2022 Winner
GoldBest in Finance and Services
GoldBest in CSR
SilverBest in Sponsorships
BMO Financial Group
"Gear Up For Good"
UM & FCB
"Gear Up For Good"
UM & FCB
For years, BMO has been a major partner of the soccer team CF Montreal, under the banner #FanFini (an expression meaning ultimate fan). BMO was more than just a sponsor; it was a passionate and active member of the soccer community.
In 2021, BMO wanted to bring its brand purpose “to boldly grow the good” to life. The goal was to break down the barriers to playing soccer by providing accessibility to kids who wanted to play. The brand objective was to foster favorability in the Montreal market.
While soccer is the world’s most popular sport, 60% of kids from low-income households can’t afford the equipment they need to play. Montreal was no different with over 40% of kids living in low-income households. The stigma, and shame, that comes with poverty acts as a barrier, making children feel that if they don’t “look the part,” they can’t play the part.
BMO needed to raise awareness of the issue, break down barriers, and provide a way for
underprivileged children to feel good about playing and to get involved in soccer.
Research shows that soccer fans over-index in community involvement, being more active and intent on affecting positive change. What’s more, half of the Montreal soccer fanbase has families, 2/3 of whom had kids who played soccer.
This insight and social reality became the cornerstone of their strategy and media approach. BMO took the lead in rallying soccer fans to help more kids to play. This group would have second-hand soccer equipment to share. So, it was just a matter of triggering and facilitating donations, then solving for getting the goods to kids who needed them most.
The name of the program, Gear Up, not only captured the idea of stepping up and getting
ready, but also evoked the emotional benefit of shifting into a higher gear, referring to the sense of progression and normality that they wanted kids to feel with their newly acquired equipment.
Focusing its limited budget on soccer enthusiasts and families, it engaged them in environments to optimize messaging relevance and donation propensity. The media approach would drive awareness, utilizing precision retargeting throughout the campaign to drive CTA Frequency.
BMO also devised a unique high-profile event in collaboration with the CF Montreal soccer
team, to which the cost of entry was simply a piece of soccer equipment. A brilliant way to
compel soccer fans to show up, so kids could gear up.
The donated equipment was cleaned and refurbished before being photographed. Each item was then uploaded to BMO's website.
The whole concept of the media-enabled Gear Up initiative and partnership was a category and industry first.
Relevant reach and targeting of soccer fans was a critical component of the Gear Up campaign, along with the entirely unique shopping experience that BMO provided. It was intentional through every step of the process.
The online store felt premium, and the kids were excited about having the opportunity to select their own soccer equipment. Unique access codes were distributed to families in need through partnerships with community organizations like the YMCA.
The children in need could then choose up to four items they wanted, all free of charge.
The selected items were then carefully wrapped prior to being delivered directly to their homes. The opportunity to shop for their gear made them feel like any other child when shopping, no sense of benefitting from others’ charity, no sense of guilt or being marginalized.
BMO's Gear Up campaign was successful in getting equipment to those in need, as well as bringing needed attention to the issue.
In just four weeks, the campaign achieved the following results: 10,756 pieces of equipment collected (vs initial objective of 1,500), and more than 2,500 young people receiving the equipment they needed. The campaign achieved 90% positive sentiment, +10% vs. past activations. BMO’s positive image increased by 10% vs. previous activation, and BMO Favorability increased by 9% overall and by an outstanding 34% among Montrealers who have kids who play soccer.
Finally, by breathing new life into pre-owned equipment, BMO not only achieved its objective of helping underprivileged youth join in the game, but it also generated a positive impact on the environment by preventing the gear from ending up in landfills. In a post-activation survey, 94% of Montrealers who were aware of the program stated that “in giving a second life to soccer equipment, BMO demonstrated its commitment to sustainable development”.
In 2021, BMO wanted to bring its brand purpose “to boldly grow the good” to life. The goal was to break down the barriers to playing soccer by providing accessibility to kids who wanted to play. The brand objective was to foster favorability in the Montreal market.
While soccer is the world’s most popular sport, 60% of kids from low-income households can’t afford the equipment they need to play. Montreal was no different with over 40% of kids living in low-income households. The stigma, and shame, that comes with poverty acts as a barrier, making children feel that if they don’t “look the part,” they can’t play the part.
BMO needed to raise awareness of the issue, break down barriers, and provide a way for
underprivileged children to feel good about playing and to get involved in soccer.
Research shows that soccer fans over-index in community involvement, being more active and intent on affecting positive change. What’s more, half of the Montreal soccer fanbase has families, 2/3 of whom had kids who played soccer.
This insight and social reality became the cornerstone of their strategy and media approach. BMO took the lead in rallying soccer fans to help more kids to play. This group would have second-hand soccer equipment to share. So, it was just a matter of triggering and facilitating donations, then solving for getting the goods to kids who needed them most.
The name of the program, Gear Up, not only captured the idea of stepping up and getting
ready, but also evoked the emotional benefit of shifting into a higher gear, referring to the sense of progression and normality that they wanted kids to feel with their newly acquired equipment.
Focusing its limited budget on soccer enthusiasts and families, it engaged them in environments to optimize messaging relevance and donation propensity. The media approach would drive awareness, utilizing precision retargeting throughout the campaign to drive CTA Frequency.
BMO also devised a unique high-profile event in collaboration with the CF Montreal soccer
team, to which the cost of entry was simply a piece of soccer equipment. A brilliant way to
compel soccer fans to show up, so kids could gear up.
The donated equipment was cleaned and refurbished before being photographed. Each item was then uploaded to BMO's website.
The whole concept of the media-enabled Gear Up initiative and partnership was a category and industry first.
Relevant reach and targeting of soccer fans was a critical component of the Gear Up campaign, along with the entirely unique shopping experience that BMO provided. It was intentional through every step of the process.
The online store felt premium, and the kids were excited about having the opportunity to select their own soccer equipment. Unique access codes were distributed to families in need through partnerships with community organizations like the YMCA.
The children in need could then choose up to four items they wanted, all free of charge.
The selected items were then carefully wrapped prior to being delivered directly to their homes. The opportunity to shop for their gear made them feel like any other child when shopping, no sense of benefitting from others’ charity, no sense of guilt or being marginalized.
BMO's Gear Up campaign was successful in getting equipment to those in need, as well as bringing needed attention to the issue.
In just four weeks, the campaign achieved the following results: 10,756 pieces of equipment collected (vs initial objective of 1,500), and more than 2,500 young people receiving the equipment they needed. The campaign achieved 90% positive sentiment, +10% vs. past activations. BMO’s positive image increased by 10% vs. previous activation, and BMO Favorability increased by 9% overall and by an outstanding 34% among Montrealers who have kids who play soccer.
Finally, by breathing new life into pre-owned equipment, BMO not only achieved its objective of helping underprivileged youth join in the game, but it also generated a positive impact on the environment by preventing the gear from ending up in landfills. In a post-activation survey, 94% of Montrealers who were aware of the program stated that “in giving a second life to soccer equipment, BMO demonstrated its commitment to sustainable development”.
Credits
BMOMélanie Miron – Directrice générale, Marque, Québec
Ann-Marie Beauchemin – Directrice marketing, Marque et Commandites
Marie-Pier Bergevin -- Directrice Engagement de la marque, commandites
Eric Martin -- Directeur | Commandites
Sabrina Morin -- Business Development Specialist
UM
VP, Client Business Partner, Sebastien Houle
Superviseure Achat Médias, Nancy Asselin
FCB Canada
Planner/Strategy: Maryse Sauvé
VP, Head Of Creative: Sylvain Dufresne
Creative: Sylvain Dufresne ECD, Martin Rivard CR, Stefan Szary AD, Emily Wilkinson CR, Julien Ponton AD, Sébastien Robillard AD, Étienne Soucy CR (copywriter)
Account: Krystelle Ruest, Julie Simon, Michael Watier, Julie Monette
Agency Producer: Anick Rozon
PRODUCTION HOUSE: SOMA
Director: Mathieu Renoult
POST PRODUCTION: BLVD
SOUND DESIGN: La Majeure
WEBSITE, ONLINE BOUTIQUE: Agence Minima