The client’s objective was to drive people to the CIC’s antifraud web pages to learn how to protect themselves from fraud, and to alert people to the possibility of fraud. The primary target audience was established as recent immigrants to Canada (three years or less), 25 – 54 years of age particularly those with family and friends abroad. Secondary target audiences included immigrant support groups, stake holders (consultants, lawyers, recruiters), and the general population.

This was an integrated campaign using a variety of media. There were two streams of creative. The first dealt with fraud pertaining to immigration consultants; the second dealt with marriage fraud. In the first case the image of a nefarious looking immigration consultant was used to hold the message together. The television spot introduced this glowering character and a voice over speaks about the dangers of dealing with him. The voice over is produced in a trustworthy, serious tone, motivating the individual to find out more. How to find out more is vividly displayed on the screen. The identical approach was carried across all media. In print the same image stares out and the ad screams “Crooked.” Big boxes and leaderboards carry the same theme.

The marriage fraud campaign also carried its own simple, theme and images across all types of media. The disappearing groom/bride on the television ads illustrated exactly what could happen. A trustworthy voice discussed it and issues a warning. Bold graphics made the point and told the viewer what to do next. Shortened pre rolls repeated the message on the internet, accompanied by leaderboards and big boxes. Print ads repeated the message using the same images. The media strategy for these campaigns was to have all elements working together, supporting each other at the same time. The results, reported by the client and ACET.

Immigration Consultants:

• Visits to the website during the campaign by 8%. Over 325,000 page visits to the sit. Previous 4 weeks visits 59,581 (over 500% increase)
• Click-through-rate from 0.13% to 0.17% during the campaign. Increased to 0.92% (1.26%) for pre-rolls - reported by AOR
• Aided awareness from 47% to 50%. Increased to 50.2% for total population - ACET
• Visits to the “Don’t get cheated by a crooked immigration consultant” video by 6.9%. 6,979 the previous 4 weeks to 18,000 during campaign (over 200%)

Relationships of Convenience:

• Visits to the “Don’t be a victim” video by 8.6%
• Aided awareness of advertising from 9% to 15% for newcomers and from 6% to 10% for the general public