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Category
Innovation / Use of Media in Branded Entertainment
Annual ID
OS24_BE089M
About the Work
OBJECTIVE:
The French-speaking province of Quebec is Canada's largest and most crowded EV market. Volkswagen wanted to promote their all-electric ID.4 in Quebec in a way that would stand out.
INSIGHT:
The overnight period when Quebec TV stations go off-air is known as Sans Émission, which translates to “No broadcast signal”. But Sans Émission has a second meaning: “No gas emissions”, which refers to electric vehicles.
IDEA:
Volkswagen partnered with channel Noovo to turn their 2 AM to 6 AM off-air time slot into a 4-hour long comedy special titled “Sans Émission”. The special starred a Volkswagen ID.4 and Pier-Luc Funk – a popular French comedian and Volkswagen’s spokesperson in the Quebec market.
EXECUTION:
In Sans Émission, Pier-Luc Funk showed off the ID.4 while performing improvised comedy bits, including:
- Ping pong trick shots
- A phone call to his girlfriend, who tells him he’ll be sleeping on the couch
- An argument with a cardboard cut-out
The special aired on TV for one night on September 16, 2023. Afterwards, a 45-minute cutdown was made available on Noovo’s online streaming platform for 2 months.
3 weeks before it aired, we hyped Sans Émission with teaser commercials on Noovo, out-of-home, social, banner ads, and a branded listing in the TV guide. This coincided with the start of the fall TV season, when people are on the lookout for new shows.
RESULTS:
During the one-night-only broadcast, over 63,000 people tuned in*. Noovo saw a 3050% increase in viewers during this time slot, and Sans Émission garnered over 2M earned media impressions.
On the weekend of the broadcast, Volkswagen saw a 64% increase in ID.4 order form web visitors from Quebec˚. A post-launch survey showed:
- A 26% increase in familiarity with VW as an EV brand†
- That 94% would consider buying a Volkswagen ID.4†
Sources:
*Noovo viewership data
˚Adobe Analytics
†Kantar data
The French-speaking province of Quebec is Canada's largest and most crowded EV market. Volkswagen wanted to promote their all-electric ID.4 in Quebec in a way that would stand out.
INSIGHT:
The overnight period when Quebec TV stations go off-air is known as Sans Émission, which translates to “No broadcast signal”. But Sans Émission has a second meaning: “No gas emissions”, which refers to electric vehicles.
IDEA:
Volkswagen partnered with channel Noovo to turn their 2 AM to 6 AM off-air time slot into a 4-hour long comedy special titled “Sans Émission”. The special starred a Volkswagen ID.4 and Pier-Luc Funk – a popular French comedian and Volkswagen’s spokesperson in the Quebec market.
EXECUTION:
In Sans Émission, Pier-Luc Funk showed off the ID.4 while performing improvised comedy bits, including:
- Ping pong trick shots
- A phone call to his girlfriend, who tells him he’ll be sleeping on the couch
- An argument with a cardboard cut-out
The special aired on TV for one night on September 16, 2023. Afterwards, a 45-minute cutdown was made available on Noovo’s online streaming platform for 2 months.
3 weeks before it aired, we hyped Sans Émission with teaser commercials on Noovo, out-of-home, social, banner ads, and a branded listing in the TV guide. This coincided with the start of the fall TV season, when people are on the lookout for new shows.
RESULTS:
During the one-night-only broadcast, over 63,000 people tuned in*. Noovo saw a 3050% increase in viewers during this time slot, and Sans Émission garnered over 2M earned media impressions.
On the weekend of the broadcast, Volkswagen saw a 64% increase in ID.4 order form web visitors from Quebec˚. A post-launch survey showed:
- A 26% increase in familiarity with VW as an EV brand†
- That 94% would consider buying a Volkswagen ID.4†
Sources:
*Noovo viewership data
˚Adobe Analytics
†Kantar data
2024 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit
Credits
Agency
VML Canada
Media Agency
Touché! Media
Client / Brand
Volkswagen Canada
Production Company
Freshman
Chief Creative Officer
Graham Lang
Creative Director
Mike Richardson
Alexandre Béland
Alexis Caron-Côté
Designer
Kyle Simpson
Director
Louis-David Jutras
Director of Photography
Maxime Valsan
Editor
Louis-David Jutras
Executive Creative Director
Allen Kwong
Executive Producer
Daniel Libman
Producer
Alexandra Michaud
Group Strategy Director
Andrew Ahern
Senior Art Director
Jérôme Bajulaz
Account Manager
Virginie Calderon
Associate Media Director
Emilie Bertrand
Audio
Circonflex
Director, Marketing
Lynne Piette
Group Account Director
Luc Arbour
Manager, Brand Marketing
Jennifer Klepadlo
Manager, Retail Marketing
Mark Dicks
Managing Director
Marie-Josée Bourque
Media, Project Manager
Vincent Guitard
National Head of Production
Janice Bisson
Post Production Supervisor
France Youde-Poulin
PR & Communications Lead
Aaron Nilsen
President
Christine Maw
President, CEO
Pierre Boutin
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