Mastercard Wins ICA and Bell Media’s 2023 Inclusivity, Diversity, and Equity in Advertising (IDEA) Competition

TORONTO (Nov. 20, 2023) – The Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA) and Bell Media announced today, that Mastercard and its agency, McCann Canada, have won the 2023 Inclusivity, Diversity, and Equity in Advertising (IDEA) Competition. This year’s focus was on campaigns highlighting Newcomers to Canada, with the winner awarded $1 million worth of inventory on Bell Media platforms. In this year’s winning concept, Mastercard aims to help newcomers start businesses in the right places, to optimize their chances for success. Studies performed by Mastercard and McCann Canada show that while one-third of new businesses in Canada are started by newcomers, one in five of these ventures fail in the first two years. The “Fill the Business Gap” concept uses Mastercard’s solutions to detect untapped locations for potential businesses by using anonymized and aggregated transaction data and proprietary analytics to see what businesses already exist and where there’s a potential need for new businesses. Once determined, Mastercard would create an online destination and digital out-of-home ads to run in the gap-existing areas, in different languages based on demographic data. “This campaign idea utilizes the best that marketing has to offer, bringing data and creativity together,” said Scott Knox, President & CEO, ICA. “What took it to the top is that it offers a meaningful tool aimed at the success of newcomers to our country. One that exists for today, and could for many years.” “’Fill the Business Gap’ ticked all the boxes that embody the spirit of the IDEA Competition,” said Perry MacDonald, VP, Advertising Sales and Partnerships at Bell Media. “The winning campaign is not just about advertising – it’s about creating opportunities in and for underrepresented areas. Bell Media is thrilled to leverage the power of its megaphone, and give this campaign a running start.” The Mastercard campaign surpassed competition from finalist entries including: Covered Bridge Potato Chips, Geomans, Kind Snacks, Knorr, Metro, Mondetta, Nissan, Oxi Clean, and Simplii Financial by agencies Broken Heart Love Affair, Forsman & Bodenfors, The Garden, Juniper Park \TBWA, MIKADO International, Open, Shortstop and UpHouse Inc. The winning entry was selected by a specially curated jury comprised of 10 established leaders from the Canadian marketing and media sector, who bring a breadth of creativity, experience, and vision toward increasing diverse and inclusive representation in advertising and within the media industry. Open to national and international brands and their agencies, the IDEA Competition seeks to create meaningful change in the media industry and to encourage greater representation of diverse communities in Canadian advertising campaigns, while also encouraging diversity and inclusivity in the creative process.