2014 Winners
Experiential Engagement: GOLD
Canadian Tire - Ice Truck
As one of Canada’s oldest and largest mass retailers, nobody understands life in Canada better than Canadian Tire. That’s why in 2013 this agency launched our Tested For Life In Canada platform, designed to test our products in unexpected ways under extreme conditions, proving Canadian Tire has what Canadians need for every season we face.
The agency’s objective for winter was to prove that the MotoMaster Eliminator AGM battery could withstand the harshest winter conditions and start no matter how cold it is. We started with a custom-built dry-ice machine that froze the battery to -40. Then we tested it in a truck. But not just any truck. Canadians describe their vehicles as “cold as ice,” so we needed to build a fully functioning truck out of 11,000 pounds of ice.
A drivable truck made of ice and a dry-ice machine that froze stuff to -40 – these outlandish items quickly led to their biggest challenge – believability. To make sure people didn't dismiss this as movie magic, they took their truck on a two kilometre drive through town, filmed it, and put it online along with a behind-thescenes making of the documentary.
Finally, to launch the program to the masses, we filmed the truck melting after the drive and used it to tease the entire program. Then to make sure our sports loving automotive guy saw it, we released a 60-second TV spot that aired on January 1, 2014, during the closest thing we Canadians have to the Super Bowl, the 2014 NHL Winter Classic.
The media and consumers took notice in a big way. Apart from the widespread coverage it received (CTV, CBC, New York Times, Fox News, CNN, UK’s Daily Mail, plus some of the top news outlets in Germany and Australia) it met their objectives; Canadian Tire sold a record number of MotoMaster Eliminator AGM batteries and reinforced Canadian Tire as the place to go for products tested for life in Canada.
CREDITS
Client: Canadian Tire
Creative Agency: TAXI
Ice Truck Build: FUSE Marketing Group and Iceculture
Online Videos: Notch
Concept & “Hockey Practice”: 60 TV Spot
Agency Senior Producer: Sarah Moen
Executive Creative Director: Darren Clarke
Creative Director: Irfan Khan
Sr. Art Director: Colin Brown
Art Director: Michael Siegers
Writer: Rene Bhavnani
Group Account Director: Lesley Rivard
Account Director: Trevor Byrne
Account Supervisor: Michael Strasser
Account Manager/Executive: Rebecca Hazell
French Agency: TAXI Montréal
Fr. Contact: Anick Rozon
Production House: Sons & Daughters
Director: David Hicks
Producer: Jeff Darragh
DOP: Barry Parrell
Editing House: School Editing
Transfer: Alter Ego
Online Editor: David Whiteson
Offline Editor (English): Brian Wells
Offline Editor (French): Mark Lutterman
Colourist: Wade Odlum
Online: CRUSH
Music House: Eggplant
Studio: Eggplant
Restripe: Crush
Distribution House: MIJO
Master Released to: MIJO Online
Behind-the-Scenes Documentary
Director: Nadia Tan
Producer/Managing Director: Ian Buck
Producer: Brent Martin/Canova Media
Associate Producer: Samantha Hall
Cinematographer: Colin Akoon
Camera Assistant: Howard Shefman
Music by: Dan Griffin
Edited by: Chris Murphy
Assistant Editor: Michael Barker
Post Production, Executive Producer (Relish): Sally Leggett
Post Production Facility: Relish
Location and Post Sound Facility: Toronto Sound
Colour Correction: Jason Zukowksi
Colour Correction, Executive Producer (Notch): Wendy Linton
Colour Correction Facility: Notch Melt Online Video:
Cinematographer & Editor: Ryan Emond
Producer/Managing Director: Ian Buck
Associate Producer: Samantha Hall
Grip 1: Daniel Baldwin
Grip 2: Kenneth Vinyaratn
Ice Truck Build
Ice Truck Construction: Iceculture & FUSE Marketing Group
FUSE Marketing Group VP Experiential Marketing: Jennifer Mason
FUSE Marketing Group Account Director: Brie Taylor
FUSE Marketing Group Account Manager: Katie Shaver (Canadian Tire Team)
Vice President, Strategic Marketing: Susan O’Brien
Consultant: Andrew Barrett
Marketing Manager, Strategic Marketing: Chris Lee
Associate Manager, Strategic Marketing: Natalia Paruzel-Gibson
Marketing Coordinator, Strategic Marketing: Amir Kolia