CASE STUDY
On loge Montréal
Awareness campaign
CONTEXT
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Local 301, represents the blue-collar workers of the Montreal Housing and Development Corporation (SHDM).
In the context of collective agreement negotiations, discussions reached a deadlock, as the issue of wages remained unresolved.
Inflation and the rising cost of living have severely affected the purchasing power of workers, who nevertheless contribute directly to the SHDM's mission: to develop and maintain access to housing in Montreal.
The campaign was intended to reposition the issue as a matter of collective interest, and not solely as a labor dispute.
OBJECTIVES
The campaign aimed to:
Raising public awareness of the impacts of inflation on workers
To highlight the inconsistency between the SHDM's mission and the reality of its employees
Generating citizen support
To exert pressure on decision-makers
Supporting internal mobilization
APPROACH
The challenge was to translate a complex economic issue into a clear, accessible and motivating message.
The approach chosen is based on a significant simplification of the message, in order to allow immediate understanding by the general public.
The strategic work consisted of identifying an angle capable of directly linking the SHDM's mission to the reality experienced by its workers.
CREATIVE CONCEPT
The "We house Montreal" concept establishes a direct link between workers and the mission they fulfill.
The message highlights a fundamental contradiction: those who help to house Montreal's population are themselves struggling to find housing in the city.
The tagline "Give us the means to live there" reinforces this tension by introducing a clear, legitimate and difficult-to-ignore demand.
VISUAL DIRECTION
The art direction relies on a powerful visual metaphor. A key, a symbol of housing, becomes a central element structuring the composition. The suspended figure evokes the difficulty of accessing housing, while simultaneously creating immediate visual tension.
The use of simple shapes, strong contrasts, and a limited palette allows for:
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a quick read
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strong memorization
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display efficiency
The visual was designed for distribution across various media, including posters, social networks, and union communication tools.
