Pro Bono Ad Campaign Supports Local Businesses

If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s the integral role small businesses play in our communities. To celebrate small business owners, Publicis Media recently set out to support local businesses by offering 10 entrepreneurs out-of-home (OOH) media support worth $400,000! The campaign generated 75 million impressions, 147% more than anticipated, across Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa and Montreal.

Building off a similar campaign launched at the beginning of the pandemic, Publicis Media sought to provide more in-depth marketing support to small business owners. The 2020 campaign featured OOH support for 30 businesses, while the 2021 campaign featured 10 businesses who received fulsome strategy consultations and creative design in addition to media support.

Many of the businesses were BIPOC or female-owned and supported industries from health to bakeries and lifestyle shops. The initiative is the agency’s latest to support its community. Last year, Publicis Media provided monetary support to three charities and also introduced a charitable matching program for employees. Pro bono work is also a core pillar of Publicis Media, having recently launched a partnership with DMZ to support startups. Over the years, the agency has provided $6 million of pro bono media value.

“Small businesses are the cornerstone of our communities and Publicis Media is committed to serving its community, especially those in underrepresented industries,” said David Rusli, Chief Strategy and Data Officer for Publicis Media. “Many of us personally know small business owners impacted by the pandemic so it’s an amazing feeling to work on a campaign that has tangible impacts to these small business owners.”

Indeed the campaign has had tangible impacts on small business owners, including increased awareness, partnership opportunities, new referrals, and increased traffic across social media and websites. As Quill founder, Fatima Zaidi said, “The campaign brought an influx of not only awareness but also credibility to our brand.”

A list of brands included in the pro-bono media support can be found below:

• LOCO: Opened in 2016, LOCO is a Quebec-based zero-waste grocery store committed to providing a full range of food and daily use products that are healthy, ecological and without packaging.
• CH Studio: A female and BIPOC owned line of clean beauty products. All products are made with natural and earth-friendly ingredients to create a diverse product line that suits all different skin types.
• MacaronZ: A one-stop shop for a girls' afternoon tea, intimate gatherings or a tea for two, with artisanal pastries. “Being on 14 ZUM Buses, plus the digital board and all the added ads we received we are all so speechless, grateful, excited and just so full of emotions! No words can express how grateful we are for this!” - Zanda Rodrigues, Founder
• Hydrocephalus Canada: A Toronto-based charity that empowers those impacted by Hydrocephalus and Spina Bifida by establishing environments that protect, support and enhance the lives of those living with the disease.
• Quill Inc: A female and BIPOC owned podcast agency that develops, produces and markets award-winning podcasts that drive reach, awareness and growth, through brand storytelling.
• Ink By Mi: A paper stationery company with modern calligraphy and cute hand drawn illustrations, creating unique and fun experiences through cards.
• CD by Sendi: A female and BIPOC owned creative service-based practice, with a focus on the BIPOC artistic community. “This initiative definitely gave my brand more exposure and it was surreal seeing my ads on billboards in rotation with other big brands! A huge thank you again for supporting small businesses!” - Rachel, Founder
• : An Ottawa-based speech therapy clinic, with a passionate and bilingual team of Speech-Language Pathologists, who provide assessment and intervention to people of all ages.

Publicis Media: Harnessing the power of the modern media landscape to drive one-to-one consumer engagement at scale, Publicis Media creates value for clients through global media agency brands and scaled capabilities across investment, strategy, insights and analytics, data and technology, commerce, performance marketing and content.