VIA Rail Canada and Touché! redesign their media buying strategy

The results of the Love the Way campaign show that investing locally pays off

 

Montréal, December 11, 2019 –With the Love the Way campaign, VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) and media agency Touché! are demonstrating that it’s possible for major Canadian advertisers to become precious allies in ensuring the sustainability of local newsrooms all while continuing to launch impactful campaigns.

As one of the most acclaimed advertisers both domestically and internationally in recent years, VIA Rail was seeking a new way to demonstrate its expertise in innovative and responsible strategies for the Canadian market. In collaboration with the Touché! strategy team, VIA Rail launched Love the Way in the summer of 2018 to increase its brand visibility and boost ticket sales. What set the campaign apart? 80% of advertising investments for the Ontario and Quebec markets were allocated to the digital platforms of local content creators and publishers. “This decision proved to be a winner, considering the increases of 6.5% in transactions, 6% in ridership and 5.5% in total revenue,” said Simon Parent, Senior Manager, Marketing and Optimization at VIA Rail.

“Due to the nature of our company, VIA Rail’s marketing activities dedicated to route popularity, brand visibility and ticket sales are conducted almost exclusively online,” added M. Parent. “Increasing our presence in the Canadian digital ecosystem is therefore a strategic choice that allows us to effectively reach our target audience and to more fully embody our position as a unifying Canadian leader in sustainable, enjoyable and safe mobility, all while supporting local media.”

This campaign is the fruit of Touché!’s efforts to privilege responsible media buying. The agency believes it is vital to support local publishers who are developing rich and relevant content for Canadians. This is why it works with its clients to re-examine their advertising policies and consider innovative solutions that will benefit everyone involved.

On the heels of the successes of 2018 and 2019, VIA Rail and Touché! have a similar strategy in the works for 2020.

About VIA Rail Canada

As Canada’s national rail passenger service, VIA Rail (viarail.ca) and all its employees are mandated to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation service, in both official languages of our country. VIA Rail operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking over 400 communities across Canada, and about 180 more communities through intermodal partnerships, and safely transports nearly 4.8 million passengers annually. The Corporation has been awarded five Safety Awards and three Environment Awards by the Railway Association of Canada since 2007. Visit the “About VIA Rail” section at https://www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail.