Canadian Tire
About the Project
The Challenge
For over a decade, Influence Marketing has served as the strategic architect behind Canadian Tire’s national Grand Opening portfolio. Our mandate is twofold: generate immediate high-volume foot traffic while fostering long-term brand affinity. Each activation is designed to bridge the gap between a massive retail footprint and a personalized, high-energy shopping experience that supports local Dealers and excites the community.
Strategic Approach
Gamified Navigation: We recognize that a Grand Opening’s success is measured by “store penetration.” Our strategy deliberately utilizes gamified touchpoints—whether digital or analog—to act as a navigational guide, pulling customers through high-value departments and introducing them to the full breadth of the Canadian Tire offering.
Brand Integration: We leverage the Grand Opening as a critical platform for private-label discovery. By weaving brands like Paderno, Noma, Canvas, and FRANK into the core activity, we transition these products from “shelf items” to “experience anchors,” driving both immediate trial and long-term loyalty.
Adaptive Consumer Psychology: Our strategic pivot in 2018 from digital kiosks to the “Trivia Trail” was a calculated response to “screen fatigue.” By re-prioritizing analog, face-to-face interactions, we capitalized on the Canadian Tire demographic’s preference for authentic, community-centric service. This human-first approach transforms a massive retail space into an intimate, high-energy neighborhood event.
The Campaign
2014–2017: The Digital Exploration Phase
To capitalize on the burgeoning digital trend, Influence developed a proprietary in-store digital ecosystem. We deployed branded tablet kiosks featuring private labels like Paderno, Noma, and Canvas. By gamifying the path-to-purchase with instant-win brand trivia, we incentivized consumers to “Explore Their Store.” This digital “passport” system transformed standard browsing into a high-stakes scavenger hunt, driving deep engagement with key private-label categories.
2018–Present: The Human-Centric Refresh
Recognizing a market shift toward “analog” authenticity and face-to-face interaction, we pivoted the strategy to the Canadian Trivia Trail. This transition replaced screens with Brand Ambassadors to better reflect the Canadian Tire demographic’s value on community and helpful service.
The Experience: A light-hearted, guided journey through every department, using Canadian-themed trivia to ensure 100% store penetration.
The Incentive: A “Scratch and Win” reward system provided immediate gratification, complemented by FRANK snack sampling to drive sensory engagement.
The Result: By pairing a $10,000 shopping spree sweepstakes with high-touch brand storytelling, we successfully turned a transactional store opening into a landmark community event.
460+
Successful Grand Openings and Re-Grand Openings completed to date
25,000+
Consumer engagements/ Contest entries annually
100,000+
FRANK sample product distributed
