2021 Winner

Public transit was deemed unsafe during the pandemic. People were staying home and GO saw its ridership drop a whopping 90% – with only 10% of customers continuing to ride for essential reasons. Metrolinx wanted to inform the multicultural diaspora about its health and safety measures, and so it worked with Balmoral to adapt its “Safety Never Stops” – a campaign that showed how GO is obsessed with rider safety – for the Chinese audience.

The agency recreated GO’s mainstream video that had actor/comedian Darryl Hinds demonstrating the transit company’s safety measures for both Mandarin and Cantonese-speaking audiences. Research showed that Chinese riders take safety seriously, so while the team maintained the lightness of the mainstream spot, it also tweaked the tone to be more warm, approachable and focused on the seriousness of Metrolinx’s efforts. The cultural tweak worked. Safety perception among the Chinese audience increased 19 points to 88% in November 2020 (compared to 69% in August).

Credits

Sharifa Khan, Balmoral Multicultural, CEO & Founder
Jeffrey Almeida, Balmoral Multicultural, VP & General Manager
Johnson Chang, Balmoral Multicultural, VP, Channel Lead
Ian Koo, Balmoral Multicultural, Creative Director
Adia Li, Balmoral Multicultural, Copywriter
Lorna Leung, Balmoral Multicultural, Senior Account Director
Keshav Kumar, Balmoral Multicultural, Group Media Director
Janice Yi, Balmoral Multicultural, Media Manager
Stephanie Cou, Balmoral Multicultural, Assistant Media Manager