Go RVing Canada Find Your Wildhood: "You Are Out There" - 2023 Canada

You know, I've always wanted to go on an epic road trip, and this ad is really nudging me to just do it! It's directed by OPC's Natalie Rae and was shot on film, creating beautiful scenic footage.

A powerful new campaign from Broken Heart Love Affair focuses on the joy of getting back to nature and rediscovering yourself

Go RVing Canada is demonstrating the powerful impact of coming face-to-face with our true self—and the powerful emotions it can bring about—in the latest chapter of its “Wildhood” brand platform.

The new campaign, “Find Your Wildhood,” marks the evolution of the platform, which launched in 2015 with “Bring Back Wildhood”, focusing on the child-like desire to venture off the beaten path. That was followed five years later by “Live Your Wildhood,” highlighting the importance of keeping that adventurous spirit alive.

Developed by Broken Heart Love Affair co-founders Denise Rossetto and Todd Mackie while they were a creative team at Doug & Serge, the eight-year-old brand platform is built on the idea that people possess a fundamental desire to connect not only with each other and the natural world around them, but with themselves. It presents Go RVing Canada as the bridge from the everyday to an alternate identity that celebrates curiosity, wonder, and discovery rather than schedules and cookie-cutter experiences.

The emotive “Find Your Wildhood” campaign from Broken Heart Love Affair speaks to the power of surrendering who you pretend to be every day, to who you truly are at your core. That message is powerfully delivered through a richly cinematic spot directed by OPC’s Natalie Rae. The campaign was shot entirely on film in order to evoke a feeling of rawness and beauty, while also subtly conjuring the feeling and emotion of freedom.

Soundtracked by the José González song, “Stay Alive,” the lead spot, “You Are Out There”, focuses on a man who’s stuck in the drudgery of daily life. At the end of the day, jostling for space on the subway platform among his fellow office workers, he abruptly makes the decision to pursue his “Wildhood.”

He urgently makes his way into the surrounding countryside, shedding the shackles of daily life such as a briefcase, suit jacket, etc. He finally comes upon a fire in the woods that’s being tended to by a shadowy figure and embarks on a chase through the wilderness before finally coming face-to-face with…himself in an emotional “reunion.” As the music builds, the spot shows the man making his way to a group of RVs parked amid trees in an idyllic campground setting.

“’Wildhood’ is more than a campaign, it’s a state of being that exists in all of us—if we’re willing to look,” said Chris Mahony, President, Go RVing, Canada. “We are all explorers, motivated by wanderlust, and our most powerful memories tend to be of the moments shared with loved ones, of discovery, of places that fill us with awe and wonder. This is where the magic lies. Big or small, these moments enrich our lives.”

“We’re so happy to reconnect with the Wildhood platform,” said Broken Heart Love Affair partner and CCO Todd Mackie. “Eight years after its introduction, the genuine message that we all have a side of ourselves we love to connect with still resonates. Inspiring people to seek that side of themselves still feels right, particularly at a time we’re all trying to rediscover our humanity.”

The campaign is running across TV with a :60 and both :30 and :15 cutdowns, as well as social ads on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest, and digital search through the end of the year.

Campaign Title: Find Your Wildhood
Client: Go RVing Canada
President: Chris Mahony
Director, Digital Strategy: Cyrus Irani
Content Marketing & Communications Manager: Julia Bouterakos

Agency: Broken Heart Love Affair
Chief Creative Officers: Todd Mackie, Denise Rossetto, Carlos Moreno
SVP, Strategy: Kristy Pleckaitis
Art Director: Todd Mackie
Copywriter: Denise Rossetto
Chief Business Officer: Beverley Hammond
Client Success Team: Ravi Singh, Maegan Thomas
Executive Producer: Erica Metcalfe

Media Agency: Jungle Media

Production Company: OPC
Director: Natalie Rae
Executive Producer: Isil Gilderdale
Directors Of Photography: Matthew Ballard
Producer: Jason Aita
Wardrobe Stylist: Kat Martinez
Wardrobe Assistant: Wafa Rufaat

Editorial Company: Saints Editorial
Editor: Ross Birchall
Executive Producer: Mackenzie Goodwin
Assistant Editor: Phoebe Lorimer

VFX Company: Darling VFX
VFX Artist: Paul Binney
Executive Producer: Stephanie Pennington

Colour Company: Alter Ego
Colourist: Wade Odlum
Executive Producer: Hilda Pereira

Audio House: OSO Audio
Music Composer / Audio Director: Daenen Bramberger
Executive Producer: Hannah Graham

Casting Company: Powerhouse Casting
Casting Director: Melissa Cassin