2014 Winners


GOLD: Best Digital Marketing Campaign
SILVER: Best New Product Launch

Lanctôt Ltée, Louisville Slugger Canada - The Priceless Bat

TAXI

Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3

Louisville Slugger is an iconic brand with a rich history in Canada. The promotional program needed to befit Louisville's stature as a purveyor of premium baseball equipment; however, the Z- 3000 is only a slight improvement from the previous version. Despite this, it needed to create an oversized sense of excitement.

Given the target's love of slow-pitch, their intense competitive spirit and their desire for the latest and greatest gear, the brand and its agency Taxi knew that a virtual slow-pitch game where players set their price with the swing of a bat would be, well, a hit. The softball community in Canada is a small but mighty group of hyper-competitive weekend warriors who like to "geek out" on the latest and greatest gear. Gaming for this group has typically revolved around Major League Baseball, so there was an opportunity to appeal to this tight-knit group and generate excitement and awareness for the upcoming launch of the new Z-3000 bat from Louisville Slugger.

Introducing ThePricelessBat.com, a social networking game where consumers were given the power to set the price of the new Z-3000 bat. Using a smartphone's accelerometer and a computer, players could virtually bat with the new Z-3000. The phone was used as a bat while a video on their computer showed a pitcher. The farther they hit the virtual ball, the less they paid for the bat. And, of course, the more they shared and incited the competitive spirit among friends, the more chances they had to top the leaderboard and take home bragging rights.

The promotion needed to create a sense of anticipation and engage the target in an experience they would share with like-minded players. Over 23% of the limited supply of Z- 3000 bats were sold on launch day in stores across Canada.

In addition to sales, the excitement and anticipation for the bat was evident across the web and social networking platforms. Social network mentions of Louisville Slugger increased 132% and social network mentions of the Z-3000 increased 450% (week over week) for the duration of campaign. The social network share rate was 16% (percentage of viewers who shared on Facebook or Twitter), and conversion/participation in the game was 44.37% (registered players vs. unique visitors). Participants were engaged for over three minutes of playtime, a true testament to the game's use of innovative technology.

Credits:

Client: Lanctôt Ltée (Louisville Slugger Canada)

Director of marketing: Allison Thompson

Agency: TAXI Canada

ECD: Darren Clarke

AD: Scott Johnson

Writer: Chris Duffett

Digital producer: Sonja Vreugdenburg

Video producer: Steve Emmens

Account manager: Amy Greenspoon

Designer: Yuko Brown

Illustrator: Andrew O'Driscoll

Production house: TOPIX

Producer: Cathy Jefferies

Post: TOPIX

Editor/special effects: Matt Dochstade

Music/sound: Grayson Matthews

WINNING CASES

Best of Show – Commercial
MotoMaster Eliminator / Canadian Tire - Ice Truck
Best of Show – Cause
World Vision Canada - No Child For Sale
Best Activity Generating Brand Awareness
WestJet Christmas Miracle: Real-Time Giving
World Vision Canada - No Child For Sale
Microsoft Canada - Xbox One Source (Mosaic)

Best Activity Generating Brand Volume
WestJet Christmas Miracle: Real-Time Giving
Kraft Dinner - Shamefully Good
Corona Extra, Modelo Molson Imports LP - Day of the Dead

Best Brand Building Campaign
MotoMaster Eliminator / Canadian Tire - Ice Truck
Kraft Canada - MiO Squirt Some
Royal Canadian Mint - Heart of the Arctic

Best Cause or Charity Marketing
World Vision Canada - No Child For Sale
Amnesty International Canada - Minute of Silence, Minute of Hope
Raising The Roof - Repackaging Help

Best Digital Marketing Campaign
Lanctôt Ltée, Louisville Slugger Canada - The Priceless Bat
Microsoft Canada - Xbox One Source (Traffik)
Kraft Canada - MiO Squirt Some
Royal Canadian Mint - Heart of the Arctic

Best Experiential Campaign
Unilever Canada - Magnum Pleasure Store
Microsoft Canada - Xbox One Source (Mosaic)
AMC Networks - The Walking Dead Rotting Finger Countdown

Best Integrated Campaign
World Vision Canada - No Child For Sale
Yellow Pages - Highlight Your Hood
Microsoft Canada - Xbox One Source (Traffik)
TD Bank - Dear Mortgage

Best New Product Launch
Kraft Canada - MiO Squirt Some
Lanctôt Ltée, Louisville Slugger Canada - The Priceless Bat
Microsoft Canada - Xbox One Source (Traffik)

Best Pop-Up Activation
Unilever Canada - Magnum Pleasure Store
La Carnita
Yellow Pages - Dog Park

Best Shopper Marketing/Retail Account Specific Activation
FGL Sports - Sport Chek West Edmonton Mall Flagship Store Launch
Unilever Canada - Dove Self-Esteem Project
Kimberly-Clark - Huggies Baby Room by Design at Walmart

Best Small Budget Campaign
Amnesty International Canada - Minute of Silence, Minute of Hope
AMC Networks - The Walking Dead Rotting Finger Countdown
Mattel Canada - The Hot Wheels Camaro-matic Trending Machine

Best Sponsorship Campaign
Chevrolet Spark, General Motors of Canada - Osheaga
General Motors of Canada - Chevrolet Road Coaster
Labatt Breweries of Canada - Bud Light Sensation

Best Use of Direct Marketing
Boston Pizza International - Rib Stain Camo
Aeroplan - Member Milestones
Earls Kitchen + Bar - The Steak Redemption

Best use of Mobile Marketing
Valentine - Walk Off Your Poutine
Make-A-Wish Canada - Kringl – The Proof of Santa App
Free the Children - WE365 Multiplatform App

Best use of Packaging
Raising The Roof - Repackaging Help
Corona Extra, Modelo Molson Imports LP - Day of the Dead

Best Use of Social Media
WestJet Christmas Miracle: Real-Time Giving
Coca-Cola Canada - Moment Zero Campaign
FGL Sports - Sport Chek Social Flyer

Most Innovative Idea or Concept
MotoMaster Eliminator / Canadian Tire - Ice Truck
Make-A-Wish Canada - Kringl – The Proof of Santa App
Boston Pizza International - Rib Stain Camo