Canadian Tire spotlights human stories, debuts Puck Pass Challenge

Canadian Tire wholeheartedly believes we become better humans through play. And in turn, we build better communities.

It’s this belief that inspired Canadian Tire’s Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games campaign and its two hero spots focusing on the raw, real moments of everyday life. Leo Burnett Toronto led the creative for the work.

“Sport plays an important role in our lives – it isn’t about winning or losing or uniforms or medals, it’s much bigger than that,” said Sam Cerullo, Creative Director, Leo Burnett. “Sport and play teach us the value of community, empathy, teamwork and friendship. The stories we tell in this campaign are a reminder to all of us.”

‘Family’ features a boy whose loving mother is forced to work late and can’t take him to hockey – a common scenario for many, but not told as often. Waiting at the bus stop alone, the boy is invigorated when a van of his teammates pulls up, showing the true community found in play.

In ‘Unlikely Coach,’ an apprehensive father watches his daughter descend on the ski slopes – an intimidating scenario many new Canadians can relate to – only for her to turn on a dime and provide him words of encouragement.

“This year, we wanted to connect with Canadians in a meaningful way, and the stories we kept coming back to were the ones we didn’t see anywhere else: the human moments,” said Irene Daley, Associate Vice President, Strategic Marketing, Canadian Tire Corporation.

The hero spots were released in late January, and the fully integrated campaign launched across TV, social, digital, PR and in-store just ahead of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Timed with the ad spots, Canadian Tire also encouraged Canadians to perform the Puck Pass Challenge. For every person who took a video receiving and passing a puck and posted to social media with #WeAllPlayForCanada and @CanadianTire, Canadian Tire donated $1 dollar (up to $300,000) to Jumpstart, the Canadian Olympic Foundation and the Paralympic Foundation of Canada, to help grow participation in sport in Canada.

Credits:

Title of Ad: Unlikely Coach / Family
Client: Canadian Tire
Product / Service: Beijing Winter Olympics
Type of Ad: TV/OLV
Location: Canada / Nationally
Date of Appearance: January – February
City / Country of Appearance: Canada
Media Company: Touche & CT Digital

Agency: Leo Burnett Toronto
President: Ben Tarr
Chief Creative Officers: Lisa Greenberg / Steve Persico
Chief Strategy Officer: Tahir Ahmad
SVP, Head of Account Management: Natasha Dagenais
Creative Directors: Sam Cerullo / Kelly Zettel
Copywriter: Layton Wu
Art Director: Matthew McDonald
Agency Producer: Shannon Farrell
Group Account Director: Shauna Paolucci
Account Director: Dorian Burns-Coyne
Account Supervisor: Devon Toole
Account Executive: Ashleigh Mulholland
Senior Strategist: Gillian Cameron
Director Program Management: Cimmeron Kirk

Production Company (Family/Unlikely Coach): Soft Citizen 
Director: Cole Webley
DOP: Chris Mably
Producer: Rob Burns
Editing Company: Outsider
Editor: Sophia Lou
Audio & Music: Pirate

Production Company (Puck Pass Challenge): The Pub
Director: Reid Marshall
Producer: Terry Theofilacis
Editing Company: The Pub
Editor: Neal McAuley
Audio & Music: Eggplant

Client: Canadian Tire
Name: Irene Daley
Position: AVP, Marketing