Ce blog est disponible en français ici.

The first-ever campaign from the Montréal Firefighters’ Association is getting noticed by our international ad industry peers, winning the award for Best Canadian Outdoor Advertising at the 2025 Reed Awards, sponsored by Campaigns & Elections, as well as the Gold Award for Best Outdoor Advertising at the 2025 Pollie Awards!

The campaign launched in September with eye-catching digital ads calling for fair pay and safer working conditions for local firefighters. And it grew to include high-profile ads at Montréal’s busiest metro stations, as well as street corners, transit shelters, and BIXI bike stands across the city.

Firefighters are there for us in the most dangerous moments of our lives. We count on their courage and professionalism to help the rest of us during fires, floods, car accidents, and natural disasters.

But every day, firefighters face life-threatening risks on the job. Responding to any call can come with profound mental and physical health impacts, including exposure to toxic substances that cause serious illnesses. And those toxins can contaminate firefighters’ equipment, travelling back to the fire stations and to firefighters’ own vehicles, homes, and families.

As the Montréal Firefighters’ Association—the union representing over 2,300 firefighters in Montréal—prepared for its next round of collective bargaining, it decided to launch its first-ever public advertising campaign to raise awareness of the challenges facing its members and encourage city leaders to deliver a fair deal. While Montréal has the second-largest fire service in Canada, its firefighters’ salaries rank 153^rd out of 170 fire departments across the country—and that needs to change.

We designed and produced eye-catching out-of-home and digital ads—featuring original photography of a member of the Montréal fire service.

It’s a striking image that highlights the vulnerability of people in a profession known for selfless strength and heroism. And the message is simple and direct: “Courageous. Reassuring. Dependable. But at what cost?”

The campaign ran in French with digital ads online and out-of-home ads on major bus routes and inside the city’s busiest downtown metro stations—Berri-UQAM, Champ-de-Mars, and Place-d’Armes.

By securing these coveted locations, we ensured that tens of thousands of commuters could see the ads each day during a campaign that was scheduled to run for two months, but received significant additional bonusing from vendors. And the digital ads directed viewers to the campaign’s website, ButAtWhatCost.ca, where visitors can send an email directly to city councillors.

As a result of the campaign, nearly 5,000 emails were delivered to local leaders, helping to raise the profile of the city’s firefighters and highlight the importance of their health, safety, and well-being.

Want creative advertising that raises attention for the issues that matter to your members—and helps drive support for your union’s collective bargaining efforts?

Give us a call. Our team is here to help!