Canadian Armed Forces Presents New Ads in Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square on Canada Day

For Canada Day, from 5 to 9 p.m., billboards across Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square will feature the Canadian Armed Forces’ new recruitment campaign, created in collaboration with Toronto-based agency Feast and the Department of National Defence.

As part of the 'This Is For You' recruitment campaign, multiple digital billboards in Yonge-Dundas Square will exclusively display these visuals. Other cities and locations, like Vancouver, Montreal, Edmonton, and Calgary, will display the campaign along with other advertising inside malls, transit stations, and outdoor areas. Passersby can continue to view the advertisements at these locations until July 16.

Feast’s co-founder and chief strategy officer Lucia Mariani said: “Yonge-Dundas Square and other selected locations for displaying advertisements aim for success by leveraging high visibility, foot traffic, and alignment with the target audience. They also capitalize on the exposure and festivities of Canada Day in Toronto.”

Through a series of scenarios featuring civilians, this campaign demonstrates how each individual’s traits and qualities can make them perfect candidates for a rewarding career in the Canadian Armed Forces. The campaign’s target market is 18-34-year-old Canadians and Permanent Residents who may not have previously considered joining the military and are either looking for a job or considering a career change.

The main 30-second spot—directed by Feast creative director Ante Kovac - has received over two million views on YouTube alone since its launch in February. The individuals in the advertisements help others using their compassion, problem-solving skills, and ingenuity.

Feast’s co-founder and creative director Rob Vena said: “We wanted to highlight the Canadian Armed Forces uniform as a symbol of strength, resilience, passion, and humanity. Conceptually, the growth of the patterns and texture of military fabric alludes to the development of one’s potential to make an impact with the CAF.”

According to Kovac, the overarching idea behind this campaign is to demonstrate the “inner spark” that exists in each individual, “portraying the character-defining moments in everyday situations that make people great candidates for a career in the Canadian Armed Forces.” He added, “We wanted to show that we all have the potential to make an impact, no matter what form it may take.”

Mariani added: “We believe that this campaign has the potential to make a significant impact and are honoured to have been a part of this important project.”

The new awareness campaign has already shown a significant increase in total completed video views and a jump in engagement compared to the previous awareness campaign, demonstrating how “This Is For You” is capturing attention, driving real engagement, and making an impact.

The fully integrated campaign will continue throughout the year across cinema, broadcast, YouTube pre-roll, and social. Stop by Yonge-Dundas Square this weekend to see this campaign in action, and visit feastinteractive.com to keep up with their work and get started on your next marketing project.