The best Canadian social media campaigns of 2019
As the final days of the decade fly by, the Communicatto team has been looking back on 2019, particularly in terms of social media. Every year, Canadian brands create some pretty spectacular campaigns on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube – and we think their hard work deserves a little recognition.
Without further ado, here are some of our favourite Canadian social media campaigns of 2019!
No Name’s digital debut
For a brand that’s literally called “No Name”, Loblaw’s low-budget line of grocery and household products has certainly established a reputation for itself. Generic, economical, straight-forward and very, very yellow, No Name is a Canadian staple simply due to the savings it offers. That is until 2019, when No Name brilliantly transplanted their brand into the digital landscape, crafting hilariously bare-bones tweets, website copy and YouTube videos.
not available in other colours pic.twitter.com/BBwIESh5SR
— no name (@NoNameBrands) October 11, 2019
Ultimately, No Name identified and capitalized on all the attributes that made their brand unique, and managed to integrate those qualities across their digital platforms. Clearly they’re not so “generic” after all.
Backcountry Brewing’s Suck It Cancer campaign
Backcountry Brewing, a beloved Squamish, BC brewery known for its incredible brews and funny beer names, rebranded one of its fan-favourites, Suck It Trebek, upon hearing of Alex Trebek‘s battle with cancer.
They gave the pale ale a new name – Suck It Cancer – and also updated the label with art by Chili Thom, who succumbed to cancer in 2016. With partial proceeds from the beer going to the BC Cancer Foundation, the game plan was to raise over $5,000. The brewery relaunched the beer on social media – and the campaign did so well, Backcountry ended up brewing a second batch. As of their last update, Backcountry has raised nearly $10,000 for cancer research. Cheers to that!
The Journey: A Canada Goose Experience
Throughout the decade, it’s become increasingly difficult for brick and mortar stores to thrive as online shopping overtakes. That’s why this year, Canada Goose decided to try something a little different – they opened a store that contains no inventory.
This “experience”, which is currently only in Toronto, features recreations of Canada’s winter landscape – cracking ice, a faux rock crevasse, even an Arctic-temperature cold room – that concludes with the option for shoppers to browse a digital catalogue and place an order. The idea behind the experiment comes from the hub-and-spoke model – Canada Goose is counting on social media buzz to create sales. After all, a good Instagram photo op is priceless in this day and age.
Fraiche Food, Full Hearts
Jillian Harris has been a leading lifestyle influencer for years after making a name for herself on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Love It or List It Vancouver – she’s acquired a massive social media following via her picture-perfect Instagram, YouTube channel and blog. Often, Jillian collaborates with her cousin, Tori Wesszer, of Fraiche Living fame – Tori’s a registered dietician who definitely knows a thing or two about delicious, nutritious eats (and dreamy aesthetics, of course).
Together, the two Kelowna-based influencers used their combined social media stardom to score a book deal. They documented every step of the creation process in their Instagram stories, building up tons of hype prior to the book’s October 2019 release. Thanks to their savvy social media skills, the cookbook – Fraiche Food, Full Hearts – was an instant bestseller.
Travel Alberta
For years, Travel Alberta has showcased the beauty of Alberta while promoting the tourism industry – and their social media efforts are particularly noteworthy. Take, for example, their informative and super-fun YouTube channel – videos like “How to Have Fun in Winter in Alberta” and “How to Take the Best Photos in Alberta” are so brilliantly specific to their target audience, but still have that irresistible click-bait feel.
Plus, their daily social media posts, which feature work by local photographers, help both tourists and locals discover exciting activities while building a sense of community – and we can’t help but admire their consistent digital presence. There’s lots to love about the province, but Travel Alberta’s powerful social media strategy provides extra incentive to #ExploreAlberta.
Bonus: Aviation Gin saves the Peloton Wife
Now this campaign isn’t actually Canadian – it’s for Aviation American Gin – but a few of the key players are most definitely Canadian (and it’s just too good to pass up).
But first, a little backstory: Peloton, an exercise bike brand, recently shared a video ad that created a social media firestorm. In the ad, a clueless husband gives his wife a Peloton bike, the wife suffers through many workouts in order to please her man, and together the couple rejoices in the life-changing bike. Social media users weren’t impressed by the husband (played by Vancouver-based actor Sean Hunter) – the bike felt more like a torture device than a thoughtful gift. Watch for yourself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pShKu2icEYw
Cue Ryan Reynolds, a Canadian icon, social media master and owner of Aviation American Gin. The gin company was quick to create a video poking fun at the Peloton ad – they cast Monica Ruiz, the actress who played the Peloton Wife – and Ryan shared it on his Twitter and Instagram feeds (with a brilliantly-cheeky caption). As of this writing, Ryan’s video has been retweeted over 42,000 times – the joke may feel niche, but social media users are totally in on it. And that’s basically 2019 humour in a nutshell.
Exercise bike not included. #AviationGin pic.twitter.com/jYHW74h81l
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) December 7, 2019
Enjoy this list? Check out 2018’s best Canadian social media campaigns!
Janice Harvie
Great round up! Keep these coming please – I can’t seem to keep up and these are professional inspiring and entertaining.
Doug Lacombe
Thanks, Janice! So pleased you find our posts informative!