Facing increased competition for younger listeners from rival stations like Cogeco-owned The Beat 92.5, Montreal’s Virgin Radio 96 has rolled out its first image campaign since its 2009 debut.
Developed by Montreal agency BCP, the new campaign targets the city’s English community – with a particular focus on women 25-34 – with TV and out-of-home advertising.
BCP was charged with helping Virgin 96 (one of seven Virgin stations operated by Astral Radio across the country) take ownership of its primary niche – the Top 40 format.
The campaign includes a series of billboards utilizing four different visual effects on a glittery, disco-esque background, as well as the iconic Virgin star. The billboards feature different messages promoting the station, including “Montreal is our dance floor,” “Hits that are always a beat ahead” and “Montreal is a party & we are your DJ.”
The campaign also includes a 3D billboard in the heart of the city featuring a headphone-wearing DJ mixing behind a sound table. The execution uses the Astral Out-of-home digital network to display the song being played on Virgin Radio 96 at the time.
The campaign also features TV spots airing on CTV stations, Cineplex theatre screens and the Internet. The 15-second spots feature three current radio hits by Katy Perry, Pink and Usher.
