‘Why Girls Need Guides,’ by Toronto agency john st., is the first national campaign in the history of Girl Guides Canada. It takes aim at troubling trends, like kids watching too much TV and poor self esteem from over-exposure to weight-obsessed teen mags. Running in English and French, it entails print, OOH and online.
Print executions include faux ads (like one for cellulite cream) with sassy cartoon Girl Guides stickered on directing readers to the microsite, www.girlsneedguides.ca. Print includes Chatelaine and Enfants Quebec.
Shauna Klein, manager, marketing and development, Girl Guides Canada, says: ‘Our membership has been in decline in recent years…. We want to let [parents] know we’re still relevant.’ The secondary target is women 18+ interested in volunteering.
Early results are good. Klein says before the campaign, they averaged zero to one calls a day. Now they’re into the teens and twenties.
The campaign launched in June, building up to national registration week this month, and a second phase is set to debut in winter, with postering efforts at women’s fitness clubs.
We asked Janet Kestin, co-CD at Toronto-based Ogilvy & Mather, and Suresh Krishnan, account manager, planning at Toronto-based PHD Canada, to weigh in on whether this campaign gets any brownie points.
Concept
JK: It’s a little hard, as the creative director on Dove, not to look at this work and think: ‘bandwagon.’ By the same token, it’s hard to look at it and not think: ‘cool.’ And who better to add their voice to the debate than the Girl Guides?
The idea is sweet, but with a hint of spice. No doubt it’ll hit parents exactly where they live. Who isn’t worried about the hours kids spend in front of the TV (though I’d have thought the computer a bigger culprit)? Who doesn’t despair over eight-year-olds worrying about cellulite? Who isn’t looking for a way to keep their kids active and engaged?
SK: Reaching out to this target group (parents) is a tough media task, which john st. has done a good job of accomplishing. This is a really
unique campaign.
JK: The magazine cover execution is funny and sharp and on the point, as is the Precell [cellulite cream] ad. But the ‘leaf as toilet paper” feels out of place if negative media and celebrity culture messages are the things informing the idea.
The stickers add some long-overdue sassiness to the Girl Guides’ somewhat dusty image. How about a sticker page so people can find their own places to stick them?
SK: The sticker idea stands out, it’s thought provoking for parents. Any communication that offers a meaningful experience to its target audience is worth the effort.
Website
JK: Maybe it’s just me, but the website seems almost too simple. It fits the campaign, but I wanted to know more, go deeper, play more, and felt a bit disappointed by the relative lack of stuff to do there.
SK: The website has a simple design and is easy to navigate. There are no heavy graphics and overall the whole execution gels very well with the campaign.
The creds
Client – Girl Guides of Canada
Shauna Klein, manager, marketing and development
Ad/media agency – john st.
Angus Tucker, Stephen Jurisic, CDs; Erin Spano, copywriter/client services; Dani Maisels-Cooperman, AD/client services; Solly Bulbulia,
Matthew Prokaziuk, concept; Cheryl Kyte,
client services; Jeff Russell, Craig Dawson,
media planners; Marcos Chin, illustrator;
Geoff Barrenger, photographer
Interactive agency – AmoebaCorp.com
Neil Collyer, web designer
