The Challenge

Intrepid Travel was seeking to elevate brand awareness in Canada and connect with new, purpose-driven audiences. Despite strong performance among global travellers, Intrepid's brand recognition in North America lagged behind competitors.

The goal: create a bold, culturally relevant partnership that would connect Intrepid's passion for global storytelling with an event that celebrates creativity, curiosity, and human connection.

Strategy

Align Intrepid with one of the most globally recognized cultural institutions — the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) — to build emotional resonance and reach. The partnership positioned Intrepid as the Official Travel Partner of TIFF, uniting two brands rooted in storytelling and discovery.

Core strategic pillars:

• Cultural relevance: Embed the brand within TIFF's creative, globally minded community.

• Purpose-driven storytelling: Connect the shared curiosity of film lovers and travellers.

• Performance marketing: Drive measurable results via data capture and mid-funnel conversion tactics.

Execution

• TIFF Box Office & Fan Zone Takeovers: full experiential activation and brand presence across the festival’s most high-traffic zones.

• The Intrepid Trailer: 20-second film-inspired travel ad playing before every public screening.

• Lead Capture: Fan Zone experience generated 30,000+ qualified leads throughout the festival.

• Program Sponsorship: Alignment with TIFF Midnight Madness, spotlighting Intrepid’s adventurous spirit.

• Integrated Media Plan: Full-funnel support across CTV, digital OOH, social, programmatic, and search, targeting audiences across Ontario and BC.

• Unified Creative Platform: Consistent messaging under the campaign line “See the world at TIFF. Experience it with Intrepid Travel.”

The Results

• Delivered record brand awareness in key Canadian markets.

• Drove thousands of new leads directly attributable to the TIFF activation.

• Positioned Intrepid as a modern, culturally relevant travel brand within one of the world’s most prestigious creative events.

• Established a scalable blueprint for future cultural brand partnerships (e.g., WNBA, Duolingo).

Collaborators

Intrepid North America Marketing & Global Team, Momentum Worldwide, SouthSouthWest Creative Agency, d.pe Agency.