The Objectives
Our Methodology
Building a strategy in two stages
The first, winter phase served to firmly establish the message and identify the strongest performance signals: channels, audiences, inventory and messaging. The second, spring phase allowed us to sustain media presence, incorporating learnings from the first wave and adjusting pressure according to observed results.
Prioritizing credible environments
For a perception campaign, the environment matters as much as the volume. The strategy therefore favoured Quebec news media and trusted editorial contexts, notably Le Soleil, Le Devoir, L’Actualité, La Presse and Radio-Canada.
Combining coverage, attention and consideration
The media mix was designed to play several roles: YouTube for coverage and recall, programmatic video for attention and completion, display for repetition and qualified visits, and Google Ad Grants to capture post-exposure searches at low cost.
Optimizing as we learned
Both phases allowed performance to be read by audience, age, gender, environment and message. Optimizations focused notably on prioritizing contextual targeting on YouTube, featuring top-performing editorial sites, and retaining the most responsive audiences.
The Targeting Strategy
Core target: Quebec's adult population
Audience segmentation through affinity and contextual targeting
The Media Environments
The Performance Indicators Tracked
Impressions and Unique Reach
Viewability Rate
Video Completion Rate
Qualified visits
Results Generated
+3 000 000 impressions generated
+1 500 000 in unique reach
92% average viewability (IAB Canada average benchmark: 70%)
79% completion rate for programmatic video (IAB Canada average benchmark: 65%)
65% completion rate on YouTube
+6 700 qualified visits
Key Takeaways
The omnichannel mix gave each lever a clear role
YouTube maximized visibility and recall, display supported consideration through qualified visits, and programmatic video drove attention with high completion rates.
Phase 2 optimizations improved attention quality
Programmatic video completion rose from 73.8% in Phase 1 to 86.56% in Phase 2. YouTube also improved, going from 64.4% to 66.24%.
Attention doesn't always translate into action
Certain audiences, such as Readers engaged with news and politics or Families on YouTube, showed strong completion rates but fewer qualified visits. The lesson is clear: it's important to distinguish segments that recall the message from those that convert.
Local editorial environments drove consideration
Le Soleil, Le Devoir and L'Actualité stood out as key environments for generating visits at a competitive cost, confirming the value of credible editorial contexts for a public perception campaign.
