Tim Hortons and Gut won the Grand Effie, while Tims was named Marketer of the Year, at the ICA’s Canadian Creative Effectiveness Summit 2022 last week.

The Grand Effie was awarded for the November 2021 introduction of Timbiebs—a collaboration with Justin Bieber to co-create special edition Timbit flavours chosen by the pop megastar.

“With a downturn in QSR business due to COVID, Tim Hortons needed to reconnect with younger audiences to drive positive brand sentiment and increase sales,” says the Tim Hortons submission for Timbiebs. “Timbiebs took Canada by storm. Our collab got covered by news broadcasts and articles from the likes of Hypebeast, The New York Times, Billboard, Fast Company, Buzzfeed, and even inspired other Canadian icons to publicly ask for collabs of their own.”

“This year’s Effie Grand Prix contenders were all quite different, each with their own distinct impact for their respective brands,” said Dustin Rideout, jury co-chair and chief strategy officer at The Hive. “The case from Tim Hortons and their agency was not only compelling from an effectiveness standpoint, it was also incredibly well written. The jury engaged in debate of course, however it was overwhelmingly unanimous that the impact of Timbeibs was undeniable and well deserving of the Grand Prix nomination.”

While Tim Hortons and Gut won the Grand Effie at the fourth annual Effie Canada Awards, Rethink won Agency of the Year after winning a Gold for Érable du Québec, to go with two Silvers and Four Bronze.

“The introduction of Effie in Canada has put Canadian work that works on the global stage,” said Scott Knox, president and CEO of the Institute of Canadian Agencies, in a release. “Just a few weeks ago the top 100 most effective agencies in North America were announced, Canada holds 26 of those places. We are a diverse nation that delivers for brands and are we open for business.”

Meanwhile, the ICA and Bell Media also announced last week that Big Brothers Big Sisters and its agency Humanity won the 2022 Inclusivity, Diversity, and Equity in Advertising (IDEA) Competition.

Launched in 2020 and awarded for the first time last June, the competition was created to encourage greater representation of diverse communities in Canadian advertising, while also encouraging diversity and inclusivity in the creative process. The winner is awarded $1 million worth of inventory on Bell Media.

This year’s entrants were asked to focus on highlighting LGBTQ+ communities, and according to a release, the winning submission for Big Brothers Big Sisters “features a brand evolution that embraces self expression and champions authenticity in the eyes of the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.”

“The purpose and ambition shown in the entries made judging very hard and at times emotional, which is exactly what we wanted—the agencies and brands put everything into it,” said Knox.

“Big Brothers Big Sisters’ winning proposal showed creative excellence and ingenuity, in addition to a boldness to lead the way in inclusive branding and storytelling. We are thrilled to amplify this campaign on Bell Media platforms,” said Brandon Moonrei, director, DSP partnerships and client strategy, with Bell Media.