Inland x Grey Cup Festival

The Grey Cup Festival presented an unprecedented opportunity—132,000+ attendees over six days, plus 32,343 at the championship game. The challenge: transform what could have been a minor sponsorship into a comprehensive market-entry catalyst that would resonate with blue-collar Manitoba truckers and their families. With only 30 days from concept to festival launch, the project required rapid creative development, multi-stakeholder approvals, vehicle graphics production, and experiential activation coordination.

The Approach

Strategic Market Positioning Through Cultural Integration

Rather than treating Grey Cup as a standalone sponsorship, we identified it as the bridge between trucking, football, and family—three pillars of Manitoba culture. This insight drove creation of messaging concepts addressing Inland's fundamental challenge: justifying premium pricing in a cost-conscious marketplace. We developed six messaging frameworks tested across billboard and social media applications, with "Inland Works Harder" emerging as the cornerstone of a three-year media strategy extending far beyond the festival.

Experiential Activation and Multi-Year Partnership Development

The Grey Cup Festival organizers proposed the "First Down Dive" foam pit activation. We transformed this into a strategic brand touchpoint through engaging football field graphics that challenged participants to "break the goal line," creating competitive participation across all ages. The activation delivered dual value: immediate engagement through branded photo takeaways with QR codes linking to a $1,000 scavenger hunt, plus strategic relationship building with Blue Bombers leadership that created pathways to sustained partnerships.

Integrated Brand Presence Across Multiple Touchpoints

Five wrapped trucks served as rolling billboards throughout Winnipeg during festival week, with the primary T480 positioned at the city's busiest intersection. Custom Grey Cup-inspired badge logos integrated Inland's wordmark with football imagery, while proprietary yellow-on-yellow tonal patterns maintained brand consistency. Grey Cup-specific billboards launched across major Manitoba highways, establishing the foundation for Inland's ongoing media infrastructure.

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Solution

Festival Activation Delivering Immediate Impact

The First Down Dive foam pit became one of the festival's most photographed activations, with Inland's Marketing Manager and President diving for the end zone alongside thousands of Manitoba families. The family-friendly brand presence differentiated Inland from competitors focused purely on B2B transactions, creating emotional connections that supported long-term market positioning.

Multi-Year Partnership Infrastructure

The Grey Cup success provided credibility that enabled Inland to secure Winnipeg Blue Bombers practice jersey sponsorships, Princess Auto Stadium in-game advertising reaching 25,000+ fans per game, and a three-year billboard campaign across major Manitoba transportation routes. These partnerships created the "surround sound" brand experience essential for market penetration, positioning Inland as deeply integrated with Manitoba culture rather than an outside competitor.

Strategic Market Positioning for Long-Term Growth

Manitoba truckers now encounter Inland at family events, on highways, during football games, and through ongoing media presence. The new Winnipeg dealership construction, combined with sustained brand presence through sports partnerships and billboard campaigns, supports Inland's long-term strategy to capture market share by demonstrating commitment to Manitoba through community engagement and consistent brand visibility.

Project Impact: Festival activation reaching 132,000+ attendees, five-truck graphics program, multi-year sports partnerships, three-year billboard campaign infrastructure, and strategic market positioning supporting Manitoba expansion toward industry leadership.

Timeline: 30 days from strategic planning through festival launch

Scope: Strategic messaging development, experiential activation design, vehicle graphics for five trucks, billboard creative and media strategy, partnership facilitation, production coordination across multiple vendors

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