There are fishing derbies, and then there’s the extravaganza concocted by Calgary’s Venture Communications to add oomph to the Prairie Toyota Dealers’ second annual Call of the Tundra contest. Targeting male outdoor enthusiasts, the object of the contest is to literally drive traffic to dealerships to pick up ballots to enter online (at www.winatoyotatruck.com) before the Dec. 15 deadline. Last year’s debut effort yielded a 33% lift in awareness of the Tundra truck in western Canada in the ensuing quarter – while no such increase occurred in the rest of the country, where the contest did not exist.

The five ultimate contestants this year will compete in a four-day, fly-in fishing adventure for two next August at Selwyn Lake Lodge in northern Saskatchewan – with the event shot by Global TV and aired in a half-hour TV show next October, kicking off the third annual Call of the Tundra. The branded-content show will be promoted heavily by Global in advance of its air date, and feature contest partners including Selwyn Lake Lodge, Thompson’s Camp, Tourism Saskatchewan, Global TV and Sundog Eyewear.

The sponsor-provided top prizes are: a choice of a 2007 Toyota Tundra or Tacoma truck; a Yamaha Kodiak ATV; three-day fishing getaways for two at Thompson’s, Sundog Cristec polarized sunglasses, Vanguard Winchester spotting scopes, and Daiwa rod & reel combos and camping sets.

Venture Communications handled both the creative and the media for this initiative.