Aug. 22
Western Canadian media planning and buying company David Stanger & Associates (DSA Media) has been sold to Chickadee Media Inc., a limited partnership created by DSA’s president, Samantha Richardson.
DSA Media (which will retain the name) has four offices and 22 staff. The leadership team includes partners Lynn Hoffman, Shannon Schafer, Zac Goodman and Tom Shipman. “This is a proud moment in my career and the history of our agency,” said Richardson in a release. “The Stangers have been exceptional mentors and leaders; providing strong roots, an incredible culture, and a practiced set of values for our agency network. What a solid foundation and legacy to continue to rise from.”
7-Eleven Canada is adding Beyond Meat Pizza to its Hot to Go menu at select locations in Toronto. The company will be offering free samples of its Beyond Sausage and Roasted Veggie Pizza between Aug. 26 and Sept. 13 during lunch and dinner hours.
The partnership marks Beyond Meat’s entrance into the convenience store sector, and comes amid revenue growth of 300% in the past year. While most Canadians are aware of “mock meat” products, less than 40% have tried them according to a new study from Angus Reid.
“By expanding the fresh food assortment offered to our customers, we hope to provide options for every preference,” says 7-Eleven Canada vice-president and general manager Doug Rosencrans in a release.
Tim Hortons has partnered with SkipTheDishes to offer delivery in select GTA regions, following a test last year. Customers will be able to order from the QSR chain’s full menu.
Tim Hortons delivery is now available in Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto, with plans to expand to more locations.
Aug. 21
New York Fries is promoting its new large-size poutine option with a campaign from Juniper Park\TBWA that positions it as the perfect product for “big days.” The campaign includes three radio spots (below) and in-store materials including tray liners and posters.
Two of the radio spots feature stories of “big days” where people are grateful they opted for the large-size order of poutine, while a third promotes the 100% recyclable and compostable box. The in-store posters show the three sizes of New York Fries poutine, accompanied by situations where the large order was required.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has selected Toronto’s Fuse as its social media and experiential AOR, with a mandate to further build the Las Vegas brand in Canada. Fuse will also develop experiential events and activations to promote the city.
Fuse was appointed by Las Vegas marketing and communications firm R&R Partners, with executive vice-president Rob Dondero citing Fuse’s “demonstrated record of success and a wealth of regional knowledge” as key factors in the decision.
“Our experience in tourism, our extended work in social media content, and our success with live activations makes us the perfect fit to amplify the brand and get Canadians excited to visit Las Vegas,” said Fuse president Stephen Brown in a release. “We are excited to work and promote Las Vegas as a world class tourist destination and continue to build our practice in hospitality tourism.”
Aug. 19
A couple of weeks ago, we talked with Scott Moore and Vinay Virmani about their plans to bring LeBron James’ sports content brand Uninterrupted to Canada. On Monday, Uninterrupted Canada published what seems to be its first piece of made-in-Canada content—a seven-and-a-half minute profile of the Toronto Blue Jays’ rookie phenom Bo Bichette. You can watch it here:
Toronto agency Good & Ready recently completed a campaign for San Francisco-based Olly Nutrition that showcases the brand’s new partnership with supermodel Ashley Graham.
Olly sells gummy vitamins and supplements, as well as protein powders and bars. “We have a great relationship with Blended Strategy, an influencer marketing agency in L.A. [that works with Olly]. They felt our model was the perfect fit for Olly, so they introduced us, and we hit it off,” said Good & Ready’s Alan Madill of the partnership.
“Ashley’s captivating spirit and her commitment to the overall health and well-being of herself and her millions of followers who look to her for guidance made her the perfect candidate,” said Mari Mazzucco, manager, public relations and Influencer marketing for Olly Nutrition. The “Ashley Takes On” campaign is live on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube now.
Disney confirmed on Monday that its new Disney+ streaming service is coming to Canada on Nov. 12, priced at $8.99 a month or $89.99 per year. Disney introducing its own OTT service is strong proof that another group of content kingpins could be emerging as studios build out their own direct-to-consumer services. Aside from Disney Studios films and shows, the Disney+ service will include Pixar, Marvel (pictured), Star Wars and National Geographic content.
Just announced: #DisneyPlus is coming to Canada. Start Streaming November 12th. pic.twitter.com/VelPQRY5PU
— Walt Disney Studios Canada (@DisneyStudiosCA) August 19, 2019
Joe Fresh has a new partnership with Canadian Jillian Harris, a lifestyle influencer and former contestant on The Bachelorette, to create the limited edition Jilly Jacket (pictured). Part of the brand’s new PrimaLoft collection, the Jilly Jacket will sell for $79 and will be available for purchase both online and in-store beginning Aug. 22.
As part of the collaboration, Joe Fresh and Harris are making a charitable donation of PrimaLoft products to Mamas For Mamas, a national charity that supports low-income mothers and their kids.
Rogers Media has brought back the Jack FM format at Victoria radio station 103.1 FM. The new Jack 103.1, which debuted on Aug. 15, joins other Jack stations in Vancouver, Calgary, London, Smiths Falls and Halifax.
The Victoria station operated under the Jack format between 2004 and 2015, when it switched to the KiSS format. The most recent format change follows a series of staff cuts at the station this year.
The Jack format is built around the concept of “playing what we want.” Rogers plans to support the format change with digital and out-of-home advertising.
Aug. 16
Montreal-born fashion brand Frank And Oak has introduced Circular denim, a new line of jeans made from recycled denim. The unisex jeans are created using a four-step process: worn-out jeans destined for landfill are collected; waste denim is “disintegrated into fibres”; recycled fibres are combined with new fibres to create new fabric; the blended fabric is used to make the new jeans.
“Circularity aims to use existing resources for as long as possible and then recycle them when they have fulfilled their purpose,” says the company. “By minimizing waste and turning it into a resource for new production, Frank And Oak is encouraging its community to consume more responsibly.
National Bank is encouraging diversity and inclusion by erecting a 300-foot palisade emblazoned with positive messages around the construction site of its next headquarters. More than 32,000 people pass by the downtown Montreal site each day.
For every photo taken in front of the palisade and shared on social media using the hashtags #celebratingourdiversity and #nbcdonation, National Bank will donate $1 to the LGBTQ+ rights organization Fondation Émergence (up to $25,000 or until the campaign concludes on Oct. 1). The financial services company worked with Sid Lee on the initiative.
