Table of Contents 6 2012 OVATION Awards Winning Entries

In August 2010, Valerie Pringle traveled to Halifax, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver. This crosscountry
tour focused on all three pillars of the program: saving, investing and borrowing. She met with
groups in each of these communities and held what was referred to as ‘kitchen table’ discussions with
participants in each of these regions. These conversations were meant to inspire discussions about
saving and finances around the kitchen tables of Canadians across the country. Valerie also made
appearances at branches in every region which offered a meaningful employees engagement
opportunity coast‐to‐coast.
The second leg of Valerie’s national tour took place in January 2011 and she visited St. John’s, Windsor,
Cambridge, Saskatoon, Victoria, and finished up back in Toronto. This tour took place during RSP season,
so we chose to focus the discussion on investing and retirement planning. Scotiabank had recently
released research findings in January 2011 from their annual Investor Behaviour Poll conducted by
Harris/Decima, which showed that retirement is changing. Of those Canadians surveyed who planned to
retire, more than two‐thirds (69 per cent) plan to work during retirement. We spoke to people on this
leg of the tour where they lived, worked and played – from curlers in St. John’s and farmers in Saskatoon
to auto parts workers in Windsor, retirees in Victoria and recreational hockey players in the GTA.
Speaking with groups that had common interests allowed us to delve deeper into their experiences,
challenges, successes and regional influences.
Both tours were documented on film and highlights were shared on Scotiabank’s Facebook page.
Canadians are able to not only watch the videos, but also engage with them directly. By commenting on
the videos and answering questions posed by Scotiabank and other Canadians, the whole country
participated in the movement and was able to join the conversation. Social media and public relations
allowed Scotiabank to engage the nation to participate in a two‐way dialogue. This provided both a
central page for all conversation and content, as well as a medium to distribute it through news feeds,
posts and advertising. It allowed us to scale the conversation from the tour and grow a community of
savers. Canadians were able to engage by viewing videos of the round tables, street interviews, event
pictures and Scotia poll results. They posted responses to videos, to Scotiabank questions and Valerie’s
thoughts. Finally, they were able to ‘like’ the group making them an advocate of the program, like videos
and comments and stimulate interaction through their newsfeeds and social networks.
The second tour also produced Scotiabank’s first‐ever live digital event on Facebook. Valerie was the
moderator to a panel of experts including ZoomerMedia’s Moses Znaimer, urban theorist Richard
Florida and ScotiaMcLeod’s Bev Moir. Canadians across the country watched and were able to have
their questions answered live by this impressive panel. It allowed all Canadians to engage in a dynamic
way with the program and offered thoughtful and diverse insights into the topics of retirement planning
and investing.
At the conclusion of the tour, all of Valerie’s findings were compiled for a final report, released publically
in June 2011, which will ultimately help shape future programs from Scotiabank. The entire campaign
was supported with media relations and Valerie was booked regionally in every tour stop along the way.
Measurement/Evaluation
We always hear that money is a taboo subject. But everyone involved was pleasantly surprised at how
readily Canadians engaged in conversations about money. It was as though they understood that we
were at a critical juncture, post‐2008, when we all had to look bluntly at this issue and realize that not
talking about it would not help.