Royal Canadian Legion

VML Canada invites digital advertisers to participate in two minutes of silence to honour the sacrifices of soldiers.

Client: The Royal Canadian Legion
Office: Canada

Canada's top outdoor ad provider encourages a two-minute blackout on November 11 to honour soldiers and veterans.

LEGION BLACKOUT 03 2 V2 APPROVED OFFLINE

The average Canadian sees up to 10,000 marketing messages a day. Canada’s biggest outdoor advertising provider is inspiring advertisers to “go dark” on November 11, with two minutes of silence to honour Remembrance Day and the bravery of Canadian veterans and soldiers.

With the power of a unified message featuring the enduring Remembrance Day motto “Lest We Forget,” along with a remembrance poppy, we’d break through the noise of people’s daily lives as a poignant reminder on the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month.

VML Canada and our partners GroupM Canada and the Royal Canadian Legion collaborated to darken advertising billboards and screens across Canada as a gesture of respect for the 117,000 Canadian soldiers who fought and fell in service of their country. This provocative blackout campaign is a bold reminder of the importance of taking a break as a sign of respect, no matter where you are at 11 am on Remembrance Day.

While honouring the two-minute moment of silence this Remembrance Day, it occurred to us that advertising should take a break as well. So at 11:00am on November 11th, Canada's largest digital advertising networks are taking part in an inaugural advertising blackout. To all our partners, Wunderman Thompson Canada can't thank you enough.

Ari Elkouby Chief Creative Officer, VML Canada