2026 Winner

Ontario Horse Racing faced declining relevance among younger, multicultural audiences, particularly within South Asian and Chinese communities, who saw the category as traditional and disconnected from modern entertainment. The goal was to reposition the racetrack not as a sport, but as an experience that could compete with concerts, gaming and social outings. The insight was that if horse racing wants to compete with entertainment, it has to behave like it. Instead of relying on heritage cues, the campaign leaned into music and energy, creating “Let’s Hit the Track,” an original rap anthem and music video produced in Hinglish, Cantonese and Mandarin. The work reframed the racetrack through rhythm, swagger and community, presenting it as a high-energy cultural event rather than a legacy pastime, with versions customized to each audience and later adapted for broader reach. Distributed across digital and video platforms, the campaign delivered a 36% reduction in CPM, a 65% video completion rate and, most notably, a 70% increase in track visits, proving that when the experience feels current, new audiences follow.

Credits

Agency - Balmoral Multicultural Marketing

Sharifa Khan, CEO
Jeffrey Almeida, Managing Director
Arif Rasheed, VP
Donovan D'Souza, VP
Puneet Ahuja, VP
Jocelyn Lam, Account Director
Esther Song, Account Manager
Paul Tsoi, Creative Manager
Mihir Thakkar, Media Manager

Client - Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation

Sean Duvall, Horse Racing Director
Tyler Puley, Marketing Communications & Brand Experience Director
Lori Shea / Senior Product and Development Manager