Sept. 20

Beau’s Brewing Co. has partnered with DavidsTea to create a new beer called London Fog, which uses the latter’s Organic Cream of Earl Grey Tea in the brewing process. The new beer  arrived in Ontario LCBO locations and Quebec convenience stores on Sept. 19.

It is being supported by a wild posting campaign in Toronto and Montreal. Created by Open, the campaign features traditional beer-drinking slogans such as “cheers to that” and “brewed to perfection” that have been slightly altered by “a touch of tea.”

Liquid “sleep shot” Dream Water has signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews that will include a North American brand campaign this fall.

Matthews’ likeness will be used across the brand’s digital and social platforms, as well as in retail promotion and point-of-purchase materials. “I have been consuming Dream Water for well over a year, and am a true believer in the product,” said Matthews.

Available in 30,000 retail stores across North America, Dream Water claims that it can help individuals get a good night’s sleep without the use of prescription sleep-aids.

Sept. 19

After 37 years with Cossette Media, Francine Marcotte is retiring. In a letter announcing her departure, Pierre Delagrave, head of Vision7’s innovation group; Joseph Leon, CEO of Vision7 Media and president of Cossette Media, and Axel Dumont, SVP and GM of Cossette Media, Quebec and East, describe Marcotte as a “once-in-a-lifetime talent” and “outstanding leader, a caring mentor and a source of unwavering positivity.”

“She has given many of today’s leaders from Quebec and across the country the tools they needed to succeed—the value of strong and equitable relationships, the importance of preparing the next generation and, most importantly, the willingness to adapt and reinvent ourselves, which in turn has helped shape the industry into what it is today.”

Chartwell Retirement Residences has launched a new bilingual campaign called “Let’s live, together,” which aims to dispel some of the common perceptions around retirement living.

The campaign’s objective is to highlight how moving to a Chartwell residence is not about closing a door on the past, but opening the door on new experiences and relationships.

The print, TV, radio and online campaign will run in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia until Dec. 15. It was developed by Toronto agency Cundari, which became Chartewell’s creative and media AOR earlier this year.

Walmart Canada‘s in-house fashion line, George, has launched its new fall collection with runway shows in Paris, London and Milan. The catch is that they’re all communities in Canada.

The Paris, Ont. fashion show, which formed the basis for a new TV commercial from Cossette (see it below), featured local residents as models, and attendees weren’t informed that the clothes were from Walmart until the end. The other shows were held in a store in London, and a field in Milan, Que.

The new fashion line aligns with current trends and patterns, including animal prints and florals for women, along with plaid and stripes for men. The company has also expanded its maternity line (available at 200 stores and online) and increased the assortment for its ladies plus size clothing.

Sept. 17

Three young Canadian creatives are among the finalists for The One Club for Creativity’s global Young Guns 17 competition for creative professionals under 30. A total of 81 finalists from 22 countries were selected, with the winners announced Nov. 20 in New York.

The three Canadian finalists (with links to their portfolios) are:

•Julien Hebert, graphic designer, Principal, Montréal, Québec (graphic design);
•Amos Le Blanc, director, Dream, Inc., Toronto, Ontario (film); and
•Dani Roche, creative director/designer, Kastor & Pollux, Toronto, Ontario.

Jon Hamm is back with two funny new ads for Canadian food delivery app SkipTheDishes. In both spots, the American Hamm proudly demonstrates his love for Canada, although in one he’s disappointed to discover his Canadian citizenship has been denied.

“Jon’s comedic delivery leans into some of our most iconic Canadianisms while celebrating the relationship Skip has created with our customers as Canada’s most popular food delivery app,” said Kendall Bishop, director of marketing, brand and campaigns at SkipTheDishes. Arrivals + Departures is the creative agency behind the work.

According to SkipTheDishes, the Jon Hamm campaign, which launched last September, helped contribute to a year-over-year increase of 83% in order volume and 79% revenue growth in the first half of 2019.

With the NHL season now just a couple of weeks away, Budweiser Canada is looking to hire a Chief Hockey Officer. The seven-month gig pays $50,000 and involves a lot of hockey watching.

Wannabe CHOs have to submit a video that demonstrates their passion for hockey and how the sport brings them together with friends.  The contest is being promoted with a video starring former NHLer turned broadcaster Paul Bissonnette. Anomaly is the creative agency behind it.

Roots Canada has brought back its TUFF Boot  (which originally debuted in 1992) with a limited-edition capsule collection designed with Toronto Raptors star Fred VanVleet (right). The Roots x Fred VanVleet will be available at select Roots stores and online at Roots.com beginning Sept. 18.

Each pair of boots comes with custom-designed Fred VanVleet signed laces and a collector’s edition Fred VanVleet leather keychain tag. The box is also limited-edition, featuring an exclusive Roots x Fred VanVleet logo.

The TUFF collection is available in five colour ways for men, and eight for women.

Sept. 16

To help promote its steadily increasing options for delivery across the country (via Uber Eats and SkipTheDishes), McDonald’s is holding its third annual McDelivery Night Sept. 19, offering $5 off a delivery order. To emphasize the pleasure of staying in, McDonald’s has also created a limited edition line of loungewear that includes socks, hoodies, fleece jogging pants and a sleep sack.

The line is being offered through a partnership with the Drake General Store, with 100% of proceeds going to Ronald McDonald House Charities.

CTV is unveiling its biggest marketing campaign in recent history as it ramps up for the Sept. 23 beginning of the fall TV season. Developed in-house by the Bell Media Agency, the “Get into it” campaign includes TV, digital, social media, radio, out-of-home and cinema advertising.

In addition to on-air elements including new brand IDs featuring stars from its tent-pole shows, the campaign also features a robust off-air presence. CTV shows will be promoted on in-store screens at Tim Hortons locations, and on Cineplex’s in-theatre entertainment system, accompanied by takeovers and targeted pre-roll advertising on major digital and social platforms.

There will also be transit vehicle wraps, TSAs and bus kings in major markets including Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, plus digital video in Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square.

Corus, meanwhile, has unveiled refreshed branding for its W Network that includes a new colour palette with orange, blue, teal, and purple hues. The goal is to present a “more modern and sophisticated tone” for the brand and what Corus calls an “updated tune-in approach to appeal to a younger, digital-savvy audience.”

Toronto-based Craft Public Relations has been named PR agency of record for Toronto public space The Bentway and Yves Veggie Cuisine, for which it will develop a national influencer strategy.

The nearly four-year-old agency has also picked up assignments for Flexday (which helps freelancers and remote workers find workspaces) and Culture Pack, which develops curated art experiences.

Craft has also hired Jordana Wolch as vice-president and Laura Zechel as account manager. Wolch has more than 10 years of industry experience, most recently at Proof, while Zechel comes from APEX PR, with more than five years of experience in media relations, influencer relations and events for lifestyle brands.