3/5/2024

This week in New York, Freshman made waves on the international stage by becoming the only video production company in Canada in 2024 (and 1 of 3 since 2014), to win a Grand Clio for their campaign “Sans Émission” for Volkswagen Canada. In collaboration with VML (Volkswagen’s Agency), and media agency, Touché, Montreal-Based Director, Louis-David Jutras, and Freshman Executive Producer, Dan Libman, teamed up with a team of talented creatives, and Quebec celebrity Pier-Luc Funk, to execute a campaign that was innovative, entertaining, and left a lasting impact for the brand.

Leveraging an unprecedented 4-hour long commercial– in the era of short form content no less– the campaign, “Sans Émission,” transformed Quebec TV station Noovo’s overnight end-of-broadcast (when TV stations typically go dark) into a branded content Comedy Special, designed to promote Volkswagen's 100% electric ID.4.

Strategyonline.ca quoted Clio CEO Nicole Purcell saying “that the winners were chosen for showcasing exceptional execution, while embodying breakthrough storytelling and bringing ideas to life that stood taller than the rest of the work being discussed”.

For Freshman, the Grand Clio is a validation of the creative risks and dedication that define their projects. The team’s innovative approach to "Sans Émission" not only showcased Volkswagen's commitment to sustainability in a clever and memorable way, but also showed the power of non-traditional advertising in generating organic reach, by incurring more than 2 million earned media impressions, an eye-popping 3050% increase in viewership (no that’s not a typo), and an a near-perfect score of 94% consideration to buy the ID.4.

This win marks a significant milestone for Freshman, fueling the company’s drive to continue pushing creative boundaries and creating unique video content for ambitious brands. Freshman extends its deepest gratitude to Volkswagen Canada, Type1/VML, Touché, and the Clio Awards for this recognition and celebration of the passion and creativity of its team.

Alongside VML (with Freshman), Rethink also took home a Grand Clio, making them the second of only two agencies in Canada to take home the top honor this year.

For more on the Clio Awards and "Sans Émission", visit the official Clio Awards page here.