2012 Commercial Drive ads

Click any of these images for a larger version so you can read the stories.

I'd like to see the whole series when you have them done ... it's a strong campaign.

Challenge
Reinforce the unique flavour of Commercial Drive without resorting to a catch-all product ad format. Ads had to project a strong message about the personalities that distinguish Commercial Drive as an authentic neighbourhood and destination shopping district for the rest of the City. A secondary objective was to help build traffic to the Drive's Facebook page as part of our social network strategy.

Solution
Our new "Take the Drive…" ad campaign for 2012 focuses on some great Commercial Drive business owners and describes the connections they've forged with neighbouring businesses.

In general, business ads shout "BUY!". Showing each merchant as a customer is an unexpected twist and gave us the opportunity to profile 2 businesses in each ad — the merchant as customer and their supplier. Collectively they illustrate how this neighbourhood thrives as a contemporary urban village which, in turn, attracts customers in search of an alternative to cookie-cutter malls and big-box outlets.

To build out this campaign with fresh ideas for additional ads, we offered a chance to win $500 simply by sharing your stories on the Drive's Facebook page. To encourage thoughtful submissions, we also offered a $100 gift certificate if your story was used in a new ad. By opening up story suggestions from anyone, including other Commercial Drive businesses we also ensure fair representation in the campaign and increase traffic to the Facebook page as more and more people "Like" it to submit their story.

Results
Within the first month of launching the campaign, facebook fans increased by 2/3; posts by fans, rather than page administrators, increased 400%; and we have a few great stories submitted. Thanks!