It might not be an ice truck, but Canadian Tire is putting its products through the test, with a new campaign to promote drill bits.

The latest TV and online push, by Taxi and Tribal Worldwide, respectively, features super tough objects (a canon ball and a thick sheet of metal) turned into something else. In the case of the TV spot, at a Halifax fort, Taxi turned a canon ball into a bowling ball, while online Tribal Worldwide turned that dull sheet of metal into a giant lit up mural, using the drill bits to create the image.

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Maximum Drill Bits is a premium line, says Eva Salem, AVP at the retailer, and they wanted to create both a mass campaign for a general audience on TV, but also a more targeted online push geared at trade folks and those who use drills on a more regular basis.

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The online campaign has a bit more of an industrial feel to it, she says, and used more drill bits than the TV spot, allowing the brand to get into more detail and technical specs than what they did on mass. Digitally, the campaign will be supported on social platforms, including LinkedIn, as well as through paid media placement. It launched last week and will run for four weeks until mid-November, Salem says. Touche handled media.

The retailer’s brief asked its agencies for an entertaining way to talk about the drill bits (because, “how exciting are drill bits?” Salem asks), that shows off the strength and the longevity of the bits.”We’re always looking for real authentic tests that show the quality – and not everything needs to be an ice truck, in terms of millions of YouTube views – but we wanted it be authentic and real.”