SITUATION
Digital Media Campaign & Community Engagement
Every two years, the Canada Games comes to a proud Canadian city. Competing with Sudbury, Ottawa and Niagara Falls for a host games location in Ontario, Waterloo Region needed to be positioned as a leader in technology and innovation with a strong connected community.
SERVICES
- Digital Brand Strategy
- Branding & Identity
- Logo Design
- Communications Planning
- Community Engagement Strategy
- Social Media Strategy
- Fan Engagement
- Public relations
- Website microsite design
- Content management system
- Content creation & copywriting
- Social media management
SOLUTION
The #WeRally2021 was created to play on the W and R of Waterloo Region, along with the goal of bringing people within the community together. Each of the elements
of the campaign focused on rallying together with the website housing all of these signs of support.
The campaign and website www.werally2021.ca launched.
on January 6, 2017 during the Levees of the Mayors of Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo. The social media strategy #WeRally2021 and community engagement through the Community Support section of the website quickly surged, gaining momentum on the three other cities who began their campaign six months earlier.
When signing up to support #WeRally2021, community members could submit their reasons for supporting the bid. By the end of the campaign thousands of supporters, from community members and Olympians to varsity athletes and professional athletes, shared why the community of Waterloo Region was a key component of their success.
In pep rallies and on social media, within community centres and schools, spilling into the streets and to the outdoors, the people of Waterloo Region and our local athletes showed their support rallying together every step of the way.
SUCCESS
Over a two month campaign, #WeRally2021 had two million impressions, with over 280,000 unique social media accounts interacting and engaging on social media.
The community engagement surrounding #WeRally2021 generated over 2,800,000 impressions with nearly 1,250,000 accounts reached. The hashtag was utilized by top level influencers and media outlets such as CBC and Lennox Lewis. These messages were clear: Waterloo Region rallies to support young athletes.
COLLABORATIONS
Case StudyMandy Bujold
She represented Canada in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil, as a As a female athlete, there was a need to help bring awareness of her fight to reach the top of the podium.
Case StudyIvanhoe Cambridge
One of Ivanhoé’s primary shopping centres in North Waterloo was looking for new and innovative ways to bring consumers into the mall to shop.
Case StudyAfrica Portal
The Africa Portal is an online resource that seeks to broaden the availability, accessibility, and use of policy research on issues critical to the future of Africa.
Case StudyDavid Edgar
With the city in a rally for the Canada Games, and an injury sidelining David at home, the star and the community were together again for some grassroots moments.