Fun is a serious factor in successful social media campaign
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Filed under: CareersAce in Wonderland
The theme for the 31st Annual ACE (Advertising Club of Edmonton) Awards was “ACE in Wonderland”. There were several unique ways that members were encouraged and reminded of entry and ticket deadlines. Each only hinted at the theme at first, from short online videos of well-known members peering ‘down the rabbit hole’ in the most unlikely of places, to this series of apothecary bottles that invited the audience to “Drink Me”. As the months progressed the theme became more and more obvious and the metaphors related back to the creative industry.
The text on the back side of each label was legible through the blue liquid and pushed the reader to the website for additional information. Bottles were hand delivered to Ad Club members on the first Monday of the call for entries.
Holiday Fire Safety Campaign
Residential fires spike over the holiday season. Candles, unattended cooking and poorly maintained smoke alarms – it all adds up to a dangerous mix. As part of a larger campaign, we partnered with Christmas tree lots to hang fire safety-themed decorations on trees throughout the lot. The decorations made people aware that ‘Holiday Season is Fire Season’, and gave them a free 9V batter to refresh their smoke alarms.
We also sent a traditional group of carolers into communities and malls around Edmonton and instead of singing the expected carols, we re-wrote a number of classics to reflect fire safety messaging. The carolers then presented surprised listeners with a postcard outlining simple holiday fire safety tips.
Changing attitudes by confronting sensitive topics head-on
To effectively change attitudes and raise awareness surrounding sensitive public issues, a direct, no nonsense approach is needed to cut through and affect hard-to-reach audiences in order to produce real, measureable results.
The need to change behaviours facing child support in Alberta requires an even more direct approach. The Maintenance Enforcement Program team at Alberta Justice was fully onside when RED came to the table with a campaign that works hard at putting an end to the lame excuses of delinquent and late payers. The public awareness campaign seen below launched in March.
RED caps a big year with a big night
RED had a winning night at the Advertising Club of Edmonton’s (ACE) 31st annual award ceremony on March 6, 2010. In addition to seven other awards, RED won Advertising Campaign of the year – proof that you can generate results AND create breakthrough work.
RED’s greatest success came for a holiday fire safety campaign on behalf of Alberta Municipal Affairs. We won best Public Service Broadcast for Singing Smoke Alarms; best Television Single under $50,000 for Singing Smoke Alarms; and best Exhibit/Point of Purchase for Fire Awareness Tree Ornament. The string of awards culminated in the best Advertising Campaign for the Holiday Fire Awareness Campaign. With our always-supportive clients in attendance, it was an exciting evening for all.
Of note, RED also won Awards of Distinction for Chemisphere, Alberta Pensions Services, Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, AB North Chapter and for a direct mail we created for the Advertising Club of Edmonton.
Never heard of the ACE Awards?
The ACE awards are dedicated to showcasing and rewarding advertising excellence in Edmonton. Judges come from across North America and are given a strict mandate to evaluate all entries according to international standards.
Filed under: Agency NewsMarketing Magazine: Alberta gives 3-minute fire warning
From Marketing Magazine: Alberta Municipal Affairs and provincial fire departments launched a campaign today to warn Albertans of the dangers of today’s high-intensity residential fires.
The hard-hitting TV and radio campaign from Edmonton’s RED punches home the idea that fires in modern homes are different from those of 30 years ago when people had an average of 17 minutes to safely escape a burning house. Research shows that with today’s faster burning, highly toxic materials, that time has been reduced to three minutes.
Radio and TV spots warn that it will take seven minutes or more for a fire truck to arrive, but “you have three minutes.”
The tag line directs the public to a new website, 3MinuteDrill.Alberta.ca, that offers prevention, detection and escape plans. The campaign is also supported by posters and informational material handed out at fire stations.
Global TV in Alberta has also produced supporting 30-second public service spots narrated by news anchors offering additional information.
Alana Williams of Red said the agency took an Alfred Hitchcock approach to the TV spots rather than graphically depicting fire and injuries.
“We wanted to approach people on a psychological level, where they are more affected by what they don’t see than what they do see.”
The 30-second TV spots will run province-wide, while the radio spots will run regionally, often after there has been a fire in the area.
Filed under: Campaigns, In The News