After a formal review, Toronto Public Library has hired marketing communications firm Clever Samurai to create a community engagement campaign.
The campaign, which launches in May, coincides with the opening of the library’s 100th branch. The milestone “was an opportunity that was too good to miss,” said Yvonne Hunter, manager, cultural & special events programming at Toronto Public Library.
The campaign aims to get Torontonians to discover that the library is much more than a place to borrow books. One hundred ambassadors will be enlisted to promote 100 new and different things people can do at the library. These include juried art exhibits, writers’ rooms, 3D printing and Dial-a-story in 16 languages.
“There is an overarching goal of creating public awareness and addressing the ‘who knew?’ question,” said Hunter. “We want to tell the story of all the different things we do here that perhaps the public aren’t necessarily aware of.”
Joe Amaral, VP and creative director at Clever Samurai, said the ambassadors include city librarians as well as heavy users of the library. “We’re going to use people who already know about the library… to become passionate advocates for the library.”
Clever Samurai launched in Dec. 2014 as part of the 5th Business Group of Companies, which also includes lead-generation company 360 Leads.
Hunter said above all, Clever Samurai was selected for its creativity. “Their proposal more specifically addressed grassroots engagement… It really looked at how we could get all our staff engaged at all the branches.”
