The .CA Domain Squad is back as CIRA debuts new advertising campaign

The .CA Domain Squad have traded their badges for bug spray as they head to the wilderness

Ottawa – September 10, 2020 – The .CA Domain Squad is back, and they are determined to help Canadian businesses succeed online. The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) is proud to announce the broadcast debut of its new advertising campaign on Monday, September 14.

The campaign features our heroes at .CA Headquarters—deep in the wilderness—working hard to ensure Canadian businesses make the right call by choosing a .CA domain name.

The theme of this year’s campaign is Make your website true north strong and builds off the success of last year’s tongue-in-cheek Don’t be a traitor campaign.

Last year’s .CA Domain Squad campaign was a tremendous success resulting in a 22 per cent increase in new domain registration share in Canada, and a 20 per cent increase in unaided brand awareness.

Key facts

The campaign includes four 15-second spots featuring each of the Domain Squad characters at the .CA Headquarters at an undisclosed location somewhere in the Canadian wilderness (with special appearances by a variety of forest creatures).
The commercials will air over broadcast television in the Greater Toronto Area and the Greater Vancouver Area from September 14 until November 8. They will also be featured across Canada on streaming services, digital TV and social media.
The commercials focus on the value of a .CA domain name for Canadian businesses. Studies show that Canadians prefer to shop from Canadian businesses online, and a .CA domain name is the number one way to declare your business proudly Canadian.
The campaign was produced in partnership with the award-winning Giants & Gentlemen Advertising Inc. and Push Media Inc.
As Canada’s economy pivoted to digital during the COVID-19 pandemic, CIRA saw record growth in .CA domain name registrations as Canadians started new businesses or shifted to online business models.
The four commercials are:

Executive quotes

“As Canada struggles to recover from the pandemic, it is heartening to see so many great Canadian success stories pivoting to digital and moving, or starting, their businesses online. Our campaign is designed with one goal in mind, to help these businesses make the right domain name choice so they can thrive online.”

– Byron Holland, president and CEO, Canadian Internet Registration Authority

“The Domain Squad concept was born more than two years ago as a multi-year creative journey that would take the .CA brand to new heights. We are thrilled to see how the concept has evolved each year, and are excited to see how Canadians react to the squad’s latest adventures. Most importantly, we look forward to helping thousands of Canadian businesses get online with a .CA domain name.”

– David Fowler, vice president, marketing and communications, Canadian Internet Registration Authority

“We Canadians are a tight-knit group of people. And now more than ever, we’re supporting each other and our communities. Simply put, Canadians prefer Canadian, and it’s that very same insight that led to our campaign – and why we humorously mustered up as much Canadiana as possible to drive home the benefits of a .CA domain.”

– Alanna Nathanson, co-founder & chief creative officer, Giants & Gentlemen

Additional resources

Why Canadians trust .CA domain names

Canadian Presence Requirements

Keeping the .CA domain registry safe

About the Canadian Internet Registration Authority

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) manages the .CA top-level domain on behalf of all Canadians. CIRA also develops technologies and services—such as CIRA DNS Firewall and CIRA Canadian Shield—that help support its goal of building a better online Canada. The CIRA team operates one of the fastest-growing country code top-level domains (ccTLD), a high-performance global DNS network, and one of the world’s most advanced back-end registry solutions.

About Giants & Gentlemen

Giants & Gentlemen is a full-service, independent strategy & creative shop offering standout ideas and zero attitude. As entrepreneurs, we bring a grow-or-die philosophy to help brands tower like giants, while always acting like gents. Unique to G&G is Outthinking™, a process that leads to deeper insights that help bring meaning to brands. For more information visit giantsandgents.ca.