To promote its residential Internet service, while taking advantage of the increased number of people going out of their homes during the summer, Koodo has been transforming homes in Toronto and Montreal into OOH ads. The transformation included the “There’s joy under this roof. Koodo Internet” sign that the company placed on the front of the houses, and an online video showing the before and after of the Toronto house’s paint job.

The activation is part of Koodo’s “Choose Happy” platform, which was launched in 2015 to highlight the brand’s commitment to providing customers with positive experiences by offering affordable prices. But while the painted homes are arresting, not everyone is pleased with the transformation.

The City of Montreal claims that the owner of a century-old house (pictured) has violated city regulations by allowing it to be painted in bright colors as an ad for the telecom company Koodo.

A spokesperson for the city said that such advertising was not authorized and violated city bylaws. “It is important to note that town-planning regulations prohibit painting brick on the exterior facade of the majority of buildings,” he said. “Modifications made to heritage buildings are also strictly regulated. In addition, rules govern the place of advertising in the urban landscape.”

Héritage Montréal also rejected the publicity. “The issue is not the creativity of the color choices themselves, but how they are used to circumvent the City of Montreal advertising regulations,” a spokesperson tells Media in Canada. “In addition, applying certain types of paint to masonry can cause serious damage over time. These paints can penetrate the surface and cause problems such as moisture retention, which can reduce the structural integrity of the building… therefore, while creative color choices can enhance aesthetics, it is critical to balance creativity with code compliance and consider the long-term impact on building materials.”

Created by Camp Jefferson in collaboration with Plus Company agencies K72 and Septième, the activation ran until July 7 in Montreal and June 19 in Toronto. It was amplified through paid content on social networks such as YouTube, Meta and TikTok.

“This approach underscores the growing need for brands to engage with consumers in unique and unexpected ways,” Ashley Babcock, associate creative director at Camp Jefferson, tells Media in Canada. “Our goal wasn’t just to stand out by taking the unconventional route, but to strategically amplify our message. By integrating our campaign into these distinctive environments, we’ve achieved a level of impact that standard billboards simply can’t match.”

Koodo also launched in February the “Switch to Happy” campaign as an extension of that platform. The campaign promoted its combined offer mobile, Internet and streaming content offering, and was aimed at positioning the brand as a solution for customers looking to reduce their monthly costs. It included colorful videos and a large-format digital screen takeover at Toronto’s Union Station.

This story originally appeared on Media in Canada.