A&W Canada wants to raise awareness of multiple sclerosis (MS) and support those living with the disease with its latest campaign supported by influencers, social media and OOH ads.

The “Burgers to Beat MS” campaign, which builds on A&W’s long-standing partnership with MS Canada (a multiple sclerosis society), supports initiatives that improve the quality of life for MS patients with a $2 donation for every burger sold until August 22. The campaign’s creative invites Canadians to fight MS by purchasing a burger at the brand’s stores or through the Uber Eats, DoorDash and SkipTheDishes apps.

A&W Canada president and CEO Susan Senecal tells MiC that this year’s initiative has a strong media push aimed towards Gen Z and Millennial audiences, focused on placement on Pinterest and Cineplex. The brand has also secured an Olympic placement, as well as a partnership with the Blue Jays, which will display visuals of the campaign behind home plate the week of August 19.

“We know young people are cause-driven now more than ever and our media plan wanted to reach them where they work and play to continue the program’s success,” Senecal says. The A&W team has also realized that Canadians care about causes that affect them close to home, so they always try to build their fundraising initiatives around these concerns, she adds.

Senecal explains that the brand decided to launch the campaign this year because Canada has one of the highest rates of MS globally, with an average of 12 new diagnoses every day and over 90,000 Canadians living with the disease. “To raise awareness of the impact of this disease and help those living with MS to enjoy a better quality of life, we encourage collective action,” she says.

A&W first partnered with MS Canada in 2008 to launch a pilot donation project in Saskatchewan, which raised $40,000. That led A&W to later expand the campaign nationally. Today, “Burgers to Beat MS” has become a tradition for the brand and its franchises across Ontario, Senecal says. Many locations have fundraising traditions like raffles, car shows and dunk tanks that have been in place since year one and bring the whole community together.

iProspect is handling media buying, while Strategic Objectives is managing the earned and owned PR tactics. Rethink is behind the creative.