CASSIES Awards 2010

Summary
McDonald’s was facing increasing competition in the quick service restaurant's breakfast market, where it had been historically dominant since the 1972 launch of the Egg McMuffin. Threats were coming most notably from coffee destinations which, in addition to offering an "experience" in an area where McDonald's was weak (coffee), had mounted aggressive assaults on McDonald’s morning dominance with their own breakfast sandwiches. McDonald’s therefore introduced new messaging via TV advertising focusing on the core components of breakfast - its coffee offering and the freshness of the eggs used in its McMuffins. As of May 2009, morning customers had increased by 18.2% versus the year before, well ahead of the 2009 target of 7%. Coffee unit growth also registed an increase of 28.6%, versus its 20% target, and breakfast sales as a whole were up 9%.

Summary
This case study covers the “Never Stop. Milk.” campaign from its September 2003 launch to 2008, which established a strategic and creative platform to arrest the long-term decline in milk consumption in Prairie Canada. As a result of the initiative, milk volume in the region has grown by a cumulative total of 55,600,000 additional litres, representing cumulative growth of 18% versus 7.8% for the balance of Canada. An econometric study found that “The Never Stop television campaign has contributed significantly to per capita consumption of fluid milk”.

Summary
By late 2007, Nissan's brand awareness and share in Québec had been flat and stagnating for the past two years. Although it did not have the sales, market share or budgets of Toyota, Honda and Mazda (the leaders in Québec), Nissan saw an opportunity to reposition the brand and completely rethink its advertising activities and investments. One of the main insights into the Québec retail automobile market is its higher preoccupation with value for money compared to the rest of Canada. The resulting campaign combined brand and retail adverising to build an accessible, reliable and effective positioning targeted at adult men and women aged 25-54. Nissan recorded its largest-ever percentage growth in sales in 2008 (23.4%), which compared to the average 4% increase for all manufacturers in the province.

Summary
The case of Loblaw and President's Choice (its own-label brand) is one of a huge Canadian retailer in the midst of one of the greatest turnarounds in Canadian retail history. For years, Loblaw dominated the grocery category but by 2005 it had lost momentum. This case explains how Loblaw used its own chairman (and grandson of its founder) as an advertising spokesman and restore itself to profitability. Following the debut of the TV campaign, there has was a 12-point increase in the percentage of people shopping at Loblaw Companies stores as their primary store. Sales of President's Choice were also up 12.4% in 2008 and another 9.3% for 2009. Overall, net Loblaw earnings went from a loss of $219 million in 2006 to a gain of $545 million in 2008.

Summary
In 2008, SunChips embarked on an ambitious plan to reposition itself as “the pre-eminent green snack". To do so, the brand had committed to major capital investments to make its product in a much more environmentally friendly way. In spring 2008, it added a solar field to a plant in California to begin making SunChips with solar energy. In spring 2009, it announced the packaged food industry’s first fully compostable packaging. The marketing challenge was to help SunChips communicate what could be technical news about manufacturing innovations in a way that was accessible, fun, and true to the brand’s voice. The idea that “seeing is believing” inspired the creative strategy. Sales for the results period were 17% above the 2007 baseline period; household penetration grew; and unaided awareness increased significantly. Market mix modeling has shown advertising to be a key driver of volume.

Summary
This campaign repositioned iShares to the investment community and aimed to vault it from an emerging product to a serious alternative to mainstream mutual funds.The decision was made to run in the national business press and national business TV (BNN).These were complemented by online display ads, adviser-targeted trade publications, radio, direct response and a significant PR effort. Mass media would was also used to provoke debate with advisors, investors and the investment community at large. When the Canadian stock market hit its lows in September and October 2008, iShares showed remarkable strength. Investors sold off their mutual funds in record numbers, with more than $12 billion in redemptions over that 2 month period. iShares, on the other hand, reached its highest level ever, gaining $2 billion.This represented a year over year increase of 480%.

Summary
The Subaru Forester, a small player in the Canadian SUV market, wanted to increase its annual sales by close to 50% with the introduction of a newly designed and styled vehicle. However, this new offering did not differ radically from competitors' models so an emotional communications approach was used to distinguish the brand. This was driven by the insight that people in their 30s with young families (the core target) had to sacrifice a lot when they moved into this stage of their lives. SUVs were a logical mode of transportation, but were seen as conformist, safe and dull. The Subaru Forester was therefore positioned as a different kind of SUV — a vehicle that that was playful and sexy. As a result, Subaru sold more than double the number of Foresters compared to the previous year (+115%) with new monthly Forester sales records were set 3 times throughout the year.

Summary
In late 2008, the global recession and the impending failure of two major auto competitors made the 2009 outlook appear uncertain for Ford Canada. The company launched a print, TV and online campaign to capitalize on the public’s support for Ford products. Prior to the launch of “Groundswell” Ford had a 12% share of One-Year-Intenders (those intending to buy a vehicle in the next 12 months). After exposure to the advertising featured in this case study, this share figure increased to 21% – an almost 75% increase in just 3 months. Likewise brand health metrics exceeded targets, with post-launch tracking showing significant advances.

Summary
Gain, part of the Procter and Gamble stable of brands, had to set itself apart from the Canadian competition in a category that included 42 major brands, plus numerous private label entries. This case study sets how Gain developed a distinctive positioning and went from a low-awareness brand to number two in the Canadian market. It features television and internet-based executions. Following the campaign covered, Gain went from an 8 to a 16 share, and joined P&G’s club of billion dollar selling brands.

Summary
Despite the MINI being a small car it has proven itself to be up for big challenges. This case study covers the six years since its launch, into growing one of the most distinct brand images in the Canadian automotive market. Since launch in 2002, MINI sales have grown every year, and have consistently exceeded target. This led to 4905 units in 2008 - close to two and a half times the sales in 2002.