Jan. 23
Air Canada is the new official airline of Cirque du Soleil’s big top and arena shows in Canada, the U.S., Europe and other select markets.
“We take pride in bringing more Canada to the world every time we fly and incorporate our passion for homegrown companies thriving on the world stage in our sponsorships,” said Calin Rovinescu, Air Canada’s president and CEO.
The deal will include an Air Canada lounge for Cirque “Big Top” shows in Europe and Australia, and on-site brand presence across all territories. Aeroplan members can also redeem miles for Cirque du Soleil gift cards in Canada or the U.S. To promote the new sponsorship Air Canada also released a new ad by Vancouver shop Wasserman, directed by Ian MacMillan.
Jan. 22
Bond Brand Loyalty has hired Brian McLean as president. McLean is joining Bond from PwC where he was global leader of management consulting.
“As we continue to grow with our clients and expand our capabilities, his addition to the team will help Bond scale globally, optimize our go-to-market strategies, and strengthen our innovative offerings for the brands we serve,” said CEO Bob Macdonald.
Jan. 21
Diamond Marketing Group has hired Jon Crowley as its vice-president of strategy. Crowley has more than 10 years of strategy experience with agencies including Sid Lee, Cossette and Publicis.
“Jon has an incredible depth of knowledge and expertise in crafting strategies behind successful brand, creative and content campaigns, and we are excited to welcome him to the Diamond family,” said CEO David Diamond in a release.”His presence will help build on momentum in our strategic work, and we are confident that he will offer creative solutions to help support our clients’ goals.”
“I’m thrilled to welcome him onto our dynamic strategy team, and to have the chance to collaborate with him again,” said Diamond’s chief strategy officer Max Valliquette, who worked with Crowley at Publicis.
Crowley will be supervising a cross disciplinary team of strategists, with an eye towards immediately expanding the team.
Vancouver’s One Twenty Three West (123w) has created a series of animated social videos explaining its approach to the agency business.
The nine-episodes, created using five different animators, will explain everything from 123w’s flat hierarchy structure to the importance of great packaging, as well as what true collaboration looks like and its approach to hiring, says creative director John Larigakis.
The agency is sharing the videos across Linkedin, Facebook and Instagram. “A lot of it is just [about] our way of thinking and also my personal way of thinking,” said president and CEO Scot Keith.
Jan. 20
Toronto creative shop Good&Ready has just unveiled a new campaign for Toronto Race Week. The week is intended to create excitement for sailing with younger people, with proceeds going to support the Dorothy Lee Hospice in Toronto. Naturally the creative—which debuts at the Toronto Boat Show and will run into June—is nautically themed, with the tagline: “If you have a boat that floats, you are in.”
“Many of the younger sailors, or those who have bought their first boat, fear that racing is just too intense and they believe they won’t have any fun,” explains Alan Madill, co-founder of Good&Ready.
The Globe & Mail is once again inviting young creative talent to participate in the Canadian Young Lions Competitions. Categories are: Print, Film, Digital, Media and Marketers. The deadline to enter is Feb. 24, with the competitions taking place Feb. 29 to March 2. Teams will receive a brief and complete their submission with 24 hours—with Film contestants receiving an extra 24 hours to complete their work.
Winners, announced April 22 at the CMDC Summit in Toronto, will move onto the global competition at the International Festival of Creativity in Cannes in June, with flight, accommodations and registration covered by The Globe and Mail. Click here for complete information.
Hill+Knowlton Strategies has hired Robyn Rabinovich as senior account director for its cannabis practice. Her appointment is effective Feb. 3. Rabinovich was most recently vice-president, cannabis strategy and partnerships for the licensed producer TerrAscend, working on international joint ventures in the Caribbean, South America and Europe, as well as domestic partnerships.
“Robyn’s deep understanding of compliance and regulatory affairs, her expertise in international business strategy and her experience in developing nascent cannabis brands makes her an invaluable addition to H+K’s growing cannabis consulting team,” said Omar Khan, national cannabis sector lead at H+K, in a release.
Québec City Tourism has selected lg2 as its creative agency, responsible for strengthening its position as a leading tourism destination in key markets including Canada, the U.S., France, Mexico and China.
“We chose lg2 for its strength and successes in the tourism industry,” said Éric Bilodeau, communications and marketing director at Québec City Tourism in a release. “We are confident that the agency will take our destination further and make it shine more than ever.”
