Cossette and Septième Make Waves with Agile Production Model for Sea-Doo in Europe
Cossette was presented with a lofty challenge for the European market of shifting misperceptions around who and how PWC (personal watercraft) are used. The execution had to target a broad audience and prospective new entrants while checking the box on multiple objectives—that it’s not a dangerous or irresponsible sport and that the possibilities with a Sea-Doo go way beyond doing doughnuts on the water.
The concept was to highlight the fact that not only are Sea-Doos the best way to have fun on the water, but they also offer a surprisingly wide range of activities you can enjoy responsibly. Ultimately, there’s more to See and Do with Sea-Doo.
Cossette enlisted the help of Septième to provide not only production support but a documentary approach to deepen the brand narrative. This approach would ensure that the content series would speak directly to our target audiences in the most relatable way based on their interests. The result was the development of beautiful story-telling featuring catch and release fishing, camping, exploring natural coasts and van life living.
“To change the perception of Sea-Doo in Europe, we started by casting people with different passions. This allowed us to be authentic to the brand and the stories we wanted to spotlight,” said Eva Van den Bulcke, VP content director, who directed this series and recently joined Dominique Dufour's leadership team at Septième. “In these types of content projects, we need to break free from the traditional production processes.”
From a Swedish fishing influencer to a group of outdoor adventurers from Greece, extensive pre-interviews and research were conducted to build not just storylines but a creative production strategy. This agile approach, which extended from the three-person multitasking production team on the shoot to the simplified workflow between agency and client, was key to sticking to the project’s limited budget.
“Connecting with hearts and minds is what we do,” said BRP’s chief marketing officer Anne-Marie LaBerge. “By telling stories from our rider’s perspective, we show the authentic passion people have for our products. It’s this kind of content that leans into our purpose: where experiences are measured in emotion rather than distance.”
The success of this content enabled BRP to reach a broader audience than just those with an interest in PWC or boats, and the videos generated strong engagement metrics and positive comments from viewers. Given that this content series was produced for the European market, these results were key for bringing awareness to the range of activities that Sea-Doo makes possible in that region.
“This fits into Cossette’s vision that content should tap into culture, not superficially but from the ground up,” noted Louis-Philippe Tremblay, the agency’s executive creative director. “We think it’s a great example of how we want to collaborate with our clients going forward.”
