2025 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

The Quebec winter is very cold, especially for young people without a fixed home. Dans La Rue, a homeless shelter, has been collecting clothing donations since 1988 to distribute to homeless youth. With virtually no budget, the homeless shelter wanted to launch a social media campaign to increase donations of new, warm, fashionable clothing for winter.

Research proves that major clothing brands are more inclined to offer high-quality new clothing to influencers who can promote them (product seeding) than to organizations that help people in need. Dans La Rue partnered with four influencers to repurpose product seeding and disrupt influencer marketing for
a good cause.

Targeting young adults between 18 and 35 years old, who are significantly more likely to use social media platforms (over 95%), the campaign was strategically deployed solely on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. The four content creators utilized their platforms to engage with their followers and
encourage clothing donations.

Four influencers changed their shipping addresses across their social media platforms, email addresses, websites, etc. In this way, companies wishing to send them free clothing (product seeding) eventually redirected the shipments to the nonprofit organization Dans La Rue.

For two months, the four influencers redirected the packages to the organization. A video explaining the idea was then launched on Dans La Rue’s social media platforms. Accompanied by a public relations strategy, the organically launched video and the “Address Change” idea earned coverage in traditional media outlets.

Shortly after the campaign’s launch, dozens of other influencers also changed their addresses so that additional clothing from various brands could be sent to Dans La Rue. The receipt of donations and the campaign stretched throughout the winter, reaching across Quebec and parts of Canada.

Without any media investment (100% earned media), the campaign was quickly picked up by traditional media.

Right after the launch, dozens of other influencers also changed their addresses so that additional new and warm clothing could be delivered directly to young people who needed it most.

Dans La Rue’s social networks gained over 30,000% more reach, and the campaign was perceived positively by 98%.

A total of 32 major brands unknowingly participated, and 400% more clothing was donated this year. Altogether, more than $100,000 worth of clothing was
received for free.

But more importantly, hundreds of homeless youth stayed warm this winter.

Credits

CREATIVE AGENCY: LG2
CLIENT: Dans la rue
PRODUCTION COMPANY: OKOK
POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY: OKOK
SOUND STUDIO / ENGINEERING: Circonflex

Agency - LG2
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICERS: Marc Fortin, Luc Du Sault, Josh Stein
CREATIVE DIRECTION: Luc Du Sault
COPYWRITING: Félix-Antoine Belleville
ART DIRECTION: Megan Plamondon
ACCOUNT SERVICES: Alexandra Laverdière,Gabriella Côtes, Anne-Renée Turcotte, Laurence-Olivier Paquet
AGENCY PRODUCTION: Émilie Trudeau, Emmanuelle Bérubé
MOTION DESIGN: Daniel Martinez-Mendoza
LAYOUT ARTIST:Marie-Ève Roussy, Sylvain Grégoire

Production Company - OKOK
PRODUCER: Christina Drouin, Xavier Girard, Nicolas Chiasson
DIRECTOR: Laurence Tremblay
DOP: Raphaël Desharnais
EDITING: Cédric Noël

Post-production Company - OKOK
COLORIZATION: Amélie Michel - Studio Élément

Content creators
Louis Blouin, Alex Beaulieu-Marchand, Emmanuelle-Salambo Deguara et Karel Cadoret