Dairy Farmers of Canada

The Dairy Farmers of Canada asked Taxi to develop an idea that would bring cheese consumption in B.C. in line with the rest of Canada. The solution was based on a local consumer insight and an imported bit of madness.

Taxi found that moms in B.C. – the primary target – consistently managed to get their kids outdoors more than their counterparts east of the Rockies. This inspired Taxi to take cheese out of the kitchen, and when they came across the little-known British sport of cheese rolling, the opportunity became very clear.

The first annual Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival, the first of its kind ever held in North America, featured thousands of spectators watching hundreds of slightly crazed participants tossing themselves down Whistler Mountain after a speeding 11-pound wheel of cheese.

Starting with a unique identity and logo, the campaign came to life with regionally targeted cinema, TV, radio, print, transit, posters, restobar ads, web banners, street teams and a retail pre-promotion. Everything drove consumers to the event microsite, where they could see videos of cheese rolling in action and sign up to participate. Other family-friendly activities were peppered in to ensure everyone could get involved.

More than 12,000 people visited the site in five weeks. The event crowds and willing participants were more than double expectations. The event generated one cracked ankle, a few bumps and bruises and an awful lot of cheese sales. Following the event, sales in BC were up 2.5% compared to a 0.7% increase in sales on a national level.