Table of Contents 6 2012 OVATION Awards Winning Entries

In Quebec, a lack of education exists about which type of winter tires should be purchased and when
they should really be installed based on weather conditions versus the mandated December 15
deadline. Intended Audience(s)
Canadian Tire targeted three types of drivers with this campaign, aiming to increase awareness about
the importance of winter driving preparation, debunking common myths and misconceptions and
highlighting Canadian Tire’s broad product and service offering to help drivers get ready for the season:
o Drivers with a proactive approach to preparing for winter – sending a strong message that Canadian
Tire is the authority and one‐stop shop for all things winter driving
o Drivers who erroneously believe adjusting their driving habits in the winter is sufficient enough to
keep them safe on the roads in winter conditions – highlighting that can be extremely dangerous
o Urban and city drivers (GTA, Vancouver, etc.), where there is typically less sustained snow and lower
winter tire use. These drivers, usually all season tire users, felt that an investment in a second set of tires
just wasn’t worth it for the few days a year that they’d really need them.
mainstream consumer media and core automotive media and bloggers. The urban cores of Toronto,
Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary were targeted, along with smaller regional markets across the
country.
3. Goals/Objectives:
The business objective overall was to position Canadian Tire as a leader and automotive authority in
winter driving safety and preparation – simply the best place to shop for all your winter driving product
and service needs. Several communications goals were outlined for campaign:
Using the Media Relations Rating Points (MRP) evaluation system, target 64,000,000 impressions
and obtain a cost‐per‐contact of $0.01 (vs. the industry standard of $0.03)
Dominate winter driving editorial coverage for 2011/2012; increase awareness for winter driving
preparation and Canadian Tire’s product offering in the category at the consumer level
Importance of winter tires is central focus of the campaign, but an additional goal was to showcase
the full complement of winter driving preparation products and services offered by Canadian Tire
including: wiper blades, batteries / battery checks, accessories such as snowbrushes and roadside
emergency kits and Canadian Tire Roadside Assistance services
4. Solution Overview:
Research shows Canadian driver’s lack of knowledge and preparation for winter driving: In order to
shed light on Canadian winter driving habits, vehicle preparation and common misconceptions,
Canadian Tire began the campaign by commissioning a study through Angus Reid. Internally, Canadian
Tire’s own Roadside Assistance service was also used to uncover startling statistics about the correlation
between severe winter weather and dramatic spikes in emergency responses. This research was used to
back key message development and campaign strategies to position Canadian Tire as the automotive
authority on winter driving preparation
Canadian Tire’s winter driving campaign ran throughout the fall and winter, and included the following:
Phase 1 – Fall (September‐October)
o Address myths and key differences between all‐season, all‐weather and winter tire offerings with the
launch of a new tire e‐commerce site and the new all‐weather Hankook Optimo 4S, which was newly
exclusive to Canadian Tire – press release with key data from survey, supporting Canadian driver’s
misconceptions and lack of understating about the benefits of each type of tire category.
Phase 2 – Early winter (November‐December)