The Signs of Summer is a mock seasonal marketing campaign perfect for large retailers like Canadian Tire to advertise their summer goods. The ads, evoking the images of summer, help get people thinking about summer living and the products they need to help take advantage of the season.
Air pump
The first Signs of Summer ad (above) gets viewers tuned into summer through an image of a gas station air pump. A place many of us visit at the start of summer to inflate our bike tires or basketballs. It’s an annual ritual for most Canadians looking to get active outdoors with summer activities after a long winter.
Suntan at the beach
We all have been there, once the good weather comes, we hit the beach a little too hard and get that first tan (no the red will turn brown, yah for sure) of the summer. The ad plays on that all-too-familiar experience to get the viewer thinking about what they need to hit the beach to enjoy their summer.
Robin and the worm
Nothing evokes the changing seasons like a robin catching the first worm of the spring season. It’s an image that elicits thoughts about backyard grass and gardens and the products needed to maintain and enjoy the backyard.
Social: show us your signs
The signs of summer social tie-in would look to get on-line users engaged with sharing their own signs of summer to win a summer prize pack. Alternatively, various promotional physical signs could be strategically located across various participating cities to get users to find the signs to be entered into draws to win big. This action could be cross-promoted through the Amazing Race-type companies catering to corporations and the general public.
