Daring to transform: How DOOH fueled growth for Alberta Women Entrepreneurs

Rising inflation and cost-of-living has led to diminishing entrepreneurship across Canada. Alberta Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), a not-for-profit organization supporting women entrepreneurs, saw an opportunity to not only recruit more members but also bring greater awareness to their organization outside of the province.

To stand out in a crowded landscape of entrepreneurial organizations, AWE teamed up with Vistar Media to launch its first digital out-of-home (DOOH) campaign to capture
audience attention throughout the day and drive sign-up intent for their leadership programs.

Scaling smart

AWE prioritized geographic relevance while layering key audience attributes to
ensure their ads got in front of their target audience: women small business
owners, aged 18-34, with a company revenue of less than $500,000. To reach these businesses beyond Alberta, they activated campaign messaging across
Toronto, Vancouver, Regina, St. John’s, Winnipeg and Montreal.  The campaign ran across a number of venue types, including:

Billboards | Malls | Bus shelters | Schools | Salons | Gyms | Urban panels | Subways | Office buildings | Transit stations | Apartment buildings

Bold designs for entrepreneurial journeys

AWE's creative messaging focused on keywords that highlighted key challenges women entrepreneurs face, such as limited funding, scarce mentorship opportunities and
underrepresentation in male-dominated fields. Additionally, they used these large canvasses to educate consumers on their BOLD Leadership and Strategic Edge programs. Further, AWE implemented a QR code on its creatives to enable viewers to take immediate action and sign up for their programs.

From screens to sign-ups

AWE invested in a brand study, to gain insight into how the campaign impacted consumer perception and behaviour:

• +178% lift in brand awareness
• +266% lift in consideration
• +273% lift in sign-up intent

Not only did AWE achieve outstanding results but the campaign provided meaningful insights into reaching their target audience in future DOOH advertising campaigns.

Partnering with Vistar Media for our first foray into programmatic DOOH advertising was an exciting new use of technology for AWE. Their expertise not only streamlined the process, but also delivered impressive results, helping us understand the national landscape of women entrepreneurs and utilizing that data for future marketing efforts. 
Alycia Benson
Marketing Coordinator, Alberta Women Entrepreneurs 

The takeaway

AWE's campaign highlights how data-driven targeting and bold creative can amplify awareness for mission-driven organizations. By reaching women entrepreneurs across diverse venues and cities, AWE was able to spark meaningful connections and inspire action beyond their home province. 

With Vistar Media’s platform and strategic approach, AWE transformed its leadership programs into a compelling national story — proving that DOOH can drive both awareness and intent in a competitive nonprofit landscape.