Case Studies

The Thalidomide Victims Association of Canada (TVAC) is a non-profit charitable organization that represents Canadians living with congenital malformations as a result of the teratogenic effects of the thalidomide drug. This drug was prescribed in the late fifties and early sixties to pregnant women to relieve morning sickness. TVAC was established in December 1987 and is currently the only group in North America that represents thalidomide survivors.

TVAC engaged The Bauer Group after it released a report on the current living conditions of Canadian thalidomide survivors. The report shed light on the early physical degeneration and impoverishment problems severely impacting our entire community. The alarming conclusions of the report led to the creation of a Taskforce and the launch of the “Right the Wrong!” campaign. The campaign rallied parliamentarians and the public to the cause. 

The Bauer Group was tasked with leading a multifaceted media relations campaign to drive awareness for the campaign, showcase the crisis facing Canada’s thalidomide survivors, and draw public attention to the need for long-term funding support to help survivors age with dignity. The primary objective of the campaign was to build the political, policy, and public case for annual funding support payments so that Canadian thalidomide survivors could live and age with dignity. The “Right The Wrong” campaign was launched with a multi-page spread in the Globe and Mail.  Within days of the campaign launch, the story had garnered hundreds of media impressions, including feature stories in dozens of tier-one national news outlets across Canada.

As a result of the media attention, the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) tabled an Opposition Day motion in the House of Commons in support of the Taskforce’s efforts. Following this debate, the House of Commons voted unanimously in favor of a motion to provide full support to survivors in cooperation with the Thalidomide Survivors Taskforce.

The Taskforce worked tirelessly to ensure that the program was as comprehensive and generous as possible to Canadian thalidomide survivors. The discussions were intense, but the efforts were not in vain. As a result, the government announced:

• A lump sum of $125,000 would be provided to each survivor as immediate assistance (tax-free).
• A $180 million (not capped) contribution program would be created to provide annual support payments to thalidomide survivors, as well as for the $500,000 annual Emergency Medical Assistance Fund (EMAF). 
• All funding would be tax-free and in the case of the annual payments, indexed to inflation. 
• Any survivor would have the ability to be reassessed at any time. 
• The program would be administered by a third party the entire program would be reviewed in 5 years to ensure it was working and that the funding levels were appropriate.

Although no amount of money will ever compensate for the suffering of those affected by the thalidomide tragedy, this announcement was a major win for the campaign. 

Marblemedia is a leading global entertainment company that develops, produces, and distributes compelling TV and interactive digital content for audiences of all ages, across all media platforms. To expand its brand offerfing, marblemedia turned its focus to developing a next-generation water park and event complex planned for the greater Toronto area. 

The development, which was coined marbleLIVE (now Amazement Parks Canada Inc.), included a $60 million, 100,000 square-foot next-generation water park and event complex. The innovative attraction included a colossal indoor/outdoor facility featuring both wet and dry areas such as waterslides, a lazy river, sandy beaches, and an oversized wave pool that could convert into a concert theatre. The dry entertainment zone featured restaurants, shops, and gaming outlets. The innovative project was aimed at providing year-round entertainment.

The development group behind the project included Toronto entrepreneurs John Barrack and Mark Bishop of marblemedia, one of Canada's leading multiplatform content creators. In addition to Barrack and Bishop, the development group included New Jersey-based Jerry Merola of Amusement Entertainment LLC and EFAP Partners of New York.

The Bauer Group was engaged to develop and execute a media robust relations campaign, which included:

• Introducing the project to the public and key stakeholder groups. 
• Driving awareness of the benefits of the project (including job opportunities and economic stimulus) to build public support.
• Engaging politicians and city officials to expedite discussions around potential sites.
• Securing tier-one media coverage, including interviews with John Barrack and Mark Bishop.

The Bauer Group designed and executed a media relations campaign that included the development of a press release, key messaging, and media kit, an intensive 2-day media tour, one-on-one exclusive interview opportunities, and the distribution of several key visual conceptions through social media.

The campaign generated a substantial amount of media coverage, including exclusive coverage in several tier-one outlets such as The Canadian Press, BNN, The Globe and Mail, CP24, CTV, Newstalk 1010, 680 News, City TV, The National Post, The Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun, CBC and Toronto Life. 

Over the last two decades, there's been a big improvement in survival rates for people with cystic fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis Canada engaged The Bauer Group after the organization announced the findings of a new report, which found that the median age of survival for Canadians with the inherited disease is almost 51 years, compared with about 40 years for their American counterparts. The research, which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and leveraged the Canadian CF Registry and the U.S. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) Patient Registry, was led by Dr. Anne Stephenson, a respirologist and cystic fibrosis researcher at St. Michael's Hospital. Her team identified three factors that seemed to account for the difference in survival rates between the two countries:

1. Number of lung transplants.

2. Health insurance status.

3. Diet.

Cystic Fibrosis Canada partnered with The Bauer Group to drive awareness for the report and its findings. A robust media relations campaign was developed and executed to highlight the difference in patient life expectancy between Canada and the US. 

The objective of the campaign was to:

• Drive awareness of the advances in treatment and patient care in Canada.
• Highlight the need for ongoing support to ensure that Canadian CF patients continue to receive best-in-class care in the future.
• Engage key stakeholders including politicians, pharmaceutical companies, and advocacy groups to expedite public coverage for new specialized CF medications, including CFTR modulator drugs such as Symdeko and Trikafta. 

The campaign generated a substantial amount of positive media coverage with national and international media.  Erick Bauer acted as the campaign spokesperson and participated in more than a dozen one-on-one interviews with key outlets including The Canadian Press, The Globe and Mail, CBC, CTV, The Toronto Star, CNN, and the BBC. 

The Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) is the voice of Ontario's local electricity distributors, the publicly and privately owned companies that safely and reliably deliver electricity to nearly five million Ontario homes, businesses, and public institutions.

After a significant ice storm, more than two million customers throughout the Greater Toronto Area lost power -- some for hours, others for days. Local power workers and support staff worked tirelessly throughout what was supposed to be a holiday period. In difficult winter conditions, they worked 24/7, often far from their own homes and families, restoring power to homes, businesses, and institutions.

The Electricity Distributors Association partnered with The Bauer Group to develop a digital campaign that would showcase the efforts of local power during the tumultuous period. The objective of the campaign was to demonstrate the tangible impact of local hydro workers on their communities. 

The Bauer Group led the development and creation of an impactful “streeter” video that captured the authentic and unfiltered experiences of Torontonians during the ice storm. The video showcased a diverse range of experiences while also providing a conduit for community members to express their appreciation for the workers and support staff who worked tirelessly to “get the lights back on”. 

The EDA distributed the video extensively through its social channels and integrated the content into its traditional media relations efforts. The highly engaging video surpassed 5,000 views within 2 months and also helped the brand secure timely media coverage that further demonstrated the impact of local power workers on their communities.