Caroling Mailboxes Fill the Neighborhood With Cheer for Canada Post

Nothing says happy holidays like … singing mailboxes?

Whether you’re down with that sentiment or not, said receptacles harmonize with seasonal spirit in this charmingly goofy offering from Canada Post, the primary mail carrier across our neighbor to the north:

They had to use mailboxes because the front doors would’ve sung off key. Ho! Ho! Ho!

“Shooting a commercial during a pandemic always has its challenges, but we’ve become accustomed to remote shoots,” says Nabil Rachid, creative director at The&Partnership, which developed the campaign with Tank. “It took a large number of operators to orchestrate the mailboxes.”

“It was unusually warm for early October, so making the snow was a challenge,” recalls Untitled Films director Ivan Grbovic. “Sara Mishara, the cinematographer, worked hard to get that early-morning feel consistent throughout the shoot, rain or shine. There were a lot of double takes from passersby.”

Most of the footage was captured in-camera, with “a bit of split-screen here, a bit of wire-removal there,” Grbovic says.

As for the inspiration, “We started thinking about what it means to receive an email versus real mail,” says Rachid. “Receiving mail is joyful—knowing that someone, somewhere thought of you, took the time to write, and unsolicited sent you a little card or present. There’s magic in that.”

Which led the team to … singing mailboxes, of course!

Montreal indie musicians Amy Millan and Evan Cranley wrote and performed the track.

Everybody, stamp those holiday cards and join in:

CREDITS

Client: Canada Post
Spot Title: “A Street Named Joy”

Client:  Canada Post
General Manager, Marketing: Danielle Doiron
Director, Advertising: Jennifer Justin
Advertising Manager: Derek Welosky
Advertising Manager: Christine Sorensen

Agency: The&Partnership
Executive Creative Director, Canada: Ron Smrczek
Head of Strategy:  Andre Louis
Strategy Director: Erika Maginn
Strategy Director: Sam Francis
Creative Director: Nabil Rachid  
Copywriter: Jordan Mark
Senior Art Director: Barry Hann  
Managing Director: Lesley Rivard
Integrated Business Lead: Sophie Mair
Account Director: Meghan Schroeder
Account Manager: Abbey Koma
Account Coordinator: Hannah Casey
Head of Production: Hanna Bratt  
Producer: Kasia Zeniuk

Agency: Tank
VP Client Services: Lyne Mongrain
Account Director: Anne-Louise Bélanger
Account Director: Rosalie Lemelin
Copywriter: Benoît Losier
Producer and Video Project Manager: Melissa Lepine

Production Company: Untitled Films
Production Service Company: Les Enfants
Director: Ivan Grbovic
Producer: Andrew Graham/ Visant Le Guennec
Executive Producer: Lexy Kavluk
Director of Photography: Sara Mishara
Editor: Salvador Valdez

Production Designer: Sylvain Lemaitre
Color Facility: MELS
Colorist: Jerome Cloutier
VFX:  Mathematic
VFX Producer: Alex Pagot
Audio House: Circonflex
Music Director: Paul-Etienne Côté
Composers: Amy Millan & Evan Cranley