A tourism campaign that invited Canadians to experience New Brunswick through all five senses has earned national recognition at the 2025 Canadian Marketing Association Awards.
Developed by National Public Relations and Time & Space Media in partnership with ExploreNB, Get a Sense of New Brunswick stood shoulder to shoulder with national heavyweights like SkipTheDishes and Loblaw, earning Silver in the Brand Building category at the 2025 Canadian Marketing Awards. The recognition places the campaign among the top tourism efforts recognized at this year’s awards.
To date, the campaign also earned five Ice Awards (one Silver, four Merit), the AdClub Out-of-Home Showdown award, and is shortlisted for the Media Innovation Awards, to be announced later this month.
“This work captures the spirit of New Brunswick; it’s raw, real, and beautifully human,” said Shawn King, Executive Creative Director at National Atlantic. “We wanted to create something that didn’t just show the province but helped people feel it. New Brunswick has a beautiful story to tell, and it’s clearly resonating,” added Kristie Forbes, Vice President of Marketing at NATIONAL Atlantic. “It’s always rewarding to see Atlantic Canadian creativity recognized nationally.”
Launched in spring 2025, Get a Sense of New Brunswick invited travellers to connect with the province through sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. The integrated campaign came to life across television, digital, social, and experiential media, including a fully immersive Imaginature event in Montreal, an interactive transit shelter topped with a replica of the Grande-Anse Lighthouse, and a full coastal takeover of Toronto’s Bloor–Yonge Station. A custom-made viewfinder even transported viewers from downtown Toronto to the Bay of Fundy. These experiences, complemented by online storytelling and an AI-powered travel planning chatbot, positioned New Brunswick as an authentically Atlantic destination for connection and discovery.
“We designed media experiences that made people stop, breathe, and imagine themselves here,” said John Wearing, Vice President of Strategy & Client Service at Time & Space Media. “When creative storytelling and smart placement align, that’s when we get attention, not just impressions.”
Hon. Isabelle Theriault, Minister of Tourism, Heritage and Culture said the campaign’s recognition highlights the strength of our homegrown creativity on the national stage. “This is a win for New Brunswick and for our partners who share our passion for showing the world what makes our province so special. When we tell real stories about real places, people respond.”
Award recognition to date:
- Canadian Marketing Association Awards (2025): Silver – Brand Building – Retail/Consumer Businesses
- Ice Awards (2025): 1 Silver, 4 Merit
- AdClub Out-of-Home Showdown (2025): Street Level/Transit Shelter
- Media Innovation Awards (2025): Shortlisted (results pending)