Table of Contents 6 2012 OVATION Awards Winning Entries

OVATION Awards Winning Entry
Communication Management
Community Relations
AWARD OF MERIT
Entrant’s name: Martine Lévy
Entrant’s organization: DDB Public Relations
Client organization: Historica‐Dominion Institute
Title of entry: A Historic Remembrance Day
Division 1: Communication Management/Category1: Community Relations
Time Period: October–November 2011
Brief description: It was an opportunity that would literally only happen once in our lifetime ‐
Remembrance Day, on the 11 th hour, of the 11 th day, of the 11 th month, of the 11 th year. This was a
chance for Canadians to pay tribute to the thousands of war veterans who sacrificed their lives fighting
for this country’s freedom. DDB Public Relations created a unique, symbolic campaign for this day on
behalf of the Historica‐Dominion Institute, a non‐profit organization dedicated to building active and
informed citizens, through a greater knowledge and appreciation of Canada’s history and heritage. A
visual representation of the historic “11/11/11” date was created utilizing veterans to represent the
numbers. This symbol, with its message of remembrance, honour, heritage appreciation and
preservation was then seeded via a PR activation, advertisements and community outreach. As a result,
not only did the campaign generate widespread public awareness via media and influencer accolades, it
also increased website traffic by 233% and drove donations up by 343%.
1. Need/opportunity: The Historica‐Dominion Institute is a not‐for‐profit organization dedicated to
building active and informed citizens through a greater knowledge and appreciation of the history,
heritage and stories of Canada.
Since Canada’s confederation in 1867, more than 100,000 Canadians have sacrificed their lives to fight
for this country’s freedom. To honour this immense sacrifice, and preserve Canada’s heritage, Canadians
have designated November 11 th as Remembrance Day, and use the familiar term, “Lest we forget” as a
reminder to be thankful to all of the men and women who have served, and continue to serve this
country during times of war, conflict and peace.
As time wears on, and the First and Second World Wars become a distant memory, Canada is challenged
with helping many young and new Canadians (most of whom have never known war), come to
understand and appreciate what armed conflict and peace stands for, and what veterans’ truly
sacrificed for this country’s behalf. In order to help new generations remember, the Historica‐Dominion
Institute launched “The Memory Project”, a nationwide project that offers an unprecedented account of
Canada’s participation in wars, through thousands of first‐hand veteran testimonials. It features a digital
archive of over 90 years of military oral history, artifacts and memorabilia, ranging from the First World
War right through to the present day conflict in Afghanistan. Moreover, The Memory Project also
connects veterans and Canadian Forces personnel with thousands of schools and community groups
year round. This educational initiative gives Canadians a chance to be witnesses to Canada’s history.”
As a non‐profit organization, finding exposure and creating awareness of veterans, and The Memory
Project remained a challenge. When the Historica‐Dominion Institute approached DDB Canada and its
PR division, DDB Public Relations, to take on this challenge, the agency immediately recognized a rare
opportunity to draw attention to this initiative. In 2011, Remembrance Day fell on a date that essentially
comes around only once in a lifetime. The insight lay in the numbers behind the date: the 11 th hour, of
the 11 th day, of the 11 th month, of the 11 th year. To commemorate this special date, the agency created
an iconic “11/11/11” symbol featuring saluting veterans from the Canadian Navy, Army and Air Force. To