Travel Yukon Goes Full Metal to Redefine Winter Tourism

Convince 35+ adventure-seeking travelers that Yukon’s winter isn't just survivable—it's spectacular. The insight? People already think Yukon winters are extreme. So instead of softening that perception, Travel Yukon leaned into it, reframing winter as a thrilling badge of honor for those bold enough to experience it.

To break through in a travel category filled with polished, picturesque campaigns, the team knew they had to take a dramatically different approach. Recognizing that a winter trip to the Yukon is unapologetically hardcore, Cossette and Travel Yukon created a campaign equally intense and unexpected. At its center was a full-length original metal track written by Cossette’s creative team and produced with Canadian band Mob Machine and Flip78. The music became the spine of the campaign.

The music video—shot on a frozen lake in sub-zero temperatures—debuted in front of the entire nation during the 2024 Juno Awards. But the idea didn’t stop there. The campaign extended across digital and physical channels with a content-first approach. It included second-screen ads during the Junos, Spotify audio placements (where else would you launch a metal anthem?), and targeted social content on YouTube, Meta, and other digital platforms.

To bring the metal ethos to life offline, the team created Yukon-branded ‘band’ merch and festival-style posters that reimagined the territory’s winter activities as part of a tour lineup. Even in traditional radio placements, the campaign broke convention by running the full 3-minute, 25-second track in its entirety—a rare move that reinforced the campaign’s commitment to authenticity and boldness.

Ultimately, “Yukon is Metal” used music and cultural storytelling to rebrand the winter experience as something not just worth enduring, but worth celebrating. Every element was designed to chip away at stereotypes and redefine Yukon as a winter destination for those who live—and travel—loudly.