Who: Canada Post and The&Partnership, with Touché for media.
What: “There’s magic in the mail” a new bilingual holiday campaign (“Nous livrons de la magie” in Quebec) from the Crown Corporation.
When & Where: The integrated campaign broke last week and runs through Dec. 20 across Canada Post’s social channels, as well as in newspapers (The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and Le Journal de Montreal) and on programmatic video. There is also a homepage takeover on the IMDB website.
Why: Broadly speaking, it’s about showcasing how Canada Post connects Canadians and brings them happiness during a magical time of year—an especially important factor since it’s looking increasingly likely that many Canadians will be separated from family and friends this holiday season.
The campaign also ladders up to Canada Post’s broader emphasis on shaping consumer perceptions of the brand. “We want to seen as a company that changes to meet the needs of Canadians,” said director of advertising Jennifer Justin.
Why Pt. 2: Canada Post has traditionally based much of its holiday messaging around parcels, a logical decision given the increased parcel volume around the holidays. This year’s campaign takes a broader view of its business, including recognizing the growing importance of traditional letter and mail delivery—something that has been the focus of recent work such as its recent “Write here. Write now,” campaign.
Canada Post had pulled back on promoting letter delivery as its parcel business grew and consumers increasingly turned to digital for everything from communications to billing. However, there are signs that letter writing is coming back into vogue as people grow weary of technology. “With the resurgence of analogue, people want that hands-on feeling again,” said Justin. “People love having something that’s written with love and care in their hands.”
How: The campaign is anchored by a video ad (in 50-, 30- and six-second formats) showing a Canada Post mail carrier on an idyllic street (the ad was filmed in Longueuil, Que.) during the holiday season.
As he goes about his rounds, he’s serenaded by singing mailboxes (voiced by Amy Millan and Evan Cranley of the Canadian indie band Stars) celebrating being filled with cards and love. The goal was to create an evergreen spot that can be used in the future, said Justin. In other words, no mentions of “unprecedented times” or COVID.
The video ads are complemented by a robust social campaign highlighting the physical nature of holiday cards with messages like “You can’t put a .jpeg on your fridge.” Canada Post is also wrapping some vehicles in holiday-themed messaging, and has created a downloadable colouring page featuring a black-and-white version of the stylized word “mail” made up of various residential and commercial buildings featured in its newspaper ads.
And we quote: “With the looming impact of spending holidays apart from family and friends, we wanted to shine a light and celebrate the role that we play in making the holidays joyful. We wanted to put a smile on people’s faces.” —Jennifer Justin, director of advertising, Canada Post
