New Business—The Garden
Barrie, Ont.-based Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre Foundation has chosen The Garden as its creative and strategic partner for a $100-million fundraising campaign that will launch in the fall.
“We needed a strategic partner that understands our unique challenges to help design an irresistible call-to-action that mobilizes the entire region in securing the quality of care that each of us wants and needs,” said Pam Ross, RVH Foundation CEO. “The Garden stood out for their tenacity, collaboration, strategic heft and whip-smart creative. We could not have asked for a better partner.”
RVH is raising money to help pay for a plan that will see it double the size of its current facility, and build another hospital in Innisfil.
New Business—Blue Door Agency
Blue Door Agency has been chosen by Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada to lead its digital marketing.
“Blue Door demonstrated a deep understanding of our brand and brought a sophisticated approach to media, data and analytics with a compelling vision to help us take Ripley’s to the next level,” said Lizzie Sibbald, marketing and communications manager for Ripley’s. “They deliver a high level of professionalism across their entire suite of marketing services, which will ensure we double down on creativity but also maintain accountability and results with our client-agency relationship.”
Blue Door’s mandate includes overarching strategy development, reviewing and optimizing creative assets, and the creation of a digital advertising campaign to re-introduce itself to the City of Toronto.
New Business—Blackjet
After recent work on a new brand strategy for the Gay Lea brand, Gay Lea Foods has named Blackjet its new creative AOR following a review.
“From our work together on the strategy project we knew Blackjet had the strategic thinking to help us and the review process demonstrated they also have the creative talent to bring that thinking to life,” said Mike Renton, executive vice-president for sales and marketing at Gay Lea Foods.
Development of a new campaign including Gay Lea butter, sour cream and whipped cream is underway, with a launch later in 2022.
“Gay Lea Foods has a great story and one that’s particularly relevant to the way consumer needs are changing,” said Blackjet CEO Rob Galletta. “We found an ownable strategic space for the brand, and that gave our creative teams the opportunity to develop surprising and engaging brand expressions.”
Appointments—bicom
Kathleen “Kat” Adams is the new executive vice-president and general manager of bicom’s Toronto office.
Adams has spent the past year in freelance roles, specializing in sustainability and social impact, and retail marketing and PR. Before that, she spent five years with Uniqlo’s marketing team, leading national PR and overseeing the brand’s sustainability and purpose-driven agenda. Earlier in her career, Adams spent time at Strategic Objectives and Paradigm PR.
“As our former client, she’s already been collaborating successfully with our team for years,” said bicom CEO and co-founder Vicky Boudreau. “We are strongly confident her strategic mind, client-side perspective and creativity will contribute actively in pursuing the growth of our agency. Kat’s innate leadership skills and fresh perspective will help us continue innovating and achieving impactful campaigns in Canada and the US.”
IDEA Jury
The ICA and Bell Media recently announced the jury for the second IDEA Competition, which awards $1 million worth of Bell Media inventory to one campaign that demonstrates a clear message of diversity and inclusion. This year’s competition will focus on LGBTQ+ communities.
This year’s jury members are: Ira Baptiste; Chris Bergeron; Rachel CrowSpreadingWings; Deven Dionisi; Jerry Jarosinski; Scott Knox; Nadya Kwandibens; Ali Leung; Traci Melchor; Brandon Moonrei; Sadie-Pheonix Lavoie; Justin Stockman; Sarah Thompson and Dori Tunstall.
Appointments/Promotions—Angry Butterfly
Angry Butterfly has hired Hanna Bratt as vice-president, head of production, one of a several recent hires that have seen the agency grow to 25 full time staff since opening at the start of 2021.
“With the growth we’ve experienced, and our ever-increasing production needs, it was time to hire someone in this role, and we were thrilled to get Hanna.” says Erin Kawalecki, partner and CCO. “She has that combination of optimism, pragmatism, skill and intelligence that means she is always willing to try new things and find a way to get something done if it’s in service of great work.”
It’s been just over a year-and-a-half since Angry Butterfly was founded, and with new business wins, as well as significant organic growth, the agency said that it expects to make several more hires in the coming months.
Bratt has nearly 20 years of experience in agency production, and joins from The & Partnership, where she oversaw all Canadian production.
Other new Angry Butterflies include Montreal-based creative Gwenaëlle Clément-Gagnon, who will work across all Angry Butterfly accounts requiring French communications; Estrella Turner, who joins as a designer; and Cara von Ende as digital communications manager. The agency also promoted Mith Das to associate creative director.
Promotions—Zulu Alpha Kilo
Zulu Alpha Kilo recently made a number of promotions, naming Andrea Por, Christina Roche, Marco Buchar and Michael Romaniuk associate creative director, and Sterling Hall resource director.
Working together, Por and Roche have worked on award-winning campaigns across multiple clients, including “Trigger Change” for the Coalition for Gun Control; “Smile Cookie” for Tim Hortons; and “The Micropedia of Microaggressions.”
Romaniuk and Buchar have worked together since 2020, producing notable work including “Green Screen Shirt” for Harry Rosen; Goldfish’s “Focus Faceoff Lens”’; “Sound of Spending” for Interac; and “Orders of Sacrifice” for the Royal Canadian Legion.
Hall, who originally joined Zulu as resource manager, was promoted to resource director for her work improving the agency’s process and “clearing the path for creative teams.”
