WE’RE HERE! WE’RE QUEER! WE’RE SURFING FOR FREE

A Canadian Web portal targeting gay Web surfers is using free Internet access to market its services. QueerCanada.com, a Halifax-based organization that bills itself as ‘Canada’s online queer community’ has partnered with 1stUp.com to offer free Internet access to its members. QueerCanada.com’s users will get unlimited free Internet access in exchange for allowing advertisers to send them targeted advertising messages. Queer.com launched in February last year offering chat, personal ads, Web-based e-mail, shopping, free home pages and newsletters to the Canadian gay community. The move is the latest in a growing trend toward using advertising to fund free unlimited Internet access. Late last year, Calgary-based Cybersurf Corp. and Toronto-based TurboShuttle launched free advertiser-supported Internet access in Toronto.

COURTESY TELECOM OFFERS FREE CALLS

Toronto-based Courtesy Telecom is giving new meaning to the term ‘telemarketing’. The company is not selling over the phone, but rather is installing advertising-supported courtesy phones in restaurants, bars, gyms and pool halls throughout Toronto. The concept is similar to that of washroom advertising, in that captive consumers have nothing more interesting to look at while they’re otherwise occupied. The service is popular with restaurant owners who receive a small fee for having the phone in their establishment. The company has installed about 40 phones throughout the Greater Toronto Area and hopes to increase that to 500 before expanding the program across Canada.

WEB RETAILERS MUST INSPIRE ONLINE SHOPPERS

Retailers are missing an opportunity to help consumers on the Internet find a special and meaningful gift, says a new study by Toronto-based InnerViews. The company recently completed a comprehensive post-holiday online shopping study. ‘Time pressed holiday shoppers were likely to turn to the Web with a ‘mission’ to find and order a specific gift,’ the study says. ‘Many retailers are missing opportunities to inspire the online shopper who is unsure of the perfect item or gift and to create meaningful points of difference between in-store and online experiences.’ Online shoppers are still wary of using the Net to shop, the study found. Even consumers who are comfortable shopping for items such as books, CDs or toys online expressed trepidation about shopping for other items. ‘For e-tailers, the challenge to entice someone who may already be shopping online can be even more difficult than seducing the ‘virgin’ e-buyer,’ the report says.

Got a bead on a new trend? Drop us a line and let us know about it. Send your ideas by e-mail to jgray@brunico.com

Strategy is on the ground in Cannes, bringing you the latest news, wins and conference highlights all week long. Catch all the coverage here.

Thursday’s batch of Silver and Bronze winners included the Creative Business Transformation, Creative Effectiveness, Creative Strategy, Luxury Lions, Brand Experience & Activation, Innovation and Creative Commerce Lions categories. Canadians were recognized with three Lions today: a Silver in Brand Experience & Activation, a Bronze in Creative Commerce and a Bronze in Creative Effectiveness. Rethink was awarded twice on Day 4, while Weber Shandwick rounded out the Canadian agency wins with one Lion. Below is a look at the work. Catch the Gold winners later this afternoon when they’re revealed at the gala in Cannes.

Creative Commerce (1 Silver)

1 SILVER: “U Up?” by Rethink for IKEA

IKEA’s “U Up?” campaign has legs, it turns out. The campaign is getting major love at Cannes. The IKEA work, created in collaboration with Rethink Toronto, added to its Cannes Lions tally with a Silver medal in Creative Commerce. That now makes five total Lions for the work, including two Golds on Wednesday night, for Direct and Socal & Creator. The campaign has been lauded by jurors for its dexterity, contextual timing and humour.

Creative Effectiveness (1 Bronze)

1 BRONZE: “Heinz Ketchup & Seemingly Ranch” by Rethink for Kraft Heinz 

Both Rethink and Kraft Heinz picked up another Lion, this one a Bronze in Creative Effectiveness for their collaboration on “Heinz Ketchup & Seemingly Ranch.” Not only did the work capture a culture moment spurred by Taylor Swift, but it also created a new product, “in under 24 hours,” to match. The latest two Lions makes 10 total wins for Rethink. Kraft Heinz and Rethink also picked up a rare Gold Lion for Media a day earlier.

Brand Experience & Activation (1 Bronze)

1 BRONZE: “Airbnb Icons” by Weber Shandwick for Airbnb

The Weber Shandwick work, “Airbnb Icons,” won Bronze on Thursday in Brand Experience & Activation after claiming a Bronze in Media Wednesday. Airbnb turned media brands into a destination, partnering with the likes of Marvel and Disney to offer travellers experiences like drifting off in the Up house or crashing at an X-Men mansion. The first 11 experiences rolled out mid-2024, and most of the experiences were free or under $100, with over 4,000 tickets sold by the end of the season.