2023 Winner

The “Tartan Turban Secret Readings,” by Barrett and Welsh, is a literary reading series that shines a spotlight on writers who identify as Indigenous, Black, and Persons of Colour, for whom there are few such platforms. To promote the series, a digital direct marketing campaign was created and deployed across social media and via email. Target audiences included emerging visible minority writers and their audiences, from the South Asian, Chinese, Black, Indigenous and other visible minority communities, along with allies of these communities. Key images were custom-designed to reflect the evening’s theme, with the promotional materials for each event treated as collectible works of art. The campaign was successful in attracting a discerning audience to the series, with the majority (93%) of sales driven by direct marketing engagement generated by organizer channels. The email open rate was 58.6%. By the end of the season, the series had secured funding from the League of Canadian Poets and the Canada Council for the Arts, and had drawn an audience of 429 people.

Credits

Gavin Barrett, Chief Creative Officer
Bhupesh Luther, Creative Group Head, Art