The IDEA Competition, celebrating inclusivity, diversity and equity in advertising, is returning for a third year, with this year’s entrants asked to focus on the lived realities of newcomers to Canada.
Now in its third year, the IDEA Competition was launched in partnership with Bell Media in 2020, building on a broader ICA initiative to promote inclusivity, diversity, and equity in advertising first introduced in 2017.
The annual competition is open to national and international for-profit brands and their agencies, with the winning campaign receiving $1 million of inventory across Bell Media’s various properties, including TV, radio, out-of-home, and digital, in 2023 and 2024.
Newcomers represent an increasingly large part of the Canadian population, with the country welcoming a record 431,645 newcomers in 2022. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, an additional 47,055 permanent residents are expected this year, followed by 451,000 in 2024.
“Newcomers is a very broad term; I am excited to see the depth of ideas that truly explore the intersectionality and experiences of what this means to people.” said ICA president and CEO Scott Knox in a release. “With Canada’s immigration-positive agenda, every brand should be working to support and connect with newcomers to our country. Not doing so leaves serious dollars on the table for competitors.”
“Bell Media is committed to creating meaningful change in our industry by ensuring more diversity and representation in advertising, and we look forward to seeing the brand thinking and storytelling focusing on newcomers to Canada, in this year’s entries,” added Perry MacDonald, VP, advertising sales and partnerships at Bell Media. “This year’s competition provides a unique opportunity for marketers to showcase their strategies to authentically reach, connect, and build powerful and long-lasting connections with multicultural Canadians.”
Previous themes for the IDEA Competition have included the lived realities of Canada’s LGBTQ+ communities, which was won by Humanity and Big Brothers Big Sisters for “Bigger Together — A Celebration of Self-Expression”; and the lived realities of Indigenous communities (which was won by Sid Lee’s “Right the Story,” on behalf of Indigenous-owned beauty brand Cheekbone Beauty).
Submissions for this year’s IDEA Competition are open now, closing on Sept. 8. Entry details can be found here.
