TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/21/14 -- After wishing event attendees a 'Well New Year' on Tuesday night, there was much cause for celebration as Well.ca kicked off a unique integrated traditional and digital media campaign that trended #1 in Canada, garnering over 11.5 million impressions on Twitter in a span of two hours.
"This event marks Well.ca's first true foray into proactive engagement with media and bloggers and was an effort to bring our strong digital experience into the physical environment. Many of our competitors have a strong physical store network but are struggling to address the digital channel - we have the opposite problem -At Well.ca we offer a great online experience but don't have the benefit of stores where customers can touch and feel the product." says Erin Young, CMO, Well.ca. "We were looking for unique ways to drive influential traffic to our site while showcasing our incredible breadth of product, and this strategy and activation did just that."
Between the hours of 7-9pm EST, some of the leading names in Canadian media gathered at the Well.ca for a festive evening while they perused back-to-school themed vignettes filled with product available on Well.ca. They engaged with Well.ca product experts and traded many valuable back-to-school survival tips.
Complimenting the in-person event, at 8pm EST, a curated panel of eight ambassadors took to the Twitter airwaves to lead a back-to-school conversation. Questions were posed to additional online invitees and influencers from across Canada through WellNewYear. Personal coupon codes and an additional promo code offering 10% off the entire site were provided to attendees to incent online shopping 'in real time' and share their findings via social media.
"This was a giant step away from traditional Twitter parties which have become quite formulaic and stale and a move back to online conversations," says Young. "We worked closely with Impressions PR to eliminate the contest and focus on conversation while also encouraging tweeters to participate in the Well.ca shopping experience. This is what we believe set the program apart."
This multi-platform strategy, incorporating traditional media, bloggers and influencers in real life and online was developed in partnership with Impressions Public Relations Ltd, a boutique agency that is leading the way in programs that link traditional PR and social media. "September truly is the New Year for families. The goal was to take the classic event concept, pair it with actionable online conversation and content and launch it to appeal to the 'mom' market," says Impressions PR President, Alison Burke.
The campaign will continue until back-to-school season is completed with organic coverage to be posted on blogs and to be seen in traditional media guides and content.
About Well.ca
Well.ca is Canada's online destination for health, beauty and baby products and offers over 50,000 products with free shipping on all orders over $25. They also boast Canada's largest online assortment of Green & Natural products. With offices and a warehouse located in Guelph, Ontario, and an office in downtown Toronto, Well.ca is a proudly Canadian company that focuses on giving customers a simple and hassle-free shopping experience.
Contacts:
Impressions PR
Heather Lochner
647-269-7180
Heather@impressionspr.ca