2021 Winner
BronzeBest in Experiential/Special Event/Stunts
Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA)
"Out-of-Work Mannequins "
Zulu Alpha Kilo
"Out-of-Work Mannequins "
Zulu Alpha Kilo
The Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) is the umbrella organization of Toronto’s 85 BIAs. The organization plays an important role in representing over 90,000 small-business owners in the city of Toronto.
This past December, the province of Ontario announced a second wave of widespread lockdowns. Small businesses were required to suspend operations or operate with curbside pickup only. That was in stark contrast to the guidelines for big box stores, which could continue operating with few restrictions and minimal disruption to their businesses. During the previous months, small businesses had been recognized for consistently demonstrating high levels of care and responsibility around COVID-19 protocols, while many big box stores were much looser in their compliance.
Anticipating the economic impact of the second wave of restrictions, TABIA wanted to call attention to the unfairness of the situation and demonstrate support for local businesses disproportionately affected by the economic impact of COVID-19. The agency’s goal was to raise awareness of the issue and drive a minimum of 10 million earned media impressions in support of local businesses.
The development of the plan faced a very real challenge. Under normal circumstances, TABIA members would invest in business-building communications. Nine months into the pandemic, the businesses were barely surviving. There was no ability to finance a campaign, even one that would draw attention to their situation and encourage local customers to patronize them.
As the agency explored options, they realized that the retailers may not have had a budget to work with, but they did have something that could be of equal value: their members’ real estate, which was extremely valuable and visible in some of the most prominent areas of the city. Not only could they leverage the value of this space and traffic, they could bring home their message in their local environment, providing the perfect context for the messaging.
The complete lack of a budget necessitated some very creative thinking. Luckily they had inspiration in the very problem they were trying to solve.
COVID-19 has made things we’ve never experienced suddenly become commonplace. Social distancing and masks became the norm. Another pandemic behaviour was a new shopping requirement: with strict customer counts imposed on retailers, long lineups outside stores became a signature image of 2020, symbolizing the personal impact we felt as individuals and the commercial impact
felt by businesses.
As the agency thought about how to draw attention to the plight of small businesses and the unfair policies that favoured larger retailers, they realized this had the potential to be used to make a powerful statement. That’s when the insight hit: the ultimate symbol of the retail world is a store mannequin. They could represent both the long lineups consumers were becoming familiar with and the devastation retail stores were experiencing.
On a wintry morning heading into what would normally be the holiday season, long lineups began to form along Danforth Avenue and Queen Street East, two popular retail stretches in Toronto. But rather than a crowd of shoppers, it was a lineup of out-of-work mannequins holding placards with the hashtag #ThinkOutsideTheBigBox. Messages on the placards, including “Hungry for Customers”, “Locked Down and Out”, and “Kicked to the Curbside Pickup”, clearly articulated the dire situation facing many small retailers.
The campaign turned mannequins into a medium, within the context of the very local retailers who were being affected. By simultaneously symbolizing the problem and carrying an unmissable message, the out-of-work mannequins were a non-traditional solution to an unprecedented business problem. Although there was value in the out-of-home solution through the traffic on these major thoroughfares, the solution was created to gain the editorial coverage needed to get the issue talked about and to help prompt people to care about the plight of small local retailers.
The installation struck a chord with the media and Canadians alike. It was covered in every major Canadian news outlet, including a two-minute feature on CBC News and the front page of The Globe and Mail’s business section. All told, it generated 55 million impressions, with an impressive estimated value in the $90 million range.
At the best of times, small businesses need to get creative to survive. During a pandemic, that’s even more true. By getting people thinking about the importance of shopping locally, #ThinkOutsideTheBigBox applied an experiential call to action to support a
truly important local cause.
This past December, the province of Ontario announced a second wave of widespread lockdowns. Small businesses were required to suspend operations or operate with curbside pickup only. That was in stark contrast to the guidelines for big box stores, which could continue operating with few restrictions and minimal disruption to their businesses. During the previous months, small businesses had been recognized for consistently demonstrating high levels of care and responsibility around COVID-19 protocols, while many big box stores were much looser in their compliance.
Anticipating the economic impact of the second wave of restrictions, TABIA wanted to call attention to the unfairness of the situation and demonstrate support for local businesses disproportionately affected by the economic impact of COVID-19. The agency’s goal was to raise awareness of the issue and drive a minimum of 10 million earned media impressions in support of local businesses.
The development of the plan faced a very real challenge. Under normal circumstances, TABIA members would invest in business-building communications. Nine months into the pandemic, the businesses were barely surviving. There was no ability to finance a campaign, even one that would draw attention to their situation and encourage local customers to patronize them.
As the agency explored options, they realized that the retailers may not have had a budget to work with, but they did have something that could be of equal value: their members’ real estate, which was extremely valuable and visible in some of the most prominent areas of the city. Not only could they leverage the value of this space and traffic, they could bring home their message in their local environment, providing the perfect context for the messaging.
The complete lack of a budget necessitated some very creative thinking. Luckily they had inspiration in the very problem they were trying to solve.
COVID-19 has made things we’ve never experienced suddenly become commonplace. Social distancing and masks became the norm. Another pandemic behaviour was a new shopping requirement: with strict customer counts imposed on retailers, long lineups outside stores became a signature image of 2020, symbolizing the personal impact we felt as individuals and the commercial impact
felt by businesses.
As the agency thought about how to draw attention to the plight of small businesses and the unfair policies that favoured larger retailers, they realized this had the potential to be used to make a powerful statement. That’s when the insight hit: the ultimate symbol of the retail world is a store mannequin. They could represent both the long lineups consumers were becoming familiar with and the devastation retail stores were experiencing.
On a wintry morning heading into what would normally be the holiday season, long lineups began to form along Danforth Avenue and Queen Street East, two popular retail stretches in Toronto. But rather than a crowd of shoppers, it was a lineup of out-of-work mannequins holding placards with the hashtag #ThinkOutsideTheBigBox. Messages on the placards, including “Hungry for Customers”, “Locked Down and Out”, and “Kicked to the Curbside Pickup”, clearly articulated the dire situation facing many small retailers.
The campaign turned mannequins into a medium, within the context of the very local retailers who were being affected. By simultaneously symbolizing the problem and carrying an unmissable message, the out-of-work mannequins were a non-traditional solution to an unprecedented business problem. Although there was value in the out-of-home solution through the traffic on these major thoroughfares, the solution was created to gain the editorial coverage needed to get the issue talked about and to help prompt people to care about the plight of small local retailers.
The installation struck a chord with the media and Canadians alike. It was covered in every major Canadian news outlet, including a two-minute feature on CBC News and the front page of The Globe and Mail’s business section. All told, it generated 55 million impressions, with an impressive estimated value in the $90 million range.
At the best of times, small businesses need to get creative to survive. During a pandemic, that’s even more true. By getting people thinking about the importance of shopping locally, #ThinkOutsideTheBigBox applied an experiential call to action to support a
truly important local cause.
Credits
Agency: Zulu Alpha KiloCreative Director: Zak Mroueh
Art Director: Jacob Gawrysiak
Writer: George Ault
Account Team: Rob Feightner
Planning Team: Maxine Thomas
Client: Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA)
Clients: Albert Stortchak, Rob Sysak
PR Agency: Jumpstart Communications
PR Team: Tory Crowder
Producer: Ola Stodulska
Photographer: Shereen Mroueh
Mac Artist: Michelle Kennedy