How did you spend your summer? The Acart team on the Finance Canada account spent theirs cris-crossing Canada, from East to West, North to South, capturing images of Canadians who benefit from jobs and training opportunities created by Canada’s Economic Action Plan.

This is our sixth national TV campaign for Canada’s Economic Action Plan. Another one, which wrapped recently, was done for Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. (You can watch it here.) Last winter, we created another campaign for Finance Canada (here), and last fall we did one for Natural Resources Canada (here).

What made the most recent campaign different, and exciting for us, was its scope. Our other TV ads were 2-3 day shoots conducted at locations and studios in and around Montreal. But for the new campaign, the strategy was to get out and show how the Economic Action Plan’s benefits reach every corner of our nation. And that meant weeks on the road.

Javier with Director Steve Gordon, somewhere in the Yukon.

However, the shoot was also an opportunity to work with Director Steve Gordon. A veteran photographer as well as cinematographer, Steve brought to the table a wealth of experience in fast-paced and super-efficient location shooting. (He also brought along some amazing stories, like that he shot Pink Floyd’s iconic Animals LP cover while interning at Hipgnosis in the ’70s.) Efficient, flexible and always cheerful, Steve was a pleasure to work with.

To help this campaign stand out from the others, we also added an element of animation, bringing the familiar Economic Action Plan logo “to life” and showing how it is now woven into the fabric of Canada’s strong economy.

The campaign got a boost on YouTube last Friday with a takeover of the Canadian Homepage:

Thanks to everyone involved, especially to Steve, Javier and Kim, who gave their summer so that you could see this ad.

Kim and Javier in Victoria.

Want help with your advertising? Contact us at results@acart.com.

TV Credits:

Senior Creative Director: John Staresinic
Creative Director/English Copywriter: Tom Megginson
Associate Creative Director: Vernon Lai
Art Director: Javier Frutos
French Copywriter: Vincent LeBlanc
Production Manager/Bilingual QC: Lynn Norris
Media Director: Sue McKinney

YouTube Takeover:
Art Director: Kerry Hodgson
Digital Designer: Marco Cellucci
Media Planner: Kevin Scannell

Account Team:
Account Supervisor: Gillian Todd-Messinger
Account Manager: Kim Munro