“Coal for Ford”: The Holiday Stunt Heard Across Canada
by Bob Froese • Founder & CCO
December 6, 2025
POST 16 — “Coal for Ford”: The Holiday Stunt Heard Across Canada
Sometimes the best way to spread holiday cheer… is with a truckload of coal.
In 2013, during the height of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s global notoriety, Bob’s Your Uncle launched a holiday charity stunt with a twist: a website inviting Canadians to send Rob Ford a piece of coal for Christmas.
For every virtual piece of coal added to the pile, the agency donated $1 to a Christmas toy drive — up to $5,000. The campaign went viral almost instantly, racking up hundreds of thousands of submissions and attracting national and international press attention.
On December 20th, Santa (and a few elves) delivered the symbolic pile of real coal directly to City Hall.
Coverage
The Globe and Mail — “Naughty or nice? Ad agency has mind made up on Rob Ford”
“A Toronto advertising agency is taking advantage of the mayor’s antics… to nab a bit of the spotlight, and to highlight its holiday charity campaign.”
“The agency… launched the website ‘Coal for Ford,’ and has pledged to deliver a pile of coal to City Hall on Dec. 20.”
“For every click on a button on the website to add a piece of coal to the pile, the agency also pledged to donate a dollar to a Christmas toy drive, up to a maximum of $5,000. They have quickly passed that goal.”
“According to the website’s counter… visitors had added more than 600,000 pieces of coal to the pile.”
“We sourced a quantity of real old-fashioned coal for the delivery… It will be designed as a very visible gesture,” said CEO Robert Froese.
Ad Age — “Toronto Shop Invites You To Send Rob Ford Coal For Christmas”
URL: https://adage.com/creativity/work/send-rob-ford-coal/33373
“Toronto's notorious mayor… has already owned up to being naughty this year. So city creative shop Bob’s Your Uncle is sending him coal for Christmas.”
“Anyone can contribute to the pile by going to RobFordCoal.com. Over 250,000 people have already added to the pile.”
“For every piece of coal, Bob’s Your Uncle will donate $1 to help children in need.”
Why This Matters
“Coal for Ford” is a quintessential example of Bob’s Your Uncle’s brand of challenger creativity:
1. A cultural moment turned into a platform
Rob Ford’s mayoralty dominated global headlines. Instead of adding noise, the agency injected humour, charity, and civic commentary — all at once.
2. PR engineered for virality
- A simple mechanic: Click → Add coal → Give $1 to kids.
- A clear visual: a literal pile of coal being delivered to City Hall.
- A national conversation already in progress.
These elements made the stunt irresistible to media outlets.
3. Creativity with impact
Beyond the humour, the campaign raised real money for children in need — reinforcing the agency’s belief that creativity should leave the world a little better than it found it.
4. A foundational “Heroes to Kings” moment
This early stunt helped define Bob’s Your Uncle’s reputation as an agency that:
- Moves fast
- Thinks culturally
- Uses wit with purpose
- And is unafraid to play in the national spotlight