PepsiCo Canada

For Tropicana Pure Premium, growth was leveling off, competition was getting stronger, the recession was having an impact and brand health scores were softening.

Canadians have an affinity with Florida orange juice – it represents a taste of the sun and positive energy. This led to the idea that getting the day started right takes more than a hit of caffeine – it takes the warm glow of the sun to wash away the fog of sleep. But in Canada, the sun’s not always there to get us going. Tropicana Pure Premium would become “Canada’s National Provider of Brighter Mornings.”

To launch the idea, BBDO went to Inuvik in the Arctic during the coldest and darkest days of winter. In a town that hadn’t seen a sunrise for weeks, in -45°C temperatures, they raised a 36-foot-wide artificial sun that emitted 100,000 lumens of light – equal to the light of the actual sun. Canadian filmmakers captured it for a series of documentary-style spots, and a crew from Breakfast Television covered the event.

TV launched during the Winter Olympics closing ceremonies, with the town of Inuvik getting a special premiere in a local “town hall.” On the same day, a Facebook fan page was launched, as well as a PR blitz and a grocery trade print campaign. Tropicana also became an official sponsor of Breakfast Television.

The viral spot has generated about 440,000 views on YouTube, while the Facebook fan page grew to 36,000 fans overnight. The campaign has been picked up around the world, appearing in over 65 media outlets with a total estimated reach exceeding 20 million impressions.

As a thank you to the community, $5,000 donations were made to the Sir Alexander Mackenzie School Breakfast program, the Inuvik Food Bank and a local daycare.

The “Arctic Sun” spot swept the FAB Awards in the UK, the Bessies, and took a Gold Lion at Cannes.