2022 Winner
SilverBest in Entertainment
SilverBest Launch/Relaunch
Radio-Canada
"Mystery Smell"
PHD Montreal
"Mystery Smell"
PHD Montreal
ICI TÉLÉ, Radio-Canada’s conventional French TV channel, needed to attract at least one million viewers for live listening at the premiere of their new show, Nuit Blanche. As competition is strong on Monday nights, Nuit Blanche had to position itself as a must-attend event to engage consumers in joining live through linear TV.
Each fall, TV networks’ competition is getting stronger as each station launches its new schedules, with many dramatic shows, as typically, they’re the most popular within the French-speaking audience. ICI TÉLÉ needed to stand out from the competition with their new TV series, Nuit Blanche, airing on Mondays at 9 p.m., the most popular time slot on all French TV channels.
The traditional way to promote TV drama shows is to put the emphasis on the show’s actors, usually well-known by most of the audience. The plot and intrigue of the show usually come in second as it takes more information and context to attract consumers with the story.
To create a unique media campaign that would make ICI TELE’s new drama show stand out from the other stations, it dug into the story itself to find a distinctive element that could not be replicated by any other show. From reading the synopsis, a mystery scent emerges from the tragic fate experienced by the main character, Loulou Hébert, a woman admired by all, once a supermodel and now a famous businesswoman of a perfume empire.
The perfume empire became the central pillar of the media campaign, allowing the campaign to tackle new environments to reach audiences. To stand out from other broadcasters, ICI TÉLÉ decided to bring the show’s perfume empire to life with the launch of their exclusive new scent, the Nuit Blanche perfume. By doing so, the show moved away from placements used by other broadcasters and focused on new environments, normally prioritized by cosmetics companies.
To make the perfume come to life, it bet on the sense of smell with olfactory placements that would maximize the memorability of the message. Studies have shown that this sense
remembers 35% of odors, compared to 5% for sight and 2% for hearing.
By reusing the advertising codes of major perfumers, ICI TÉLÉ distinguished itself from other
conventional channels and other dramatic programs in the Monday evening schedule.
The first olfactive placement was executed in magazines, reaching women from 25-54 years old, the core audience of the TV show. The front page of a double-sided page looked exactly like a perfume ad. A scratch and sniff invited consumers to scratch the page to discover the new fragrance, Nuit Blanche. Then, the back page showed the new drama show image, with the launch date and time of the show to create a viewing appointment on Monday nights.
To expand reach of the new perfume launch, a personalized bus shelter wrap was created and
installed on a high-traffic street. The creative invited consumers to enter the bus shelter where they would smell the perfume thanks to diffusers installed in the structure. With this placement, the audience was immersed into Nuit Blanche’s world.
After boosting intrigue with the launch of the new perfume, a content strategy was deployed to present the characters of the show. Custom content was published in a popular Quebec French publication, followed by outdoor murals and social media posts.
A mass media campaign was also launched to ensure maximum awareness of the show, including digital billboards, bus shelters, street level posters, programmatic video and display.
As an entertainment brand, ICI TÉLÉ explored a new way to advertise. The TV channel took over advertising codes and environments that are normally used by cosmetic companies. With this strategy and execution, it allowed Nuit Blanche to distinguish itself from the competition, allowing it to exceed its viewership objective.
The olfactive placements required great involvement from all stakeholders to develop tailor-made formats and choose a fragrance that would be Nuit Blanche’s exclusive perfume.
The olfactory placements generated more than one million impressions, while the mass campaign generated more than 60 million impressions, reaching nearly 85% of the market’s population.
The first airing of Nuit Blanche was watched by more than one million viewers, exceeding the channel’s initial objective.. With a 28% market share, neck-and-neck with its biggest competitor, ICI TÉLÉ has proven that Nuit Blanche and its scent of mystery was an expected and unmissable event on the French TV landscape.
Each fall, TV networks’ competition is getting stronger as each station launches its new schedules, with many dramatic shows, as typically, they’re the most popular within the French-speaking audience. ICI TÉLÉ needed to stand out from the competition with their new TV series, Nuit Blanche, airing on Mondays at 9 p.m., the most popular time slot on all French TV channels.
The traditional way to promote TV drama shows is to put the emphasis on the show’s actors, usually well-known by most of the audience. The plot and intrigue of the show usually come in second as it takes more information and context to attract consumers with the story.
To create a unique media campaign that would make ICI TELE’s new drama show stand out from the other stations, it dug into the story itself to find a distinctive element that could not be replicated by any other show. From reading the synopsis, a mystery scent emerges from the tragic fate experienced by the main character, Loulou Hébert, a woman admired by all, once a supermodel and now a famous businesswoman of a perfume empire.
The perfume empire became the central pillar of the media campaign, allowing the campaign to tackle new environments to reach audiences. To stand out from other broadcasters, ICI TÉLÉ decided to bring the show’s perfume empire to life with the launch of their exclusive new scent, the Nuit Blanche perfume. By doing so, the show moved away from placements used by other broadcasters and focused on new environments, normally prioritized by cosmetics companies.
To make the perfume come to life, it bet on the sense of smell with olfactory placements that would maximize the memorability of the message. Studies have shown that this sense
remembers 35% of odors, compared to 5% for sight and 2% for hearing.
By reusing the advertising codes of major perfumers, ICI TÉLÉ distinguished itself from other
conventional channels and other dramatic programs in the Monday evening schedule.
The first olfactive placement was executed in magazines, reaching women from 25-54 years old, the core audience of the TV show. The front page of a double-sided page looked exactly like a perfume ad. A scratch and sniff invited consumers to scratch the page to discover the new fragrance, Nuit Blanche. Then, the back page showed the new drama show image, with the launch date and time of the show to create a viewing appointment on Monday nights.
To expand reach of the new perfume launch, a personalized bus shelter wrap was created and
installed on a high-traffic street. The creative invited consumers to enter the bus shelter where they would smell the perfume thanks to diffusers installed in the structure. With this placement, the audience was immersed into Nuit Blanche’s world.
After boosting intrigue with the launch of the new perfume, a content strategy was deployed to present the characters of the show. Custom content was published in a popular Quebec French publication, followed by outdoor murals and social media posts.
A mass media campaign was also launched to ensure maximum awareness of the show, including digital billboards, bus shelters, street level posters, programmatic video and display.
As an entertainment brand, ICI TÉLÉ explored a new way to advertise. The TV channel took over advertising codes and environments that are normally used by cosmetic companies. With this strategy and execution, it allowed Nuit Blanche to distinguish itself from the competition, allowing it to exceed its viewership objective.
The olfactive placements required great involvement from all stakeholders to develop tailor-made formats and choose a fragrance that would be Nuit Blanche’s exclusive perfume.
The olfactory placements generated more than one million impressions, while the mass campaign generated more than 60 million impressions, reaching nearly 85% of the market’s population.
The first airing of Nuit Blanche was watched by more than one million viewers, exceeding the channel’s initial objective.. With a 28% market share, neck-and-neck with its biggest competitor, ICI TÉLÉ has proven that Nuit Blanche and its scent of mystery was an expected and unmissable event on the French TV landscape.
Credits
PHDRadio-Canada