June 28

Right now the HopSeat is just a prototype, but it is the perfect prototype for the start of the Canada Day long weekend. Created by Vancouver agency One Twenty Three West, the HopSeat is a Muskoka chair with a built-in beer keg, complete with a reverse pour system that fills pint glasses right from the arm of the chair.

“We’re problem solvers—we strongly believe if you can’t find it, make it yourself. Even if ‘it’ happens to be a chair that is also a keg,” said Scot Keith, founder, president and CEO at One Twenty Three West. At the moment there are only two working chairs, and the agency says it’ll gauge public interest in this “passion project” before making more.

June 27

Cannabis-infused beverages could comprise between 20% and 30% of the country’s pot market, according to Brett Vye, CEO of Truss, a joint venture between Molson Coors Brewing and Quebec’s Hexo Corp.

Speaking with Bloomberg, Vye said the Truss facility in Belleville will be capable of producing 200 bottles or cans of cannabis-infused beverages per minute once it reaches full capacity.

A recent report from Deloitte predicted that the cannabis-infused beverage market could be worth as much as $529 million a year. However, Bloomberg notes that the form hasn’t enjoyed much success in U.S. states where cannabis is legal, accounting for just 1% of sales.

Cosmetics company Estée Lauder is launching a new Canada Day campaign for its Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup.

The Canada Day-related campaign, “#ShadesOfCanada,” features 11 Canadians of different ages and ethnicities talking about their background and what finding the perfect foundation match means to them. The ads will run across Estée Lauder’s social channels and in-store using video and display.

“Like our country, #ShadesofCanada is a cultural mosaic and a tribute to individuality, empowering Canadians to feel confident in their own skin,” said Julie Sutherland, brand manager with Estée Lauder Canada.

June 26 

St. John’s agency Target is well known for its beautiful, love song-to-the-province Newfoundland Tourism creative, but the agency took a very different approach to promote tiny Mount Pearl, Newfoundland (pop. 23,000).

“Mount Pearl Anthem” is a three-minute rap video performed by a local real estate agent who hypes everything about the city, from walking trails to work/life balance, to the deep fat fryer in a local restaurant.

“Mount Pearl is not a big place but what they do have is who they are: a small city with a strong sense of home and sense of humour, which is refreshing in the current global political landscape,” said Jason Hill, creative director at Target.

McDonald’s Canada has turned its golden arches into “Pride Arches” on Snapchat, with help from Cossette. Now through the end of August, every McDonald’s Canada logo—from outdoor to packaging—unlocks a Snapchat lens that turns the Golden “M” into a rainbow.

“In a year when it seems every corporate logo got a rainbow makeover, McDonald’s turned their golden arches into an interactive pride experience,” said Jon Freir, Cossette creative director. “McDonald’s has a strong relationship with it’s community on Snapchat and this is a way to celebrate that connection in an inclusive way.”

Vancouver based Noise Digital has won the BC Hydro digital marketing account. The agency will be focused on data strategy as well as marketing and advertising technology platforms to help BC Hydro “transform into a data driven marketing organization.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with BC Hydro as they transform their organization around data and a personalized customer experience,” said Trevor Carr, Noise Digital CEO.

June 24

Nescafé has launched a new advertising campaign for the Canadian market called “Inside the Pod.” The objective is to emphasize the fact that Nescafé coffee is authentically Colombian, sourced from farms in one of the world’s best coffee bean regions. The Colombian farmer conceit is certainly not new, but Nescafé used humour to show that the region’s coffee is housed in its coffee pods. The creative is from Boulder, Colo.-based Work in Progress, the agency formed by Alex Bogusky in 2016.

As Ontario-based coffee wholesaler Reunion prepares for an “aggressive retail expansion,” it will do so with new branding courtesy of Toronto agency Blackjet. Reunion opened its first store in Toronto in 2015, and recently opened its second location in the city’s Stackt Market. The new branding identity includes a “new logo and brand language that drops the ‘Island’ from ‘Reunion Island’ but keeps the equity,” said Blackjet in a release.

Pizza Pizza has partnered with Greenleaf Foods, a U.S.-based subsidiary of Maple Leaf Foods, to add plant-based pizza to its menu starting today.  The pizza chain’s “Super Plant Pizza” features Greenleaf’s Field Roast Mexican Chipotle Sausage. Customers can make the experience entirely vegan by ordering with dairy-free vegan cheese, and Cauliflower Crust. Pizza Pizza joins a growing number of restaurant chains—including Tim Hortons and A&W—that have added plant-based items to their menu in recent months.

The launch is being supported by a multi-media campaign across TV, digital, out-of-home, and PR. “Following our successful launch of Cauliflower Crust, we continue to offer consumers more of what they want,” said Alyssa Huggins, vice-president of marketing at Pizza Pizza. “People are looking for ways to incorporate more vegetables into their diet and want alternative ways of consuming protein.”

Men’s health charity Movember has selected UM as its media agency of record following a formal review. “UM came to the table with a strong blend of strategic recommendations and data-driven insights, topped with amazing team energy and passion that truly matched our own,” said Karli Kirkpatrick, Movemeber’s director of marketing.

“Through our unique approach of ‘Better Science’ and ‘Better Art,’ we’re in a strong position to help Movember change the face of men’s health by delivering media strategies that change consumer behaviours for Better Outcomes,” said president Shelley Smit. The agency has won 15 new clients in the past 12 months.

Coca-Cola Canada has introduced a series of limited-edition cans commemorating the Toronto Raptors’ NBA championship. The six-packs of 222ml mini-cans of Coca-Cola and Sprite—which feature the Raptors logo and the words “2019 Champions”—are being sold in major grocery stores across the country.

The cola giant produced 150,000 of the cans. It is the first commemorative package to be created with Coca-Cola Canada Bottling, the new Canadian Coca-Cola bottler that is partly owned by Raptors co-owner and MLSE chair Larry Tanenbaum.