Ungava - Branding and Communications

The gin category has soared in popularity over the last decade in Québec. As Ungava Gin was one of the early pioneers paving the way, the brand had to stand out to let Québec consumers know that the brand has a new bottle and packaging design and remind them of what makes the gin so unique. For those who might be unfamiliar with the brand, this would be an opportunity to introduce them to the brand for the first time.

As gin tends to be a predominantly clear liquid, it was even more important to let them know that it is the botanicals from northern Québec that give the gin its exceptionally smooth taste and distinct yellow colour.

Corby approached Pigeon to help them create a brand campaign to tackle these challenges while creating a holistic message. As Pigeon had also created the new brand identity – after 10 years in market – it was the perfect time to showcase the brand’s new look and there was never a better time as it was going to be seen during CBC’s broadcast of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

In video, we wanted to immerse people into the iconic yellow gin by slowly revealing various parts of the newly redesigned packaging and bottle created by Pigeon, while sharing with them the distinctive product features that make Ungava a uniquely Canadian gin. In Québec, we leaned into a bit more humour and local colloquialism to better connect with this audience. The campaign was supported by TV advertising, out-of-home billboards, promoted social and online ads across both Ontario and Québec.