The CBC has launched a new campaign signaling the next phase in the national broadcaster’s refresh of its brand identity.
The “Get Curious” campaign underlines how CBC’s programming grabs Canadians’ attention during their regular routines. The creative includes a QR code or click-through link that sends viewers directly to the content in the ad that’s piqued their interest.
The broadcaster’s goal with the campaign is to position CBC’s wide range and depth of entertainment programming in a way that’s “unexpected, surprising and fresh,” says CBC executive director of marketing and communications Maya Kane.
“We selected a wide range of titles across CBC Gem, CBC Music and CBC Podcasts that may not be immediately known or associated with CBC, and used original and provocative content taglines and creative to invite audiences to scan a QR code and engage with it directly,” Kane tells strategy. She says the campaign is driven by an understanding that younger Canadians are naturally curious.
“The playful themes featured in ‘Get Curious’ showcase CBC in a new light, and reinforce how the full range of our content offering is a culturally relevant part of today’s Canada,” Kane said in a press release.
Toronto-based creative agency Juniper Park\TBWA worked with the CBC to create the campaign, with national media planning handled by IPG Mediabrands agency Initiative. The CBC and Juniper Park\TBWA creative teams wrote more than 100 content-specific lines to ensure the campaign was properly delivering culturally specific creative to its audience.
Juniper Park\TBWA’s “Edges” was an inspiration for the CBC’s new campaign. The annual glossary is a tool the agency works on to identify current cultural shifts that brands can use. The agency’s “Edges” come from its Backslash cultural intelligence unit.
“We… relied on their ‘Edges’… to help identify key social behaviours and trends,” Kane says. “We paired that with our own research to help shape the campaign’s focus on piquing our audience’s curiosity and tying a wide variety of interests to our breadth of content.”
The CBC launched its new campaign in January across the country on broadcast, OOH, OLV, connected TV, digital, social and search. The campaign is part of the broadcaster’s larger “It’s a Canada Thing” brand identity refresh. The overall brand refresh was intended to introduce, and re-introduce, Canadian audiences to the CBC, Kane says, while “Get Curious” offers a deeper dive into the entertainment programming it offers.
