JUNO Fan Choice: A Fan-Driven Celebration of Canadian Music

Overview

The JUNO Fan Choice campaign is the only JUNO Award determined entirely by public vote, connecting fans directly with their favourite artists. Throughout my tenure at CARAS/The JUNO Awards, I have played a key role in evolving this initiative from a small-scale activation to a dynamic, multi-platform campaign that drives record-breaking engagement. With a focus on innovation and audience connection, I have consistently pushed the boundaries of what this campaign can achieve.

Challenge

When I began working on JUNO Fan Choice, the campaign was a modest activation consisting of in-person voting and a small online landing page. The challenge was to modernize and expand the campaign to reach a broader audience, embrace new technologies, and adapt to evolving fan behaviours. Additionally, the campaign needed to seamlessly integrate with the live broadcast, where voting happens in real-time and culminates in an on-air reveal.

2017 JUNO Awards. JUNO Fan Choice award presented to Shawn Mendes by Bob Moses and Jus Reign. The Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, On. April 2, 2017. (Photo: CARASiPhoto).

Solution

Over the years, I have transformed JUNO Fan Choice into a robust and dynamic campaign by:

• Driving Early Growth: In my first year, I introduced social voting, growing participation from 30K votes to over 300K. The following year, I expanded voting globally, leading to over 2M votes.
• Platform Innovation: Partnered with Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok to implement innovative voting tools and engagement strategies, ensuring fans could participate easily and enthusiastically.
• Building Partnerships: Worked closely with branded partners like TD Bank, Apple Music, and TikTok Canada to expand the campaign’s visibility and enhance its offerings.
• Real-Time Voting Integration: Coordinated voting processes to sync seamlessly with the live broadcast, engaging audiences both at home and in the moment as the winner is revealed on-air.

Outcome

The JUNO Fan Choice campaign has become one of the most exciting and widely recognized aspects of The JUNO Awards:

• Exponential Growth: Grew votes from 30K to over 9.5M at its peak, with record participation from fans around the globe.
• Cross-Platform Success: Leveraged partnerships with major social platforms to amplify reach and engagement, ensuring the campaign remains relevant and impactful.
• Fan-Artist Connection: Created unforgettable moments, including Shawn Mendes’ first JUNO win in 2017, a milestone for both the artist and the campaign.
• Cultural Relevance: Positioned JUNO Fan Choice as a vibrant and essential celebration of Canadian music, bridging the gap between fans and their idols.