Quebec-based funeral service provider Lépine Cloutier (in Quebec City)/Urgel Bourgie (in Montreal) is helping prepare people for death in a new ad campaign by Cossette's Montreal and Quebec City locations. It uses English and French TV spots and microsites to reach adults ages 65 and over.

Poignant 60-sec and 30-sec TV spots show that death is a normal part of life, and are currently airing in the Quebec market for three weeks. The spots are set to run for an additional four weeks in February and March, as well as in May and June.

The microsites act complement the corporate websites and include sections like "Because that is life, we'd like your opinions," to engage consumers. A direct marketing campaign is also set for early 2009.

www.urgelbourgie.com/life
www.lepinecloutier.com/vie

The ALS Society of Canada is raising awareness about Lou Gehrig's disease with the help of Lowe Roche in Toronto. A new PSA campaign includes a 60-sec TV spot, "Head and Shoulders," which went live on YouTube over a week ago, and has since reached approximately 6,000 browsers.

The poignant commercial is set to the children's song "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and focuses on a man's family life through different stages of the disease. As his condition deteriorates, the song tapers off into a sad whisper.

Targeting the general public, the PSA was sent to national broadcast networks hoping for exposure. To view the ALS PSA, go here.

A digital video campaign for United Way launched yesterday, featuring shorts produced by Publicis Toronto featuring at-risk youth, the homeless and other vulnerable groups. The clips show past and future donors how their contributions can have a positive impact on people's lives.

Vancouver-based new media consultant FanTrust Entertainment Strategies president Catherine Warren says the nationwide campaign is aimed at helping the fundraising giant move beyond the mainstream media by producing content for social networking sites.

The United Way videos can be viewed here.

www.fantrust.com
www.unitedway.ca

From Playback Daily

Styleathome.com is reaching women who love décor with a series of holiday decorating and entertaining "how-to" videos that went online earlier this fall. The site garnered 224,000 unique visitors and 1.4 million page views in October, and currently features new ad opps, such as "From our Sponsors" sections, pre-roll on videos and wraparound options.

The step-by-step instructional videos feature advice from industry experts, and can be found at www.styleathome.com/videos.