November 1
Cultural appropriation and, well, racism, became important topics in the recent election thanks to the Prime Minister’s embarrassing judgement about what is and is not okay when it comes to costume choices.
The Chiefs of Ontario and BBDO Canada came up with a pointed way to remind the public that someone else’s culture and heritage should not be a costume. If you want to dress like an Indigenous person, it suggested, try Indigenous firefighter, judge, doctor or pilot.
Hill+Knowlton Strategies has added six new members to its consumer team, which is focused on the consumer packaged goods, food, drink, retail and leisure sectors. The H+K consumer team recently picked up new work from InterContinental Hotels and Reebok.
Joining the team are Angie Lamanna as senior vice-president; Lisa Rossellet, as senior account director; Kertney Lynn Russell, as account director; Samantha Buck, as digital strategist and Waverly Shin and Helena Wade as assistant consultants.
October 30
The Royal Canadian Legion is attempting to reach younger consumers for its digital poppy drive (MyPoppy.ca) with a new campaign asking gamers to lay down their (in-game) arms on Remembrance Day.
Developed by Zulu Alpha Kilo, the campaign is using popular gaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube, along with some of the gaming world’s biggest influencers, to ask for an online gaming cease fire at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11.
The campaign also includes a PSA called “Not a Game,” which overlays typical video game instructions like “press X to jump” and “press Y to shoot” over actual war footage, before a message appears reading “Pause to remember…that war is not a game.”
There is also a commercial targeting mainstream audiences in which one of Canada’s oldest war veterans, 95-year-old Ardwell “Art” Eyres, is recruited as the “world’s oldest social influencer.” The video shows him dedicating a digital poppy to his mentor, Sergeant Major John Copeland and drives to the MyPoppy.ca site.
Provident Communications led PR for the campaign, with media by OMD.
McCann Worldgroup Canada has expanded its relationship with Bayer Canada, with both McCann Canada and McCann Healthwinning parts of the company’s portfolio.
In a closed pitch among Bayer Crop Science Canada’s roster agencies, McCann successfully defended the Crop Protection assignment while adding AOR responsibilities for its Seeds and Traits portfolios and its digital agriculture platform, Climate FieldView. McCann has worked with Bayer Crop Science Canada since 2011.
Bayer’s consumer health division also held a review that saw McCann Health pick up the assignments for its OTC brands Canesten and RestoraLAX. McCann Health did not previously hold any Bayer business.
“The team’s strategic and creative capabilities, as well as their fresh perspectives on healthcare professional connections and communications channels, proved they can unlock new potential for our business in Canada,” said Lauren Felix, senior manager, media and digital strategy for Bayer Consumer Health, in a release.
October 28
FCB Canada has been awarded the creative business for GoodLife Fitness after a competitive review. FCB will work on the GoodLife Fitness brand, with an integrated campaign launching in December. The Canadian fitness club chain has more than 250 locations across the country.
“What really stood out was their in-depth understanding of our business, our people and our potential,” said Sander van den Born, GoodLife’s chief marketing and technology officer. “GoodLife is an iconic Canadian brand with a strong, 40-year legacy, and we’re honoured to help bring its next chapter to life,” added Chris Perron, vice-president managing director for FCB Canada.
Nicholas Paget is returning to Canada as vice-president and executive creative director of lg2 in Montreal, reporting to Marc Fortin. Paget was most recently head of campaigns at R/GA London, but started his career in Toronto with The Hive before taking increasingly senior posts with Sid Lee and Cloudraker and then moving to R/GA in early 2015. While there, he worked on global brands including Nike and Google.
“Our entrepreneurial culture allows us to entrust huge responsibilities to people like Nick, who have the drive to make a difference, both for our clients and for our teams, and it reflects our on-going investment in globally recognized talent at lg2,” said Marc Fortin.
Toronto creative agency Fuse has made five new additions in recent weeks including the appointment of Lanny Geffen as director, customer experience, a new role for the agency. Geffen was most recently vice-president, product design at KOHO and before that was VP, director, strategy and user experience at OneMethod.
“With his background in experience design, Lanny brings a ton of insight into the passions and problems that drive people. Lanny will help build out our practice of human-centred innovation and design,” said Steve Miller, who was named executive creative director at Fuse earlier this year. Meanwhile new additions to Miller’s creative team include Darren Marranca as copywriter and three new art directors: Becky May, Ryan Fox and Chloe Kim.
Sid Lee’s L.A. office has launched a new U.S. campaign for workwear brand Dickie’s. “Yours to Make” features artists, creators and makers working on their passions. “Yours to Make is all about showcasing the pride and the dignity of workers and makers,” said Dickies global brand president, Denny Bruce.
“We want to show everyone that we see them as they see themselves—producers and contributors. We’re here to stand behind them like we always have.” The hero spot includes the 1940s jazz classic “Tain’t what you do,” remixed by L.A. DJ and producer Channel Tres.
PR and strategic communications agency Enterprise has expanded its creative services in recent months, rebranding the offering as Hub at Enterprise.
“Over the past year, our digital and creative teams have continued to grow—so much that we decided it’s time to call it what it is: a creative agency,” says a release announcing the new name.
The Hub recently hired Zubin Sanyal as senior strategist, digital campaigns, while Jeff Blay is creative director. Enterprise has about 40 staff across offices in Toronto, Ottawa, St. Catharines and Edmonton.
