The Universe Needs More Canada
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Helping Secure Canada's Space Sector
We needed a campaign that would immediately grab the audience, rouse patriotic pride and awaken strong concern about what stood to be lost. The campaign about securing Canada’s place in space would therefore focus on pride and on loss — the Universe needs more Canada… Don’t Let Go Canada – and would feature bold attention-getting creative and imagery designed to stir emotions and patriotic pride. The result was a 2 Billion dollar injection from the Federal government investing in our brightest minds.
PR TOOLKIT
Initial focus was creating awareness of Canada’s space accomplishments. Imagery and posts published on social media sparked pride and engagement and built a large base of followers, liking and sharing content. Then, using all the tools in the public affairs toolbox, including advertising, earned media, social media, speaking engagements, events/ conferences and swag, and enlisting the help of Canadian astronauts to help tell the story, stakeholders and citizens were asked to mobilize their networks and make their voices heard (direct mail campaign; grassroots outreach materials; e-petitions; etc).
RESPONSIVE WEBSITE
A beautiful, informative website for Canadians to take action. They could sign up for info, email their MP's and representatives and keep up to date with the effort to "Not Let Go"
ADVERTISING PLAN
Advertising campaign produced more than 150 million impressions, Events (with famous Canadians and industry), advertising, grassroots campaign and social media drove thousands of letters to Members of Parliament and the Prime Minister’s office and generated more than 14,000 signatures on change.org petition and a Parliamentary E-Petition (attracted 552 supporters in first 2 hours and more than 3,500 in less than 24 hours).
social media
Campaign posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, generated more than 10 million views and more than 800,000 engagements. Reddit generated over 35 million views, over 4 million clicks into platform native content, 605,300 ad Impressions, remained at the top of AMA for 3 days
Outdoor media
Advertising directly targeting decision-makers, including traditional and online media, theatre and out-of-home (wrapping busses on routes near parliamentary precinct; billboards on way to and in Ottawa airport).
events
We helped rally over 70 companies in Canada's space sector to help out. Events, conferences, petitions, contests, merchandise (featuring a new cartoon character). We hosted astronaut David Saint-Jacques at the launch of First Man Movie prior to his launch to ISS and took part with the Museum of Aviation on launch day.
Reddit was engaged as a primary campaign point. With their support we engaged thousands of users to bring a petition to the House of Commons which garnered signatures faster than any previously. AMA's with Chris Hadfield and leading Canadian space engineers and scientists brought interest worldwide.
result
In February, with every news outlet in the country covering the announcement, and the entire nation watching, our Prime Minister committed $2B and announced, “Canada is going to the moon.”
In mid-December our client met with a senior staff in the Prime Minister’s office (PMO). They indicated that #DontLetGoCanada was the most effective campaign ever seen and colleagues will point to it in the future as the way campaigns ought to be run; DLGC was described as creating positive momentum and energy, and a significant openness to the space funding proposal.
result update - dec 16 2020
In return for contributing #Canadarm3, a smart robotic system, to the Lunar Gateway, Canada receives a range of opportunities for lunar science, technology demonstration
and commercial activities, as well as two astronaut flights to the Moon. A Canadian Space Agency astronaut will be part of Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the Moon since 1972.
Our ultimate goal was to unify technology and space exploration and bring Canada to the moon.
You can read about it by clicking here
https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronomy/moon-exploration/artemis-missions.asp
Key Numbers
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BILLION DOLLARS
In February, with every news outlet in the country covering the announcement, and the entire nation watching, our Prime Minister committed $2B and announced, “Canada is going to the moon.”
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SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENTS
Social Media engaged with hundreds of thousands of followers. Campaign posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, generated more than 10 million views and more than 800,000 engagements. Reddit generated over 35 million views, over 4 million clicks into platform native content, 605,300 ad Impressions, remained at the top of AMA for 3 days. An advertising campaign produced more than 150 million impressions during the effort. Today the campaign social media experience remains strong and engaged with thousands still engaging every day.
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REDDIT IMPRESSIONS
Reddit generated over 35 million impressions with over 4 million clicks into platform native content and including 605,300 ad impressions, remained at the top of AMA for 3 days
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AD IMPRESSIONS
Advertising campaign produced more than 150 million impressions with enormous organic reach.
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petition signatures
Social Media drove thousands of letters to Members of Parliament and the Prime Minister’s office and generated more than 14,000 signatures on change.org petition and a Parliamentary E-Petition (attracted 552 supporters in first 2 hours and more than 3,500 in less than 24 hours).
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CITY BUSES
Advertising directly targeting decision-makers, including traditional and online media, theatre and out-of-home (wrapping busses on routes near parliamentary precinct; billboards on way to and in Ottawa airport).
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the moon mission
The Artemis program is a government-funded human spaceflight program that has the goal of landing “the first woman and the next man” on the Moon, specifically at the lunar south pole region by 2024. Canada became the first country to join the USA on this journey set for the year 2023 one of our astronauts will orbit the moon on the Artemis II mission.
