Canada’s Kindness Shines Through in CBC’s New Holiday Campaign
It’s often said that Canadians are among the kindest people in the world, and this holiday season, CBC is putting that belief into action with its ‘Make the Season Kind’ campaign.
The initiative, amplified by a star-studded lineup of homegrown talent including Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Sandra Oh, and Shania Twain, encourages Canadians to give back by supporting local food banks. With over $51 million raised for charitable causes since 2015, CBC’s new festive campaign is a prime example of how brands can leverage star power and a deep connection to community to drive meaningful action.
Delving into the story behind the work, LBB’s April Summers talks to Maya Kane, CBC's executive director of marketing and communications, who shares insights on how the campaign’s innovative cross-platform strategy, creative collaborations, and national-local synergy are making a real impact during one of the most challenging times for food banks across Canada.
LBB> This year's ‘Make the Season Kind’ campaign features an impressive array of Canadian stars. How did CBC go about selecting the talent, and what role do these personalities play in amplifying the campaign’s message?
Maya> Canada has produced a lot of exceptional talent and we had a really long list to choose from. Not everyone’s schedule was going to be in sync with our production timelines and we were grateful they considered our request. Of the talent that participated, we’re fortunate they gave their time for this important cause.
The featured stars are relatable. They may be famous but, because they are Canadian, they are our neighbours, and this campaign is all about community and people coming together. Plus, who doesn’t love Martin Short, or Sandra Oh, or Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, or any of the amazing participants - they’re all wonderful people who have different affiliations and affections for CBC, and we’re grateful to them for being a part of this.
LBB> CBC has a longstanding commitment to supporting local communities through charity initiatives. How does this year’s campaign align with CBC's broader mission and values, especially in such challenging times for food banks across Canada?
Maya> Make the Season Kind is the manifestation of more than 20 years of CBC’s work in the community over the holiday season. With 48 CBC stations across the country, we really are in a position to reflect and connect Canada in a way that no one else can. The relationship with food banks has been driven by our local stations, who for many years have established strong partnerships with food banks on the ground in each market. With record high rates of food insecurity in Canada, we felt the time was right to share the story and inspire Canadians on a national level.
LBB> From a marketing and communications perspective, what were the key objectives of this campaign? Were any new strategies or techniques implemented for this year’s charity drive?
Maya> Each year, CBC stations from every province and territory have mounted charity drives to support food banks and charitable organisations in their community. Since 2015, we’ve raised $51 million. While a huge achievement, we recognised that this story had not been told on a national scale. So, for the first time, we unified all of the local campaigns under one name, and introduced the work that we do in the community by capitalising on the country’s star power and leaning into Canadians’ reputation for being kind to inspire giving of all kinds in their community. It’s about one campaign that communicates our unique point of difference to bring Canadians together, whether it’s in our programming or to rally the community for an important cause.
LBB> The campaign includes broadcast, OLV, social media, and YouTube. Could you walk us through your media strategy for this cross-platform approach, and why it was important to reach audiences in these specific ways?
Maya> The work this year was two-fold: through our own platforms, we needed to connect and communicate the change to our core audience who were familiar with the previous local campaign names; yet remain laser-focused on reaching and growing new audiences for CBC where they spend their time on streaming, social and OLV and high-profile broadcast placements - all with a direct call to action to give at CBC.ca/kind.
LBB> With the ongoing rise of digital content and changes in audience behaviour, how did you balance traditional TV advertising with the growing importance of online and social media channels for this campaign?
Maya> With nearly 30 Canadian personalities featured in the campaign, we wanted to leverage the star power and create multiple video treatments for different platforms for both digital and traditional platforms, to keep it feeling fresh throughout the holiday season. You’ll see our campaign more heavily invested across multiple video and digital touchpoints but also high-impact broadcast. We’ve also leveraged our own platforms (CBC Gem, cbc.ca, CBC YouTube, CBC Radio and a dedicated website: cbc.ca/kind) in support of the work. While the national campaign ensures country-wide reach and profile, our local stations engage in month-long local campaigns throughout the month of December.
LBB> This year, CBC has partnered with Off Screen Romance for production and IPG Mediabrands for media planning. Can you share how these partnerships helped bring the campaign to life, and what creative collaborations were particularly impactful?
Maya> Off Screen Romance were great partners. Looking at the timelines for this campaign, we knew we needed a creative production company that could secure us locations, coordinate talent, and work in partnership with our creative team to help create our hero spots under tight deadlines. And they delivered. Initiative is our AOR and partner. They understand our brand, and are aligned in helping us achieve our strategy.
LBB> Looking ahead, as CBC continues to innovate in its campaigns, how do you see the evolution of marketing strategy for cause-driven initiatives like Make the Season Kind? What new trends or tactics do you foresee becoming integral to future campaigns?
Maya> I think Canadians have high expectations of their public broadcaster and want to know that we’re invested in our communities. It’s important for us to tell our brand story in a way that we haven’t before. I wouldn’t say we’ll be leaning into the cause-marketing world, but definitely leaning into expressing our role in the community.
