Who: Canadian Tire, Leo Burnett, Touché for media.
What: A new national campaign promoting the retailer’s in-house tool line, Mastercraft.
When & Where: The campaign broke Sept. 11 and includes TV, digital and social. It is running through Oct. 22.
Why: The campaign is promoting what Natalya Lukie, associate vice-president of strategic marketing, consumer brands at Canadian Tire Corporation, describes as “purposeful changes” that have been made to the Mastercraft brand, including “more rigorous” quality standards and the addition of new products.
While Mastercraft is a legacy brand that has “huge importance” for Canadian Tire and its customers, it hasn’t been supported by brand communications since 2012. “With all we have done to augment and improve our line-up, we felt it was to time to proudly remind Canadians how [Mastercraft] can help them tackle all the jobs they face, and get them done right,” says Lukie.
The campaign’s September launch is timed to coincide with Canadian Tire’s “Ultimate Tool Guide,” a three-week event spotlighting new products and tools necessary for tackling a to-do list.
How: Three TV spots are told from the perspective of DIY projects that haven’t yet been tackled: a leaky faucet, a loose plank on an outside deck, and a picture that hasn’t been hung. Digital and social ads will include additional projects.
“These jobs speak to you on a daily basis and this campaign was built off that insight,” says Lukie. “The jobs aren’t always difficult… but avoiding them only makes the to-do list grow longer. Rather than fixating on that list, we wanted to empower Canadians to get fixing.”
The use of humour is deliberately intended to upend conventional brand campaigns for tools, which tend to be “serious and macho,” says Leo Burnett creative director Kelly Zettel.
All of the ads end with a visual of a pegboard featuring the various Mastercraft tools that Lukie says is designed to be visually striking while also showcasing the wide selection of Mastercraft tools, which she says is a “key driver” within the category.
