Finance Canada

Challenge

In March of 2020, Finance Canada needed to get the word out quickly that newly created financial support programs were available to Canadians in the wake of the initial lockdowns that resulted from the COVID-19 global pandemic. The COVID-19 Economic Response Plan was well-received by Canadians. This was a time of unprecedented financial uncertainty for multiple sectors of the economy. Furthermore, Canadians reported being worried about job losses, product shortages, and their ability to access healthcare for non-COVID-19-related illnesses and conditions. 

The media environment at that moment signalled more digital advertising opportunities were available than ever before. Our research revealed that overall digital consumption among Canadians grew significantly between January and March 2020, with mobile platforms driving a sizable portion of that growth. We saw a rapid increase in engagement with news and information websites, while engagement with business and finance information also surged. Overall, Canadians across the board lit up the digital airwaves in an effort to stay connected during the months of pandemic lockdown.

Solution

The federal public service campaign Stronger Together is an integrated campaign with an emphasized digital approach. It ran in two phases over approximately two months: Relief and Recovery.  Each phase consisted of waves to announce and inform, then to inform and clarify. We produced an animated video advertisement and a collection of various other creative assets which fanned out across the media landscape in digital banners, social ads, digital TV spots, and newspaper layouts, all aimed at various audiences. We reached Canadian workers and families, self-employed people and business owners, people new to Canada, parents, students, Indigenous people, seniors, and people with disabilities.