Quebec TV personalities are recalling their old-school battles with Goombas and Bowser in a new Bell Media campaign promoting Nintendo Canada’s latest game title, Super Mario Maker.
The four-week campaign, which runs through Nov. 15, features Quebec TV stars François-Étienne Paré, Vanessa Pilon and Jean-François-Baril sharing their memories of growing up playing Super Mario Bros.
Randy Mauskopf, director of media creative for Bell Media Sales in Toronto, said the campaign builds off the strong affinity that Quebeckers have for the province’s home grown celebrities.
“It essentially looks like Quebec celebrities having a good time,” said Mauskopf of the campaign’s creative approach. “Quebeckers enjoy seeing the people who are part of the [province’s] star system taking part in activities.”
Because of Quebec’s rules regarding advertising to children, the campaign is specifically pitched towards adults, leaning heavily on nostalgia to woo consumers.
“We were looking for an emotional connection,” said Mauskopf. “So much of what we do is in the present or looking forward, and Super Mario Bros. is a game that people have played for maybe 30 years. It feels like everybody kind of grew up with it, so we wanted to draw a line from back then to right now.”
A series of 30-second TV spots running on the Bell Media-owned and represented properties Canal D, Z, VRAK and Télétoon feature the TV personalities reminiscing about Super Mario Bros. while playing the new game. The spots are also appearing online at CanalVie.com.
Additional 60-second clips feature the celebrities discovering Super Mario Maker’s new features – which include the ability for users to create their own levels using visual styles, obstacles and music from previous iterations of the game – and playing levels created by their fellow stars.
The campaign is the latest in a long line of marketing initiatives featuring Quebec celebrities. “We think that one of the best ways to speak to Quebeckers is in their own voice,” explained Mauskopf. “When you watch TV or go online you want to see yourself reflected back at you, so this is an effort to reflect back to the culture.”
Bell Media has also created a contest housed at CanalVie.com inviting viewers to enter for a chance to win prizes including a Wii U console, a copy of the game and an LG smart TV.
