2023 Winner
SilverBest in Retail
Canadian Tire
"100 Years Young"
Touché!
"100 Years Young"
Touché!
Canadian Tire, a heritage brand with a century-long legacy, has been an integral part of Canadian families for generations. It is where most Canadians bought their first hockey stick, their first pots and pans, where they get their cars maintained for the cold winter season, etc. However, the brand was facing a significant challenge: a clear disconnect with younger families. Despite having one of the biggest loyalty programs in Canada, the average age of loyalty members was over 39. Canadian Tire was seen as "dad's store" by the young Canadian family. Canadian Tire wanted to win over young Canadian families and position itself as Canada’s store for the next 100 years.
Canadian Tire recognized that 83% of millennials participate in loyalty programs, but that Millennials/GenZ were underrepresented in their loyalty program. To reignite the brand's relationship with younger generations, Canadian Tire embarked on a mission to modernize their media approach by engaging with young Canadians in their preferred environments.
Research revealed that 78% of millennials and GenZ prioritize experiences over “stuff”. Canadian Tire decided to party hard for its 100th birthday celebration as an opportunity to connect with Canada's next generations of shoppers through "experiences''. And what better way to win over the hearts of millennials and GenZers other than throwing an epic party, wherever they may be? MIA 2023
The strategy: Simple, Party like you’re “100 years young!”
Canadian Tire took to the streets, and Virtual Reality, to host unforgettable experiences that paid homage to the brand's legacy under the platform “Here’s to The Next 100 Years”, incorporating vintage and nostalgic elements that reminded Canadians of why it is Canada’s Store, while innovating a new age of integrated media approach that resonated with young Canadian families.
Experiences include a party of the century that was very much needed after 2 summers in lockdown. CT held an actual floatie-filled summer party lining the front lawns of nearly 50 homes in Toronto with decorations, and a Canadian Summer of the Century contest unlocking summer experiences for Canadians families by giving away thousands of prizes.
A virtual reality & NFTs Christmas experience on Oculus, where users decorated their Christmas trees with products available in store, with a convenient VirtualCommerce feature, gamified with NFTs that only few lucky players found.
A national #FindCT100 treasure hunt that leaned into a popular TikTok trend of finding hidden money. The “treasure” was a limited edition $100 CT bills (Loyalty program money), that was hidden around Canada in locations with historical importance to the brand, clues dropped on TikTok.
Throughout the year, the celebration was ongoing with 360-campaign and films that looked at Canada’s ideal future to the tunes of Canada's most famous anthem "Ahead By a Century", and others featuring Canadian Tire’s vintage ads, all films signing off with “Here’s to the next 100 years.”
The campaign was anchored with a strong presence across many channels including: Broadcast, Online Video, social, OOH, Print, Radio, Spotify, influencers, and in-game display banners within popular games like FIFA and Roblox.
To celebrate its 100th birthday, Canadian Tire redefined its integrated media approach leveraging new innovative channels to strengthen the relationship with the Young Canadian family. Partying the millennial way, the brand honored its history while MIA 2023 reinforcing its position as the ultimate destination for the next generation of Canadian shoppers. For example, Canadian Tire offered a blend of digital and real-life experiences, through innovative digital channels like Virtual Reality, NFTs, and TikTok, as research showed that TikTok & Gaming were top destinations where Millennials & GenZ spend their time online.
The “100 years young” celebrations won the hearts of young Canadian families. An impressive 18% lift in loyalty membership for adults 30-39 years old was recorded. And an even more impressive lift of 28% in loyalty membership for customers under 30.
Sales among loyalty members increased by 8% YoY. Canadian Tire’s loyalty members now represent 60% of the country’s population and has 11.3 million active members.
Furthermore, this full-year program drove YoY increases in brand sentiment metrics such as
Canadian Tire's ‘Fun’ increased by 4pts, is ‘Popular’ increased by 2pts and is ‘Socially
responsible’ increased by 1pt.
The different experiences Canadian Tire offered to Canadians resulted in 41% ad lift after the first quarter of the program, with 40.4% relative lift coming from 25-34 age group, a best-in-class lift for the retail category (YouTube benchmark), while the VR Christmas experience achieved a whooping 109% relative lift for those 25-34.
As for Find CT$100 bill Activation, it resulted in a 6,000% increase of TikTok Followers for Canadian Tire account and 28% lift in ad recall (16.4% above the norm).
Proving that this 100-year young brand still has what it takes to remain relevant for the next 100 years.
Canadian Tire recognized that 83% of millennials participate in loyalty programs, but that Millennials/GenZ were underrepresented in their loyalty program. To reignite the brand's relationship with younger generations, Canadian Tire embarked on a mission to modernize their media approach by engaging with young Canadians in their preferred environments.
Research revealed that 78% of millennials and GenZ prioritize experiences over “stuff”. Canadian Tire decided to party hard for its 100th birthday celebration as an opportunity to connect with Canada's next generations of shoppers through "experiences''. And what better way to win over the hearts of millennials and GenZers other than throwing an epic party, wherever they may be? MIA 2023
The strategy: Simple, Party like you’re “100 years young!”
Canadian Tire took to the streets, and Virtual Reality, to host unforgettable experiences that paid homage to the brand's legacy under the platform “Here’s to The Next 100 Years”, incorporating vintage and nostalgic elements that reminded Canadians of why it is Canada’s Store, while innovating a new age of integrated media approach that resonated with young Canadian families.
Experiences include a party of the century that was very much needed after 2 summers in lockdown. CT held an actual floatie-filled summer party lining the front lawns of nearly 50 homes in Toronto with decorations, and a Canadian Summer of the Century contest unlocking summer experiences for Canadians families by giving away thousands of prizes.
A virtual reality & NFTs Christmas experience on Oculus, where users decorated their Christmas trees with products available in store, with a convenient VirtualCommerce feature, gamified with NFTs that only few lucky players found.
A national #FindCT100 treasure hunt that leaned into a popular TikTok trend of finding hidden money. The “treasure” was a limited edition $100 CT bills (Loyalty program money), that was hidden around Canada in locations with historical importance to the brand, clues dropped on TikTok.
Throughout the year, the celebration was ongoing with 360-campaign and films that looked at Canada’s ideal future to the tunes of Canada's most famous anthem "Ahead By a Century", and others featuring Canadian Tire’s vintage ads, all films signing off with “Here’s to the next 100 years.”
The campaign was anchored with a strong presence across many channels including: Broadcast, Online Video, social, OOH, Print, Radio, Spotify, influencers, and in-game display banners within popular games like FIFA and Roblox.
To celebrate its 100th birthday, Canadian Tire redefined its integrated media approach leveraging new innovative channels to strengthen the relationship with the Young Canadian family. Partying the millennial way, the brand honored its history while MIA 2023 reinforcing its position as the ultimate destination for the next generation of Canadian shoppers. For example, Canadian Tire offered a blend of digital and real-life experiences, through innovative digital channels like Virtual Reality, NFTs, and TikTok, as research showed that TikTok & Gaming were top destinations where Millennials & GenZ spend their time online.
The “100 years young” celebrations won the hearts of young Canadian families. An impressive 18% lift in loyalty membership for adults 30-39 years old was recorded. And an even more impressive lift of 28% in loyalty membership for customers under 30.
Sales among loyalty members increased by 8% YoY. Canadian Tire’s loyalty members now represent 60% of the country’s population and has 11.3 million active members.
Furthermore, this full-year program drove YoY increases in brand sentiment metrics such as
Canadian Tire's ‘Fun’ increased by 4pts, is ‘Popular’ increased by 2pts and is ‘Socially
responsible’ increased by 1pt.
The different experiences Canadian Tire offered to Canadians resulted in 41% ad lift after the first quarter of the program, with 40.4% relative lift coming from 25-34 age group, a best-in-class lift for the retail category (YouTube benchmark), while the VR Christmas experience achieved a whooping 109% relative lift for those 25-34.
As for Find CT$100 bill Activation, it resulted in a 6,000% increase of TikTok Followers for Canadian Tire account and 28% lift in ad recall (16.4% above the norm).
Proving that this 100-year young brand still has what it takes to remain relevant for the next 100 years.
Credits
Touché!Canadian Tire
Leo Burnett
Veritas Communications