The Coaching Association of Canada unites stakeholders and partners in its commitment to raising the skills and stature of coaches, and ultimately expanding their reach and influence. Through its programs, the CAC empowers coaches with knowledge and skills, promotes ethics, fosters positive attitudes, builds competence, and increases the credibility and recognition of coaches.
Context
The CAC aims to enhance the experiences of all athletes and participants in Canada through quality coaching. They foster this through key pillars of coaching leadership and sustainable coaching education. Their coach development supports coaches from grassroots, to professional levels and beyond.
Strategy
Studies have shown that a significant percentage of children and adolescents in Canada, ranging from 40% to 48%, experienced mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many children and youth with mental health-related issues do not seek formal help. Young people in remote or rural areas face a particular risk due to a lack of mental health support services.
Individuals from racialized, Indigenous, and remote populations, newcomers to Canada, members of the Armed Forces, and those in school settings, have been traditionally underserved with access to mental health resources. Research suggests that coaches in these communities can play a role in promoting positive athlete and participant mental health. But many coaches lack the necessary knowledge in this area. Empowering them with knowledge, competency, and the belief that mental health promotion, prevention, and early intervention are part of their role can support better mental health outcomes for their athletes and themselves.
To achieve this outcome, with financial support from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the CAC launched the Mental Health and Sport Resource Hub. Accurate Creative was brought on board as their strategic marketing partner to generate awareness of the Hub with a robust digital and traditional media marketing campaign reaching audiences from coast to coast to coast.
Challenges
The biggest challenge of this project, outside of the scope of the content and nature of the campaign itself, was the time to market (TTM).
On October 22, 2022, CAC greenlit the project with a hard campaign start set for February 16, 2023. With less than 4 months TTM, Accurate developed the brand from conception to full implementation, including asset creation, marketing strategies, advertising allocation and full execution and management of the campaign.
Implementation
The primary goal of Phase 1 was to generate awareness of the new Mental Health and Resource Hub. Phase 1’s outreach tactics included a national digital advertising campaign through the online digital display network and social media platforms, complemented by limited traditional advertising, as well as radio and print public service announcements.
Results
This campaign was segmented and targeted to the six marketing personas developed at the outset of the project. Dozens of advertisement variants were used across social media and the digital display network.
Every ad created conversions that drove audiences to the same spot—the MHiS Hub—allowing for a very direct metric to measure engagement.
Ad Impressions
0
Total Conversions
0
Accurate exceeded our expectations at every stage, delivering the full scope of work with valuable additions that went above and beyond.
Coaching Association of Canada
Get in touch.
We love collaborating with ambitious brands and the people that drive them.