Bell Canada is sailing into Ontario’s cottage country for its mobile high-speed Internet service. Bell is putting spokesbeaver Gordon on the sails of five small recreational sailboats cruising around Lake Rosseau, Lake Joseph, Lake Muskoka, Muskoka Bay and Kempenfelt Bay this summer.
After discovering that out-of-home inventory along the major roads into the area was already committed to long-term advertisers, the team at Cossette’s Toronto office drove up to cottage country in search of an alternative medium, said the agency’s media manager Katie Wolf.
The team was looking for an unobtrusive way to promote its message and after several brainstorming sessions came up with the sail strategy, said Wolf.
Gordon appears to be using the white sail to windsurf, with a white Bell logo in the middle of a blue banner that runs along the bottom of the sail. Copy reads: “High Speed Internet now at the cottage.” “Outdoor advertising emerged as a natural choice in our media plan, given the approaching summer and the fact that our target demographic, which is active and on-the-go, would soon be spending a lot of time outdoors,” said Nicolas Poitras, senior director, marketing communications residential services for Bell Canada, in a release.
Radio, direct mail, out-of-home and print running in cottage country also support the campaign. The sailboats launched on the May long weekend and will sail across cottage lakes again in July. Media was supplied by WestPalm Media.
