This New Goosebump-Inducing Montreal Tourism Ad Will Remind You Why You Love This City
It shows the city at its very best.
Montreal skyline as seen from Mount Royal at sunrise.
Warm air is blowing into the city and with it, now-distant memories of terrasse hopping, mid-July park parties and carefree dancing with strangers at sunset. A new Montreal tourism ad rekindles that burgeoning joy you only feel as spring turns to summer and the metropolis vibrates with anticipation of the season ahead.
The premise of the video is simple: it's a compilation of clips from 100 Montrealers who each recorded a scene from their lives at the same time on the same day. Together, the clips capture that ineffable electric vitality that pervades the city and every soul in it.
Montrealers know it well. Tourisme Montréal is hoping visitors will be inspired to take part too.
The organization has been rolling out the video in different markets since April: in France on April 11, in the northeast U.S. on May 2, and in Canada beginning May 16.
It's made an impact internationally. A Tourisme Montréal spokesperson told MTL Blog it got a whopping 17 million impressions in one month in the French market. In the U.S., it got 500,000 full views — views that lasted the entirety of the one-minute-53-second video — in one week.
In a statement, Tourisme Montréal said that it aims to appeal to viewers' desire for human connection, shared experience and spontaneity after two pandemic years.
"Whether you're a Montrealer, a local or a tourist from elsewhere, Montreal's uniqueness makes it a more attractive destination than ever," Tourisme Montréal Chief Marketing Officer Sylvie Charette said in the statement.
The campaign including the video was originally meant for a 2020 launch but has taken on added significance this year.
"It was already a magnificent piece, but it takes on an even more powerful meaning today, as we relearn how to fully experience Montreal and welcome visitors," lg2 marketing firm partner and Creative Vice-President Marilou Aubin added.
"This video is like diving into a moment of happiness, a moment captured on the spot. It's a campaign that manages to encapsulate what we can't describe in words and why we love Montreal so much."