You don’t normally discover a winter holiday between shoes and skincare. But that is exactly where Canada has placed itself as Destination Canada launches the second phase of its winter campaign with David Jones.
Destination Canada has embedded its winter pitch directly into David Jones stores across four states, dropping winter travel cues onto the shop floor and catching shoppers mid-browse. The activation invites customers to Do Winter Differently, using the retail environment to move them from inspiration to booking.
Attention shoppers, Canada has entered the building
Rolling out across NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia, the campaign turns the shop floor into a media channel.
In the shoe department, alpine scenes appear exactly where footwear is being tried on, with copy urging shoppers to “step outside in style” as snowshoe tracks cut across Canadian mountain landscapes.
In changerooms and at beauty counters affirmations like “You’re glowing” or “Check out the reflection” pivot to reveal frozen lakes and mountain ranges.
The idea works because it shows up in the wrong moment. Instead of asking shoppers to imagine travel, it interrupts habits built around reassurance and routine, slipping a sense of elsewhere into a pause that normally goes nowhere. What reads as a throwaway retail moment quietly becomes the beginning of a trip.
Aurora in Sydney?!
Running until 30 March, the activation invites David Jones customers to scan and unlock winter experiences across Canada, from snow-covered national parks to cities that stay active through the colder months. Shoppers ready to move from browsing to booking are directed to an exclusive offer with Entire Travel, including a $250 David Jones gift card on qualifying Canadian winter holidays.
The campaign then takes its message beyond the shop floor, with a winter-themed window at the David Jones Elizabeth Street flagship in Sydney featuring an aurora installation, supported by immersive video across key David Jones locations nationwide.
It is large, public and difficult to ignore.
Julie King, Managing Director Australia at Destination Canada, says the campaign is designed to stand apart.
“This campaign allows Canada to differentiate its winter proposition in a way that feels unexpected, innovative and highly immersive,” King says.
“By integrating Canada into the David Jones customer journey, we’re inspiring travellers to see winter differently and ultimately book their next winter escape.”
The campaign follows on from the relaunch of David Jones Rewards program in 2025, where Canada was strategically integrated as the first ‘spend and win’ non-endemic partner into this one-time brand moment that connected David Jones to travel.
KARRYON UNPACKS: Canada has shifted winter marketing into premium retail at national scale, tightening the path from inspiration to booking inside an environment where customers are already primed to spend.
