Bleublancrouge and Desjardins team up for a Solo

Julie Markle is Co-Executive Creative Director at Bleublancrouge's newest office in Toronto  

When COVID hit, as we all suffered through that first stage of lockdown, Desjardins didn’t just want to talk about “being there” for those hardest hit, financially and emotionally. They wanted to actually do something.

"I chose this work to share because I am proud to have been part of this incredible effort. I believe it's a great example of how a brand can truly help communities in ways above and beyond simply cutting a cheque."

"We were inspired by the music wave across the world and how comforting music was becoming for people in lockdown. So, we brought the healing power of music to those who needed it most. To support both weary Canadians and out-of-work musicians, we created over 100 personalized solos, which were lovingly dedicated and performed by 47 professional artists from coast to coast."

"This was no easy feat, as it was one of the first campaigns shot in Toronto during lockdown under stringent guidelines. The entire campaign was shot by the musicians themselves on iPhones, and was directed remotely. To make this even more challenging to execute, (because hey, why make this easy on ourselves?), we executed all these solos and produced over 100 pieces of content in a matter of weeks (with no sleep)."

With over 100 videos, it's hard to choose just a couple to show, so, here's the case video for Desjardins' Send a Solo, by Bleublancrouge:

The results? Beyond providing financial relief to 47 Canadian musicians, and bringing joy to over 100 recipients of the solos, Send A Solo drove a 500% increase in traffic to Desjardins’ agent website ... and has been winning some creative awards, too. 

Bleublancgrouge Toronto is part of the Humanise Collective.

More on Julie Markle:

Julie believes in creating work that adds meaning to people’s lives. For years, her creative has helped brands like Huggies, Dove and Hellmann’s stand for more. From communicating the importance of skin-to-skin hugs for babies (Huggies), to shaping the self-esteem of girls (Dove), Julie strives to unearth new ways to make people feel and connect with brands. Her work has been consistently recognized at Cannes, D&AD, One Show, Clios and Communication Arts. Her numerous Effies, including a recent Gold for Sustained Success (Huggies), prove her work is good for business. But her Cannes Glass Lion for Change shortlist, proves her work is also good for people.

Find her on linkedin