Who: Point S Canada, with Publicis Montréal for creative, Nova Film for production and PHD Canada for media.
What: An integrated campaign promoting the stress-free experience of using Point S auto centres for tire replacement and other auto repair needs. The campaign comes as the Boucherville, Que.-based retailer expands its Canadian footprint, with new locations in Alberta and B.C.
When & Where: The campaign launched on Oct. 1, running through mid-November across TV, radio and out-of-home in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario and Western Canada.
Why: The campaign falls under the company’s longstanding brand platform “No stress with Point S.” While its competitors in the automotive aftermarket sector tend to emphasize “rational” factors like price and selection, the goal here is to underscore the stress-free experience that comes from using Point S for your automotive needs, said Patrick Lavoie, vice-president of marketing and communications for Point S in Boucherville, Quebec.
“The majority of people in the automotive aftermarket are very stressed when they take their car to the garage, because they don’t want [the mechanic] to find any expensive repairs,” said Lavoie. Point S positions itself as a stress-free destination for drivers, thanks to its stress-free pricing and transparency about any work that may be required.
How: The campaign’s 30-second anchor spot shows a couple who’ve just had their car serviced at Point S embarking on a trip. The spot opens with a voiceover: “A quick trip to Point S takes the stress out of any getaway,” before cutting to the couple enjoying the great outdoors. Their reverie is soon interrupted by a 400-pound bear swatting at a nearby beehive. But rather than panic, the couple calmly take in the scene, with the man even offering the bear the hot dog he’s been cooking over an open fire.
A radio ad employs a similar approach, except this time the couple’s sleep is uninterrupted by wolves howling nearby. We hear the sound of their tent being unzipped, and the woman calmly asking the wolves to “howl quieter” because they have a five-hour drive the next day.
Humour has been a hallmark of Point S’s marketing in the past, said Lavoie, pointing to a 2017 Quebec campaign in which people’s faces become scrunched up like a stress ball when presented with unpleasant situations, but return to normal when discussing a visit to Point S.
And we quote: “Slightly surreal setups that tap into the humour of those predictably unpredictable–and highly Instagrammable moments in the great outdoors are always a hit with audiences.” — Éléonore Hurtubise, copywriter, Publicis Montréal
