2024 Winner

SilverBest Use of Local Media

Koodo
"Residential Billboards"
Jungle Media / Camp Jefferson
Koodo was playing catch up with its competitors when it decided to launch home internet services. In a commoditized category and saturated market, Koodo internet offered great value, however that alone was not enough to stand out. Despite this, Koodo wanted to stake a claim in internet services.

The primary objective was to launch, drive mass awareness and consideration of Koodo Internet on par with competitors who had a 5 year head start. The campaign needed to align with Koodo’s long-standing “Choose Happy” platform and reinforce the brand message that, at Koodo,
it's a happier experience.

Heading into 2024, happiness was in short supply. According to Google trends the spring of 2024 was the unhappiest Canadians had ever been. People were squeezed by years of record high inflation and wages that didn’t keep up. Koodo couldn’t fix that, but what the agency could do was use the internet launch to inject some joy into Canadian’s lives.

Talking about Koodo’s remarkable value was not enough to catch up to competitors, so the brand needed to do something remarkable to get noticed. Koodo had a tremendous asset – its platform “Choose Happy,” a joyful brand voice and a vibrant colour palette that stood out in the category. This asset would be central to the launch of the home internet offering.

Advertise home internet on homes. With a traffic stopping and smile inducing colour palette they turned what is normally a passive OOH encounter into an interactive moment. In order to capitalize on the happy effect, the brand needed to go light on logos and lean into our colours. Using the most local medium possible, they transformed homes in neighborhoods dominated by their target audience in the GTA and GMA into billboards for Koodo Home Internet.

The idea was simple, like most good ideas are. The execution had to be flawless. They would take over these homes and Koodo-fiy them by painting them in the bright colours of the brand and place a yard sign out front saying “Connect to Happier Home Internet” along with the Koodo logo and their unmistakable tagline “Choose Happy.” Nothing captures attention like a jolt of happy in a sea of greige.

Koodo Internet was the first time that Koodo had offered any services for the home. This led us to thinking actual homes would be the ultimate medium for the message. After months of scouting and working through endless bureaucracy to obtain the proper permits, 2 perfect locations were secured where other traditional local media such as billboards didn’t exist.

The Toronto location was right across from Trinity Bellwoods park and the Montreal location was a stone's throw from La Fontaine Park, both places that Koodo’s target audience flock by the thousands to soak up the sun, hang out with friends, and just be happy.

The media was the message, and literally a part of their target audience's local community. Transforming homes into billboards is a media first in Canada but being first is not enough. Being the first to execute flawlessly, garner the national attention of the Canadian media and drive consideration to the levels of competitors with a five year head start is. The homes became a part of conversation, a destination and a place to interact and capture memories. People in the GTA and GMA
clearly decided to “Choose Happy”.

The results exceeded all expectations. The insight, idea and execution clearly resonated with Koodo’s audience and beyond. Not only were the striking billboards noticed and appreciated by Koodo’s core audience in their local communities, but the colourful execution was picked up by 130 local news outlets across Canada, and 26 international ones generating over 200 million impressions.

Who knew that an innovative choice of local media would generate so much buzz in local media right across the country. The news coverage was very positive, and featured interviews with local residents saying how much they loved the splash of colour that the Koodo activation brought
to their neighborhoods.

Most importantly, the “Residential Billboards” exceeded the business and campaign objectives. Using quarterly Ipsos brand tracking, awareness of Koodo Internet jumped by a whopping 40% and consideration increased by 13% during the period the execution was in market. This increased awareness and consideration of Koodo’s home internet product to levels on par or ahead of competitors who have offered home internet for years. If that wasn’t enough, Koodo also saw an increase in overall brand familiarity of 5%, something that can take millions of dollars
and years to achieve.

Credits

Media Agency: Jungle Media
VP Planning: Stuart Galloway
Planning Manager: Stephanie Aird

Creative Agency: Camp Jefferson
SVP, Director of Creative: Julie Nikolic
Creative Director: Mike Blackmore
Associate Creative Directors: Ashley Babcock, Robyn Crummey
Integrated Production Director: Lily Tran
VP, Strategy: Aviva Frenkel
Group Account Director: Lora Landriault
Account Director: Matthew Vares
Account Executive: Kate Szirmay-Kalos

Creative Agency (Quebec): K72
Accounts: Sophie Auger, Camille Chrétien
Art Director: Sébastien Houde
Writer: Fabrice Poirier

Client: Koodo Mobile
Director Marketing Communications: Lise Doucet
Manager, Marketing Communications: Isabella Goldberg-Jussup
Sr. Marketing Communications Manager: Rheya Mall