“Where Am I?” Tourism campaign launches with a riddle
FCB Toronto’s unconventional approach boosts tourism in Ontario for OTMPC
Launched with a riddle, an unconventional tourism campaign called “Where Am I?” is challenging public perceptions about Ontario – and how travel advertising can be done. Provoking mystery and surprise, a campaign developed for the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation (OTMPC) by FCB Toronto is showcasing Ontario in an unfamiliar way.
The high profile, multi-channel campaign, targeting residents of Ontario and Montreal, is designed to increase awareness of Ontario as a travel destination and encourage tourism within the province by asking a simple question: “Where Am I?”
“When it comes to travel, people want the unfamiliar,” says Ronald Holgerson, President and CEO, OTMPC. “Where am I? presents Ontario in a new way. With a surprising narrative of riddles, the campaign exposes locations that are beautiful, unexpected and mysterious – positioning Ontario as a unique and intriguing vacation destination.”
Driven by research that discovered residents widely believe they already know Ontario and consequently overlook it as a travel destination, FCB Toronto developed an unconventional strategy for the OTMPC; one that doesn’t include well known landmarks or attractions.
“This was purposeful. People think they already know Ontario and so disregard it for travel. Showing those places would only have reaffirmed this perception. This campaign challenges that belief both visually and through a riddle,” says Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, VP, creative director, FCB Toronto.
A visually stunning campaign was filmed over nine months with acclaimed Canadian director, Andrew Cividino (OPC) who earned two Cannes nominations for his film “Sleeping Giant.” The campaign includes three TV ads, online, social as well as digital elements. To generate mystery and intrigue, images of Ontario are presented through new perspectives, using fast cuts, intimate portraits and glimpses of incredible sights, all set to a visceral track created by Ontario indie band Bruce Peninsula. The ads were edited by Marc Langley at Rooster Post Production.
“Where Am I? is not only visually remarkable, it accomplished something no other tourism campaign has attempted,” says Jeff Hilts, VP, creative director, FCB Toronto. “The OTMPC boldly and playfully teased Ontarians for 10 days without telling anyone the destination was Ontario.
“The approach resulted in thousands of people jumping online to guess the destination before it was revealed. And many more are still answering our riddles to guess the incredible locations being showcased.”
“If we can surprise people, then we can create a desire for Ontario that is usually reserved for more faraway places,” says Crimi-Lamanna. “What this campaign does is say, ‘Hey you don’t need to travel the world to see it, many of those experiences are a lot closer than you think.’”
Where Am I? launched in English and French on June 22nd with an emotive and unbranded TV and online teaser. The narrative for each commercial posed a riddle ending with the question “Where Am I?” and a call to action directing viewers to www.whereami.com to guess the answer.
Visitors to www.whereami.com were also given daily clues to solve the riddle and a forum to guess the destination depicted in the advertising. Additionally, the teaser phase of the campaign was supported with Instagram, @whereamiclues that featured more photos and clues to the riddle.
The reveal phase of the campaign was executed with a Cineplex cinema take-over across Ontario on the Canada Day long-weekend. The revised ads now answer the riddle, revealing Ontario as the location while driving viewers to ontariotravel.net or ontariotravel.net/decouvrir to discover the details of the many locations depicted in the spots.
The new OTMPC campaign is running until mid-September in Ontario and in French Montréal. The OTMPC media buy includes traditional TV and digital and social media, as well as interior and exterior billboards in major public spaces like travel centres, ONroute Centres, Yonge and Dundas Square, and Cineplex movie theatres. The TV ads will also be airing in 18 different languages on OMNI Television in Ontario.
Where Am I? was shot at the following Ontario locations: Niagara region, Hamilton, Orangeville, Prince Edward County, Picton, Ottawa, Eganville, Muskoka, Toronto, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Huntsville, Lake Superior North Shore Lake Superior Provincial Park, Dorion, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, and Northwest Ontario.
About Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation (OTMPC)
The Ontario Marketing Tourism Partnership Corporation (www.tourismpartners.com) is an agency of the Government of Ontario with a vision to position Ontario as a preferred global destination. OTMPC’s mission is to generate increased visitation by Ontario, Canadian and international tourists, enhance tourism expenditures in Ontario, and contribute to provincial economic prosperity through impactful marketing and results oriented investment partnerships.
About FCB Toronto
FCB (Foote, Cone & Belding) Toronto is a part of a global, fully integrated marketing communications company with a heritage of creativity and success dating from 1873. Based on a deeply developed understanding of diversified local markets and global cultures, FCB focuses on significantly changing consumer behaviour to the benefit of its clients, its people and society. The company is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG). Learn more at www.fcbtoronto.com or www.fcb.com, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@FCB_Toronto).
Full credits are posted at the bottom of this page.
“Where Am I?” Creative Credit List
Client: Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation
President & CEO: Ronald Holgerson
Special Projects Manager: Debra Mansillo
Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer: Lisa LaVecchia
Director, Brand Management and Consumer Marketing: Michelle Borthwick
Director, Digital Marketing: Julia Holliday
Campaign Title: Where Am I?
Medium/Media: Broadcast, Digital, Social
Length/Size: :60s, 2x:15s, French 1x:15
Agency: FCB Toronto
CEO: Tyler Turnbull
CCO: Jon Flannery
VP, Group Creative Director: Jeff Hilts
VP, Group Creative Director: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna
Art Director:
VP, Group Creative Director: Jeff Hilts
Senior Art Director: Rob Dean
Art Director: Cody Sabatine
Writer:
VP, Group Creative Director: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna
Senior Copywriter: Dave Delibato
Copywriter: Joseph Vernuccio
Account Team:
VP, Management Director: Sunil Sekhar
VP, Business Director: Sarah Banks
Account Supervisor: Violet Karbalaei
Account Coordinator: Skye Gandy
Agency Producer:
Producer: Rea Kelly
Producer: Sumit Ajwani
Project Manager:
VP, Operations” Kinga Karadi
Senior Project Manager: Michelle Simpson
Project Coordinator: Emily Watkin
Project Coordinator: Carly Roy
Planner:
VP, Chief Strategy Officer: Shelley Brown
VP, Planning Director: Heather Segal
Senior Strategist: Anastasia Tubanos
Lead User Experience: Kristy Pleckaitis
Digital Strategist: Shelagh Hartford
Other:
Agency Videographer/Editor: Jorge Vasconez
VP, Director of Communications: Rob MacLean
Production Credits
Production Company: OPC
Executive Producer: Liz Dussault, Harland Weiss
Line Producer: Karen Harnisch, Marc Swenker
Director: Andrew Cividino
DOP: James Klopko
Editing House: Rooster Post Production
Executive Producer: Yumi Suyama
Editor: Marc Langley
Assistant Editor: Eric Dubois
Transfer Facility: Alter Ego
Colourist: Eric Whipp
Online Facility: Fort York VFX
Online Artist: Ernie Mordak
Online Assistant: Melissa Vasiliev
Music House: Silent Joe
Music Track Director: Jody Colero
Exec Producer: Jane Heath
Composer: Bruce Peninsula arranged by Todor Kobakov
Engineer: Vlad Nikolic
Sound Design: Vlad Nikolic
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