Electron Expedition

Our one-of-a-kind content strategy, which we called “Expedition Electron”, catered to millennials and employees alike.

 Hydro-Québec challenged filmmaker and ultra-marathoner Caroline Côté to travel 2,000 km, alone, following the path travelled by an electron that brings light and warmth to Quebecers. From the easternmost end of Hydro-Québec’s grid, to downtown Montreal, Caroline followed the path of gigantic electric pylons – a course never travelled before. This 80-day expedition included running, snowshoeing, and canoeing,  always true to the exact path followed by electricity. Weather conditions, from snow to summer heat, made the expedition challenging, even for an experienced and resilient athlete like Caroline.

Through her journey, consumers discovered the outstanding know-how of Hydro-Quebec’s employees, who built this world-renowned electric grid across one of the most reclusive regions of the world.

 Millennials thrive on immersive, high-adrenaline adventures and that’s exactly what Expedition Electron provided. They also value authenticity and in Expedition Electron, Caroline did not shy away for showing her great joys, but also the pain, the fear and the exhaustion of her journey all along 2,000kms of Hydro’s network. Another distinctive feature of Millennials is their desire to be a live witness and their constant fear of missing out. That is why we continuously documented Caroline’s journey on highly involving social media platforms, so that followers could not only witness every step of her journey, they could also participate, encouraging her from the comfort of their home.  

 The other important target group, employees, became instantly proud of the massive and positive media coverage Expedition Electron triggered, in which they played an active role, by cheering and showing their support.

In the end, it was an entire nation who came together and cheered for Expedition Electron!

After carefully mapping Caroline’s route with cartographers and other Hydro-Québec experts, we worked on the narrative and the content calendar. While Caroline was ultimately alone in her journey, she could count on a solid digital content and media team to make her exploit noticed!

We produced a wide variety of high-quality content, adapted for every social platform:  breath-taking photos, Instagram stories, YouTube videos, Facebook lives, and blogs. Every day, new content was pushed through a  mix of paid, owned and earned channels. Just like Caroline, our media team was “on” 24/7: original content was published on 74 of the 80 days of her journey. Native integrations were also negotiated with key media partners and other influencers, whose reach and engaged audiences significantly boosted the shares of Expedition Electron.

As Caroline progressed on the path of electricity, so did the interest of mass media outlets. Several radio and TV stations, and newspapers covered the expedition. Caroline’s arrival event, organized in Montreal and open to the public, was even covered live on television

The media plan for employees, a target too often overlooked, was carefully crafted, and ensured that Expedition Election would revive Hydro-Quebec employee’s pride for their organization. Employees witnessed Caroline’s progress on Hydro-Quebec’s webinars, emails, and on-site signage. An internal contest allowed one employee to walk the path of electricity with Caroline Côté for 24 hours. Caroline was also warmly cheered by hundreds of employees all along her journey.