The Most Amazing Canadian Social Media Campaigns

We cast our eyes across the pond to see how Canadian brands are capturing the imaginations of customers with their innovative social media campaigns.

When we cast our eyes across the pond to see whats going on in the world of social media, rarely do we do think of the often overlooked Canadians. The truth is that while the weather might get pretty cold over there, they have some really hot social media campaigns right now that are both innovative and engaging.

It’s a little known fact that until recently, Canada boasted the most social networking users in the world per capita. So, it makes sense that there are some pretty strong campaigns out there engaging all those users.

Were not going to rank these campaigns in any particular order because we think they are all equally deserving of praise. In true social media spirit, we simply want to share some of the fantastic things these brands are up to.

1. Playland – #PlaylandHotSeat

Teenagers love theme parks, that’s pretty much a given. So when you give eight teenagers the chance to visit Vancouvers Playland for free, you’re bound to attract a few adolescent thrill seekers. However, this was a prize with a difference. The teens visited the park for free, but it was social media users who decided how they’d spend their day.

Using a web-app and social media, viewers watched the teenagers every move via their GoPro streams and chose what they should do next. This included eating as much food as they possibly could before going on the biggest roller-coaster, and inexplicably, even singing a Barry Manilow song. I wonder if that was a request from Manilow himself.

The campaign worked beautifully. Not only did it allow the park to engage with its customers in a completely innovative way, but it also acted as an interactive tour of the park. Viewers were essentially watching an advertisement that lasted for hours!

2. Canadian Football League – #TheGreyCupAd

We really cant stress the power of user-generated content (UGC) enough, and this was a fine example of it in action. The country’s professional football league often uses the relationship it has with its fans in its marketing messages. Campaigns with names like This is our league and It reflects us all have been used previously, but this campaign went one-step further by handing over the creation of an advertisement for the biggest game of the year to the fans.

The CFL asked fans to submit videos from the playoff matches using Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Vine. They received thousands of entries and edited and chopped all that footage together to create a 60-second ad that was shown during the championship deciding game.

3. Molson Canadian Beer Fridge

We warn you now, there’s enough feel-good in the video clip below to make you feel a bit queasy – that’s British sensibilities for you. However, in Canada, this 90-second video went down an absolute storm, as evidenced by the almost 3 million views it has now received on YouTube.

The Molson Coors Brewing Company placed a fridge full of beer in the heart of London, but the catch, it could only be opened by someone with a Canadian passport. Finally, after desperate attempts from us Brits, a Canadian came along, scanned their passport and hey presto, there’s beer for everyone. The result is a campaign that exemplifies storytelling at its best.

4.Volkswagen Canada – #Carstume

An excellent example of a seasonal social media campaign is next on our list. The holidays always present an excellent opportunity for brands to piggyback on the general excitement and connect with their customers online.

In this case, its Halloween which provides the inspiration for Volkswagens Carstume campaign. Knowing that millions of Canadians would be dressing up in their spookiest attire for the occasion, Volkswagen decided to provide some costume ideas of its own.

Across Facebook and Twitter, VW posted instructions on how to make costume versions of the VW Golf, Beetle and Westfalia, including printable accessories like steering wheels and tyres. The result was a campaign that united the brand with Volkswagen owners, as well as encouraging the good people of Canada to show off some of VWs most iconic creations.