download the PDF version - Strategy

SILVER BRAND NEW!
Wendy’s petitions for poutine
Wendy’s Canada was considered somewhat
late in the game when it decided to launch
poutine in April of last year. The cheese-curddripping-with-gravy
meal had experienced
a surge in popularity amongst Canadians
thanks to niche, upscale poutineries.
New product launches are often
supported with large production budgets,
but in this case, the brand had less than
$300,000. To amplify the reach with
PR, the restaurant created a campaign
to have poutine declared the “National
Dish of Canada,” supported by an online
“Poutition” that lived on the Wendy’s
Canada Facebook page, inviting people to
“like” the page to sign the petition. Wendy’s
involvement in social media at the time of
the launch was minimal, and the challenge
for partner agency MacLaren McCann was
to grow the Facebook page from a fan base
of less than 16,000 to 50,000.
A YouTube video communicated the
history of the poutine and the brand
developed a line of Poutition merchandise
such as t-shirts, buttons and lawn signs.
To drive store traffic and encourage
sampling, poutine coupons were given
to all participants. In-store point-of-sale
signage featured QR codes that connected
users to a mobile version of the Poutition.
The bilingual campaign was supported by
a national radio spot, a digital media buy,
localized OOH and a TV commercial.
The campaign exceeded all objectives
and helped redefine the role of social
media for Wendy’s Canada. It generated
over 17 million media impressions, the
brand’s Facebook following increased
by 279%, and share of voice in social
conversations related to poutine jumped to
63%, surpassing the goal of 20%.
Credits: Client Wendy’s Canada; Agency MacLaren McCann; Regional marketing director Lisa Deletroz; CDs Mike Halminen, Sean Davison; Group CDs Dave Stubbs, Marc
Melanson, Duncan Porter; AD Isabelle Santiago; CW Aaron Woolfson
BRONZE BRAND NEW!
Friskies designs a launch
with Steven & Chris
To launch Friskies Indoor, a range of
products specifically for indoor cats,
the brand partnered with CBC celebrity
designers Steven Sabados and Chris
Hyndman, and introduced a contest that
prized one Canadian with a “$10,000 room
makeover, specially designed by Steven &
Chris, for you and your cat.”
With the help of The Think Tank, Friskies’
promotion was brought to life in-store
through television displays in the pet aisles
of national retailers such as Walmart and
Sobeys. In addition, major retail chains
featured flyers with Steven & Chris
introducing the Friskies Indoor product.
The contest microsite and videos
(featuring the style gurus giving viewers
design tips for a home with indoor cats)
were created to aesthetically reflect the
style sense of the designers while promoting
the Friskies product. The site also featured
a blog by leading Canadian veterinarian
Margie Scherk on a variety of topics.
The contest surpassed expectations with
more than 70,000 entries and over 240,000
page views. And the promotion helped
rejuvenate the Friskies brand, with its dry
food product delivering a growth of 42%,
while Friskies wet food grew by 5%.
Credits: Client Nestlé Purina PetCare; Agency The Think Tank; Trade marketing managers Reid Barla, Anil Rege; Account executive Sheldon Abreu; Account director
Sherri-Anne Jackson
32 www.strategyonline.ca