Dec. 3
Campari Canada‘s Grand Marnier orange liqueur brand has concocted a perfect cocktail for 2020: “The Grand Good Riddance.”
The recipe is almost identical to one of the brand’s signature cocktails, The Grand 75 (Grand Marnier, champagne and lemon juice), except it contains one critical extra ingredient that can’t be found in a distillery—75 tears of joy that the year is almost over.
The brand is promoting the cocktail with a social, out-of-home and poster campaign from Toronto agency Juliet, with ads starring model Paul Mason (yup, the former Fashion Santa) noting that “the year of dressing up with nowhere to go is almost over,” and including a recipe for the cocktail.
Canadian burger chain The Burger’s Priest has launched a clothing line called “Have Faith,” with all proceeds going to The Full Plate, a non-profit organization providing the country’s hard-hit hospitality workers with services including mental health, fitness and wellness, career development, community events and legal resources. The product line includes hats, t-shirts and hoodies.
“There’s never been a more important time than during this COVID-19 crisis to have faith in our communities, cities and country,” said Alex Rechichi, president and CEO of The Burger Priest’s parent company, Crave It Restaurants. “Our Have Faith merch is all about celebrating where we live and paying it forward to our communities.”
To mark its 10th anniversary, the burger chain has also launched an online contest with a $10,000 prize. The catch is that winners must “pay it forward” to a deserving person, charity or small business (the winner will also receive free burgers for a year). Consumers enter through TheBurgersPriest.com and sharing who they would give the $10,000 prize to in 140 words or a 15-second video.
Dec. 1
Gay Lee Foods has launched a holiday-focused campaign in support of its new European-inspired specialty butter, Bakers Gold.
The #BakeItForward campaign is an extension of a campaign launched in the spring in which Gay Lea provided hard-to-find baking supplies to people including frontline workers. The new campaign will see Gay Lea Foods distribute more than 1,400 baking kits, each containing Bakers Gold, to 1,400 people across the Greater Toronto Area.
“This campaign is about fostering connectivity and experiencing the joy of giving more than anything else,” said Rob London, director of marketing for Gay Lea Foods. “When we originally delivered baking kits to residents and frontline grocery workers back in May, we did it as a way to alleviate the shortage of baking supplies while also giving people something to do as they adjusted to our new normal.”
No Frills distributed physical copies of its digital album Haulin’ State of Mind for the latest edition of Record Store Day Canada on Friday.
Pressed on yellow vinyl, the 13-track album was distributed at stores in Burlington, Hamilton and Newmarket. Each album sold for $10, with all proceeds going to MusiCounts, a charity that provides musical instruments to children who need them most. No Frills has also submitted the album in multiple categories for the Juno Awards, including Album of the Year.
Beauty brand Moroccanoil has named Toronto’s Faulhaber Communications its agency of record following a competitive review. Faulhaber is charged with developing a strategic plan to drive the oil-infused haircare brand’s Canadian growth, using a combination of earned and paid media and influencer relations, as well as strategic partnerships.
Beauty has been an area of expertise for Faulhaber since launching in 2001, and the company works with both consumer-facing and professional beauty brands. In addition to serving as AOR for the Dermalogica brand for nine years, it also launched the Charlotte Tilbury brand into Canada in 2015.
“[Moroccanoil co-foudner] Carmen Tal is an incredible female entrepreneur, and we are thrilled to partner with her and the entire team,” said Lexi Pathak, Faulhaber’s VP and partner. ‘Moroccanoil has some amazing launches as we move into the new year, and we are excited to tap into our network to share their innovation and drive brand growth in Canada.”
Nov. 30
TD is running a new social focused campaign to encourage people to shop with small businesses for the holidays. Creative includes a video ad of Santa himself donning a mask to pick up some gifts, and ordering from local artisans. The video is getting a paid push on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #GiftLocal, while TD is also working with influencers who are sharing their own gift ideas from local vendors.
“Small businesses across Canada are at the heart of our communities and help fuel our economy,” said Alec Morley, senior vice-president Canadian Business Banking, TD Bank Group. “The pandemic has created a challenging operating environment for business owners, but this holiday season, we can all help make a positive difference by shopping in our communities.”
McCann Canada has hired Russ Rickey as vice-president of strategy for its McCann West team.
Rickey spent the last 10 years at Critical Mass, providing strategic leadership and digital marketing solutions for clients including AT&T, Blue Shield of California, Clorox, Infiniti, Johnson & Johnson and SAP. At McCann, he’ll provide strategic planning for brands like Bayer CropScience, Western Canada Lottery Corporation, the Winner’s Edge loyalty program for Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC), and Alberta New Home Warranty Program.
“Russ’s strategic vision, his value on cross-disciplinary teams including media, and his robust digital skill set will help us future-proof our client strategies, which is critical in this era of rapid change,” said Karen Pearce, president of McCann West.
PR agency Argyle is opening its first U.S. office in Washington, D.C. to support a growing list of clients either based in America or Canadian companies with significant operations there.
Robert Gemmill, most recently director of litigation communications for Edelman in Washington, will lead the new Argyle office as senior vice-president. Harlan Loeb also will also join Argyle as a senior advisor based out of Chicago. At launch, the agency will focus on reputation, risk and corporate communications.
Steam Whistle Brewing has introduced a new with-purchase offer for those who want (more) suds in the shower. The Steam Whistle Shower Caddy is made from silicone, sticks to a smooth, flat surface, and can hold either a short or tall can for those who enjoy a cold beer with their hot shower.
The caddy comes with six 473 ml cans of Steam Whistle’s premium Pilsner, and is selling for $26.95 at LCBO outlets across Ontario
“The innovative Steam Whistle Shower Caddy solves a real problem for beer lovers,” said Tim McLaughlin, vice-president of marketing at Steam Whistle Brewing. “But please note, Steam Whistle will not accept responsibility for people suddenly feeling the need to shower more often, spend more time in the shower, or convincing themselves that they are great singers. And we absolutely discourage everybody from dancing in the shower.”
