Manitobah: Ad Series
The first snowfall is magical — until you step outside and realize your boots can’t handle the ice. That’s where Manitobah comes in. Warm boots with grippy soles designed for the winter by Indigenous artists. But how could Manitobah sell their winter boots to Edmonton consumers who have never heard of them?
What’s Manitobah?
Manitobah is an Indigenous-founded business that primarily sells quality women’s winter footwear designed by Indigenous artists.
The Challenge
For Manitobah, the first snowfall isn’t just a magical moment. It’s the start of the most significant time of the year for the company. With 80% of its revenue coming between Black Friday and New Year’s Eve, standing out in the winter footwear market is crucial.
But with hundreds of different winter footwear brands, how could Manitobah stick out?
The Solution
An Omnichannel marketing campaign pairing the frustrations of Canada’s awful winters with the benefits of Manitobah winter boots.
The Process
The key message of this campaign is simple: Manitobah winter boots are the best choice for Edmonton winters. The big idea? Turning common winter frustrations into compelling reasons to invest in Manitobah’s winter boots.
Inspired by real comments on Edmonton’s Reddit sub, I decided to figure out what the top three biggest complaints were about Alberta’s brutal winters. What I found was that people particularly hated wet feet, cold toes and slippery ice. What I also found out was that nobody was recommending Manitobah boots to the people complaining about these issues.
Knowing that Manitobah relies on the first snowfall to boost its sales, I leaned into these winter annoyances for the campaign. When that first snowfall hits and you have to pull out your worn-out winter boots, the cold toes and wet feet are particularly annoying.
To ensure I was reaching the target audience at multiple touchpoints, I created an omnichannel marketing campaign featuring both OOH billboards and social media posts. Each type of media had the same message: [Manitobah boot benefit] that embraces the [common winter frustration].
For my social media post, I niched down further by talking about a specific feature of Manitobah boots (their Glacier Grip Soles).
“Your [RRC Polytech CreComm Students] thoughtful and inspiring interpretations of the Manitobah brand across various mediums were truly impressive”
The Results*
This campaign ensured Manitobah could be top-of-mind when winter hit. Targeted social media ads and OOH ads would’ve reached consumers at the exact moment they realized their old boots weren’t cutting it.
*This piece of work was created as part of an advertising assignment for my Creative Communications program.
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