Publicis Media provided 10 Canadian entrepreneurs with outside media support worth $400,000 to boost their small businesses.
These efforts helped recipients generate 75 million impressions, 147% more than expected. The campaign resulted in increased awareness, partnership opportunities, new referrals and social media and website traffic for the beneficiary companies.
Publicis, Canada’s largest digital advertising agency, also provided strategic consultation and creative design to the winners as part of its initiative.
Many of the small businesses involved were owned by women and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC).
“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and Publicis Media is committed to serving its community, especially those in underrepresented industries,” said David Rusli, Chief Strategy and Data Officer at Publicis, in a press release. .
“Many of us know the small business owners impacted by the pandemic personally, so it’s an amazing feeling to be working on a campaign that is having tangible impacts on these small business owners.”
LOCO is a zero-waste Quebec grocery store that opened in 2016 and is committed to offering a range of healthy, ecological and packaging-free food and daily use products.
CH Studio is a Guelph, Ontario-based company owned by women and BIPOCs that sells a line of clean beauty products made with natural, eco-friendly ingredients to suit different skin types.
MacaronZ is an online tea shop and bakery in Brampton, Ontario.
“Being on 14 ZUM buses, plus the digital board and all the extra commercials we received, we are all so speechless, grateful, excited and so full of emotions,” MacaronZ founder Zanda Rodrigues said in the press release. “No words can express how grateful we are for this.”
Hydrocephalus Canada is a Toronto-based charity that empowers those affected by hydrocephalus and spina bifida by creating environments that protect, support and enhance the lives of people living with the disease.
Quill Inc is a women-owned and BIPOC-owned podcast agency that develops, produces and markets podcasts that drive reach, awareness and growth through brand storytelling.
“The campaign brought not only awareness but also credibility to our brand,” Quill founder Fatima Zaidi said in the statement.
inkbymi is a Toronto-based stationery company that creates modern calligraphy and hand-drawn illustrations.
CD by Sendi is an Ottawa-based creative services practice owned by women and BIPOCs, focused on the BIPOC arts community.
“This move has definitely given my brand more exposure and it was surreal to see my ads on rotating billboards with other big brands,” founder Rachel (no last name) said in the communicated. “A huge thank you again for supporting small businesses!”
Key to Speech is an Ottawa-based speech-language pathology clinic with a bilingual team of speech-language pathologists who provide assessments and interventions to people of all ages.
Love UR Body is a women-owned nutrition, fitness and wellness consulting company in Markham, Ontario. which offers lifestyle coaching and retreats.
“This campaign has helped me understand everything we’ve been through and everything we’ve done over the past few years,” Love UR Body founder Anna Jourabloo said in the statement. “It was really humbling to see the ads and know that an increase in awareness is happening.”
Ziggy’s At Home is based in Toronto and sells French soaps, glassware, dinnerware, contemporary furniture and accessories from around the world.
Mikey’s Cream Pies is based in Hamilton, Ontario. and sells homemade pastries.
Publicis launched a similar campaign early in the pandemic that offered out-of-home media support to 30 businesses.
The agency has provided financial support to three charities and last year launched a charity matching program for employees.
Pro bono work is also a central pillar of Publicis and it recently launched a partnership with The DMZ, a tech incubator affiliated with Ryerson University in Toronto, to support startups. Over the years, the agency has provided $6 million in pro bono media value.
All of these initiatives are part of Publicis’ corporate social responsibility strategy, which revolves around five areas: environmental; societal; Talent; ethics and governance; and customer support.
Publicis is proud of its corporate culture and policies that promote diversity, true inclusion and equal opportunity.