The Client
Since 1973, Western Canada’s largest craft market has connected the country’s best artists, makers and craftspeople with millions of attendees seeking quality, handmade goods.
The Challenge
How do we give Western Canada’s favourite craft market the 50th anniversary fanfare it deserves... and keep it relevant with younger audiences?
It’s not every day you mark a 50th anniversary, and we needed everyone to hear the celebrations. It required a campaign where longtime handmade craft enthusiasts and young holistic-minded shoppers alike felt invited to party. With post-COVID “live event” excitement wearing off in an already saturated holiday market scene, we pushed to secure widespread coverage in Canada and BC’s most prominent news outlets, as well as a big splash on social media.
The Objectives
1
Increase awareness of the 50 year event.
Highlighting the market’s journey from small-time hippie roots to Western Canada’s largest craft fair through PR opportunities, bold creative & a limited edition anniversary logo.
2
Boost online & in person ticket sales.
Clinching coverage in large prominent outlets, while streamlining ticket sale messaging.
3
Grow engagement with new & existing audiences.
Developing copy and creative that keeps the market’s longstanding base engaged, while tapping new young audiences.
OUR APPROACH
Creative Branding |
Circle Craft’s roots date back to the 1970s, and we thought the brand elements should too! Our designers leaned into crochet, beads and retro holiday patterns, with creative copy to match. We filled out our graphics with real photos of artisans and their craft, and spotlighted their unique journeys and one-of-a-kind handmade creations.
Performance Marketing |
Five weeks before the event, we ran Awareness, Sales, Traffic, and Remarketing campaigns on Google, Meta, and Youtube, considering multiple audiences and consistently optimizing with new details as the event date approached. Our targeted graphics, videos and photos ads considerably grew our online tickets sales.
Social Media |
On socials, we aimed to for 1970s funky and 2020s fresh. Our social guru balanced fun behind-the-scenes content, must-have craft features, and key information to stir up excitement. We worked with 16 influencers and media partners to co-run successful giveaways and extend our reach.
Media Buy |
In our out-of-home, we made sure Circle Craft was top of mind for Vancouver. We met audiences where they were, with Pattison Billboards, 43 full-length Lamar bus ads and festive radio ads on Move 103.5, Z95.3, 104.3 The Breeze, and 94.5 Virgin Radio. Strategic ad buys with 604Now, Daily Hive, Stir Vancouver, and Vancouver’s Best Places flooded the internet with event listings, fun stories, contests, and shareable content.
Newsletters & PR |
We released a retrospective timeline, two press releases (From Scrappy Hippie Roots to Western Canada’s Largest Craft Fair and 20 Feature Artisans to Watch) and multiple targetted story pitches, earning us 49 media mentions in outlets such as CBC, Radio Canada, Global News, The Vancouver Sun, The Province, and many more prominent outlets.
The Results
45+ million
Media Impressions
384% growth
In Meta Ad Impressions
105%
Target Ticket Sales Achieved
Our newsletters went out to 60,000+ recipients, with open rates consistently above 40% and click-through rates as high as 7.8% (against a 2.5% industry average!)
