This story appears in the February/March 2016 issue of strategy.

Bronze: Best Launch

Situation Analysis:

Canadian Tire, part of Canada’s fabric for over 90 years with over 500 stores, had lost market share as a destination for power tools and accessories. To regain its position in 2014, the retailer decided to launch a new power tool and accessory brand called Maximum.

Insight & Strategy:

The target market for the new Maximum was trades professionals, an endorsement that would then spin off to the broader “Do-it-yourself” market. To break through, the work needed to feel authentic and appeal to tradesmen in a way they would respect. Showing rather than telling was the key to capturing this skeptical audience’s attention because of the important role that tools play in their lives, and the need for them to be reliable and dependable.

Execution:

Using Maximum’s Precision Point drill bits, 10,795 holes were drilled into a sheet of quarter-inch cold rolled steel to create the “Maximum Mural.” Video and photography of the mural and its fabrication acted as the focal point for the four-week campaign, which was launched in October 2014 and supported nationally with a $200,000 to $500,000 budget across digital media and client-owned channels. All media drove to a new Maximum brand landing page on CanadianTire.ca where visitors could browse the brand’s assortment and shop products.

Results:

Drill bits were Canadian Tire’s top selling tools SKU for fall 2014, driven by a $1.5 million increase in Maximum sales, nearly double the client’s target. Maximum increased from 7.7% of Canadian Tire tool sales to 9%, well above the target of 8.2%.

Cause & Effect:

Over the course of the four-week online campaign, the Maximum Mural gained more than 18.6 million digital impressions, including 944,153 video views and an engagement rate of 9.71%. Media spend was skewed more digital compared to most other Canadian Tire campaigns and there was no unusual promotional activity for the brand during this period.

Credits:

Client: Canadian Tire

AVP, digital engagement: Jenny Thompson

Team lead, digital marketing & merchandising: Michael Demetriou

Senior manager, strategic marketing: Adrian Fuoco

Associate marketing manager: Whitney Cummings

Agency: Tribal Worldwide, a division of DDB

ECD: Joshua Stein

CD: Benjamin Playford

CW: Simon Rogers

AD: Jake Bundock

Designers: Norma Penner, Nick Bujnak

Technology lead: Paul Jara

Quality assurance: Enzo Licata

Developer: Jake Edur

Information architects: Daniel Wiseman, Jarrod Beaton

Production: Ella Gruber, Chris Webden, Pat Elia

Managing director: Andrew McCartney

VP, business unit director: Kaezad Nallaseth

Account director: Nick Pigott

Account supervisor: Seth Waterman

Account executive: Monica Bialobrzeski

VP, strategy and innovation: Dino Demopoulos

Strategist: Gillian Lanyon

Director: TJ Derry

Line producer: Kegan Sant

Production: Studio M

Fabrication: Heavy Industries

Mural illustration: I Love Dust

Digital: Red Lab