time.
Creative Agency: Prime Creative
Media Agency: M2 Universal
BERRI-UQÀM / SQUARE-VICTORIA STATIONS • MURALS + BACKLITS
The SAQ transformed the subway walls into a “mini-boutique” using murals and backlit posters that looked like display cases featuring different bottles of wines and spirits with scanable bar codes. The campaign was promoting the new SAQ app which allows customers to order alcohol from their phones and either pick it up at their local SAQ store or have it delivered.
Creative Agency: SidLee/M&H
Media Agency: Cossette
BERRI-UQÀM / PLACE-DES-ARTS / ST.LAURENT STATIONS • MURALS • WRAPS • DECALS
Metro car posters, window decals, and seat wraps dominated two-hundred subway cars on the green line as well as wall and seat wraps in Berri UQÀM, Places-des-Arts and St. Laurent metro stations.
Creative agency: LG2
Media Agency: Touché!
CENTRAL STATION • EXPERIENTIAL ZONE
Radio Canada developed a large exhibition stand featuring a seating area that allowed commuters to listen exclusively to Radio Canada’s “ICI Radio-Canada 95.1 FM” at Central Station located in a heavy traffic area in downtown Montreal.
Creative: Radio Canada
MCGILL STATION • WRAPPED DIGITAL MURAL WITH EXTENSION
Fromagerie Hamel wrapped the digital mural at McGill station on the mezzanine level. A hidden digital camera took pictures of passersby and displayed the images on the digital screen with cheese blocks atop their heads.
Creative: Fromagerie Hamel
SUPERBOARD EXTENSIONS • AMT DOMINATION
Disney Parks developed two Rapunzel themed superboards with her long hair extending around the board as well as two Star Wars themed superboards with glowing 3D light saber extensions. The Star Wars campaign also dominated the Lucien L’Allier train station with three pillars, one outside mural, two large vinyl wraps inside and train posters.
Creative: Walt Disney Parks & Resorts
Media Agency: Carat
PLACE-DES-ARTS STATION • MURAL + BACKLIT POSTERS
To promote TV5’s artistic programming, subway platform murals with integrated backlit posters were used in the Montreal Subway system. The colourful corner murals on the platform at Place-Des-Arts subway station promoted the TV station’s tag line “See things differently”.
Creative: TV5