The Canadian Tourism Commission set some Canadian wildlife loose in London last week to tease the arrival of a multimedia campaign aimed at luring Brits to Canada.

The central campaign destination is the ‘Canada Experiential Dome’ at Canary Wharf, where visitors can explore the various offerings of four parts of Canada: Quebec, Ontario, the Maritimes and Alberta.

An OOH teaser campaign broadcast loon calls onto the streets in high-traffic areas. The strange sounds were elaborated in a PR push, with callers to radio stations announcing that ‘a loon was loose in London.’ A few days later, images of a wolf were projected onto buildings such as the Battersea Manometer, London Aquarium, the Tate Modern, London Bridge and Covent Garden, accompanied by the sounds of howling wolves and an invitation to ‘Step into Canada. Visit Canary Wharf January 21 – February 15.’

At the Wharf, the large glass dome gives four points of entry, one for each Canadian destination. Inside are multimedia experiences which include painted murals, audio effects, product and service samples and Canadian expatriates to welcome visitors and answer questions.

In the Maritime quarter, people can walk along a real pier in a seaside wharf, try saltwater taffy and listen to the sounds of the tide, seagulls and foghorns.

The Quebec quarter is made up as a bistro patio, complete with sounds of wine glasses clinking and smooth jazz music, with visitors receiving a Montréal Jazz Festival compilation CD to take home.

Ontario re-creates the Niagara wine region, with its sounds of chirping crickets and bird songs among real oak casks in a vineyard with ice-wine chocolates to sample.

In the Alberta area, visitors walk into a luxurious mountain spa, complete with warm fireplace, Rocky Mountain vistas and complimentary neck and shoulder rubs.

All visitors to the dome are eligible to enter a contest at www.canada.travel to win a 14-day Canadian adventure for two, including flights, accommodation and car rental. Patrons at various restaurants and pubs on the Wharf are also being sent mobile messages via Bluetooth, inviting them to visit the dome for a chance to win.

Massive transit displays at nine London tube stations support the campaign, with CTC branding as well as campaigns from Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership, Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership, Tourism Québec and Travel Alberta. FSIs were distributed through Metro transit papers and The Guardian.

The campaign was executed by the CTC’s AOR, DDB Canada, in partnership with two London agencies, Inside Live! and Fuse OMD. OMD Vancouver, in association with OMD International in London, was responsible for the media buy.