Overview

As title sponsor of the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver and Whistler, ATCO had more than just visibility at stake—it had a chance to stand for something. With a brand rooted in resilience, sustainability, and community strength, the partnership aligned perfectly with the Invictus ethos. Despite the deep alignment, awareness of the sponsorship was low. ATCO needed to break through a saturated winter sports season and a noisy media landscape to ensure its role wasn’t just known—but felt. The goal was to elevate ATCO’s national presence by positioning it as a visible, values-driven champion of the Games and the athletes they honour.

We launched an integrated awareness campaign to meet this challenge head-on—delivering national reach with local relevance. The strategy combined high-impact media with geo-targeted precision and real-time optimizations. From digital out-of-home placements around stadiums and transit hubs, to primetime TV and contextual digital video, every tactic reinforced a single message: ATCO stands with those who show us what strength truly means. This campaign marked not just a media moment, but a milestone in how purpose-driven sponsorships can connect brands to audiences on a deeply human level.

The Strategy

Major Tom launched a fully integrated awareness campaign with national scale and local precision. Our approach combined strategic media buying, high-impact creative, and data-driven optimizations to deliver the right message to the right audience—at exactly the right time.

Tactics:

• Multi-channel media mix: Linear TV, connected TV, digital out-of-home (DOOH), programmatic display, paid social, and branded content.

• Geo-fencing and local relevance: Ads were served near stadiums, transit routes, and high-traffic areas in Vancouver, Whistler, Calgary, and Toronto to reach both attendees and broader audiences.

• Smart budget optimization: Using AI-powered real-time reporting, we reallocated spend mid-campaign to top-performing channels like Cineplex and Rogers Sportsnet+.

• Audience-specific targeting: Veterans and sports fans saw contextually relevant ads at sports venues and on apps like The Score. Broader Canadians were reached through national placements on TSN, CBC, and CTV.

Why It Worked

This wasn’t just a media plan—it was a movement. The campaign succeeded because it respected the emotional weight of the Invictus Games while bringing a modern, data-backed marketing lens to a purpose-driven sponsorship. By aligning creative with values, placements with context, and measurement with intent, ATCO became more than a logo—it became a visible ally in the story of resilience.