Holiday meals and leftovers. Turkey over and over. That’s so boring. While 67% say gravy is the star of the holiday meal, 3 in 5 are craving new flavours to break up the same-old turkey-and-trimmings routine. But everyone loves pizza, so Boston Pizza and agency, Mekanism, are giving Canadians what want. They’ve launched Pizza Gravy, a Boston Pizza first that transforms boring, repetitive turkey into festive pizza merriment. Blending the richness of classic gravy with Boston Pizza’s signature pizza sauce, Pizza Gravy is designed to rescue dry turkey and break up the predictable holiday spread.
The launch headlinesTake a Holi-Break, a new Canadian campaign built on the insight that while the holidays may be branded as “the most wonderful time of the year,” they’re also a season of social overload, turkey fatigue, and festive burnout.
“We all love the holidays, but let’s be honest—they can be a lot,” stated Niels van Oyen, director of marketing at Boston Pizza. “Take a Holi-Break taps into that feeling of social overload and turkey fatigue and gives Canadians permission to step away from the festive burnout. At BP, we want to be that sanity-saving sanctuary where people can relax, laugh, and enjoy a moment of joy.”
Designed to intercept Canadians at their peak moments of holiday meltdown, the campaign shows up when and where people are feeling it most – on busy highways, in busy malls and when they’re online shopping – with a series of playful, contextually driven activations, including Holi-Break Ornament gift cards hidden in chaotic public places for surprise-and-delight escapes; and OOH and directional media guiding people to nearby Boston Pizza locations and pointing them straight to the nearest BP so they can tap out and take an instant Holi-Break. The full campaign covers OOH, Netflix, Mall OOH, Airport OOH, Transit OOH, influencer content, and earned channels.
“Holiday fatigue is real and all of the ‘holi-duties’ leave people feeling over-scheduled, overwhelmed and over the endless leftovers,” stated Ian Barr, SVP and head of strategy at Mekanism Canada. “We wanted to playfully meet Canadians in those peak moments of seasonal frustration and offer a disarming reminder to take a Holi-Break in a uniquely BP way.”
Pizza Gravy is available in Canada for $9.99(plus tax and shipping) at pizzagravy.ca, while supplies last. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Food Banks Canada, supporting communities across the country at a time of year when need is especially high.
Credits:
Client: Boston Pizza
President of Marketing: Peter Blackwell
Vice President of Marketing: James Kawalecki
Director of Marketing: Niels van Oyen
Marketing Manager: Sean Megna
Associate Marketing Manager: Tonia Osei-Bonsu
Agency: Mekanism
Executive Creative Director: Julie Nikolic
Senior Vice President, Strategy: Ian Barr
Associate Creative Directors: Robyn Crummey, Ashley Babcock, Aaron Niven & Dave Fontaine
Group Account Director: Heather Mirynech
Account Executive: Sierra Haddleton
PR: Heads + Tales
Media Agency: UM Canada
Production Company: Witch House Productions
Executive Producer & Line Producer: Jessica Clarke
Director: Sofia Pompei
Director of Photography: Zachary Guy
Production Manager: Alison Henthorn
Production Assistant: Samantha Pearson
Food Stylist: Jason Skrobar
Art Dept: Ella Webber
Post Production: Combo Bravo
Executive Producer: Connor Illsley
Editor: Alison Beland
Animation Studio: Pomelo
Founder & Executive Creative Director: Jason Agar
Animation & VFX: Zak Tatham
