Red Balloon Wednesdays Campaign 

A powerful call to action that rallied beauty professionals across Canada.

• Client: ABA Canada
• Project Type: National Advocacy + Awareness Campaign
• Platform: Social Media Marketing, Website Development, Email Marketing, PR & Communications

Overview

During COVID-19 lockdowns, salons and spas across Canada faced prolonged closures despite implementing strong safety protocols. The industry was left out of key reopening plans and financial support conversations, threatening thousands of small businesses and careers.

ABA Canada needed a high-impact, unifying campaign to spotlight the economic value of the industry, demand fair treatment, and amplify the collective voice of salon professionals.

Our Approach

A bold, national activation using red balloons as a symbol of protest—brought to life with strategic branding, salon-ready toolkits, and coordinated media outreach to demand safe reopening.

Results & Impact

At the heart of the campaign was a national petition that gathered over 7,000 signatures, urging government officials to treat salons as essential and safe. Shared widely across email, social media, and in-salon posters, it became a key tool in rallying the industry.

The campaign results included:

• Hundreds of participating salons

• Thousands of social shares using #RedBalloonWednesday

• National media attention

• A unified voice for Canada’s $7B+ beauty industry

From the Client

“This campaign gave our industry a voice when we felt invisible. City Media Collective captured the urgency and passion behind it — and gave us tools to rally a nation.

City Media has been a pleasure to work with! They keep help to us on track and are always coming up with creative suggestions/solutions to our needs. So happy to have partnered with them.“

— Vince Riverso – Chair, ABA Canada Chair