Some 200 media buyers and advertisers were invited to test their driving skills in an event held by Toronto-based Carguide magazine on October 4. Carguide Driver Day offered the advertising community the chance to test-drive the latest sporty models on a driving course at Ontario Place, Toronto, with the assistance of expert trainers. Mercedes, Jaguar and Lexus vehicles were included in the lineup.
‘We want to let agencies know how much expertise is involved in testing all the cars that are available in this country, before they are reviewed in Carguide,’ says John Morris, from Marcovitch PR in Toronto, which organized the event on behalf of Carguide magazine. ‘It also builds goodwill to hold a fun event like this,’ he adds.
Invitations to the event were sent out to agencies across Canada, together with a car air freshener and fluffy dice.
Yahoo! posters campuses
Yahoo! Canada is promoting some of its many services to the 18-to-25 age group on college and university campuses across the country this fall.
The Toronto-based Internet communications network is using mock bulletin-board posters and classified ads in student newspapers to tout its chat, music and auction services.
The ads launched Sept. 19.
‘We wanted to deliver the message that Yahoo! offers so much more than just e-mail,’ says Rob Dittmer, PR manager at Yahoo! Canada. ‘We focused this campaign on promoting the services which can help students find many of the things they are looking for.’
The bulletin-board posters are designed to imitate regular posters, with headlines such as ‘Stuff for sale and ‘Looking for a friend.’ Tear-off tabs at the bottom give the Yahoo! Canada Web site address. Classified ads of a similar nature have also been posted in student newspapers. Campuses in Halifax; Montreal; Ottawa; Toronto; Hamilton, Ont.; Waterloo, Ont.; Calgary and Vancouver have been targeted.
Creative and media were handled in-house. The campaign was inspired by one from Yahoo! Germany.
Dittmer says initial feedback has been very positive, and the posters are expected to stay up until late October.
