2021 Winner
GoldBest in Sponsorships
SilverBest in Brand Integration
HomeEquity Bank &
Royal Canadian Legion
"Worlds Oldest e-Sports Team"
Zulu Alpha Kilo / OMD
Royal Canadian Legion
"Worlds Oldest e-Sports Team"
Zulu Alpha Kilo / OMD
HomeEquity Bank (HEB) is the only financial services company in Canada that exclusively serves seniors. Its CSR partner, The Royal Canadian Legion, was looking for a way to raise awareness and support for war veterans, especially among younger generations. Since WWI, Remembrance Day has been a day to honour veterans around the world and to raise funds to support veterans in need. But in recent years, the tradition has begun to fade, particularly with younger generations whose only real experience with war has come through online gaming. As a result, awareness and
donations were on the decline.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 lockdowns, The Royal Canadian Legion couldn’t take to the streets to sell poppy pins to support their main source of donations. Large outdoor gatherings were also banned, limiting the traditional Remembrance Day observations. The Royal Canadian Legion, in partnership with HEB, needed a new way to connect with younger Canadians during the lockdown and increase donations for the Legion, an important social cause for the members of the HEB and for the bank itself.
The agency wanted to garner at least 100,000 views of the planned live streams. They also wanted to gather a minimum of 2 million earned media impressions. Most importantly, they wanted to help increase online donations and individual donations by at least 15%. In this first-of-its-kind concept, they worked with The Royal Canadian Legion and recruited four WWII veterans, each over 90 years of age. They branded them as an e-sports team, with a logo inspired by the annual moment of silence on November 11 at 11 a.m. and worked with online gaming influencers to promote a Remembrance Day live stream on their channels.
Each veteran received a rental laptop installed with video-conferencing software and a multiplayer Call of Duty game, which is based on World War II. Working around COVID-19 restrictions, the agency’s tech team took over their laptops remotely to help assign each veteran a video-game avatar, so they could stand together, symbolically, in a game based on the war they fought within gaming environments such as Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook. On November 11 at 11 a.m., they shared moments, both in-game and through Skype, with young gaming influencers who live-streamed the event on the leading video-game platforms. These channels were used to generate excitement for the “next great e-sports team,” with forums spreading the word within gaming communities. At launch, the plan was to build interest in the cause through the experiences of actual veterans.
This campaign is particularly relevant as it leveraged media content to elevate the creative message beyond its fighting weight. The Royal Canadian Legion used the strategic idea of relating real-life war to the world of video-game streaming, a highly popular entertainment channel: 54% of Canadians are classified as gamers, and war-themed games are the number-one genre. Specifically, they brought together two interesting, polar-opposite groups – actual veterans and gaming influencers – to engage with the gaming community through a live-streamed event on Remembrance Day that was promoted on YouTube and Facebook.
They promoted their cause on channels where they knew they could reach younger gamers. Platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook were used to connect with audiences who typically follow and watch their favourite streamers.
On a modest media budget of $20,000, the campaign connected with gamers, teaching them about war through the eyes of our hero veterans and generating 6.9 million earned media impressions, including a very significant 342,000 views of the November 11 live streams with the veterans.
Educators now use clips of the experience to help students connect with history. As one teacher, from Fred Varley Public School in Ontario, wrote, “My students were entranced by this. They were able to discuss the games they play and how they glorify war.”
Most importantly, they contributed to a 321% increase in Remembrance Day online donations, resulting in an astounding $831,000 raised in support of veterans through this strategy during a challenging fundraising year. The average amount per donation also dramatically increased by 58%.
donations were on the decline.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 lockdowns, The Royal Canadian Legion couldn’t take to the streets to sell poppy pins to support their main source of donations. Large outdoor gatherings were also banned, limiting the traditional Remembrance Day observations. The Royal Canadian Legion, in partnership with HEB, needed a new way to connect with younger Canadians during the lockdown and increase donations for the Legion, an important social cause for the members of the HEB and for the bank itself.
The agency wanted to garner at least 100,000 views of the planned live streams. They also wanted to gather a minimum of 2 million earned media impressions. Most importantly, they wanted to help increase online donations and individual donations by at least 15%. In this first-of-its-kind concept, they worked with The Royal Canadian Legion and recruited four WWII veterans, each over 90 years of age. They branded them as an e-sports team, with a logo inspired by the annual moment of silence on November 11 at 11 a.m. and worked with online gaming influencers to promote a Remembrance Day live stream on their channels.
Each veteran received a rental laptop installed with video-conferencing software and a multiplayer Call of Duty game, which is based on World War II. Working around COVID-19 restrictions, the agency’s tech team took over their laptops remotely to help assign each veteran a video-game avatar, so they could stand together, symbolically, in a game based on the war they fought within gaming environments such as Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook. On November 11 at 11 a.m., they shared moments, both in-game and through Skype, with young gaming influencers who live-streamed the event on the leading video-game platforms. These channels were used to generate excitement for the “next great e-sports team,” with forums spreading the word within gaming communities. At launch, the plan was to build interest in the cause through the experiences of actual veterans.
This campaign is particularly relevant as it leveraged media content to elevate the creative message beyond its fighting weight. The Royal Canadian Legion used the strategic idea of relating real-life war to the world of video-game streaming, a highly popular entertainment channel: 54% of Canadians are classified as gamers, and war-themed games are the number-one genre. Specifically, they brought together two interesting, polar-opposite groups – actual veterans and gaming influencers – to engage with the gaming community through a live-streamed event on Remembrance Day that was promoted on YouTube and Facebook.
They promoted their cause on channels where they knew they could reach younger gamers. Platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook were used to connect with audiences who typically follow and watch their favourite streamers.
On a modest media budget of $20,000, the campaign connected with gamers, teaching them about war through the eyes of our hero veterans and generating 6.9 million earned media impressions, including a very significant 342,000 views of the November 11 live streams with the veterans.
Educators now use clips of the experience to help students connect with history. As one teacher, from Fred Varley Public School in Ontario, wrote, “My students were entranced by this. They were able to discuss the games they play and how they glorify war.”
Most importantly, they contributed to a 321% increase in Remembrance Day online donations, resulting in an astounding $831,000 raised in support of veterans through this strategy during a challenging fundraising year. The average amount per donation also dramatically increased by 58%.
Credits
Agency: Zulu Alpha KiloCreative Director: Zak Mroueh
Art Director: Vic Bath, Michael Romaniuk
Writer: Dan Cummings, Jackson Kemp
Designer: Zoe Kim, Vic Bath
Account Team: Anjelica Kapetanos, David Tremblay
Planning Team: Tim Hopkins
Client: HomeEquity Bank / Royal Canadian Legion
Clients: Niary Toodakian, Yvonne Ziomecki, Vivianne Gauci, Erin Wilson
Media Agency: OMD
Media Team: Dwayne Mataseje, Mitchell Cornelisse
PR Agency: Provident Communications
PR Team: Morgan McLellan
Producer: Mitch Cappe
Production House: Zulubot
Post Production Producer: Mariya Guzova
Editor: Micah Rix-Haye, Ashlee Mitchell