BHV Campaign

Photo credit: Paul Blind

To break from traditional methods, 360tourisme devised a 360° partnership with the Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville (BHV Marais), founded in 1856 and one of the most iconic department stores in Paris.

The idea was to immerse visitors in the magical atmosphere of a Canadian winter while raising awareness of the destination during the festive Christmas season.

The BHV Marais is a favorite shopping destination for Parisians, who make up more than 70% of its clientele. The trusted relationship with their customers ensured that the Canadian message resonated through an affluent and appreciated partnership with BHV’s loyal clientele. Only one destination is featured during the year-end holiday campaign, which draws the most foot traffic, sees the highest newsletter open rates, and lasts the longest (2 months).

Offline

• Canada-themed window displays: Showcased these products and captured the essence of winter in Canada, seen by over 900,000 visitors per month.
• Canada corner at the BHV: A dedicated 35 sqm space on the ground floor of the store, generating over CA$50,000 in revenue.
• Christmas catalog: 250,000 copies were produced and distributed for the occasion.
• Winter dream vacation contest: “Win a dream winter trip to Canada!” was launched with the support of Canadian partners Air Transat, Chelsea Hotel Toronto, Embassy Hotel Niagara, Niagara Helicopters, and ViaRail Le Canadien. Promoted over the course of two months, it highlighted a train journey across Canada, the prize offered to two winners, with transportation and accommodation provided between Toronto, Niagara, and Vancouver. The contest resulted in over 2,000 emails contacts for the partners (representing 66% of the contest participants).
• Workshops & meetings: “Co-create your dream winter trip to Canada with Cercle des Voyages!” The tour operator was given a prime platform, promoted in the Press Kit, a dedicated newsletter, and a social media post, to meet BHV customers during a designated day on Saturday, December 2. 

Online

• Media coverage: A press day was organized in September 2023 to present the selection and theme to over 190 media outlets (journalists and influencers), in addition to 1,200 members of the media who received the press kit, which included a double-page spread on Canada and the integration of Canadian products.
• Digital campaign: A space on the bhv.fr website dedicated to the campaign attracted over 2 million unique visitors during the campaign’s run. Three newsletters were sent to an average of 155,000 consumers each (a newsletter on the campaign, another one on the products, a last one on the destination partnership). On social media, the campaign featured 3 Instagram reels, 19 stories, and 3 Facebook posts.
• Synergies: The campaign was promoted on Destination Canada’s accounts via trade and media newsletter as well as the Facebook page. The magic of Christmas was in full effect as Kanata, a Canadian importer, decided to offer some of the products sold at the BHV Canada Corner as a special treat for Destination Canada’s Facebook fans, through a generous Advent Calendar giveaway!

• Exceptional visibility: The campaign between Destination Canada, the Embassy of Canada in France, and the BHV Marais reached over 8 million French people who were potential visitors to Canada, with strong engagement around the Canada space.
• Increase in winter bookings: French visitor arrivals to Canada between November and December 2023 increased by +19.4% (11,000 more visitors compared to the previous year). French visitor arrivals between January and March 2024 increased by +11.8% (9,000 more visitors than the previous year). Source: StatCan
• Media engagement: Several press articles and influencer posts highlighted the initiative, providing great visibility for the destination—11 media articles, dozens of stories—reaching over 6 million people with an estimated media value of almost €170,000.

• Social media engagement: The Advent Calendar alone reached 350,000 additional people, while gaining +634 new followers on Destination Canada’s Facebook page and generating engagement (2,400 comments and 223 shares).
• Enhanced brand image: This campaign introduced the French to a high-end image of Canada, previously unseen in France.
• Strengthened business relations: The Canadian Tourism Office and the Embassy of Canada in France joined forces to achieve common goals, coming out of the experience with a stronger mutual understanding.
• Takeaway: This campaign demonstrated 360tourisme’s determination, as it took 3 years to come to fruition and succeed. Our team is committed for the long term, planting seeds that will sustainably showcase our clients.