How Turo’s Mini Ice Resurfacer Made Canadian Dreams Come True
In Canada, the wintry weather has once again ushered in hockey season. Rinks are being filled, skates are being sharpened, and pucks are screaming into nets across the country. But as the ice gets chipped and scratched away, the importance of good surface care becomes all the more important. After all, nobody wants to get hurt due to improperly managed ice.
This is something that both creative agency No Fixed Address (NFA), and Turo, Canada’s largest car-sharing platform, are acutely aware of. And, seeing as Turo was hoping to spread brand awareness nationally, it proved the perfect creative opportunity. With the brand already priding itself on one of the most unique selections of vehicles across the north, NFA launched a PR-led, integrated campaign that saw the creation and announcement of the ‘Turo SK8’, a mini professional ice resurfacing machine made by Porta Ice Ltd. for the many backyard and community rinks across Canada. Supported by paid and owned social, a hero OLV inspired by luxury car launches, and influencer partnerships, the campaign also featured a collaboration with 2022 Canadian athlete of the year Marie-Philip Poulin and hockey content creators ‘On the bench’, which saw them drive the ice resurfacer through the crowded streets of Toronto, in search of ice to skim. And, things didn’t stop there. The following day, Turo announced the SK8 would be available to book in the Toronto area for the price of $29 - a tribute to Marie-Philip’s jersey number - with all the proceeds being matched and donated by the brand to KidSport, a charity that supports children who need financial assistance with sport registration feeds and equipment costs.
LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with NFA’s VP of marketing communications, Erin Banting, copywriter Hayley McOstrich, and Turo Canada’s senior communications manager Madison Seeman, to discuss how this campaign came together, how the SK8 was designed, and why it’s important to care for community hockey.
LBB> This was the first collaboration between Turo and No Fixed Address. As such, what was the brief for this campaign, and how did this relationship come to pass?
Madison> Our goal at Turo is to become an iconic brand in Canada and be the preferred destination for Canadians when they wish to explore and book all types of vehicles. To help reach that goal, we went to No Fixed Address (NFA) with a simple brief: let’s find a creative way to raise brand awareness with an earned-led campaign that truly feels Canadian, while also separating and raising us above the competition.
After learning about some of the campaigns NFA has executed in the past, we knew this was something they could tackle and dive into. NFA has an incredible understanding of what creates headlines in Canada, and how to capture attention.
Erin> This brief was the beginning of our relationship with Turo, kicking off in November of 2022. Turo is the world’s largest peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace with room to grow in Canada. As a disruptor to the car rental category with a unique offering, our brief was to increase brand awareness with an earned-led activation that was uniquely Canadian.
LBB> Given that Turo prides itself on its unique selection of vehicles, what are some of your coolest offerings, and why was a miniature ice resurfacer the perfect addition to this collection?
Madison> Turo has hundreds of vehicle makes and models in Canada, and this is one of the reasons our guests turn to us when planning a trip or needing a ride. Instead of being surprised by what kind of car you get at the traditional rental car counter, at Turo you can choose the exact vehicle (even down to the colour) you want. Some of our more unique vehicles include classic or vintage vehicles - sometimes used for wedding photography - or EVs that have become more and more popular over the years as our guests want an extended test drive to see how it fits into their lifestyle.
These unique vehicles make for a unique experience every time you book, so adding the ‘Turo SK8’ was a natural fit for Canadian winters - giving Torontonians the experience of professional ice.
LBB> The SK8 was made by Porta Ice Ltd. What was the design process like, and how long did it take to bring to life?
Madison> The Porta Ice Ltd. machine was perfect for this campaign, as it was not only a personalised, mini-sized vehicle, but it was also electric - adding another EV to our amazing selection. In terms of design, we wanted to make sure the machine gave the essence of a luxury vehicle, and that’s why we upgraded the steering wheel and rims, and added a hood ornament. We were able to create our custom Turo SK8 within a few weeks!
LBB> This campaign was primarily driven through PR and influencer partnerships. What made this the right approach for the job, and how did you develop the campaign into what we have today?
Erin> Plain and simple - our audience and their consumption habits. Through the deep insights and analytics capabilities we have at NFA, we understood our target to have deep trust in local news, making this more influential than brand advertising alone. However, we know we need to surround the ecosystem, so while this was PR-led, we worked with Turo to leave no dead ends - ensuring all owned and paid social channels supported the launch for the Turo SK8.
In general, we do not stop at the big idea; every detail of the execution is just as important and can aid in creating the strongest narrative possible. For example, knowing each Turo vehicle has a host, we sought out Canada’s 2022 Athlete of the Year, Marie-Philip Poulin, made the cost of the booking her jersey number ($29), and ensured every dollar went towards fostering community hockey with a donation to Kidsport Canada. It’s not just about the channels, but how every piece works together.
LBB> Tell us more about working with Marie-Philip Poulin, and hockey content creators ‘On the bench’! What made them the right people for the job, and what did it take to get them involved?
Erin> Marie-Phillip Poulin may be the kindest and most easy-going person I have ever met in my life. New girl crush unlocked!
In seriousness, all three are deeply ingrained in the hockey community, grew up on backyard rinks, and have an immense love of the game. Their personal missions were perfectly matched to what we were trying to do with the campaign - make hockey more accessible. Pairing one of Canada’s most celebrated hockey players with the comedic duo of ‘On the bench’ brought credibility and hilarity to our launch, and made it a no brainer for both to partner with us as well.
Madison> Seeing as she grew up in a small city in Québec, Marie-Philip understands how important smaller community and backyard rinks are to aspiring hockey players and growing the love of the sport in Canada, which made this partnership the perfect fit!
LBB> Building on this, Marie-Philip and ‘On the bench’ drove the SK8 through the streets of Toronto. What was that like, and how did people respond?
Erin> In short? Wild! We wanted to grab attention in a unique way before the SK8 officially launched to the public, and to say we created a spectacle would be a bit of an understatement. I’m pretty sure the boys even drove up to a hot dog stand on the street for a quick bite. There were slack jaws and a lot of captured content - exactly the response we planned for!
LBB> Tell us about the accompanying spot! How did this idea of shooting it like a luxury car commercial come to pass, who directed, and what was the process like?
Erin> The luxury car decision was inspired by the Turo offering itself. On Turo, you can book anything from a minivan for the family road trip to the highest end of luxury, and since we were bringing a new machine to the service, what better way than to launch like any of the other vehicles found on the platform?
Hayley> We worked with the lovely Nick Marinelli as the DOP for this. The shoot itself was quite nimble, which was for the best since the garage wasn't big enough for more than a few of us. Sometimes, a small but mighty crew is all you need!
LBB> The music in the spot also fits perfectly. Who did you work with on this aspect, and what led to you making the choice you did?
Hayley> This baby was NFA produced, so we found the music ourselves and worked with our internal editor, Kevin Tian, to bring it to life. This was one of the first tracks we found, and it stuck. We wanted to find one that could be in a luxury car commercial to juxtapose it with the fact that it’s for a mini ice resurfacer, so it worked perfectly.
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project, how did you overcome them, and do you have any memorable lessons learned as a result?
Erin> Producing an outdoor, winter campaign in the December and January we had was no easy task. In fact, on our shoot day it was 10 degrees and a full on downpour… not exactly the pristine ice conditions we were hoping for. It meant we used the teaser day to create the additional content we were looking for and did an overnight edit. Pulling off a stunt like this in less than three months from brief to execution meant we had to be incredibly nimble. Staying organised and a step ahead (as boring as it sounds) was key to the success.
As for lessons learned, firstly, Google Docs is a life saver when working with clients who are truly partners, and honestly, the only way to get things done at the speed we were executing. Secondly, even the best laid plans need back-ups, and back-ups on those back-ups (thanks Mother Nature).
Madison> With any large project, you always wish you had a little bit more time, and this was no different. Although we were able to create this campaign in an agile way and bring it to life just in time for the winter (and colder!) weather, many more ideas came to us that we’ll just have to save for the next campaign.
Beyond that, we were reminded to never underestimate the power of a Canadian-focused (or hyper-local) campaign. Feeding into that love/hate relationship with our winter weather and giving Canadians a childhood bucket-list experience brought strong energy and enthusiasm to this campaign!
LBB> Since launch, what has the initial response to the campaign been like?
Erin> We saw a huge amount of bookings and website traffic on launch, with people reaching out from all over – backyard rinks, community rinks… even people hoping to buy it! But worry not! This machine will be around all winter long and rolling to other markets, so we can try and get to as many rinks rats across Canada as possible.
Madison> The response has been exactly what we hoped for - pure giddiness, excitement and enthusiasm. Everyone who drives the Turo SK8 cannot hide the huge smile on their face. We’ve had many requests to book the SK8 and guests racing to get their spot reserved. These guests have even given us details of how difficult it’s been to resurface the rink by hand and how much it would mean to the community to have fresh ice this winter.
LBB> Speaking of bookings, how many can the SK8 do in a given day?
Madison> Turo guests in Toronto are able to book the Turo SK8 for a four hour period until March 4th. Only one guest can book per day, as we wanted to ensure you could pick a time slot that worked with your schedule.
LBB> Each time the SK8 is booked, Turo will donate and match all proceeds to KidSport. Please tell us about your partnership with them! What does it mean to work with them, and is there anything you’d like to tell Canadians about their work?
Madison> Sadly, cost keeps one in three Canadian kids out of organised sport - especially kids from marginalised or remote communities. Turo is partnering with KidSport, so every dollar raised through bookings is matched and donated to support children who need financial assistance with sport registration fees and equipment costs. At its core, this partnership and the campaign are all about providing access to experiences that you may not otherwise have, so we were proud to contribute and support an organisation like KidSport!
