Claim to fame
LaRosa is one of the team behind this year’s Ontario Tourism campaign – ‘This is Living.’ Targeting adults 25 to 54, the campaign aimed to make Ontarians proud of their province and showcase all the places to enjoy.
The March-June run of this integrated multimedia campaign involved 90-, 60-, and 30-second spots in major shows such as The Juno Awards and Dancing With the Stars and on specialty nets Food and HGTV. OOH was used in key Ontario locations including on new projection billboards and domination of Toronto’s Union Station. Full-page ads appeared in dailies across the province, including the Globe, Toronto Star, and Ottawa Citizen, in addition to 33 community newspapers, 29 ethnic papers, 24 franco-Ontario and two aboriginal newspapers throughout Ontario. As well, ads were placed in such mags as Toronto Life and Tribute.
Background
LaRosa has been in the biz for seven years after studying ad sales media at Toronto’s Humber College. She began at FCB Toronto and moved to Mediaedge:cia a year ago to work on Ontario Tourism in addition to Scotts Canada lawn care, MG Entertainment, and ServiceOntario.
POV:
Who is getting it right?
Bell’s Frank and Gordon are highly recognizable, so you instantly know it’s a Bell ad. They also use media in a unique way. Their holiday teaser campaign was very compelling. There are mixed feelings about the characters, but I think Bell is making a story out of it. The beavers are cute and get the message across.
Are clients missing opportunities due to caution?
Absolutely. We get challenged all the time to think outside the box, but when it comes to committing to ideas, they are still hesitant to take that risk. As the media landscape changes, it’s important for advertisers to look at non-traditional elements that will position them ahead of their competitors. There should be no caution when sacrificing a small portion of the budget to try something new. Taking risks really leads to brand awareness – and at the end of the day, that’s really what all clients want.
What’s the next big thing?
Hypertag. It allows advertisers to interact with consumers with Bluetooth capabilities on their cellphones. It’s fully trackable and there are flexible devices that can be placed on OOH boards or in a wearable form. I can see it working best for movies because you can see a trailer on your phone. And even for packaged goods, because you can offer coupons and discounts.
