In an effort to get that elusive young-adult demo talking about its Sprite brand, Toronto-based Coca-Cola Canada hooked up with Quiksilver clothing co for a back-to-school tie-in that put a whole new twist on outdoor advertising. Cossette Media worked with CBS Outdoor and Pattison Outdoor in Toronto and Montreal to put real clothes on downtown transit shelters and wild postings, attracting plenty of attention and some welcome thievery.

Goal

To draw attention to an under-the-cap instant-win promotion and create street-cred excitement around the Sprite brand.

Target consumer

Cynical, commercial-resistant young adults.

Insight and strategy

The Toronto-Montreal Cossette Media team anticipated that the resourceful target group would not hesitate to remove the clothing from the displays, giving new meaning to the phrase ‘instant win.’ When the clothing was removed, a silhouette of its shape remained, along with the message: ‘Drink Sprite. You could instantly win $1,000 in Quiksilver gear. Like the pants somebody ripped off this poster.’

The plan

More than 300 transit shelters were reinforced to accommodate the clothing. Messages were placed on the pants and shirts explaining the under-the-cap promo – which offered prizes of Quiksilver gear and free Sprite – thus turning them into walking billboards. Some 2,475 postings were adapted into 3D interactive boards. The promotion was supported by an online component and 15-second TV spots airing on MuchMusic and MusiquePlus.

Results

Every stitch of clothing was removed from the installations, giving Sprite a 100% redemption rate on the largest interactive 3D wild posting ever built.

Credits

Cossette Media: Brooke Leland, group media manager; Kimberley Reid, media planner

Cossette Communications: Shala Lalani, account executive

CBS Outdoor: Kim Daniels, national account manager, Toronto

Pattison Outdoor: Mary Ventresca, account executive, Toronto

Grassroots Advertising Toronto

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