Ontario Tourism has kicked off its first-ever Instagram campaign in support of the upcoming Pan Am/Parapan Am Games with 15-second videos of athletes, including a sprinter taking off, a boxer practicing his jabs and para-athletes playing basketball.
The social media site was chosen for its appeal to younger audiences and younger sports fans, says Lisa LaVecchia, vice-president of marketing at Ontario Tourism, who credits Zenith Optimedia for coming up with the idea. Both the ads’ production and the buy cost under $100,000.
The three-week push builds on the hype generated by the popular “EpicIsOn” campaign from FCB Toronto that launched last fall on TV, in-store screens and online. It has racked up more than 3.5 million views to date with its dramatic first ad “Invade” on YouTube. The commercial has also earned industry accolades, taking home a Best of Show trophy at the Bessies.
“For us, [Invade] was a great success,” LaVecchia says. “We were thrilled with it. This is the next leg. We’re building on the momentum that we started with. We thought this would be a great new paid channel where we could take what we started with and come up with something really unique.”
Ontario Tourism has been engaged in growing its social media presence over the past few years, and has had an Instagram account for some time. If these ads strike a chord, they may end up on other social media, says LaVecchia.
While the goal of the campaign is to drive ticket sales and connect people to the athletes and the Games itself, but also to encourage spending within the province.
“As you go to these games, we want to inspire you to eat at different places, visit another attraction or drive somewhere you haven’t been in the province,” says LaVecchia. “So as we roll things out, you’ll start to see where things connect. Here are all things you can see play or do in that area.”
The “EpicIsOn” campaign continues to evolve and now includes GO Train wraps and in-flight videos.
