2026 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

After the highs of the summer, DQ Canada’s business typically sees a decline in sales. As the temperatures start to drop, so too does the reason for going out for ice cream in the minds of Canadians. The agency’s objective was to reverse this seasonal decline by showing that there’s no reason for their frozen treat cravings to fall off, even when the leaves are falling down.

Autumn triggers something primal in Canadians. The cooling temperatures, shorter days, and return to routine all create a collective craving for comfort. Traditionally, that comfort arrives as warm, baked goods and hot drinks (it is, after all, generally PSL season). But the truth is, when it comes to comfort foods, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything much better than ice cream.

Its creamy sweetness hits all the right notes, and science has even proven that eating it activates the same pleasure centers in the brain as winning money or listening to your favorite music. Exactly this kind of thing you want in Fall. The campaign sought to create a stronger connection between DQ and the Fall season, enticing consumers to go out and try this undeniable comfort food pairing for themselves.

The result was Falling Treats. This simple, seasonal idea drove engagement and sales while leveraging a cultural moment all Canadians look forward to: the changing of the leaves. Unlike others who might rush to escape the cold, Canadians don’t hurry through Fall, they embrace it. They go leaf-viewing, hunt for the most colorful parks, and fill their feeds with golden trees and fallen leaves.

That love for the season, this instinct to pause, look, and capture its beauty, became our path to connecting their insight to the execution. If Canadians are already scanning leaves with their cameras, why not make that natural gesture bring them even more comfort? Using the Falling Treats Snapchat Lens, users could scan real maple leafs that had fallen on the ground to generate a unique digital coupon, unlocking an 85¢ Blizzard or Free Shake.

Because falling leaves are one of Canada’s most abundant features during the season, a near-endless amount of potential coupons were scattered across Canada, making 'Falling Treats' one of the largest and most unique seasonal promotions tied directly to nature. Falling Treats took something uniquely Canadian, the simple act of spotting a maple leaf, and turned it into a fun reason to indulge in the ultimate comfort food.

The results of the campaign were just as comforting as the DQ treats themselves. During the campaign, approximately 1.7 quadrillion leaves were scattered across the country as leaves kept on coming down. 195,000 Canadians engaged with the lens on Snapchat. Most importantly, they convinced Canadians that a stop at DQ is worth a fall-time comfort food fix, with sales of DQ soft serve during the promo period increasing by 2% and successfully reversing seasonal declines year over year.

Credits

Chief Creative Officer: Vini Dalvi
Head of Art : Victor Yves
Chief Creative Officer : Mary Chambers
EVP, Managing Director : Bobby Malhotra
EVP, MAnaging Director: Serene Gaspar
Creative Director: Emmanuel Obayemi
Senior Art Director: Pedro Minari Felippe
Senior Copywriter: Joseph Ruiz
SVP, Brand Lead: Shawna Hayman
Group Account Director: Silvia Parkinson
Account Director: Haleigh Magill
Account Supervisor: Rachel Senay
Group Strategy Director: Chris Whyte
Content Creator: Evan Chen
Content Creator: Timeia Buhra
Media Agency: DentsuX

Client: DQ Canada
VP, Marketing, DQ Canada: Candida Ness
Digital & Direct Marketing Sr Manager, DQ Canada: Cheryl Niziolomski