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CoverJune12.indd 1 12-05-18 4:26 PM introducing the 2012 Globe Young Lions & Young Marketers The Globe and Mail is pleased to announce the winning teams from our 2012 Cannes Young Lions and Young Marketers qualifying competitions. Chosen from 184 entries, we’re thrilled to send these rising stars to represent Canada in the Cannes Young Lions and Young Marketers competitions in June.

YOUNG LIONS YOUNG MARKETERS WINNERS WINNERS

PRINT FILM Brad Canario, Brand Manager Aaron Nemoy, Brand Manager Noah Feferman, Copywriter Elma Karabegovic, Art Director Campbell Company of Canada Stefan D’Aversa, Art Director DraftFCB OgilvyOne Mike Donaghey, Art Director BBDO Toronto

CYBER MEDIA Mustafa Al-Qinneh, Sr. Designer Valerie Whiffen, Media Planner Paul Reiss, Sr. Designer Chris Walton, Sr. Broadcast Negotiator Teehan+Lax Media Experts

“Canada’s advertising industry is brimming with fresh, innovative creativity. This is evident in the increase in entries we’ve seen since 2007, when The Globe first began hosting Canada’s Young Lions competition. At that time, we had 63 competing teams – while this year we had 184! We’re honoured to support these winning, young prodigies and be part of their journey to compete at the world’s most prestigious celebration of creative communications.” ~ Andrew Saunders, Vice President, Advertising Sales, The Globe and Mail

Go to globelink.ca/younglions or globelink.ca/youngmarketers to learn more about these competitions and their winning entries.

ST.21290.GlobeAndMail.Ad.indd 1 18/05/12 3:22 PM JUNE 2012 • VOLUME 23, ISSUE 6

Sid Lee's international business takes fl ight with Qatar Airways.

12 16 36 The new brand Samsung finds Canada’s creative relationship its heart contenders How smart companies are turning The electronics giant has a plan Some of the ad industry’s big names consumers into fans by creating to go from a brand we simply buy to choose the work they think has a shot dialogue and inviting them in a brand we must have at taking home a Cannes Lion

4 Editorial Advertising that earns its keep • 8 Upfront John St. communicates autism, creative shops show off their creative digs and Pepsi evolves its taste test challenge • 20 Walmart’s new CMO Emma Fox honours moms and ushers the brand into the social media era • 24 How to win international business A handy guide to impressing clients beyond your borders • 28 AtoMiC tech From augmented reality to real-world social media, technology is the new ad creative superstar • 32 Mobile to the rescue Experts weigh in on how the medium can solve a multitude of marketing dilemmas • 34 Made you laugh Industry funny people rate some of the most chuckle- inducing commercials of the year • 52 Forum Mark Childs of Campbell’s on writing a compelling brief, and Sid Lee's Justin Kingsley on why you should let the brand haters hate • 54 Back page Going to the Cannes Festival of Creativity? Taxi has an app for that

ON THE COVER The theme of the June issue for the past few years has been creativity, and it still is. Only this issue recognizes the massive ways creativity is changing. Thanks to social media, the consumer has more of a say in the creative direction of brands than ever before, and is breaking free of the old one-way media wall. Toronto-based agency John St. illustrates the shift with movement- inspired cover art. Feel that? It’s the ground shifting beneath your feet. Power to the people!

June 2012 3

Contents.June12.indd 3 12-05-22 9:58 PM june 2012 volume 23, issue 6 www.strategyonline.ca Ads that earn their keep executive editor | mary maddever | [email protected] creative director | stephen stanley | [email protected] ach year, just in time for the Cannes Festival of Creativity (the ad world’s associate editor | emily wexler | [email protected] E Oscars), strategy rounds up the best ad and marketing ideas coming out special reports editor | emily jackson | [email protected] of Canada – the insights and approaches that connected with consumers news editor | megan haynes | [email protected] in different ways. contributors | mark childs | justin kingsley | val maloney | Carey toane | Since strategy’s June issue goes to Cannes, reaching beyond our core Canadian Dominique trudeau marketing industry readership to a global audience of ad execs, we’re looking for executive publisher | russell goldstein | [email protected] world-class innovation. This issue also reaches Globe and Mail readers, so we put an account manager | neil ewen | [email protected] emphasis on how marketing trends are changing the way businesses operate. account manager | kelly nicholls | [email protected] As our cover suggests, marketing departments are rethinking traditional tactics to marketing co-ordinator | lauren talledo | [email protected] create more unique two-way relationships with consumers. More listening, less one- production & distribution co-ordinator | robert lines | [email protected] way ads. More entertainment that’s nichely geared, and more solutions over slogans, senior manager, audience services | jennifer colvin | [email protected] such as apps, designed to help consumers in myriad ways. manager, audience services | Deborah Brewster | [email protected] Since tech is radically changing how companies get their message across in the new many-small-screen mediascape, the AToMiC feature (p. 28) looks at the innovation coming from Canada, while a panel of digital gurus tackle how to deploy the next tech trends to solve distracted-audience challenges (p. 32) – with mobile administration emerging as the superhero, often with a social media sidekick (or vice versa). president & ceo | russell goldstein | [email protected] Mega retailer Walmart has just launched a Canadian social media foray as part of vp & editorial director | mary maddever | [email protected] a mission to own the mom space and to connect in a way beyond price (p. 20), while vp & chief information officer | omri tintpulver | [email protected] P&G also deployed a social push to forge more emotional ties with moms. And as the vp administration & finance | linda lovegrove | [email protected] biggest price and product feature-driven brands are jumping into social media in vp & publisher, realscreen | claire macdonald | [email protected] their quest to befriend shoppers, they’re building more conversational relationships. vp & publisher, kidscreen | jocelyn christie | [email protected] This approach is explored in The New Brand Relationship (p. 12), which looks at how consumers are becoming more involved in the how to reach us Strategy, 366 Adelaide Street West, Suite 100, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 1R9 communication process as well as in brand decisions. The Tel: (416) 408-2300 or 1-888-BRUNICO (1-888-278-6426) Fax: (416) 408-0870 organizational shift required to make this work is seen in www.strategyonline.ca the content strategy from newly launched Sid Lee PR, which customer care To order a subscription, visit www.strategyonline.ca/subscribe. To make a change to an helped build Georges St-Pierre’s hugely successful social existing subscription, please contact us by email: [email protected]. following, among others. Tel: (416) 408-2448 Fax: (416) 408-0249. PO BOX 369 Beeton ON L0G 1A0. This issue also contains a round-up of Canadian subscription rates STRATEGY is published 12 times per year by Brunico Communications Ltd. Lions-worthy work across the ad categories that will be In Canada: One year CA$80.00 Two years CA $144.00 showcased at the Creativity fest in Cannes this month (p. (HST included. Registration #856051396 RT) Single copy price in Canada is CA$6.95. Please allow four weeks for new subscriptions 36). The most sought-after is the Titanium category, which and address changes. is for break-through ideas that show the way forward. copyright and trademark One entry from Canada that is Titanium calibre is STRATEGY and the tagline “Bold vision brand new ideas” are trademarks of Brunico Communications Ltd. All rights reserved. Nothing may be reproduced from STRATEGY in whole Cundari’s Pain Squad app. Designed for Sick Kids hospital or in part without written permission. Reprint requests should be sent to to get young cancer patients to keep a pain diary, it uses [email protected]. © 2012 Brunico Communications Ltd. postmaster notification gamification to motivate kids and features the stars of two Canadian Postmaster, send undeliverables and address changes to: Strategy, PO BOX 369, hit TV shows who reward kids at different levels. Beeton ON L0G 1A0 [email protected] U.S. Postmaster, send undeliverables and address changes to: Strategy PO BOX 1103 Brands and agencies now need to take the Pain Squad Niagara Falls NY 14304 Printed in Canada. Canada Post Agreement No. 40050265. approach to the full gamut of consumer experience, and do ISSN: 1187-4309.

things differently. As How to Win International Biz (p. 24) shows, the creativity of Member of Canada’s ad sector is bringing in global clients. To grow that trend, Canada needs to stand out on the world stage, and that takes more Titanium contenders – ideas that

break through with real solutions, and that make you 'Like' brands. We acknowledge the fi nancial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage. Cheers, mm Using FSC certifi ed products supports Mary Maddever, exec editor, strategy, Media in Canada and stimulant responsible forest management. P.S. Follow us at #strategyatcannes

4 www.strategyonline.ca

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ST.21246.Aimia.Ad.indd 1 23/05/12 11:29 AM Your new secret weapon: creative-centric solutions Helping creativity flourish

he world’s greatest celebration of creativity he Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity T in advertising, the Cannes Lions International T has come along way since its inception in 1954 Festival of Creativity, is finally upon us along with when it was the International Advertising Film our national hopes of continued ascendance in the world Festival. In those days, the Festival had a mere 187 entries rankings. It is also the time when strategy magazine shines a from 14 countries – while last year the Festival topped out light on Canada’s best work of the year to those outside of the at over 28,000 entries from 90 countries. An increase in advertising business who might not be aware of the creative awareness any brand would covet. talent that springs from this sector like a precious renewable Canada’s representation at the Festival has also flourished resource. since the early days – from about 15 delegates and 100 entries Allow me to welcome you to our second annual Cannes Special to over 175 delegates and 843 entries last year, proving Canada Edition magazine. Enjoy reading it, and I invite you to take the takes pride in our unique creativity and innovative marketing. time to really understand the body At the Globe and Mail we of work we’ve chosen to include. Get like to believe our support and to know the ideas and the people encouragement over the past eight behind them. They could be the years, as Canada’s Official Festival answer to your next most challenging Representative, has contributed to business problem, and take note, I’m Canada’s increased enthusiasm. From not mentioning exactly what kind of hosting the qualifying Young Lions business problem. and Young Marketers competitions The truth is that the creative to reaching out to our advertising thinking employed by today’s peers about the benefits the Festival advertising agencies is being tapped has to offer, we’re honoured to share to tackle a sweeping range of new our industry’s celebration of its tasks, such as developing new tremendous creativity. products and designing progressive retail environments. More And we’ve been privileged to work with a host of passionate and more companies are leveraging the boundless talents of individuals over the years – from the select Canadians who agencies with non-traditional projects and the success they are have sat on juries at Cannes and our Young Lions/Young enjoying continually proves that creatively-inspired approaches Marketers judges to our AAPQ and ICA strategic partners and to seemingly mundane business issues can drive fantastic the people who have worked on the Canadian Cannes Advisory results. Personally, I believe that the creative and design thinking Board. which Canadian agencies offer has the potential to re-shape the I’d like thank these individuals and our strategic partners for execution of corporate strategy let alone drive the marketing their support of Canadians in Cannes, whether as an entrant, a component. judge or a delegate. And, special thanks to this year’s following Strategy and the Globe and Mail team up to deliver this board members for their time and valued contributions: publication in order to put an exclamation mark on the power of Mark Childs, Campbell Company of Canada Dave Leonard, DDB Canada creativity in delivering against the business objectives of brands Cathy Collier, OMD Mary Maddever, Brunico for the benefit of over 60,000 key influencers across the country Yanik Deschênes, Sid Lee Brett Marchand, Cossette who we feel need to know. We’re honoured by the opportunity Rico DiGiovanni, Spider Marketing Solutions Lance Martin, TAXI to share this brilliant work with you. Enjoy the read and, while Alan Gee, Blammo Lauren Richards, Communications Consultant you’re at it, think about a business issue you need to address Gillian Graham, ICA Barbara Smith, Globe and Mail with ingenuity and ask yourself whether your organization Anne-Marie Laberge, Telus Jo-Anne Visconti, Globe and Mail could use a hand with a little creative inspiration. I hope you’ll join us in cheering on the 2012 Canadian entrants at Cannes. We look forward to seeing their boundary- Russell Goldstein breaking work earn top awards at the Festival. Executive publisher, strategy, Media in Canada and stimulant Andrew Saunders Vice-president, advertising sales, Globe and Mail

To learn more about our Young Lions winners, the Canadian judges or the Cannes Lions Festival, go to www.globelink.ca/cannes.

6 www.strategyonline.ca

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Carly’s Café highlights autistic experience By Megan Haynes

Carly Fleischmann is a non-verbal autistic, who Sid Lee’s Innovation Studio as a young child could only communicate by By Emily Wexler pointing to images. But at the age of 10, after intense therapy, she sat in front of a computer n an industrial space next to the Sid Lee offices in and began communicating through the written I Montreal, the agency has been fine-tuning a new multi- word. It turned out she had an enormous amount disciplinary approach to creative problem-solving. of knowledge and insight and at the mere age of Launching this summer, clients will be able to use what is being 17, she wrote Carly’s Voice with the help of her called the “Sid Lee Innovation Studio” to source creative ideas for a father, Arthur Fleischmann, president and CEO of particular initiative by having the agency bring together groups of its Toronto-based agency John St. employees from across disciplines and locations to hammer out ideas To help promote the book published by Simon in a short amount of time. & Schuster, Fleischmann and John St. launched The condensed-creative formula was developed through the Sid a short documentary designed to overload the Lee Boot Camp, which invites creatives from all over the world to senses called Carly’s Café. work towards a common goal for a specific brand (last year it was Fatboy, known for its beanbag chairs). This year, eight creatives from multiple disciplines lived, worked and played together for 10 days to come up with creative ideas based on a brief for the non- profit organization (RED). This year’s round drew nearly 600 applications from around the world thanks to Sid Lee’s massive Facebook following of over 60,000. The applicants were whittled down to eight, hailing from the U.S., France, the Netherlands and Germany, as well as two Canadians – Hosted at Carlyscafe.com, it depicts a scene industrial designer Serina Tarkhanian and architect David Dworkind, with Carly, her sister and her father sitting in both from Montreal. Boot Camp has proven to be a useful recruiting a café. She wants a coffee, but is unable to tool for Sid Lee, which hired two of last year’s participants. communicate this, so her father brings a hot The client, (RED), was approached by Sid Lee to participate chocolate. Frustrated now, scenes are interrupted since it’s a “progressive organization that favours innovation,” by deafening noises from other patrons and coffee explains Yanik Deschênes, VP global PR and communications at Sid machines. The user is encouraged to explore the Lee. (RED)’s mission is to eradicate the transmission of HIV from coffee shop by moving the mouse left and right, mothers to babies globally, and it raises funds by partnering with while Carly’s inner monologue narrates the scene. brands like Starbucks, Apple and Converse. Gathered in May during Most of the site’s traffi c will likely derive from the C2-MTL creativity conference, the creatives were charged social media, a result of Carly’s robust following of with telling (RED)’s story through a “hub” that would live both more than 50,000 fans on Facebook and Twitter. online and in the real world, supported by social media and other “I would like massive empathy,” says message-spreading activity. Fleischmann. “It’s not just an awareness “Because society is becoming increasingly complex and thing. There’s a tremendous amount of passive is evolving faster than ever, organizations must promote awareness of autism. Building empathy [is experimentation to find solutions to the challenges they face,” says critical] so that when you see people with Philippe Meunier, chief creative officer at Sid Lee. “Boot Camp and autism, you don’t write them off.” the Sid Lee Innovation Studio are commercial offerings whose goal is to respond to this situation.”

8 www.strategyonline.ca

Upfront.June12.indd 8 12-05-22 10:10 PM New Pepsi taste challenge brings tech to its Coke rivalry By Emily Jackson The Pepsi Taste Challenge, an iconic grassroots campaign that first debuted almost 40 The next beer-volution years ago, is back with By Megan Haynes some new and improved Beer continues to evolve, offering line extensions designed to take it features – and this time beyond the bar and ballpark to new “special occasion” consideration it’s going high-tech sets and challenge the range of beverages encroaching on beer’s turf. and social. The brand With the recent patio-timed introduction of Molson’s Coors Light Iced has accomplished nine T and Labatt’s Mojito-inspired brew, we wondered, what will they think million taste tests in the of next? Molson’s chief commercial offi cer Peter Nowlan says some of last 36 years, but this its recent launches are specifi cally to snag drinkers away from other summer will see 1.5 booze categories such as wine and spirits, while Labatt’s Lisa Kittlesen, million challenges take national marketing manager, Bud Light, says consumers were looking place across Canada with for sweeter beer options. Using these insights, strategy presents its regular Pepsi, Diet Pepsi predictions for what’ll hit the cooler next. and Pepsi Max. The 2012 edition of Water Pilsner: Molson 67 is already touted as the low-cal beer the Pepsi Ultimate Taste option, so we see the competition one-upping to an even healthier Challenge is touring the choice. Almost 97% pure water with a light beer fl avouring, patio-goers country in a big rig truck that transforms into a tasting station don’t have to sacrifi ce the drink they love just to fi t into their short hitting major festivals across Canada. Mobile teams are also shorts. Water Pilsner’s only downside is its ridiculously low alcohol covering massive ground to bring the challenge to 1,000 events content. Those looking to drown their sorrows will be disappointed: coast-to-coast over the summer. at 0.001%, Water Pilsner will be the stingiest option on the market. This year, Pepsi is bringing cutting-edge technology to the Capitalizing on the water fl avouring trend, further line extensions could marketing initiative by being the first brand in Canada to implement include powdered Pilsner packs for instant H2O infusions. Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface – a device that sees and Beer-mapolitan: Inspired by Bud Light Lime Mojito, we anticipate responds to touch and objects on a 40-inch, high-definition, multi- someone will sweeten the bitters in an effort to draw in those Sex in the touch screen. Taste testers are given Pepsi and a rival cola in two City lovers. Served in a martini-shaped beer stein, the Beer-mapolitan clear glasses placed on the screen’s surface. The winning cola is is one part light lager, one part triple sec and one revealed on a screen via a bar code on the bottom of the glass. part cranberry juice. We can just see Carrie “Traditionally, we used to cover up the cola packaging during sipping away in her Manolos. the taste challenge,” says Robb Hadley, director of marketing, Candied Ale: With the infl ux of candy- PepsiCo Beverages Canada. “By eliminating that we are truly fl avoured vodkas and rums (marshmallow- giving consumers an authentic taste test experience.” fl avoured Smirnoff anyone?) brewers Targeting millennials, the campaign is amplified through will have to keep up. Introducing a candy social media. “Taste challenge ambassadors are equipped inspired six-pack. With fl avour options like with web-enabled phones and tablets that capture video and Skittles, Sour Patch Kids and Jelly Bellys, images for Pepsi’s Facebook page,” says Hadley, who adds that the mix-and-match packs are sure to be the interactive updates showcase real-time challenge results, life of the party. Line extension possibilities schedules of upcoming sampling events and an online game abound: gummybeers anyone? where consumers can compete in daily challenges for their Steak and stout: Why stop at dessert chance to win weekly prizes. fl avours such as chocolate cherry, maple Heralding the Pepsi Ultimate Taste Challenge’s return are two syrup and coffee caramel stouts? Make a TV commercials depicting cola drinkers converting to Pepsi. beer a full meal. Inspired by Willy Wonka’s With creative from BBDO Toronto, the first spot called “Earl 2.0” meal-replacement gum, stout, fortifi ed debuted during the 2012 Billboard Music Awards in May. “The with a full set of vitamins and minerals, lets ad features a Coca-Cola truck driver getting stranded on the drinkers enjoy a salad, steak and potatoes side of the road,” says Hadley. “He is offered a ride by the Pepsi combo before trying one of the Candied Ale Ultimate Taste Challenge team and after accepting, he decides to options for dessert. Mmmm fi lling. try a forbidden Pepsi beverage and enjoys it so much he ends up getting a Pepsi tattoo.” (Ed. note: Long live the cola wars.)

June 2012 9

Upfront.June12.indd 9 12-05-22 10:10 PM NEW SPACES By Emily Jackson AGENCIES TEAR DOWN CREATIVE BARRIERS

Left to right: JWT’s o produce advertising Meanwhile, after two decades “We are an integrated agency new reception area and foyer; Draftfcb’s main T ideas that transcend at its bland Davisville office tower with all the disciplines under one entrance featuring traditional approaches location, Grey Canada is celebrating roof. We have a model that has no a giant lightbulb; to media and messaging, it requires its first year at its Spadina Avenue silos or profit centres, so it became Grey Canada’s new working MOs. To that end, exposed-brick-and-beam home. a challenge to work this way in open-concept fast- JWT, Grey Canada, Draftfcb and “Grey went from 90% offices on our previous space consisting of collaboration setup. sister co. Rivet have all traded their multiple floors to 90% wide open hallways and closed-off offices,” says old-style offices for new homes that space on two floors. It’s helped John Boniface, chief creative officer, provide open-concept workspaces. foster a faster environment” says Draftfcb. “We now have our entire “It intensifies our collaborative Stephanie Nerlich, president and creative and production services culture, which is important CEO, Grey Canada. group and planning on one floor these days,” says Tony Pigott, The interior space reflects the with the intention of increasing president and CEO, JWT. “Both trend of combining industrial and conductivity and collaboration.” the marketplace and consumers residential elements in open- The design concept mixes old have become deregulated, so the concept workspaces. “There are no and new contemporary styles with demand for ideas and the nature of cubicles; each desk is connected to hardwood floors, loft spaces and ideas has shifted.” another. There are also a number brick interiors, combined with Previously occupying the eighth of breakout spaces for teams to modern titanium and glass finishes, floor of the Bloor St. location, JWT huddle,” says Nerlich. “This space and is fully wired for content worked with architecture firm had all the bones Grey was looking creation. “A lot was invested into HOK to come up with the concept for – open collaborative spaces, a this space in terms of technology, for the new space on the 10th and kitchen centre hub that functions so we have brand new state-of-the- 11th floors. The aim was to create as the heart of the agency and a art digital labs, editing suites and an environment that contributed to roof-top deck to clear one’s mind or a broadcast studio,” says Draftfcb’s an open and eclectic culture, with to raise a drink or two.” CEO Paul Mead. quiet areas where staff members Finally, multi-disciplinary A coffee bar, think tank rooms can brainstorm. marketing firms Draftfcb and and open-concept boardrooms are With glass boardroom walls Rivet moved into their new some of the creative collaboration- among the design features that premises in Toronto’s Liberty inducing features the 200 Draftfcb stand out, JWT wanted to see Village neighbourhood in April. and Rivet employees have enjoyed more diversity and variety, which Transformed from an old General so far. And in a nod to the space’s allows creativity to flow more Electric light bulb factory, the GE origins and the agency output – freely. “A space like this allows space is designed around both ideas – the reception greets visitors for more chaos and collision, and agencies’ integrated operating with a giant light bulb fixed to the those are key ingredients to really models with an open-plan concept wall with an illuminated company nailing ideas that work in today’s that encourages interaction logo and the quote, “Welcome to the marketplace,” says Pigott. between teams. light bulb factory.”

10 www.strategyonline.ca

Upfront.June12.indd 10 12-05-23 2:10 PM In Montréal, creativity speaks everyone’s language.

visit

ST.21430.AAPQ.Ad.indd 1 22/05/12 3:58 PM From consumers to fans THE NEW BRAND RELATIONSHIP Creating conversations and experiences that win fans is the new Holy Grail, and R&D and PR is part of the reward BY EMILY WEXLER

onsumers today are consumers, which is what Sid partner Nicolas Van Erum. Sid Lee C more than just people Lee has done. It’s not surprising PR, which officially launches this that buy goods, they also that the agency, which has offices month, will reflect the evolving consume the context and content in Montreal, Toronto, Austin nature of the brand-consumer around brands, so much so that they and Amsterdam and is known relationship – one that goes beyond can help make said goods better, be for going outside the typical ad dialogue to truly involve the a source of creative inspiration, or agency purview with things like consumer – and will focus on a few the adamant defenders (or haters) architecture and film production, key areas: PR, events, sponsorship, of “their” brands. Smart companies should once again delve into new integration, reputation creation are leveraging these relationships, territory. While it’s not unusual and management. whether it be a CEO asking his for an advertising agency to have a “We’re trying to bring a new social network to weigh in on PR division, like all things Sid Lee, point of view, a new way of new products, or a brand creating the promise is that this one will integrating campaigns so that the movements around things that be different – the next evolution of consumers feel that they’re involved bring the world together, like the public relations. The “new PR.” in a different way,” says Kingsley. Olympics, for example. Justin Kingsley, who joined Sid He describes the old advertising And the ad industry is realigning Lee about two years ago to lead the model as a brand, an ad and its operations and offerings around strategy team, started developing millions of consumers. Now,

ILLUSTRATION BY JOSÉE MARTINEAU, SID LEE ART DIRECTOR SID LEE ART JOSÉE MARTINEAU, BY ILLUSTRATION these new ways of involving the new division in November with he says, the model is a brand,

12 www.strategyonline.ca

NewAdvertising.June12.indd 12 12-05-22 2:08 PM a multitude of media and one consumer. And that consumer has media choices and ways of communicating like never before. “You have to treat every single consumer like he’s a journalist for the New York Times. What he has to say, or his expertise, means something. And when you’re building a campaign, you have to empower that voice to give that person a chance to shine because that’s what they want.” While the PR division is only officially launching this month, Sid Lee has been employing its tactics with a number of clients, including UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Quebec-born St-Pierre has over 2.8 million “likes” on Facebook. Not bad for the star of a sport that, while gaining momentum, is still not considered mainstream. But, according to Kingsley, what’s most impressive is not that St-Pierre’s following has nearly doubled in just over a year, it’s that his interaction rate is 10, sometimes 20 times higher than other celebrities with similar followings. The key, says Kingsley, has been listening to St-Pierre’s fans and finding links between them and the UFC champion Georges St-Pierre has built strong relationships with fans, with help from agency Sid Lee. athlete, which can go beyond sports. “For a guy like Georges, what almost any brand.” “I started breaking down what happens to him outside the octagon And he really does mean any the pot means,” says Kingsley. “What is just as important to his fans as brand. While Sid Lee has seen happens inside the pot is pretty what happens inside the octagon. social media success working with magical, but actually what happens Here’s a guy who practices five sports properties like GSP and around it is just as magical – the Olympic sports, he’s spiritual, he’s the Montreal Impact – the soccer experience of that pot is the story.” [various] things. Then we look at team that debuted last summer The agency looked into how his fans and what they like, so we for which Sid Lee created a fan consumers were using La Creuset can create conversations around movement called “the Guard” and products. “You start realizing people those subjects,” says Kingsley. rallied fans to fill the 60,000-seat all over the world use it differently. “When he injured his knee, he Olympic stadium for the opening What comes out of it is a different didn’t fight or train for a couple game – Kingsley says he gets just experience every time, so we start of months but his interaction rate as excited for a cast-iron pot. building campaigns around people’s went up because he started talking When the agency took on stories. We don’t have to invent to his fans about their favourite Belgian kitchen pot-makers La them because they exist.” quotes, movies, books. We didn’t Creuset as a client a year ago, it Kingsley says there are potential know it was going to happen so we started developing insights around plans to use those stories in unique tested things, and they got more the individual experiences that ways, like a user-generated La involved. You can do this with people have with the products. Creuset recipe book.

June 2012 13

NewAdvertising.June12.indd 13 12-05-22 2:09 PM ultimately choosing one from each people to share their own stories, borough who “embodies what and be able to share the video with the Olympics stands for and what their friends and family and their Adidas stands for, and the passion mom, it just lends itself so perfectly that they stand for in their own to social media for a digital launch,” lives” to represent their region for says Grisim. the campaign. And like the Adidas campaign, The entire “Take the Stage” P&G is sourcing real people for campaign was then built around its creative. In Canada, a video them, everything from TV to print series called “Raising an Olympian” to social media, to contests that launched in May, telling real stories invite people to “Take the Stage” of Canadian athletes like diver through the chance to be the Alexandre Despatie and his mom. photographer on a shoot with While the broader campaign David Beckham or open for rapper encompasses all P&G brands, the Wretch 32 on tour. company recognizes the value and “Our insight is that the old way of opportunity in social media to doing PR is trying to be part of the involve niche audiences. news, and what we’re doing here is A prime example is Pampers, creating the news,” says Kingsley. which has engaged its audience Another company that’s using in the past with non-advertising real stories and taking a consumer- activity like a “Hello Baby” app, driven approach to its Olympic created by the New York office campaign is Procter & Gamble, of StrawberryFrog, which tracks which has focused its efforts a woman’s pregnancy and offers Above: The Adidas And Sid Lee’s architects are around one important consumer parenting tips. “Take the Stage” working on La Creuset retail group – moms. For the Olympics, the brand campaign for the locations, set to open in 2013. “We realized early on that we’re has created a program called “O 2012 Olympics used real Londoners in the Kingsley says they will be an not in the business of athletic Canada, Baby!” Also developed by creative. Opposite “information hub” for fans of the apparel or sports drinks, but we’re StrawberryFrog, P&G worked with page: P&G’s Olympic brand, with possible plans for a test in the business of helping moms,” Olympic spokesperson, hurdler campaign, centred kitchen that will host guest chefs. It says David Grisim, associate (and mom) Priscilla Lopes-Schliep. around moms, will also be a place that individuals marketing director, P&G Canada. It allows parents to upload videos launched with “Moms play such an important role of their tots to Facebook, which the an emotional can use, for example, to create online video. their own online cooking show by in helping not only Olympic athletes brand will then mash together to bringing in ingredients and having but all kids achieve their best, so it form the first Canadian national it filmed to be broadcast to their was just a great opportunity for us anthem sung entirely by babies. Facebook page. to tell that story.” “We used to talk about digital Kingsley calls it his Confucius A global spot, created by U.S. marketing and have a separate rule and says,“Tell me I’ll forget, agency Wieden+Kennedy and focus, where now the language show me I’ll remember, involve housed on PGeveryday.ca, tugs at that we use as a company is much me I’ll understand.” heartstrings as it depicts different more [about] marketing in a digital What better opportunity to get kinds of athletes growing from world,” says Grisim. “We really start fans involved in a movement than childhood to Olympian, helped along with thinking about ways we can the Olympic Games? by their mothers. A Canadian cut engage people, and facilitate ways Sid Lee has been working with of the spot earned 600,000 views, for them to help write the brand Adidas on a global campaign for and globally it had received over stories themselves.” the London 2012 Games centered six million by press time, without a Perhaps following the reality TV around 32 young Londoners. mass ad campaign to support it. trend, which made us believe “real Based on the insight that there A Facebook app allows users to people” are fascinating, this notion are 20 boroughs on the outside record a 15-second message to their of consumers writing the brand of London and 12 on the inside, moms that can be tagged onto the stories seems to have permeated Adidas went into those boroughs beginning of the “Best Job” spot. the marketing landscape. Not and interviewed young people, “Creating the opportunity for only do consumers want to be

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NewAdvertising.June12.indd 14 12-05-22 2:09 PM THE SOCIAL CEO personally involved, marketers says Cox. “You can’t script that, it About three and are realizing more than ever that kind of happens organically.” a half years ago, it’s the consumers that make the Working with its ad agency Ogilvy, Peter Aceto, CEO best stories – they just need to be the Hellmann’s team went into of ING Direct, sat captured in a compelling way. the school and replaced its deep down with his Take, for instance, the Budweiser fryer with new appliances to make team to talk about Canada Super Bowl commercial, healthy foods, and brought cameras social media. created by New York-based agency along to capture it, turning it into “It seemed clear Anomaly, which documented the an event, complete with a monster to everyone that real reactions of rec league hockey truck that ceremoniously destroyed this is not a fad, players in Port Credit, ON. who were the old deep fryer. that social media was going to be a very important part of shocked when Budweiser surprised “The reality is, there’s so many people’s lives and how they communicate,” says Aceto. them with the full NHL treatment inspiring stories out there that you As a fi nancial institution competing with big banks – including fans, cameras and don’t have to make them up and but without traditional branches, which started online in announcers. The spot has amassed create something artificial,” says Cox. 1997 before some companies even had websites, it seems nearly four million hits on YouTube. At press time, the video had just natural that ING would dive head-fi rst into social. But nowhere does telling been posted, with plans to work “Our company has been built on a platform of personal, local stories resonate with media agency Mindshare for transparency, simplicity and ease, and that’s how we’ve differentiated ourselves. We were in the best position to use social media and it would be an advantage that we didn’t think our competitors would be able to copy quickly,” he says. Rather than have someone communicate on his behalf, Aceto opened a personal Twitter account that evening, and encouraged other executives to follow suit. “[In the past] leaders and businesses were only measured by their share price, it didn’t matter if they were good members of society. Then I think the most recent fi nancial crisis made people think, corporations can’t just do whatever they want as long as the share price goes up, they need to be transparent and open. I think people are more than in the CSR realm. a more robust media campaign demanding this now and social media is facilitating it.” Unilever brand Hellmann’s has been that would include paid media, But Aceto recognizes the risks. Social media missteps going local for five years with its PR (working with Harbinger), and happen, and because of its changing nature, a 10-year plan is Real Food Movement, first centering online and social media activities impossible, as is measuring the ROI of tweets. the program around creating urban (with digital agency Dashboard). But social has helped to shape the ING business at gardens, then focusing on teaching No doubt spurred on by the its core. Prior to launching Thrive Chequing, a no-fee the importance of eating local foods. viral success of its 2009 video “Do daily chequing account, the company enlisted 10,000 of For the past three years, the focus you know where your food comes its customers, mostly ones that interact with the brand has been on the Real Food Grant from?”which has amassed over through social media, to try it out before it was offered to Program, which offers $100,000 100,000 hits, Hellmann’s has plans the general public. The result was a ton of feedback through to support initiatives that bring to continue capturing these local Twitter, Facebook, emails and chat sessions that allowed Canadian families together with real stories, with the hopes that they ING to troubleshoot the product and fi ne-tune it. food in their communities. will inspire people to spread the “When we launched, I felt so confi dent that it was up to When Hellmann’s received a message and talk about it in their the standard of ING Direct and something Canadians really grant application from the Camille social networks. wanted,” says Aceto. “We’re opening over 200 accounts School in Red Deer, AB. to banish “I think it’s put a real emphasis every day for the last year, I think because we created this fried foods from its cafeteria, senior on having experiences that are product with the community outside of our walls.” brand manager Stephanie Cox and engaging and will spark dialogue The experience was so positive it will shape product the Hellmann’s team knew it would way more than ever before social launches going forward. “There’s no doubt we could have be something special. media was part of the marketing launched that product six months earlier, but I don’t think “When we received the mix,” says Cox. “It’s helped open it would have appealed to people as much. We wouldn’t application, we knew immediately up the lines of communication and think about creating a product without going through the that we wanted to get involved in turn will hopefully help build same process. In 10 years people won’t do business with because it was a long-term solution,” stronger relationships.” companies that don’t do business this way.”

June 2012 15

NewAdvertising.June12.indd 15 12-05-22 2:09 PM Samsung fi nds its heart The electronics giant may be in two-thirds of Canadian households, but it’s not top of mind for consumers. Now it has a plan to go from a brand we simply buy to a brand we must have BY CAREY TOANE

ne of the largest technology Barrett likened the brand to the Tin Man in appliance brand is top of mind or what their O companies in the world, The Wizard of Oz. preferred television brand is, and it’s not Samsung Electronics Group “The Tin Man was well engineered, likely to be Samsung. “We come anywhere ranked 22nd on the Fortune 500 list for well built, was technologically advanced from second to fi fth on that list, with a 2011 (above Hewlett-Packard, Siemens, within the community that he lived, was desire to be number one,” says Barrett. Above: a big, bold Panasonic and Toshiba) with revenues clearly recognizable and distinctive, and this “Our share of purchase and our share of Super Bowl spot of $133 billion US and $13 billion US in brand is all those admirable qualities,” he wallet is defi nitely greater than our share of set a new tone for profi ts. Apple, which Samsung overtook in says. “But it was missing the single most mind or heart, and that is exactly what we Samsung. Opposite page, smartphone sales for the fi rst quarter of this important fundamental thing inside.” want to change.” top: VP marketing year, ranked 111th. Nokia was 143rd. To be In Canada, says Barrett, Samsung’s Former VP global marketing properties Andrew Barrett. fair, neither of those companies boasts the business is well in excess of $1.5 billion at LG Electronics in South Korea and Bottom: new portfolio range of Samsung, with its 1,000+ in annual revenue, and growing in 2008 strategy marketer of the year for creative for Smart SKUs covering everything from tablets, double digits year-over-year. Last year, his work on that brand as Canadian TV and AllShare taps into our handsets and cameras to Smart TVs, Mississauga, ON.-based Samsung VP marketing, Barrett joined Samsung insatiable passion refrigerators, digital displays, printers and Electronics Canada sold one million Canada last September. As the fi rst VP for hockey. toner. But, according to a new study from televisions, or one out of every 10 marketing in Canada, he oversees the American consultancy Strategy Analytics, households, and holds the spot for premium consumer business division including Samsung’s share of the hotly contested washer-dryers as well as mobile handsets. consumer electronics, digital imaging, smartphone market for Q1 of this year was “Well in excess of two-thirds of Canadian home appliances, consumer computers and a record 31%, rocketing 253% over last year homes currently have a Samsung product peripherals, as well as enterprise business to 44.5 million units sold, led by the Galaxy in them, are actively using them and have division teams marketing digital screens Note S2 and Y models. likely acquired that technology in the last for customers like Royal Bank and Toronto’s Yet when he joined Samsung Electronics four to fi ve years,” says Barrett. Pearson International Airport, and mobile Canada last fall, VP marketing Andrew However, ask a Canadian what home communications with carrier partners

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Biz.June12.indd 16 12-05-18 4:28 PM such as Telus. “This is the fi rst time we’ve daily lives to enjoy their own personal brought all that under one person to try to passions,” says Barrett. “It was an idea operate as one brand, with one look and that would work on everything we make for feel spread across all the communications everyone in Canada.” and activities,” says Barrett. The new slogan was soft-launched The marcom team is now 30 people during the Canadian adaptation of the strong and growing, with new positions brand’s fi rst-ever Super Bowl ad, created created to support key areas such as by Los Angeles agency 72andSunny. The notebook computers, as well as a social product specifi cations are nowhere to be media centre group to boost social found, but there is a parade, complete with engagement on Facebook and Twitter, to human cannonball. “This company would go “from being broadcast to now being never have done something like that before,” dialogue-driven and being more engaged in says Barrett. “The spot was not about the our communities,” Barrett explains. feeds and speeds, it was about celebrating Over the past 10 months the team OUR SHARE OF and how people’s passions could be better has developed a marketing strategy and pursued through the launch of our new SS positioning to capitalize on the brand’s PURCHASE AND OUR Galaxy Note Phone.” growth and forge an emotional connection SHARE OF WALLET IS After the Super Bowl, the Note Phone with consumers. DEFINITELY GREATER launch was supported with a full campaign “From an advertising perspective, THAN OUR SHARE that ran through February and March, we were very feature-focused. We including TV advertising, experiential mall communicated more like a technology OF MIND OR HEART, tours and social media, as well as trade- company than a consumer brand that AND THAT’S WHAT WE based activities and engagement with its took consumer insight as the lead point WANT TO CHANGE retail partners. for communication,” Barrett says. “We’d To help implement the new positioning - Andrew Barrett, Samsung been very successful selling on that basis, in Canada, Barrett worked with three lead but that’s also the limiting factor to us Armed with a marketing budget in excess of agencies of record: media agency Starcom becoming number one emotionally in $100 million, Barrett looked at the product MediaVest Group Canada, PR fi rm North people’s hearts and minds. We’ve been offering and the company DNA and came up Strategic, and former Samsung house approaching it from a feeds-and-speeds with a new Canadian tagline: “Pursue your agency Cheil Canada, now reinvented as a and a techs-and-specs perspective.” passions.” The long expression combines full-service more creatively focused agency. Management globally and in Canada this with an older internal statement: “We While Samsung still owns a single-digit recognized the company needed to shift its are relentlessly passionate about building percentage in Cheil, the agency has communications away from features toward technology that lets every Canadian pursue branched out to take on other clients such consumer insights and benefi ts – and their passions.” as Korean tire manufacturer Hankook. get consumers lining up around the block “Ninety-nine percent of all the products On the Samsung business, the three in anticipation of new product launches. that we make [are used by] people in their agencies work as one, meeting with Barrett monthly. “They’re all responsible for ideation,” he says. “We brief, review, workshop and present as one, but they are specialists in the implementation. Cheil implements the advertising, North implements the PR and some of the event stuff, and Starcom implements the social media buy and broadcast media buy, but no one is the lead.” Cheil Canada president Matt Cammaert says the relationship has been successful thus far. “It is a bit of a different set up because as you know agencies in general can be territorial.” One campaign that’s reaped the benefi ts of this collaborative model is the “Passion for Fresh” home appliance positioning,

June 2012 17

Biz.June12.indd 17 12-05-23 3:19 PM most recently for the Samsung Induction this year,” says Barrett. “We make all Flex Duo Range at the Green Living Show those devices.” in Toronto this past April, and next for He is also adapting Samsung Hope a new Samsung fridge launching this for Children, a global corporate social month. Instead of focusing on capacity, responsibility proposition centered on the strategy emphasizes a unique piece of three pillars of health, education and technology that keeps fruits and vegetables sustainability. A Canadian-made pilot fresher longer. program in 30 schools focuses on educating “We had to look pretty in-depth at the children about e-waste, with one school strategy but also work with Starcom and set to win a $10,000 technology grant. North to fi gure out how we leverage certain “Right now you’re educated about paper PR messages that can push what we’re and plastic and glass but not what to do doing on the creative side,” says Cammaert. with electronics,” says Barrett. “[Samsung “And with a minimal budget, given that it has] collected over one million pounds of is home appliance, how do we take that e-waste in the last six years, including over creative message and spread it?” 50,000 pounds over The campaign is a prime example of how three weekends Samsung wants to disrupt the category that would have on its way to becoming the number one otherwise ended loved brand in the space. Barrett has told up in Toronto all his agencies that he wants Samsung landfi lls that will to be on their strategy Agency of the now be 100% Year submissions. “Creative people get recycled...We’re motivated doing interesting and engaging taking a huge creative, and a lot of the time clients crush Above: an ad for the new category lead in that disrupting Smart TV, which ties in that,” he says. “I said to the agencies: you social media via an NFL partnership. particular area.” bring us your most creative idea and we will Right: the face, voice and Barrett fi nd ways to execute all that stuff.” motion-recognizing Galaxy S III is estimates the Online, Samsung relaunched its Samsung’s largest phone launch. breakdown Canadian website to align with the new between feel of the brand, as well as its Facebook Looking forward, localized and page, supported by the new social media Samsung is localizing a homegrown team. Launched on Facebook this month, global TV advertising spot marketing the Samsung Passion Fund, an app that for Smart TV, which the content to be repurposes user-generated videos to company anticipates will about two-thirds provide peer-to-peer product support, disrupt the category just as to one-third, takes the platform beyond brand affi nity to smartphones did for mobile. The respectively. “We’re channel the community aspect. If it works in campaign seeks to educate consumers given a great freedom here,” says Barrett. Canada, Barrett anticipates global pickup. about the potential for Smart TV and the “We write our positionings, our strategic “People that own our products fi gure out Holy Grail of convergence, towards which imperatives, what we need to accomplish things you can do with them that even our Samsung is reaching with its Allshare locally, and then we look at the global product engineers didn’t know,” he says. service. Launched at the Consumer work. If it can fi t or be adapted, we take “They’re the perfect people to tell others Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, the path of least resistance. If it doesn’t, that have the same passion how to do that.” Allshare enables cross-device searching, we make our own stuff.” In May, Samsung announced its fi rst- sharing and playing, and Smart TV is One thing that’s certain is Canada will ever Canadian retail location in Burnaby, the missing link that ties this network of be hearing a lot more from Samsung in the B.C., which will serve to showcase all the devices together. near future. “We’ve been a push company new tech in a more personal way, such as Smart TV may well get a push from the up till now, and we’ve got to become more the Galaxy S III, an Android smartphone Summer Olympics in London, which are of a pull company,” says Barrett. “It will look with a 4.8-inch display and face, voice and being touted as the social games, and of like more marketing, because a lot of the motion recognition, described by Barrett which Samsung is a major sponsor. “The stuff is going to be more outwardly facing, as the largest cell phone launch in the Olympic consortium is putting [forth] a more consumer-facing than channel and company’s history, with campaign support multi-screen proposition on how to watch trade driven over the next little while. That from late May through mid-June. and experience the Olympics differently shift is happening.”

18 www.strategyonline.ca

Biz.June12.indd 18 12-05-18 4:28 PM ST.20675.CMA.Ad.indd 1 22/05/12 3:59 PM 26031_ST_R0_CMA_8.375x10.875.indd 1 5/9/12 1:33 PM A whole new world for Walmart With new CMO Emma Fox on board, the retailer is boldly going where it has never gone before, putting a focus on moms, taking private label up a notch and entering the social media era BY EMILY WEXLER

year ago, when Emma but unless you go out and talk to Walmart Canada: Mom of the Year. A Fox came across the them and really understand what Launched the week leading up to pond to work for makes them tick – it’s by drawing Mother’s Day, it asks Canadians Walmart Canada from Asda, the those insights that you become a to nominate their mothers for retailer’s U.K. subsidiary, she better marketer,” she says. the title through a microsite, spent about six weeks flying One of the main insights that the Momoftheyear.ca. Visitors can province to province talking to chief marketing officer took away create a profile for their mom, Walmart customers. Fox met an was that moms were an integral which will be evaluated by Aboriginal woman in Kelowna, consumer group to the Walmart Walmart’s “Mom Ambassadors,” B.C. who explained how she business. consisting of hockey player and shops at Walmart to prepare for “It’s not that we overlooked it, Olympic gold medalist Hayley celebrations in her community. She we just hadn’t really seen it,” says Wickenheiser; Karine Ewart, spoke with a mother of a young Fox. “We classified our customers editor-in-chief of Today’s Parent son who had emigrated from India into price-sensitive and brand- magazine; opera singer Natalie and was on a tight budget because aspirational, and all of that is Choquette; and two Walmart she was studying, so she hunted fine, but it’s more of a CPG way of Canada executives – president and for bargains. It was encounters categorizing customers. We have a CEO Shelley Broader and Fox. like these that would shape Fox’s really critical group of customers Nominations close on July 8, and marketing plans going forward. here and they’re just moms.” the selection committee will then “It’s easy to say that we’re a This insight was the catalyst for choose up to eight finalists, each really customer-focused business, a new kind of national program for winning $10,000, plus an additional

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Walmart.June12.indd 20 12-05-18 5:45 PM $10,000 towards a cause close to their hearts. An overall winner will be announced at a gala event in September, and will also take home another $10,000, but with $100,000 going towards her cause of choice. “If you look at price, it’s a very functional way of connecting with the customer, and what we wanted to do was connect on a different level,” says Fox about this new direction. She notes that because it was uncharted territory for Walmart, they conducted plenty of research and spoke with focus groups before embarking on the program. “The research came back that said ‘you’ve absolutely got permission to do that because you know moms so well.’ So if there was anyone who was going to do it, it makes sense for Walmart to do it.” Working on the campaign concept design and strategy with Walmart’s agency of record, Toronto- based JWT, as well as Mindshare for media, Apex for PR and Twist Image for digital, the campaign spans TV, print, online and media partnerships, such as The Marilyn Denis Show for English Canada and Salut, Bonjour! in Quebec. At press time, just a week after launching, Mom of the Year had over 4,000 nominations on the site. Twist Image, which came on board as digital agency Above: CMO Emma Fox with the Our Finest food line. Below left: an ad for private label clothing line George. Opposite page: Mom of the Year debuted last month. in February, also helped debut the brand on Facebook. When it comes to what is arguably a long-overdue foray learnings from our global partners; Walmart U.S. is into social media, Fox says it was a matter of “slowing heavily involved in Facebook, as is Asda in the U.K.,” she down to go faster,” waiting to launch the Facebook page says. “It’s a perfect storm for us right now, we feel really so it would coincide with Mom of the Year, thus giving confident about how we, at least starting off on our the social media site “real meaning.” social journey, can leverage those learnings.” “We’ve probably been quite traditional in our Fox says Mom of the Year will serve as a testing marketing outlook,” Fox admits. “It’s been an ground for future marketing approaches, moving away opportunity for us to say, from “let’s get something on TV” to focusing on how we need to look at the different consumers want to be communicated with. whole marketing and media “We’re much more aware of the benefits of being more mix in terms of how we focused and tailored,” she says. communicate, and not just Working with a team of about 70 people, Fox oversees lean heavily on TV.” seven areas: customer strategy and store experience; “Emma and Gino pricing and supplier development; merchandise [DiGioacchino], who is our planning and execution; brand management and SVP of e-commerce, both product development for private label; media; category completely understand marketing; and customer insights. the power of social,” says Fox has worked with the Walmart group for 13 years Jennifer Stahlke, marketing now, 12 of them spent with Asda, where she took on director, customer strategy a multitude of different roles across merchandising, and store experience at general marketing and private label. Walmart Canada. “If you Having a background in private label has meant Fox don’t have that support from is well positioned to up Walmart Canada’s game in that the top down, it just doesn’t particular arena. happen, and [they have “In this country, the bar has been set with Loblaws been] instrumental in helping make this a priority.” because they have a huge private label business,” says Stahlke also notes that Walmart Canada was finally in Fox. “So Canadians are very aware of private label and a place where it felt confident to take that leap. aware of the quality.” “At this stage in the game we have some really strong With pre-existing private labels like the fashion line

June 2012 21

Walmart.June12.indd 21 12-05-18 5:46 PM George, Walmart added a food decisions on their behalf,” says Fox. understanding of the customer,” label last year called “Our Finest” Duke approached a group of says Stahlke, giving examples like A TV spot for Mom of that continues to expand and has 15 executives to develop a global engaging with mommy bloggers the Year by JWT shows included canapés and appetizers framework to be used in all internally for research purposes various situations where for the holiday season, as well as Walmart countries around four and using online focus groups that mothers are needed chocolates, cookies and other treats, pillars: developing, advancing and allow women who know each other – like when the milk runs out. and the retailer is expanding its retaining women; recruiting female to chat about a variety of topics “Great Value” range, which is its talent; promoting inclusion; and without a moderator. opening price point private label the fourth focused on women’s There are also plans to further food brand. Last year, Walmart economic empowerment, which explore social media, possibly launched a home line private label extends to Walmart’s vendors, as delving into other platforms in the brand called HomeTrends, which well as training and educating girls near future. included tables, chairs and linens, in developing countries. “We’re going to figure out how and this year it’s introducing a line Fox now chairs the Canadian all those channels work together as of small appliances. leadership council, overseeing well as with e-commerce, because “I’m a great believer in private initiatives such as the advancement the whole digital ecosystem needs label because a private brand really and recruitment of women in to work together,” she says. “One of needs a point of view,” says Fox, manager roles. the learnings we took from Walmart noting that private label became “Walmart needs to grow by U.S. was to say, ‘let’s do one thing the fastest growing market share another 500,000 employees first and do it really well, and let’s category for Asda in the U.K. [globally] in the next five years, so learn from that and flow out from Fox has also played an integral if you don’t have access to a very that point.’” role in the advancement of women broad talent pool, you’ll never get “Having been in market for at Walmart. She spent three years on the best of the talent into your 18 years, we understand our Walmart’s Global Council of Women business,” she says. customers, but we would never be Leaders – a group that started Going forward, Fox and her team complacent,” says Fox. “I think the when Mike Duke took over as global hope to build on programs like ability now to develop a deeper, CEO and decided there was an Mom of the Year and continue to more emotional connection and opportunity to drive a competitive look at new ways to develop deeper engage with the customer in a way advantage by having more diversity connections and relationships with that they want to be engaged with is in leadership positions. Walmart customers. where our focus is now. We’re at the “About 80% of our customers are “She’s been very supportive tip of the iceberg.” women, so you really need people of new insights, tactics and just who understand women to make getting a more qualitative, deeper

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Walmart.June12.indd 22 12-05-18 5:46 PM ST.21367.SheKnows.Ad.indd 1 18/05/12 3:24 PM HOW TO WIN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

BY EMILY JACKSON Canadians, who are known for their overly apologetic and polite THE KEY TO QATAR? BEING THERE 24/7 culture, are beating out major U.S. and European competitors for Qatar Airways turned to Montreal’s Sid Lee to help launch two new planes international business. How do they do it? Some of the country’s top ad THE PITCH THE LESSONS Sid Lee, a 550-person agency agency heads offer expert advice headquartered in Montreal with offices in DO study the competition on the dos and don’ts of winning Amsterdam, Paris, Toronto and Austin, has Lacoursière and Jimmy Lee’s executive international work. global accounts like fellow Montrealers producer and partner, Richard Jean- It’s clear that Canadian ad Cirque du Soliel and Germany-based Adidas. Baptiste, made sure they were just as well- But it was previous work for MGM Grand versed on other competing airlines as they agencies have a formula for success. Hotel and Casino and Tourism Montreal were Qatar Airways. After all, their work has been that got Sid Lee noticed by Qatar Airways. They looked at how airlines put new showing up all over the map – a The agency was asked to pitch for a planes to market and discovered that many video mandate for a Middle Eastern specific mandate involving two of its new miss the opportunity to tell a story about airline, a campaign for a major planes. The video-oriented project would how the new jets are tailored according include a microsite, so sister content to the in-flight vision of the airline. “Qatar France newspaper, and branding creation agency Jimmy Lee got involved. Airways has a strong point of view about projects for U.S.-based food and “Qatar Airways wanted to tell the story of every single detail from seating, lighting, beverage businesses are just some different classes within the new planes,” gastronomy and entertainment. All of these of the examples of the global work says François Lacoursière, EVP and senior features have compelling stories to tell,” partner, Sid Lee. “This wasn’t necessarily an says Lacoursière. coming from Canada. advertising campaign, but we approached it like it was.”

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HowToWin.June12.indd 24 12-05-23 2:09 PM DO learn the art of patience The airline had approached nine PITCHING PARIS FROM MONTREAL: different agencies globally for this project and the competitive process BRIDGING BARRIERS BEYOND LANGUAGE became long and drawn out. “In Quebec’s Bleublancrouge wins France’s largest daily, 20 Minutes, with the Qatar, their weekends take place on Fridays and Saturdays and with the help of local partners time difference, we found ourselves often having phone meetings with the client at 3 a.m.,” says Jean- THE PITCH DON’T pitch without learning cultural differences Baptiste. “You have to be prepared When Montreal-based Bleublancrouge While France may share the French to change your schedule and work was approached to pitch to be the AOR language with Canada and be considered through the night or weekends to for France’s largest daily newspaper 20 a western country, Asselin quickly learned accommodate your client.” Minutes, agency president Bernard Asselin that there were differences in the way thought the chances of winning an account business is conducted. DON’T take on the work if you aren’t for a foreign publication (that reaches 4.3 “In Canada, we tend to plan in advance, willing to travel million daily readers and almost 900,000 everything has a status and it goes into Qatar Airways had narrowed down online visitors) were slim. “It would be like a cell on a spreadsheet. In France, it’s the picks from nine agencies to four the Globe and Mail hiring an agency out of often the opposite and business is done – one from the U.S., one from Italy, London, England,” he says. “But we thought in a more laid-back way. We were able to another from Singapore and the it would be better to take the chance and figure that out quickly through our French final, Sid Lee. With the competition go for it, rather than never knowing how it employees being so close, Lacoursière and would have turned out.” and Jean-Baptiste headed to Doha, The 28-year-old agency, which has partner in Qatar, as they had the option of accounts like Lucasfilm, Toyota and Bristol- Paris,” he pitching in person. “We knew that Myers Squibb under its belt, turned to says. landing the account would mean Asselin’s previous newspaper marketing several trips to the Middle East experience with the Montreal Gazette THE WIN in the foreseeable future,” says and a few Bleublancrouge employees Three Lacoursière. “A personal trust from France, for insight into the French weeks needs to be established and that’s newspaper culture. 20 Minutes liked what after the hard to do over email or the phone.” they saw and soon Asselin was on a plane pitch, bound for Paris with the pitch in hand. Asselin THE WIN received Since winning the project, THE LESSONS a call informing him that Bleublancrouge Lacoursière and Jean-Baptiste have had won the account. The agency began travelled to Qatar six times as the DO fi nd a local partner working on an integrated campaign, which videos and microsite come together. Although the actual pitch was done in launched in March, celebrating the 10th They will launch over the summer person, Asselin felt he needed to team anniversary of the paper, using print, radio prior to the airline’s introduction up with a local client service partner and a contest. of the new Boeing 777 and Boeing in France. Not only would it help with “It shows that there’s no reason why we 787 this year. preparing for the pitch, a local associate can’t be successful elsewhere in the world,” “The late hours and long flights would compensate for them not being says Asselin. “Sometimes we are too polite, are what truly made this project there physically most of the time. So they because that is our nature. We’re sorry become a success,” says Jean- picked Paris-based Anacrouse, an agency for everything, but we do great stuff. The Baptiste. “The only thing I could that knew the culture and market. “A local possibilities for Canadian agencies are really complain about would be partner is essential when you’re working there, we just need to grab them.” getting used to wearing a suit in with an overseas client. They have existing 45-degree weather.” contacts and suppliers in place and it helps in dealing with time zone issues. They can work in the morning while we are still sleeping,” says Asselin.

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HowToWin.June12.indd 25 12-05-18 5:39 PM THINK GLOBAL: HIRE FOR DIVERSITY AND MAKE THE BORDER INVISIBLE Toronto’s Juniper Park landed a slew of big U.S. clients since its 2007 launch

THE PITCH BBDO Worldwide introduced a new kind of agency model and chose Toronto for its home base, putting four former colleagues from agency Grip at the wheel. Five years later, Juniper Park has grown to a staff of 74 and has worked on several U.S.-based accounts including DO invest in video conference software PepsiCo brands Frito-Lay, SunChips, Quaker and Juniper Park invested in Cisco TelePresence, a life-size Tropicana, beauty brand EOS and a campaign for the HD video conference system to minimize the distance Chicago Tribune, to name a few. and enable the intimacy of face-to-face conversations. “It’s like the client is in the same room and you forget THE LESSONS that you’re hundreds of kilometres apart,” says Nykoliation. “In one instance, we were speaking to DO build your agency with an international mindset someone over TelePresence and could clearly see a “It doesn’t matter if you have international clients or not, drawing they were sketching out. It really helps you you have to build your shop for an international world,” work with your clients in real time.” says Jill Nykoliation, president, Juniper Park, who adds that agency staff members should have a global mindset THE WINS and experience to compete with international agencies. Juniper Park is currently the agency of record for New “No matter how local a brand is, through a consumer York-based EOS, as well as Tropicana globally, with its lens it’s competing on an international stage,” she says. work for the orange juice brand running in the U.S., “You need to build the most amazing team possible Canada, U.K. and Europe. of people who have lived and worked internationally, In 2009, the agency gave the Chicago Tribune a new across all disciplines. Be continuous students of worldly brand identity with a print and radio campaign that brand case studies and keep in mind that maintaining won them a Bronze Cannes Lion in the radio and best relationships across distances requires an agency of scriptwriting categories. senior, experienced people.” Juniper Park also worked with Lay’s and SunChips brands for four years. Their campaign for the latter DON’T be limited by borders included the first “solar-powered” newspaper ad With Toronto’s close proximity to the U.S. border, brands where the main message about the SunChips factory in based out of Chicago and New York began noticing California was revealed by holding it up to the light. Juniper Park’s work and invited them to pitch. “Both of “We approach our international clients the same as these cities are closer to Toronto than Vancouver,” says we do our local ones. For us, they’re one and the same Nykoliation. “So you have to approach pitching work in and we don’t distinguish it at all. It has to be core to the a way that borders become invisible. Brand building is way you work. Period,” says Nykoliation. “But if there is about the human truth and that is applicable in every one major ‘don’t’ I’ve learned over the past five years in single country.” working with our U.S. clients, it’s don’t undervalue what your Canadian experience brings to the table.”

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HowToWin.June12.indd 26 12-05-18 5:40 PM GO BIG OR GO HOME Toronto’s Capital C landed a massive U.S. PepsiCo campaign by pitching outrageous, yet simple ideas

THE PITCH Capital C, founded in 1992 with a staff of 100, has big accounts like Nissan and Unilever, and has worked with Pepsi Canada for the past two decades. So when PepsiCo U.S. was looking for a brand identity for a global corporate strategy called ‘The Power of One,’ which involves pairing cross portfolio products like Pepsi and Lays, Captial C was invited to pitch. The agency presented an idea through the lens of what they called “Google Anthropology”– a modern method of scraping the visual archives of human experience for creative insight. to get to a level where our ideas were super compact, “We discussed diving into the rabbit holes of memorable and sharable.” Google Image search results, based on pitch criteria, After reading John Maeda’s Laws of Simplicity, Klein and uncovering artifacts that resulted in ideas,” says decided to compress every solution to elevator ideas Bennett Klein, creative planner, Capital C. “A collection that could be easily remembered and quickly re- of keywords were identified based on the client brief, communicated. “We used a lot of acronyms, metonyms then typed into Google Images. The resulting pictures and narratives, which stood for the five key attributes produced a surprising collage of all the amazing and of our photographic identity style,” says Klein. bizarre things that humanity attributes to them.” Colourful streamers flowing out of Pepsi products are used in the ads. “It’s a metonym for the entire visual THE LESSONS design system and built a story around how they came to life in a very humanistic way,” says Klein. DO play on your strengths With only three weeks until the agency would pitch THE WIN at PepsiCo headquarters in Dallas, Texas, Klein knew The agency won the global branding project for the they needed to play on the fact that Capital C had a PepsiCo initiative – a top three global strategy to co- reputation for presenting unusual and outrageous market cross-portfolio affinity brands. ideas. “It would be much easier for the company to Capital C has completed two advertising projects, hire an agency down the street rather than one in and is currently deep into its third assignment. Canada, so we had to present ideas that were highly “Our first project was an out-of-home takeover of differentiated,” says Klein. Indianapolis for the Super Bowl, and our brand streamers magically came to life with footballs,” says DON’T complicate your communication Klein. “The second project is a multi-city campaign One of the trickiest aspects of the pitch was that with a New York City subway station domination core PepsiCo has two different offices in two different meida strategy. In this case, our colourful streamers states – Frito-Lay in Dallas and Pepsi in Purchase, NY. are exploding from the products to celebrate magic “Our ideas had to travel through both organizations summer moments.” and multiple levels, so extreme compression and simplicity of an idea was important,” says Klein. “At the same time, it had to be breakthrough. So we learned

June 2012 27

HowToWin.June12.indd 27 12-05-18 5:40 PM AtoMiC Tech: the new ad creative superstar BY MEGAN HAYNES

As technology continues to outpace imagination, advertisers need to keep up with the light-speed innovation cycle. People aren’t just passively watching advertising – they are interacting with brands. Social media has changed our experience with advertisers who keep looking for new ways of reaching consumers via rich digital experiences that do more than sell a product. Touch screens are everywhere, phones and posters interact, and gesture, voice and even thought-controlled technologies are emerging at a rapid pace. In 2009, strategy created AtoMiC to recognize the intersection of advertising, media, creativity and technology. Now it’s grown to an annual conference and award show showcasing the cream of the crop in innovative collaboration, in partnership with strategy’s sister publications Playback and Media in Canada. The future of technology is now. Here are some best-in-class examples from the past year.

Last October, to launch the new Beetle for and the day the campaign launched more VOLKSWAGEN Volkswagen, Toronto-based agency Red Urban than 3.5 million people visited the website, AUGMENTS executed a massive out-of-home campaign in crashing the server, says Kilgour. Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square. But this was While the car outpaced sales targets REALITY no traditional billboard execution. At the bottom by 61%, she says, the main focus of the of the posters was an image (above) passersby campaign was to retarget the vehicle’s core could scan with their iPhones or iPads, with an demo which skewed heavily towards female app that brought the car to life on the screen. buyers. Prior to the launch men made up The augmented reality content (super- approximately 27% of buyers, whereas after imposed 3D digital graphics over a real-life the launch men jumped to 40%. background) depicted the Beetle crashing Going forward, Red Urban has been through the poster and fl ying around Yonge- examining how to move the showroom Dundas Square, or doing fl ips on a ramp. experience into the digital space. “We wanted people to interact with the “We know people are online doing car vehicle and give a sense of performance,” says research, so what else can we be doing to Caroline Kilgour, VW account director, Red enhance the experience?” she says. “People are Urban. During the short fi ve-week run, the waiting later in their purchase decisions to visit app was downloaded more than 3,000 times, dealerships so this helps us get to them earlier.”

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Tech.June12.indd 28 12-05-22 4:16 PM CANADIAN TIRE AND MOLSON BRING SOCIAL MEDIA TO THE REAL WORLD Brands are now expected to be on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, so how can they manage all these platforms yet use social media to create new experiences and differentiate from the crowd? Some are looking to social to power real-life initiatives. By bringing the virtual space into the physical, brands are creating unique experiences worth sharing even further on social channels. We experienced the phenomena last Christmas when Vancouver- based DDB’s digital agency Tribal and Montreal-based multimedia house Moment Factory launched the “Spirit Tree” for Canadian till the end of June, the painting would be powered by tweets Tire in Toronto’s Union Station. For each social media mention that hashtagged with #MolsonM_ Art. contained key Christmas words, a bulb on the tree lit up, creating “Molson M believes there is an art to everything great,” says an ever-transforming Lezlie Grossman, SVP managing director, BBDO. “We realized the fl ickering installation in platform [of art] was absolutely ripe for consumer participation.” the high-traffi c area. The For each tweet, a dollar was donated to the Canadian Art execution garnered more Foundation, and the person’s Twitter handle was added to the wall. than 280,000 mentions The execution picked up notice recently after Canadian chef Jamie of Christmas spirit and Kennedy and the Art Gallery of Ontario tweeted their support. drove Canadian Tire’s At press time, almost 5,000 tweets had been sent in, generating incremental sales up 3.7 million impressions, while Molson M’s Twitter account grew by $500,000 as a result of 800+ followers, up from 40 in just a few weeks. the launch. “I think one of the reasons this is unique is it’s an organically In a lower-tech approach, Molson Coors and Toronto-based growing description of what the brand stands for,” says Nancy agency BBDO adopted a similar power-by-tweet method to Crimi-Lamanna, VP and associate creative director, BBDO. “It is promote Molson M. In an effort to position the brand as an artistic much more relevant to our audience by allowing them to participate brew, the agency commissioned artist Kustaa Saksi to paint a and support a shared cause.” mural, but with a twist. Launched at the end of April and running

CCA DEBUTS KID-POWERED VIDEOGAME with pedometers, and for challenges sitting still,” says each step taken in the real Bev Deeth, president, CCA. world, he or she can take the Parents need not fear equal number of steps in the their kids will become more virtual game. The pedometer engrossed in online games, wirelessly transmits the data says Nijjar, explaining that to the computer, making it a the game times out after 20 seamless and easy process. minutes, encouraging kids to The game itself is also a go outside and take more steps. healthy-living education tool, The pilot program runs The Concerned Children’s understand how this would with kids walking around the from mid-April to mid-June Advertisers came to agency benefi t them,” says Subtej virtual world participating in and after the results are CP+B’s Toronto offi ce with Nijjar, president of CP+B. challenges that are designed studied, CP+B and CCA plan a challenge: get kids active. Drawing inspiration from to reinforce healthy eating to pitch the game to investors, Originally pitched as an children’s natively digital lives, and teach lifestyle tips from including brands, to fund awareness-raising campaign, the team set about creating a different cultures. A scoreboard further development and CP+B quickly realized that the videogame that would force tracks a class’s progress deployment, he says, adding issue wasn’t that kids didn’t activity. The result was a game creating a bit of competition. there are tons of opportunities know they needed to be active, powered by real-life steps. “We’re getting emails from to integrate brands into the they just weren’t doing it. The pilot project outfi tted teachers saying kids want to environment, provided it is “We needed to break 200 kids in different get more energy to power the done in an authentic manner. through and engage them to classrooms across Canada game, [and] that they’re having

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Tech.June12.indd 29 12-05-22 4:16 PM CANADA’S NEXT TOP TECH STARS Canada hasn’t always been considered a hotbed of innovation, but in recent years Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and southern Ontario companies have really upped their game, coming THE HISTORY Following last year’s Tech Breakthrough AtoMiC up with new products that are making waves in win for the web experience created for docudrama CHANNEL Storming Juno, Toronto-based transmedia company tech circles. These are just a handful of companies The Secret Location and the History Channel are at that have made it on our radar recently. EXPLODES it again with an interactive online documentary to ACROSS complement this year’s series D-Day to Victory. TOUCH SCREEN-AMATIC MEDIUMS To promote the show, advance the story’s Kitchener, ON.-based Christie Digital Technology is narrative and appeal to a younger audience, the working on technology that’ll turn any digital surface interactive site allows audiences to follow troops into a touch screen. A specialized frame fits around through a 3D Europe from Normandy to Berlin. More the display and transmits contact data to a computer, than four hours of original content was created for the sensing people’s touch points in the frame. Developers website, including an elaborate recreation of a Berlin expect the product to deploy later this year. air force base, which was promptly blown up. Visitors can deconstruct this explosion and other battle CROWD-SOURCED LIGHT SHOWS scenes, as well as explore weaponry and hear tales Montreal-based Eski is working on a smartphone from surviving veterans. dongle – a computer chip that plugs into the headphone The documentary was treated with a videogame jack – that will give Eski control of the screen. Event- aesthetic, says James Milward, founder and goers would download an app, then much like lighters executive producer, The Secret Location. of yesteryear, hold up their phones, letting Eski control Functionally, this allowed them to recreate scenes the colours to create light shows across the audience. in a visually appealing way, but it also gave them a connection point with younger audiences. COUPON GAMIFICATION “The problem with historical content for a younger Kiip inserts coupons into mobile game apps and audience is that the mental barrier of ‘history is boring’ pushes the rewards to players at key moments of is there,” he says. victory or achievement. While the company operates “But if they can be out of San Francisco, its founder Brian Wong hails loaded into it through from Toronto, so we’ll claim it. In May, Kiip launched something that is in Canada, partnering with Amex to dish out in-game compelling, interesting rewards and brand bonding. and visual, they tend to stick around for four or SELF-POSTING SOCIAL ACCESSORY fi ve stories.” Montreal-based Intellitix The series and has developed a radio- website launched on frequency identification Remembrance Day, and it has since been picked up (RFID) wristband that by National Geographic in the U.S. and Channel 4 in allows event ticket the U.K., with traffi c exploding to more than 300,000 holders to check into visitors. It has also been featured as “Site of the social media on the fly. It month” by the FWA, an organization that recognizes recently partnered with the best-of-the-best in website innovation, and was the Coachella Valley Music a Webby honouree. More importantly, Milward says festival, and is credited the site has received a very positive reaction from with adding 30 million home-grown audiences. “[People] are proud it was views to the live stream as made because it showcases stories that are really concert-goers live-clicked important to the narrative of the country,” he says. the event. The wristband updates the holder’s Facebook status with details about the show and stage that he or she was attending.

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Tech.June12.indd 30 12-05-22 4:16 PM MOMENT FACTORY CREATES MAGIC From Cirque to Madonna and Jay-Z, the new media studio has earned its global spotlight

Europe’s McDonald’s Happy Studio approached MCDONALD’S Ottawa-based digital agency Fuel Industries to create GAMIFIES a virtual world and game to act as an extension for Happy Meals, where kids can create an avatar and HAPPY MEALS interact with Happy Meal toys, such as Ice Age or Madagascar characters. New realms are unlocked as new toys are introduced in restaurants. Jeff Doiron, founding partner, Fuel, says the Montreal-based Moment Factory is one of the hottest original brief from McDonald’s asked Fuel to provide AtoMiC-like production companies in Canada right now, a fun, free, safe place kids could go online and play intersecting advertising, media, technology and creativity. with their parents. It is supported by a mobile app Moment, as it’s often referred, specializes in interactive parents can download, complementing the online and multimedia experiences and has developed projects experience. for everyone from Cirque du Soleil and Canadian Tire to Kids can use the musical legends such as Madonna and Jay-Z. After recently app on their parents’ completing the light show for Madonna’s Super Bowl iOS devices to play halftime number, Moment is busier than ever, working on mini games or snap Madge’s world tour, and picking up projects with Atlantic photos at McDonald’s City, Bombardier and the Euronews Network. locations, unlocking Formed in 2001 with a staff of three, it has since grown virtual trading cards to 60+ employees, and in 2011 was named Canada’s 39th and badges, which fastest growing tech company by Deloitte. then open up games Originally created to service the rave industry in and challenges in the Montreal, the founders quickly realized that projection virtual world. technology could be utilized for any experience and “It was originally called ‘The second gift,’” he they began seeking out a wider client base. After first says. “It was to provide kids with a second gift partnering with Cirque in 2003, it got a second big name in outside the Happy Meal toy [and] build some of the 2008 when Nine Inch Nails approached the group. brand affi nity.” “[Lead singer] Trent Reznor wanted to use the stage While kids play, parents can then monitor their as a giant videogame – wherever he would move, he’d be activities and dole out rewards through the parent the joystick [and the lights would follow him],” says Eric portal, says Doiron. Fournier, partner and executive producer, Moment Factory. Through both the game and the app, parents can To create this, Moment’s developers had to reach beyond incent their kids by unlocking missions and games what was available in show business at the time and tap or by dishing out “stars,” the world’s virtual currency into technologies used by defence and marine safety to which can be used to buy costumes or decorate create the sensor-based light show. What emerged was its personalized home bases. X-Agora technology, the “brain” of the operations, or the “So when their son or daughter does their chores, software and engine that run the shows. cleans their room or gets an A on a test, mom can Now, the team can create intricate stages, sets and pull out her iPhone and give her kid an extra reward in installations. It has outfitted entire studios for television the game,” says Sean MacPhedran, director, creative shows, including Quebec-based game show La Tricheur strategy, Fuel. “It’s like a digital allowance.” (in which the entire room is a digital screen that interacts Development for the project began in July 2010 with players) and created interactive installations, such and launched mid-May of this year. At press time, the as its project for Montreal ticket vendor La Vitrine, which site had more than 1.8 million registered users across combines touch information screens with a light show. 40 countries in Europe. Fournier adds that more interactivity will be introduced to La Vitrine, such as light shows controlled by social media hashtags, or even theatre applause. “What’s really important is that technology is just a tool – it’s not the end result. It’s all about the magic,” he says.

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Tech.June12.indd 31 12-05-22 4:17 PM BY MEGAN HAYNES Mobile to the rescue As the media landscape shifts faster than a kaleidoscope, marketers are constantly trying new ways to connect with consumers. People expect anytime, anywhere content, and as they turn to digital streaming and mobile versions of media that can bypass ads, brands are looking to tech for ways to ensure their messages are delivered.

We asked a digitally- To promote the X Games, ESPN created the #humantwitter, a real-time analogue twitter stream posting comments on savvy panel of experts non-digital placards to frame the impact and ISSUE: KEEPING TV AUDIENCE ATTENTION challenge and to share their People no longer sit in front of the TV and watch passively. solutions. Mobile – they’ve According to Nielsen, 86% of viewers use a mobile device while watching TV. PCs, tablets and phones are interrupting declared – is the advertising our screen time. superhero. Read on to hear How can marketers pull consumers’ attention back?

our pundits’ suggestions, Chad Borlase, SOLUTION: CO-VIEWING AND TV INTEGRATION predictions, examples and creative director, Co-viewing – or streaming original content through mobile Cossette devices and PCs that complement the running program – is exhortations on the best a vehicle to serve rich media in a social, entertaining and emotionally relevant way. ways to reach audiences Zeebox, for example, is a UK-based app integrated with Twitter that instantly now. We’re fi nally catching knows what you and your friends are watching. It can give you more info on the program, lets you buy stuff and shows you what programs are most popular. up to Philip K. Dick’s vision ESPN recently used a co-viewing app that executed interesting engagement of uber-targeted, super- points such as #humantwitter. Rolled out during the X Games, #humantwitter invited viewers to tweet in a hashtagged message, which was then displayed relevant marketing. by people in the stands on non-digital placards and seen by an audience of 8.1 million. Here in Canada, Rogers’ co-viewing applications for Canada’s Got Talent and The Bachelor allow viewers to watch the shows, chat with friends, be a judge and (most importantly) interact with ads. Most ads in mobile aren’t taking advantage of the available technology. It’s possible, and yes, it’s difficult. But isn’t everything hard at first?

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Decon.June12.indd 32 12-05-22 2:15 PM ISSUE: FINDING NEW ISSUE: BY-PASSING COMMERCIALS CONNECTION POINTS As marketers, we’re all being challenged One of the fundamental challenges in to keep our reach numbers up as people marketing today is how to create a strong change their TV consumption habits. visceral connection with consumers. As an According to BBM Canada, one in four overwhelming number of ad messages are Canadian households have a PVR, which pushed out every day, many attempts to truly makes it easier to bypass advertising Angela Scardillo, connect with consumers fail or, at the very Andrew Bridge, content. Adoption is increasing by the day. VP, marketing, least, fall short of producing the desired call-to- managing director, Best Buy Canada action. The concept of experiential marketing Virgin Mobile Canada SOLUTION: ANYTIME, ANYWHERE is rooted in this challenge, and with the MOBILE COMMERCE emergence of digital technology, has gained momentum. Our customers tell us they have a need to stay constantly connected – no matter where they are – for fear of missing SOLUTION: EMBRACING THE TECH out. Messages need to be delivered where consumers are, and SIDE OF EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING when they’re receptive to receiving them, by looking across Where traditional marketing has been passive by design, the multiple platforms, including traditional TV, and embracing combination of technology and experiential marketing has been technology like application-based mobile viewing. This concept just the opposite. Consider the consumer potential of the more of TV “anytime, anywhere” is just taking off in Canada and I see than seven million smartphone users across the country and the endless possibilities for both consumers and marketers. 80%+ of Canadians with access to the internet. Technology is at The opportunity exists to build commerce into video the heart of the experiential marketing movement because there experiences. In a recent video sponsored by retailer Ssense. has never been a more opportune time to reach consumers more com, viewers could click to purchase clothing they liked. By directly and geo-specifically. putting TV viewing on the same devices that enable online Apps such as Clik and Apptui can control any screen, acting shopping, there are opportunities for even deeper engagement. as giant remote controls. Imagine harnessing that and inviting With the emergence of the mobile wallet (making payments people in-store to control what plays on the screen. Or invite them with smartphones), it becomes even easier for viewers to get to play a game on their phones against other customers in the what they see on-screen with just one click. Mobile connectivity store, with the winner receiving a discount or gift card. means consumers can share purchases, solicit recommendations Experiential isn’t just a specific tactic or campaign element, and even get customized content based on buying history – all it’s bigger – it’s an idea and a mindset fueled by the technology while still watching TV. For marketers, it delivers a whole new innovation all around us. Marketers who understand this and can range of technology for both targeting customers and measuring successfully integrate technology into campaigns will only further ROI in ways that were never possible before. push the creative boundaries. On-demand and on-the-go viewership will continue to evolve, and marketers need to embrace the new technologies to attract the increasingly mobile consumer.

ISSUE: BREAKING THROUGH Charmin’s SitOrSquat app acts as the Yelp for public restrooms: THE MOBILE CLUTTER people can log in, find bathrooms on a map and even read reviews Reaching consumers on the go can be a such as which ones are clean or cost money. Reactine’s Allergy challenge. They are inundated with content Forecast, on the other hand, is a pollen predictor that sends you all the time. How can brands break through the information based on location. the clutter in a cost-effective way? Companies may balk at the idea because developing apps is expensive and time consuming, and it needs to be available on Joe Dee, technology SOLUTION: BRANDED APPS FULFILLING A multiple devices to be truly effective. director, Tribal DDB CONSUMER NEED Brands should consider web-based apps as a scalable solution. Consumers have come to expect fast services, They are easier to build and less time-consuming. Projects that to find what they want and need, whenever normally would have taken a year to develop can now be done in a they want. By tapping into mobile, brands can break through the few months. Going web-based is the best bang for your buck when mass of advertising and really stand out by fulfilling a consumer it comes to buildings apps: it’s a one-shot, far-reaching platform. need or desire. While apps may not drive up sales and won’t necessarily have Charmin and Reactine have identified niches and created measurable ROI, branded applications create halos offering branded apps that fulfill a function beyond selling a product. consistent touchpoints across the entire brand.

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Decon.June12.indd 33 12-05-22 2:15 PM MADE YOU LAUGH Comedy in advertising is about as old as advertising itself, used to sell everything from men’s underwear to dish soap. As times evolve, so does the humour, but advertisers realize that to draw the attention of ever-distracted consumers it still helps to be uber-clever. This year, we’ve enrolled a few Canadian spots into the fi rst (and possibly only) strategy Comedy Hall of Fame, and asked a couple of industry insiders, known for their funny bones, to weigh in on each commercial’s level of hilarity. BY EMILY WEXLER

THE PUNDITS RON TITE FIONA STEVENSON Trained at The Second City, Ron has been an Fiona is the new business leader in the actor, comedian and award-winning writer Brand Operations organization at P&G. She and creative director. He is currently the graduated from The Second City conservatory president of the Tite Group and host of the program in 2006, performed in the sketch Canadian Comedy Award-winning show, comedy troupe Math is Hard and is co-author Monkey Toast. of the blog Reasonsmommydrinks.com.

BOSTON PIZZA WINGS OUT Casual dining restaurant Boston Pizza and its agency Taxi delivered a two-pronged attack to promote its wings. The fi rst commercial has become a viral sensation – “Flatties & Drummies” is centred on the fi ctional Professional Wings Critics Association. The star is Carl, who examines the wings’ “meat apex.” The focus of a more recent spot is all-meat wings and a new fi ctional character, motivational speaker Terry Peters, who claims to have invented the boneless wings and reveals this in over-the-top style.

Ron: Establishing a Wing Expert isn’t that funny Fiona: As a vegetarian, the challenge of keeping but being completely dedicated to the concept is. my lunch down during the wing close-ups stole Fictional references like “Nub” and “Meat Apex” are some of the comedic thunder, but Carl’s riveting complemented with a subtle performance that makes performance carried me through. Genius casting us smile. It’s a nice change from the comedic hard sell and superb copywriting. we normally see.

Rating: 7.5 – Nice Gill Morgan. Rating: 8 – So good, I almost defected.

Haven’t seen the spots? No time to Google? Scan this handy QR code to visit a page on strategy’s sister site, creativity hub Stimulantonline.ca where you can watch all four. Finally, a QR code that’s actually useful!

34 www.strategyonline.ca

MadeYouLaugh.June12.indd 34 12-05-22 10:17 PM VISA PROVES THAT HOCKEY LOVE HURTS Poor Canadian hockey fans. We hope and pray every year that our teams will make it to Stanley Cup glory, only to be let down time and time again. A spot for Visa, created by TBWA, is set to Nazareth’s “Love Hurts,” featuring a forlorn fan of the Winnipeg Jets shaving his playoff beard in the shower (to hide the tears) and burying his foam fi nger as his fellow disappointees look on.

Ron: Apparently, there’s something called a “playoff Fiona: This one’s got it all: a hero, a complex story beard.” You’ll know it from its endless references arc, and stunning cinematography from one of between May and whenever the hell we let an American Canada’s finest suburban landscapes. The hero’s team drag Lord Stanley across the border. Still, this is struggle to fit his sweater sleeve over the foam pretty funny. They shoot. They score. finger was particularly moving.

Rating: 8 – Not as funny as the Leafs, but what is? Rating: 10 – As in “Shows 10++. Just move in and enjoy. Includes all ELFs and broadloom where laid.”

RETHINK’S MUSCLE-BOUND REMINDER Non-profi t Rethink Breast Cancer and its agency John St. wanted a clever way to remind women to check themselves for lumps, so they invented a handy app. But turning women on (so to speak) to an issue isn’t always easy, so they employed a tactic that gets most ladies’ attention – hot men with six-pack abs. A cheeky (and bicep-y) video was made to promote the initiative, and the app allows the user to choose their favourite man to remind them to “touch, look and check.” Ron: There’s funny to be found here in the Fiona: This commercial sums up why I still background details, subtle camera moves, and adore Full House reruns. Life lessons delivered Tony Manero dance sequence at the end. If Cam by eye candy = totally awesome TV. I watched was a chisel-chinned, pec-protruding Mimbo, he’d this one again and again (um, to perfect my probably fit right in. technique, of course…).

Rating: 8 – Thankfully, a light approach to Rating: 9 – Fell short of a perfect score only a serious subject. because Uncle Jesse didn’t sail in on a gurney.

VIDEOTRON’S PRANK CALLS Videotron pulls no punches when it comes to its customer service, but it does pull pranks. Last year, when the Quebec-based telecom company wanted to prove that its employees can handle any situation, its agency Sid Lee recruited comedian Sugar Sammy to make actual prank calls to its customer service line. They were caught on tape and resulted in a series of ads, and lucky for Videotron, the employees handled themselves like pros.

Ron: Sugar Sammy’s a talented standup but asking him Fiona: I loved this ad idea (as would my to navigate an improvised conversation around a set of production budget) and there were some strategic bullet points is like asking Miles Davis to play priceless moments. The “Buff” execution got a an early 90’s Zagat Guide. Still, these do make the call tad awkward in parts – I actually wanted to track centre employees laugh and that’s more important. down the poor Videotron employee and give him a hug. Somebody please promote this man! Rating: 4 – Crank Yankers they’re not. Rating: 7 – In a nervous laughter kind of way.

June 2012 35

MadeYouLaugh.June12.indd 35 12-05-23 2:06 PM CANADA’S CREATIVE CONTENDERS BY VAL MALONEY & EMILY WEXLER

Creativity is more crucial than ever to earn But who’s bringing home the hardware this consumer attention and the most innovative year? Strategy reached out to Canada’s top marketing lately is not always an ad. So how creative and media stars to shed light on is Canada performing in this new marketing the best work of the year and identify the world? Quite well actually. Canadian agencies campaigns they think shine in several Cannes brought home six Gold Lions, three Silver and categories. From a promo wall made from nine Bronze last year from the Cannes Festival of bacterial swabs to a video about catvertising, Creativity, the world’s stage of advertising ideas. here’s what they picked to win big this year.

[ MOBILE ] SOLUTIONS, NOT SLOGANS

THE PROJECT SICKKIDS “PAIN SQUAD” APP BY CUNDARI

THE GIST Rather than exhort young patients to diarize their pain thresholds, this app turns the daily task of recording how they’re feeling into an interactive game which recruits them into an elite police force and rewards them for entering data.

“Cundari’s Pain Squad mobile app for SickKids is awesome and should pick up a Lion in the new Mobile category. Its purpose is to collect vital data and it centres on an overwhelming task – getting young cancer patients to fi le daily reports on their pain as they undergo treatment. Some kids are too weak to even pick up a pencil, but this app makes it easy and, as hard as this is to imagine, fun. The best part is the ingenious use of characters from TV shows like Flashpoint and Rookie Blue who recorded special messages to inspire the kids to help solve the case. This is a great solution to an extremely diffi cult problem.” - Steve Mykolyn, chief creative offi cer, Taxi

36 www.strategyonline.ca

InsiderPicks.June12.indd 36 12-05-23 2:00 PM [ OUT OF HOME ] MADE YOU LOOK AND LOOK AGAIN

THE PROJECT WARNER BROTHERS CONTAGION WINDOW BY LOWE ROCHE

THE GIST Warner Brothers took the viral theme of its summer movie Contagion to heart. To promote the premier of the Steven Soderbergh fl ick, a team of microbiologists created a billboard that literally came to life via bacterial growth spelling out the fi lm’s title.

“Seeing bacteria grow and spread on the Contagion billboard was not only fascinating, but it also brought the idea of the fi lm to life. That’s why this billboard is so smart. It’s a great demonstration of the unimaginable.” - Alan Madill, executive creative director, partner, Juniper Park

[ DESIGN ] MORE PLEASE, OR HOW TO WIN OVER A TOUGH CROWD

THE PROJECT EDWARD POND’S CREATIVE CHEF PROMOTION BY TAXI

THE GIST To promote his photography services, Edward Pond approached Taxi, which suggested he do something a bit different. The solution was a cook-off event featuring Canadian creatives whipping up a dish using a secret ingredient at a one-night-only event benefi tting a Toronto-based non-profi t.

“One day last fall, I received a beautifully wrapped dark chocolate bar along with an intriguing invitation to take part in a creative director cook-off. Food photographer Edward Pond’s Creative Chef invitation didn’t end there, everything from posters, online stop-motion fi lms, event tickets, aprons and wine bottles were all beautifully designed and photographed to support the event. The entire event was meticulously branded with the identity, a very simple yet bold silhouette of a knife on one end that transformed into a pencil point. After the event, this clever promotion culminated with a Creative Chef Awards Annual, showcasing both the winners and their dishes, as well as featuring Pond’s mouth-watering photography. In a single evening, Edward Pond did the unthinkable, got the undivided attention of some the ad industry’s most time-sensitive CDs, created a much- anticipated yearly event and packaged it all in a wonderful manner. I’m looking forward to his promo next year.” - Helen Pak, EVP, co-executive creative director, Saatchi & Saatchi

June 2012 37

InsiderPicks.June12.indd 37 12-05-22 10:20 PM CANADA’S CREATIVE CONTENDERS

[ MEDIA ] A DIY APPROACH TO OWNED AND EARNED MEDIA

THE PROJECT THE CANADIAN TIRE HOUSE OF INNOVATION BY TAXI

THE GIST Not content to let its consumers have all the fun, Canadian Tire embarked on a little DIY of their own last year, buying a Toronto home and sprucing it up with products from its stores. From handing out Halloween candy to creating a perfectly manicured lawn, all the house happenings were posted online.

“I am really hopeful that the Canadian Tire House of Innovation work from Taxi gets recognized at Cannes as it is a great example of how a story can be told in an interesting, relevant ‘to me’ way via digital communication. I think buying a house in a regular Canadian neighbourhood and bringing the homeownership experiences – through the dreams and drudgery of it all – is a fabulous way to connect to people. What a fun, fresh showcase to demonstrate, sell and inspire people about their homes and all the Canadian Tire products. It helps Canadian Tire get to an intimate, personal level with Canadians.” - Lauren Richards, communications consultant

[ RADIO ] SOAP OPERA MEETS SNL

THE PROJECT ERA LAUNDRY DETERGENT “FIGHT/GOOD DEAL” BY LEO BURNETT

THE GIST No matter what mess you get into, Era’s got your back when it comes to stains. Using over-the-top language and drawing on the brand’s equity of a lot of fi ght for a little dough, the spots conjure up images of stain-magnet men who haven’t mastered the intricacies of eating meatballs, sipping from a cup, or using a fork.

“As any awards judge can attest, radio is one of the toughest categories. I listen to it every day yet I struggled to recall one spot that wowed me on my commute. So this was going to require a bit of research, and we know how much creative people love that. Fortunately, I stumbled upon this Era Laundry detergent campaign. Great writing and nicely timed sound effects are just two of the things that are working here. Reminiscent of an infomercial meets campy Saturday Night Live joke ad, it’s not what you expect to hear from a laundry detergent. Some of the lines are so out there, but yet seem somehow plausible. I have to admit, as a guy, I could relate in a strange way. These spots simply get better the more you listen to them. Any campaign that can make laundry detergent interesting, let alone in a medium that few have mastered, has to be applauded and awarded.” - Zak Mroueh, president and executive creative director, Zulu Alpha Kilo

38 www.strategyonline.ca

InsiderPicks.June12.indd 38 12-05-22 10:21 PM [ FILM ] VIRAL: CAT VIDEOS OFFER WORLD OF AD POSSIBILITIES

THE PROJECT “CATVERTISING” BY JOHN ST.

THE GIST For strategy’s 2010 Agency of the Year awards show, John St. made a spoof video about a girl’s birthday party (“Pink Ponies”) parodying the grandiose claims made in ad awards entry clips. It received a fair amount of notice and a Lion, so they came back in 2011 with more ad word-fad mockery in “Catvertising.”

“This is a great promotional video for John St. The agency says people don’t want commercials, they want cat videos. So the idea is to create an agency that offers clients a scientifi c and pow- erful tool for their brands: commercials with cats. John St. built an in-house studio to shoot the cats for their clients. But ‘Catvertising’ is more than funny commercials. It says that advertising can sometimes be ridiculous by adopting any trends for attention. If cats are the best ways to get people’s attention on YouTube, ‘Catvertising’ will probably win a Lion this year.” - Luc Du Sault, VP and creative director, Lg2 TV: A TRULY MOVING SPOT

THE PROJECT CANADIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE’S “UNSTOPPABLE” BY BBDO

THE GIST To promote this summer’s Paralympic Games, this spot gives viewers a glimpse of the journey that a Paralympian goes through to get to where he is today.

“Here’s a film that has a good chance at Cannes – ‘Running’ for the Paralympics. In this spot, we follow an athlete with an artificial leg running around a track. As we follow him, he runs past wheelchairs, a gym with people lifting weights, rehab bars, hospital beds with doctors and nurses, plus an accident scene with an ambulance and medics. In other words, every obstacles he had to overcome to be a Paralympic athlete. Tagline: ‘Unstoppable.’ Of course, the direction is impeccable, but what I like the most about this spot is the visual demonstration of courage. Simple, powerful, and it really makes you want to go see these mountains of determination at the Paralympics. I had goosebumps and I truly believe Cannes judges will too.” - Luc Du Sault, VP and creative director, Lg2

ST.21395.Fixion.Ad.inddInsiderPicks.June12.indd 139 12-05-2218/05/12 10:23 3:25 PMPM CANADA’S CREATIVE CONTENDERS

[ PROMO ] CONSUMER-BRANDED CANDY

THE PROJECT CADBURY’S “MAKE YOUR FACE A MAYNARDS” CONTEST BY THE HIVE

THE GIST To drive up consumer engagement, last summer Cadbury and The Hive launched a contest to find the next face of the Maynards line. The contest, promoted via out-of-home, TV spots and Facebook, specifically targeting the Toronto area, was no usual spokesperson hunt; the winning face would appear on the candy itself, and culminated in the Swedish Berries line starring Jessica Winacott from Oshawa, ON., hitting the shelves this summer.

“Candy, as a low engagement and highly competitive industry, requires more than traditional marketing to get noticed. Weird and crazy advertising is nothing new in the category, but this is definitely the first time we’ve heard of edible customers. More than just a contest to increase engagement, this campaign created a new product, putting the winner on the shelf and offering future engagement points with consumers.”

[ BRANDED CONTENT ] FROM REALITY TO NEXT-DAY RETAIL: A GLOBAL FIRST FROM CANADA

THE PROJECT RECIPE TO RICHES BY TEMPLE STREET PRODUCTIONS

THE GIST A cooking contest with a twist, the Loblaw-backed reality show aired on Food Network and Global Television with the premise of turning one Canadian’s homemade recipe into a permanent President’s Choice product. Each week a winner’s recipe was put into production and sold as a PC limited edition offering at Loblaw stores across the country, the day after the episode aired, allowing Canada to sample all and pick a fi nal keeper product.

“Capital C CEO and founder Tony Chapman was invited to be a judge on the show, and found the concept so ingenious that he inked a deal with Temple Street Productions and helped sell the format internationally. This was a fi rst for next-day retail availability, beating the similarly-premised U.S. Fashion Star show. Plus, the retail promotion of the new products via Loblaw fl yers and brightly branded in-store merchandising also drove series viewership, so a win all around.”

40 www.strategyonline.ca

InsiderPicks.June12.indd 40 12-05-22 10:23 PM STRATEGY’S EDITORIAL PICKS Th ank You! [ CYBER ] ONLINE STORYTELLING GETS RANDOM

THE PROJECT THE TOURETTE SYNDROME FOUNDATION’S @RANDOM DOCUMENTARY PROJECT BY SAATCHI & SAATCHI For helping us strike THE GIST To demonstrate the a winning pose randomness and complexity of Tourette Syndrome, this project created dozens of films about real people with TS, which were randomly arranged online to make up larger documentaries. Each visit to AtRandom.ca brings a new collection of stories.

“Telling people about a disorder is not nearly as effective as putting them in the shoes of a person who lives with it. This project gets pretty darn close by mimicking the experience through film. Working over two years with a tiny honorarium of about $1,000 each, two dozen filmmakers inserted themselves into the lives of Canadians living with TS. Aside from numerous ad award show wins, the individual films have also gone on to win top prizes and appear at festivals including Hotdocs and the Toronto International Film Festival.”

[ PRINT ] NEWSPRINT ENTERS THE TWITTERVERSE

THE PROJECT THE GAZETTE’S FRONT-PAGE TAKEOVER BY BLEUBLANCROUGE

THE GIST Inspired by its slogan “Words Matter,” the Montreal Gazette transformed its front page into a Twitter stream with tweets from its journalists, promoted via TV, radio and online, as well as digital boards in the subway.

“The Gazette has become known for its clever stunts using its own medium in original ways to prove its point. It first illustrated the importance of words in a 2006 stunt that had the front page of the paper absent of letters, and in their place stood a selection of photos along with the “Words Matter” tagline. Recognizing that there is a new generation of people who get their journalism fix on digital platforms and attract new readers, the newspaper cleverly bridged the gap between the online and offline world of words by Runner-up Campaign bringing social media to life physically.” 2012 Cause + Action Awards

® Registered trademarks of Kruger Products L.P.

InsiderPicks.June12.indd 41 12-05-22 10:24 PM

ST.21239.BlueSky.Ad.indd 1 18/05/12 3:26 PM CANADA’S CREATIVE CONTENDERS

[ INTEGRATED ] [ INTEGRATED ] RALLYING CANADA PLAYING NICEY NICE

FOR A CAUSE THE PROJECT “PEOPLE FOR GOOD” THE PROJECT BY MEDIA EXPERTS AND ZULU ALPHA KILO BELL CANADA “LET’S TALK” BY LG2

THE GIST THE GIST This multi-platform Bell Canada’s campaign to campaign, which includes decrease the stigma around donated out-of-home, depression and mental digital and print launched health pumped up its digital last fall with simple goal presence this year to expand make Canada better one the project’s reach. good deed at a time. The initiative donates money for every text, call and “Integrated Lions retweet made by customers celebrate campaigns that on Feb. 8 to programs like are pure genius across all Toronto’s Centre for Addiction mediums. Trying to fi nd and Mental Health. examples in Canada this year is harder than it should be. “We’ve all had our bouts of anxiety and stress (think of that last Of course, there have been some great campaigns this year, and massive pitch that you worked on), and it’s a fi ne line to cross over on the innovation front, I really liked the thinking behind the People into darker territories. In this well-executed multi-channel and multi- for Good campaign. They managed to get $15 million in free media platform campaign, Bell Canada encouraged people to chat, text and for messages promoting niceness and random acts of kindness. If tweet to raise both awareness and money for Canadian mental health we can’t win through big budgets or brand power, maybe we can services. Having raised close to $4 million this year, Bell Canada kill ‘em with kindness.” proved that sometimes keeping it simple brings in massive results.” - Chris Staples, partner and CD, Rethink - Mitch Joel, president, Twist Image

[ DIRECT ] ENGAGING THE SENSES

THE PROJECT HYUNDAI HOLIDAY CARD BY INNOCEAN

THE GIST Hyundai gave the gift of “new car smell” last holiday season, distributing car-shaped decorations to clients.

“For years mass advertising has had an inexplicable antipathy towards Direct. But DM has had the last laugh, with digital, mobile and social turning every channel into a direct channel. This is nowhere more apparent than at Cannes, where Direct entrants are increasingly winning in other categories, like Cyber, PR and Promotion. So I think Canada’s best bet for DM will be something like Dean West’s stunning online portfolio, or the SickKid’s Pain Squad App. But traditional DM still has strengths that nothing else can touch, especially its ability to engage the senses, even smell. This entertaining use of direct mail this past holiday season from Hyundai brought the scent of a new car to that pine tree in your living room, and a smile to everyone who saw the idea.” - Robin Heisey, chief creative director, Draftfcb

42 www.strategyonline.ca

InsiderPicks.June12.indd 42 12-05-22 10:25 PM sponsored supplement digital AGENCIES REDEFINING WHAT’S POSSIBLE

Canada’s top digital agencies are proving that in today’s digital space, the possibilities are infinite

There’s no question that digital has become a vital component of any savvy marketer’s arsenal these days. Having a solid digital strategy is no longer the domain of early adopters – it’s become table stakes. So now that everybody’s playing in the digital space, your brand isn’t going to get points simply by virtue of being there. Today, if you want to make meaningful connections with consumers in the digital realm, you have to be smart about it. That’s where Canada’s digital agencies come in. They’re crafting incredibly clever digital strategies to help brands stand out in the increasingly cluttered digital environment. You may be surprised by some of the things they’ve come up with to help their clients break through. After all, when it comes to digital, the possibilities really are almost infinite. That’s why we’re seeing content from ad campaigns showcased in prestigious film festivals like TIFF, as was the case for Saatchi & Saatchi Canada’s @Random work for the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada. That’s not the only example of a digital execution reaching well beyond the digital world: An online promotion The Hive built for Cadbury (now Kraft), called The Bicycle Factory, enabled users to help send real bikes to Africa. Canadian agencies are constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. To promote the play Red for the Canadian Stage Company, Zulu Alpha Kilo let consumers interact with a character from the play using their computer’s webcams and microphones instead of navigating the experience with a mouse. Noise Digital fused digital elements with the real world by sending consumers on a scavenger hunt, collecting QR codes at malls and in-store to support the launch of the PlayStation game Uncharted 3. TBWA \ Canada let users send messages to NHL star Sidney Crosby through a new banner ad unit it created. It doesn’t stop there. OgilvyOne found a way to make 30-something dads aware of Dove Men body wash by peripherally inserting the brand into Twitter conversations the elusive target was already having. Grip Limited leveraged World Cup fever to get 2.7 million consumers worldwide to interact with the Facebook app it created for Budweiser. And, in a truly unique execution for Pedigree’s pet food brand Temptations, Proximity made it possible for cat lovers to deploy cat- themed page takeovers on any page they viewed. With all of these boundary-pushing executions already under their belts, just imagine what Canada’s digital agencies could do for you.

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ST.21438.DigitalAgency.indd S43 12-05-23 3:12 PM digital AGENCIES THE HIVE THE EXPERIENCE AGENCY

Digital marketing is all wanted an idea that could says Fulton. There are now about fostering brand wrap all of its brands under over 300 iPads in use in experiences for consumers. one umbrella,” says Fulton. the US. So it stands to reason that So, The Hive built The “It’s not enough that an agency with deep roots Bicycle Factory, a virtual consumers have a great in the experiential realm space where consumers experience online”, says would thrive in the digital could transform their McPhedran, “they also space. Look no further confectionary purchases, expect to shape that than The Hive for proof. from Caramilk to Trident to experience and even the Over the past several years, Fuzzy Peaches, into a virtual brand itself, as was the case the shop has added an bicycle part to go towards with Maynards.” To help The Hive Canada impressive digital practice real bikes that would establish the Maynards Andy Krupski to its brand, promotional ultimately be sent to Africa. masterbrand, The Hive President & CEO and experiential services “It allowed our Millennial developed the Make Your 416-923-3800 544 King Street W that’s taken engagement to target to share their little Face a Maynard campaign, Toronto ON M5V 1M3 the next level for clients. moment of happiness with which gave consumers thehiveinc.com “We have always others” says Fulton. 15,000 the chance to turn their been about creating active bikes have been shipped face and name in to a real engagement between to Ghana over the past 3 Maynards candy through consumers and brands. years of the campaign. a Facebook app. The Digital has simply allowed The Hive has spent a campaign was supported us to add scale to that lot of time looking at how by TV, print and transit philosophy,” says Trent emerging technologies advertising. “The campaign Fulton, The Hive’s VP, can augment the Last Inch idea was inherently fun and Managing Director. Digital experience. It recently shareable and Facebook vet Neil McPhedran, developed a series of Jack provided the perfect the shop’s new VP of Daniels-branded bar games platform to bring it to life,” digital and consumer says Fulton. One lucky engagement, says the participant, Jessica, is going agency’s fixation on the to see her face on real consumer experience is part candy set to hit the shelves of what drew him to The this fall. Clockwise from top left: A simple drag and drop allows people to convert their candy purchase in to a bike Hive. “The Hive has always It’s no accident that part at the thebicyclefactory.ca; The Jack Daniel’s fixated on making the Last The Hive’s portfolio is as iPad games provided the perfect conversation starter Inch, the point at which diverse as its client roster. to engage and educate bar patrons; The Maynards Facebook app allowed candy lovers to convert their the consumer comes into “We have a mantra: we try face into their favourite pack in a few easy steps contact with the brand, the to Invent What’s Right for best possible experience our clients and the place and that philosophy where the most invention translates so well to the for the iPad, which brand is happening right now is digital space.” ambassador teams use digital and social media,” Fusing multiple to engage and educate says Fulton. Clearly, this layers into the consumer consumers “The consumer philosophy has served the experience helped The Hive learns about the brand in a agency well. deliver the most successful fun way, fitting with being promotion ever for Cadbury in a bar, while we get to Canada (now owned by capture their information Kraft) in 2009. “They for future conversations,”

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ST.21438.DigitalAgency.indd S44 12-05-23 3:13 PM sponsored supplement SAATCHI & SAATCHI LOYALTY BEYOND REASON

The debate about ‘are you the agency’s recent work enter a contest and play a traditional agency’ or ‘are for The Tourette Syndrome thematically relevant games you a digital agency’ is one Foundation of Canada. like Whack a Weed. Staying that has raged for years in “We had to explain what true to the brand is a big our industry. it was like to have a frankly part of what made this foray But not within the walls of Saatchi & Saatchi Canada. “Our overarching philosophy – Lovemarks – is all about creating loyalty beyond reason for our clients’ brands,” explains co- Saatchi & Saatchi Canada ECD Brian Sheppard. “And Dave Nourse that can happen anywhere.” VP, Managing Director - Digital The digital space, though, unexplainable medical into social so successful, 416-359-9595 has proven to be uniquely disorder.” The result was since it created an authentic 600 – 2 Bloor St. East Toronto ON M4W 1A8 suited to the creation of the @Random online brand experience. “You don’t www.saatchi.ca Lovemarks. “Digital is documentary project, where change who you are in the inherently intimate,” points Saatchi oversaw the creation social space,” says Nourse. out Co-ECD Helen Pak. of some thirty short fi lms Innovative digital work “That makes it the ideal about Tourette Syndrome, for Toyota included last fall’s place to foster passionate that were then randomly Prius V launch that had a brand relationships. We arranged online. Aside from large online component. And collaborate closely with our being remarkably successful last year, Saatchi launched clients to create ideas that for the Foundation, individual Toyota’s fi rst social media resonate, and deepen the fi lms generated further campaign by looking for relationships they have with awareness by appearing at Toyota’s #1 Fan. Consistent their consumers.” festivals like the Genies, TIFF engagement with Toyota’s Saatchi sees staying nimble and Hot Docs. loyal and passionate base has as the key to digital success. In another example grown the brand’s Facebook Clockwise from top left:The Shed of Wonders for Scotts social media; Toyota Prius V website; The @Random “We have the expertise to of something that could community from fewer than project involved the creation of 30 online fi lms about create the big ideas with our only happen in the digital 300 to over 90,000 fans. people living with Tourette Syndrome; @Random clients and bring them to life Saatchi’s ability to deliver online documentary project for the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada. in online, in social, through such a wide range of content gaming - you name it,” that consistently engages says Managing Director of consumers has made it a Digital Dave Nourse. “The force to be reckoned with in nature of digital is that you’re the digital space. continuously exploring new frontiers. The goal here is to create great communication realm, Saatchi developed ideas and then create a content strategy that engagement by taking made it fun for consumers advantage of the changing to interact with lawn care digital landscape.” products on Facebook. The “Digital really does let agency created a “Shed of you do impossible things,” Wonders” for Scotts Miracle- says Pak. A case in point is Gro, where users could

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ST.21438.DigitalAgency.indd S45 12-05-23 3:13 PM digital AGENCIES TBWA THE ART OF DISRUPTION

TBWA \ Canada isn’t novel new unit, and it even great regardless of whether your average agency. Its snagged a coveted Webby the user was viewing it overarching philosophy honouree mention. on a smartphone, tablet revolves around two core Eschewing the status or even at home on a tenets: disruption and quo also proved to be desktop. Pinch-to-zoom media arts. That means incredibly successful was not required on smaller it’s constantly focused on for an execution TBWA devices as the experience finding radical new ideas deployed for Visa Canada automatically took on mobile that can propel their clients’ last fall during the Toronto behaviors, look and feel. businesses forward – all International Film Festival To ensure innovation, TBWA \ Canada through an organic media (TIFF). While other agencies TBWA often invites Jay Bertram strategy that’s keenly were still primarily focused representation from President 416-260-3715 attuned to how ideas live in Facebook and Google into 10 Lower Spadina Avenue the world. brainstorming sessions. Toronto ON M5V 2Z2 This unique approach This allows them to explore www.tbwa-toronto.com is reflected in every aspect what’s possible with the of the agency, right down digital integration of their TBWA \ Canada to the layout of its Toronto campaigns, and figure Tasha Dean office. “Everyone works out how to incorporate Director of Digital Media Arts out in the open – even upcoming features. Because 416-260- 4035 senior management. This of this tactic, a unique 10 Lower Spadina Avenue Toronto ON M5V 2Z2 is one of our core values platform for Nissan Canada www.tbwa-toronto.com and has been since 1988,” on developing funky new was born in the form of the says Tasha Dean, TBWA’s apps, TBWA went another Nissan Virtual Showroom director of digital media direction. “Our technology – the world’s first car arts. This fluid set-up director really pushes dealership on YouTube. facilitates collaboration. responsive web design,” “We create platforms “We’ve put technology says Dean. “Creating native clients can really own,” and creative together. apps is great, but there’s says Dean. The showroom Now, what we’re seeing is such a barrier to entry was built on the insight that the creative teams are when compared that consumers trust learning and sharing with with responsively designed YouTube content when the development teams and web apps.” they are researching their

Clockwise from top left: For the most anticipated return vice-versa,” she says. With that in mind, the purchases. The Showroom in hockey history, TBWA\TORONTO created a concept Fusing these two agency developed the Visa enables them to check out allowing fans to roll out the welcome mat online; The TIFF Insider site makes an insider out of people who can’t be disciplines together TIFF Insider Hub website a car’s features 24/7 in a at the centre of the biggest social event in Toronto; With helped TBWA create a which allowed people to no-pressure environment. loads of content, and a no pressure host, the groundbreaking new connect with all the activities As a platform, it effectively Virtual Showroom is a dealership that’s never closed, but always selling. banner unit for Gatorade and excitement of the event. engaged consumers and that enabled users to send A key feature provided engaged dealers as well. “welcome back” messages festival goers access to a TBWA continues to to NHL star Sidney Crosby map that plotted the red prove over and over again via Twitter or within the carpet events happening that playing it safe doesn’t banner unit itself, which across the city in real time. fly in the digital world; ran on NHL.com. TBWA “Because it was one code you’ve got to be disruptive handled all of the back- base, it would scale to if you want real results. end technology for the your device,” says Dean. execution. Users loved the So, the map would look

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ST.21438.DigitalAgency.indd S46 12-05-23 3:13 PM sponsored supplement OGILVY/OGILVYONE CREATIVELY INNOVATIVE. SOCIALLY INSPIRING.

Ogilvy and OgilvyOne brand Dove Men+Care. consumer behaviours has Toronto have earned a “We were very mindful also helped Ogilvy create reputation for innovative of the fact that men don’t a winning social execution digital executions and want to go online and have for Winners, with the Fab a robust social media a deep conversation about Finder mobile app. Often practice. It also happens to body wash,” says Hassell. people want to show be an incredibly disciplined, With that unique off what they found at process-driven shop built challenge in mind, Ogilvy Winners. There’s this whole on informed customer hunter mentality,” says insights. It’s this distinctive Hassell. “This particular combination that helped mentality has been utilized OgilvyOne Worldwide OgilvyOne win the coveted in their overall branding of Toronto Tim Hortons digital business Winners and the Fab Finder Matt Hassell Chief Creative Officer earlier this year. was an example of a smart 416-945-3457 “We apply strict creative mobile extension of it”, says 33 Yonge St and production standards MacKellar. “We built an app Toronto ON M5E 1X6 to everything we do. We that let them take a quick ogilvyonetoronto.com don’t just go to clients with picture and share it, creating a repeat of the latest fad a utility for a behaviour that that blew up online,” says was already happening.” Matt Hassell, Chief Creative Part of Ogilvy’s Officer at OgilvyOne success in the social realm Worldwide Toronto. Hassell can be attributed to its and Ian MacKellar are collaborative approach. Chief Creative Officers at “We bring social media OgilvyOne and Ogilvy, crafted a Twitter strategy into the creative process,” respectively. Together they built around how its target, notes Hassell. The agency’s spearhead the creative non-engaged 30-something in-house social media Clockwise from top left: The ‘Create your Tims’ Facebook department at the agency. dads, engages with social practice specializes in app creates customized Tims cups; Winners shoppers can shop fi nd and share with The Fab Finder iPhone app; The “Of course, that doesn’t media. While they’re not finding the right influencers #MadeForMen ‘hashtagline’ enabled Dove Men + Care to mean the shop is afraid to incredibly active in the and integrating them into brand social conversations explore new territory,” adds social media realm, these customized social strategies. MacKellar. In fact, both their dads quite often have their “We approach influencers Customer Intent Modeling smartphones with them at through a branded filter,” and Advanced Video Practice the couch to tweet as they Hassell explains. “We are examples of proprietary watch their favourite major always ask ‘is this what our tools that allow Ogilvy to league sports games on TV. brand would do?’” innovate with purpose. So, Dove Men jumped into This strategic approach The shop works those conversations that to social and commitment to meticulously to deliver the were already happening effective creative has led to right digital experiences on Twitter by leveraging wins at shows like the Effies, that uniquely suit a hashtags. “We piggybacked Echoes and CMAs over the brand. “You can’t apply on trending topics and past year. And, of course, generalizations,” says provided a branded it helped OgilvyOne land Hassell. That’s something message,” says Hassell. This a great new client in Tim Ogilvy was keenly aware of organic approach proved to Hortons, for which it has a when it developed the social be incredibly successful. lot of exciting work set to strategy for personal care Leveraging existing break shortly. Stay tuned.

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ST.21438.DigitalAgency.indd S47 12-05-23 3:13 PM digital AGENCIES NOISE DIGITAL TODAY’S DIGITAL REQUIRES REAL TIME THINKING

In a world where digital has that leveraged information Life, featuring five Tic Tac disrupted the traditional like loyalty data from retailers mascots starring in a series (linear) path to purchase, that appeal to specific of comics and interactive Vancouver-based shop types of behaviour, such as videos. “It’s a very focused Noise Digital is blazing a propensity to buy organic. social content strategy,” new trail. “Noise is a data “Because it’s a fairly niche says Carr. “Populating driven agency; we want product, it appeals to a content throughout the to respond to the rapidly narrow type of behaviour,” social ecosystem is the most changing consumer that says Carr. This strategy efficient way to connect with Noise Digital we’re trying to connect enabled Noise to target a a 13-24 year-old audience.” Trevor Carr with,” says Trevor Carr, very precise behavioural Noise also found great President / CEO Noise’s president and CEO. algorithm set that reflected success resonating with 604-689-9574 “I think our consumer- multiple data points. As an a fickle younger-skewing 200 - 856 Homer St. centric planning approach example, these included demographic with a recent Vancouver BC V6B 2W5 is unique. It aligns risk and targeting upper middle class social mobile campaign Noise Toronto reward in real time.” working mothers 35-45 supporting the Christmas 675 King Street West To effectively connect who live in proximity to launch of the PlayStation Suite 308 with today’s consumers Whole Foods, use a data game Uncharted 3. Noise Toronto ON M5V 1M9 Noise focuses on targeting 416-360-6832 behaviours rather than www.noisedigital.com simply targeting media channels. “We’re able to micro-target consumers based on multiple behavioural data sets that result in highly efficient and effective media executions,” says Carr. That’s partially due to the fact that we have segued into the Age plan for a smartphone and leveraged the game’s of the Algorithm. Marketers exhibit purchase behaviour swashbuckling theme now have access to an in line with an organic and crafted a treasure unprecedented stream of shopper. This resulted in an hunt driven by QR codes. Clockwise from top left: Noise used a mobile promotion data and analytics that incredibly efficient campaign Participants were encouraged to drive retail results for Playstation Canada during the enable them to optimize that engaged the target to “collect” QR codes holiday season; Natures Path used Noise to develop an innovative digital media strategy using their real time their marketing efforts in real effectively. everywhere from popcorn DSP media platform; Noise has build up Tic Tac Canada’s time – and ultimately regain Noise’s unique boxes at the movies to OOH Facebook page to over 350,000 fans with a unique control from the empowered approach has also helped posters at the mall to in-store micro-engagment strategy that leverages seeded branded content consumer. Thanks to this the popular mint brand at EB Games locations. influx of data, marketers can Tic Tac organically grow a Inventive executions like now deploy more precise, Facebook community to these have helped Noise carefully targeted executions close to 350,000 people rack up high-profile awards that reach the right by leveraging enticing over the years, including consumer at the right time. content and fostering micro- a Cannes Cyber Lion and For instance, Noise engagements rather than nods from Applied Arts, recently crafted a using paid media. Noise CMA, IMA, the PROMO! campaign for organic food deployed a year-long content Awards and the Summit manufacturer Nature’s Path platform called The Fresh Creative Awards.

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ST.21438.DigitalAgency.indd S48 12-05-23 3:14 PM sponsored supplement ZULU ALPHA KILO DIGITAL STORYTELLERS

Zulu Alpha Kilo is certainly deliberately cultivated and digital creative. not your typical digital attracted hybrid creatives Zulu also eschewed shop. Far from it. After that work across digital and the traditional for a recent all, how many digital traditional media. Workopolis campaign. The shops have rebranded a This hyper-integrated agency created a hilariously telecom giant like Bell, or culture paves the way for hapless jobseeker named are Creative AOR for high- groundbreaking executions, George Turnbull, unleashed profile clients such as Coca- like last fall’s campaign for him into the world, filmed Cola, Corona, Audi and Canadian Stage. A clever use his misguided ‘what not to Workopolis? At times, it’s of new technology enabled do while job hunting’ antics hard to pin down if Zulu’s Zulu to transport consumers with hidden cameras and Zulu Alpha Kilo a digital shop, ad agency or Mike Sutton design firm. Managing Director From the outset, Zulu 416-777-9858, ext.243 believed digital thinking B101 – 260 King St. East should be at the epicenter Toronto ON M5A 4L5 of the agency. This www.zulualphakilo.com philosophy has established Zulu as a true hybrid shop. “Digital was naturally baked into our DNA from day one,” says Zak Mroueh, Zulu’s President & into “Mark Rothko’s studio” then posted the results on Executive Creative Director. to generate buzz about the Workopolis YouTube “We didn’t have to try to the play Red, based on channel. The campaign was retro-fit it into our structure the temperamental artist. a resounding success with like traditional agencies.” Zulu built an immersive, over half a million views, one Even its Managing Director first person experience in five leading directly to a Mike Sutton and newest online that let users interact job search on Workpolis. Creative Director Jon with the Rothko character The agency’s ability to Webber hail from the using their webcam and engage consumers through Clockwise from top left: Viewers get berated by digital world, with long microphone. digital storytelling is part of temperamental artist, Mark Rothko, in Canadian stints at top agencies like “Collectively our team why Google recently enlisted Stage’s immersive site for “Red”; A Google-hosted gala dinner with eight celebrated Toronto chefs is shared Proximity, Henderson Bas was able to push the Zulu to help raise awareness instantaneously through Google+; Workopolis launches and Tribal DDB between boundaries of what was of its Google+ platform. a video resume and series of unscripted, hidden camera the two of them. possible,” says Mroueh. Zulu crafted a unique videos centered on misguided job candidate, George Turnbull. Zulu’s maverick “What was unique was content strategy centred approach is evident the that the webcam and the around top chef Jamie moment you walk into the microphone were being Kennedy called the Open agency. It doesn’t have used to drive the experience Kitchen+ Project, designed offices or even cubicles. instead of the mouse.” The to engage Toronto’s large Instead, everyone sits execution helped the client foodie demographic. together at long tables sell more advance tickets With breakthrough that facilitate its inter- than ever before, and was executions like these, it’s disciplinary model. There even selected as “site of the easy to see how Zulu has is no Digital division day” on FWA.com, one established itself as one of the housed on a separate of the world’s most preeminent digital storytellers floor. Instead, Zulu has influential showcases of in Canada so quickly.

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ST.21438.DigitalAgency.indd S49 12-05-23 3:14 PM digital AGENCIES GRIP DESIGNED TO BE INTEGRATED, SOCIAL BY DESIGN

Founding Grip Limited 10 Paint Your Face real time, all in character, years ago, the partners leveraged World Cup fever resulting in a fun, highly made a commitment to by enabling users to take engaging user experience. embrace and integrate all web photos of their faces, Analytics indicate Kokanee media. Digital became a virtually paint them with was the most engaged beer logical step. their favourite team’s colours brand on Facebook Grip has been crafting and then set them as their in North America during high-impact Facebook display photos. “We took an the campaign. executions since the existing consumer behaviour Creative Partner Jon massive social network’s and found a very well- Finkelstein says content also early days. The agency’s executed but simple way played a key role in Grip’s pioneering work in the to bring it into the digital recent Facebook execution space earned it a spot on space,” says Carroll. The for skin care brand Clean the Facebook Preferred feature grew exponentially & Clear. “It’s a challenging Marketing Development as friends noticed friends’ category, because teens (PMD) program. Grip is display photos. don’t want to talk about the only Canadian Grip also built a acne publically,” explains integrated advertising clever content strategy Finkelstein, who specializes agency to be named. for beer brand Kokanee. in digital integration for Being inducted into the the agency. To clear this Grip Limited PMD program means Grip hurdle, Grip created the Harvey Carroll will receive early access to first branded two-person President unreleased features. That’s interactive game in 416-340-7111 good news for Grip’s clients, Facebook, enabling users th 179 John Street, 6 floor who will be at the forefront to engage with the brand Toronto ON M5T 1X4 of Facebook innovations. without having to discuss www.griplimited.com “One of the challenges with any embarrassing personal Facebook is that it’s always skin care issues. evolving,” says Harvey Carroll attributes Carroll, Grip’s president. Grip’s ability to constantly “This will allow us to get innovate to its independent information in advance.” structure. “That allows Grip has become a us to invest ahead of leader in the social space the curve in digital,” thanks in part to its says Carroll. This kind of strategic “social by design” flexibility helped Grip win philosophy, which values The Kokanee Next Ranger a coveted Cyber Lion at meaningful engagements contest picked up where Cannes for its own website. Clockwise from top left: Grip’s work for Clean & Clear over quantity. “We’re not 2008’s Ranger Live or Die The site also caught the brought friends closer together; Consumer engagement just trying to jam brands left off. This time around, attention of the Adobe was taken to new heights for the glacier-fresh Kokanee; The Show Your True Colors Facebook campaign for into newsfeeds,” says Grip created a motley crew Systems CEO Shantanu Budweiser went global for the most Carroll. That doesn’t mean of “candidates” ranging Narayen, who showcased it recent World Cup of soccer. the agency is a stranger to from the original Ranger’s as “one of the best uses of huge numbers, though. mother to a goat and a Flash in the world” during Its celebrated Bud World fridge. Grip’s community a presentation at Cannes. Cup Paint Your Face managers debated on Clearly, Grip’s digital campaign engaged 2.7 the Facebook wall and investments are paying off. million people worldwide. responded to users in

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ST.21438.DigitalAgency.indd S50 12-05-23 3:22 PM sponsored supplement PROXIMITY A RICH HISTORY OF ENGAGEMENT

Proximity has been in the experience extends well in a brand’s ecosystem, and business of one-to-one beyond the Facebook then amplify it by connecting connections since day one, page. “People have been with online and offl ine and that unique history spending up to 20 minutes consumer behaviours, you is a huge asset in today’s interacting with it.” The can signifi cantly deepen increasingly digital landscape. groundbreaking work engagement,” says Lafond. After all, marketing in the directly resulted from Earlier this year, Proximity digital realm is all about Proximity’s penchant for ignited discussion on Twitter fostering those elusive having creative technologists by tweeting about NFL player personal engagements collaborate with the creative Wes Welker’s mustache from with consumers. team from the outset of a Gillette’s Twitter account. Proximity It doesn’t hurt that the project to turn innovative Welker himself responded to Dave Lafond shop is home to 175 of the ideas into real-world Gillette’s tweet, and President industry’s leading digital 416-972-5352 thinkers who specialize 2 Bloor Street W Toronto ON M4W 3R6 in creative, technical and www.proximity.ca analytical capabilities. “We marry two worlds together: analytics and CRM fused with storytelling,” says Proximity’s president Dave Lafond, adding that the agency often partners interdisciplinary teams during applications that delight and the conversation blew up initial brainstorming sessions. engage consumers. from there. “When you put collaborative Of course, one of the Proximity acted quickly teams together, that’s when biggest reasons for the to build on the momentum magic happens.” success of Kitty Kat Hijack by deploying fun supporting Magic like Kitty Kat is that it directly connects elements like playoff Hijack, a clever new the online popularity of mustaches users could print execution Proximity cats with the product’s out at home. That helped the rolled out for Pedigree’s brand. “Playful cat videos mustache take on a life of its Temptations pet food are popular all over the own offl ine, too, resulting in brand that’s been featured Internet, but the Hijack over three million branded on infl uential sites like experience is also built on impressions for Gillette in just Mashable. The novel a real brand truth—when three weeks.

Clockwise from top left: The Globe & Mail site, hijacked!; concept enables the consumers shake the With clever executions Superbowl Stadium and the original twitpic of the target – cat lovers – to Temptations bag cats come like these, it’s no wonder ‘stache; Temptations Facebook page, featuring the interact with playful cats running,” says Lafond. “A Proximity had a record- Kittycat Hijack Bookmarklet on any webpage by simply digital experience must be breaking year at awards dragging an icon from the grounded in a brand truth. shows. On top of being Temptations Facebook page You can’t do something for named Strategy’s 2011 to their bookmarks tab in the sake of being cool.” Digital Agency of the Year, order to see kittens take Proximity’s ability to cost- it also racked up nods over any page they visit. effectively extend a brand’s at prestigious shows like “Ultimately, it’s earned reach online also benefi ted Cannes and the Digital media,” says Lafond, since client Gillette. “If you can Marketing Awards. the Temptations brand identify a point of passion

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ST.21438.DigitalAgency.indd S51 12-05-23 3:23 PM The brief is dead? Long live the brief BY MARK CHILDS

s we eagerly anticipate the surely time well spent, an opportunity to A Cannes Lions Festival of coach, mentor and hone communication Creativity, the recognition skills. If we are to inspire agency creatives and celebration of the world’s very best for Cannes Lions Gold we must strive for marketing and advertising ideas, we well-crafted briefs where “simplicity is should acknowledge the origin of much of the ultimate sophistication” as Steve Jobs this winning work: the creative brief. would surely have counseled. We can do With few exceptions, I would suggest and be better. that we’re experiencing a demise in the art of creative brief writing. It’s a lesson BE BRIEF rarely taught academically and a skill too Re-committed to simpler, more choiceful infrequently developed in new recruits. and insightful creative briefs, is it time to Most would agree that a great brief move on from the unchanged Mad Men- is the spark of a fresh idea and the key style template and approach? to unlocking creative brilliance. So it’s Our smartphone world of surprising that the brief rarely receives communication composed in texts, posts the fame it so rightly deserves, often left and tweets would resoundingly support behind in the wake of awards and trophies. the intent. Again, I recall the lighthearted It seems to have become just a step in inspiration from Lehrer inviting us to the process as we rush to brief creative day-to-day and overwhelming volumes explore a 140 character brief. That, teams and focus on air dates, rather than of data and simply be more curious. coupled with my own Mofilm video contest see it as the basis for truly breakthrough We must get closer to our consumers. experience of publishing crowd-sourced work. The "execution considerations," With ever-increasing media options, online film briefs this year, re-affirms worse "mandatories" articulated, may we must listen to the what and why. the idea and its potential to increase the appear as a list of transactions that stifle Lehrer counsels to “look past surface breadth of creative expression. rather than inspire creativity. It’s time for similarities to connect the seemingly If not literally, this approach of brevity that to change. disconnected.” This is the discovery of could be a framework that, by constraint, fresh insights that are the springboard to encourages us to synthesize, acting in BE CREATIVE creative inspiration. turn as a catalyst for more breakthrough Inspired by author Jonah Lehrer last year Why grit? Because great briefs take work. A "less-is-more" creative approach at Cannes and again this April speaking hard work. We must be ready to roll up has long been embraced by agencies, very at the Canadian Media Directors Council our sleeves and work the brief since it literally showcased by BBDO Argentina event, I was rarely comes easily or quickly. In a world in the Smart car Twitter launch campaign reminded that it with more brands supporting causes, using just 140 characters per frame. takes “moments passions and publishing content, we The opportunity to rethink and MARK CHILDS is VP of relaxation” to must be more choiceful, more precise in reinvent the creative brief might be marketing at Campbell feel the epiphany how we define our audience and decisive best realized through a collaboration Canada, and the co- of uncovering an in what we want to say. The creative brief between our younger talent, more able to chair of the inaugural insight. It then discipline of a "benefit," "focus of sale" or communicate succinctly in social media, Canadian Young Marketers takes a great "single most important thing" can all too with our more experienced traditional competition of the Globe deal of grit to be often seem anything but single-minded. creative brief discipline. Just to engage in and Mail’s Cannes Young creative. Both now But it must be. the dialogue is progress. Lions Awards. Follow him proven by science, With the increasing pace and change So, as we step out of our own on Twitter & Instagram he advocates. of business it’s hard not to settle for a categories and daily routines to celebrate @MarkInspired, and check Why moments good-enough creative brief in the pursuit the best creative at Cannes Lions we out Childs’ and fellow of relaxation? of expediency. We must consistently should aspire to the probability that Canadian Cannes Lions Because we strive for great if we are to raise our there was a well-crafted creative brief at participants’ experience via must let go, free creativity bar. Taking the time to re- its foundation. #strategyatcannes ourselves from the master the art of the creative brief is Long live the brief.

52 www.strategyonline.ca

Forum.June12.indd 52 12-05-18 4:30 PM BY JUSTIN KINGSLEY

higher than alive when the coolest people endorse it, any other at the right time, in the right place. sports But the approach has evolved, and star. And it’s not the brands’ doing. The equation fascinating has been reversed: people want to be because connected to brands more than ever. It’s of the how they identify who they are and what contradictory they stand for. responses – The question is, why? Well, the GSP t was years ago lovers and haters example is a good one. I but it’s the kind of in one place. It means People endorse and believe in Georges Non Sequitur comic strip people are emotionally because of his values and what he stands you’d cut out of the newspaper and pin involved, and we love that. for. He’s become much more than just a to the board over the desk: a smiling God Like any agency, one of our goals is UFC star. He transcends his sport. He’s a at his worktable, standing over a globe to grow a Facebook page by fostering symbol, an iconic champion who stands and pouring all kinds of ingredients "likes." Everybody wants to be liked. for excellence and humility. A great into making Earth. Animals, plants and But we need to do something with person shaped by his experience as a buildings, as well as a pinch of jerks and those likes. We want real friends, bullied youth. A people’s champion, with assholes –“just to make it interesting,” as truly social social media. We want or without the belt. God states in the caption. people to go to GSP’s page and express By endorsing what he stands for, Yes, we must love the haters. themselves. We want suggestions, ideas, consumers are using GSP to communicate Loving the haters is a fundamental recommendations and opinions –even if a small or big part of their own rule of engagement for managing they come from the haters. personality. Brand ambassadorship social networks: haters bring pages Emotion is so much better than represents a chance to say “This is part like Facebook to life. Let’s take Georges indifference. Sometimes it’s funny, of who I am” without having to go into St-Pierre (full disclosure: GSP is one of because haters have all kinds of original the detail; a personality extension. It’s my clients), as an example. He’s become ways of insulting brands. Sometimes it’s because brands have become better at more than a person: he’s a brand and just silly. Who cares? Love or hate, the telling their stories – where they come online he behaves like one. key for online interaction is what I call from, why and how. People take those And though he’s universally loved, the multiplication factor: every negative stories and attach them to their own lives. a pinch of haters makes his online message generates scores of positive It wouldn’t have been possible before presence all the more compelling. reaction from core brand fans, from real social media. Old World brands relied on Georges posts messages to his 2.9 friends. And that’s why we embrace radiation: one or two ineffective media million Facebook fans weekly, asking the haters: because they compel brand to reach a whole slew of people with a questions and seeking opinion about lovers to stand up for the brand and memorable little message. It was a partial

ILLUSTRATION BY JOSÉE MARTINEAU, SID LEE ART DIRECTOR SID LEE ART JOSÉE MARTINEAU, BY ILLUSTRATION mixed martial arts, diet and exercise, what they believe in. story at best. or just life in The reason is simple: when an unpaid Nowadays, brands must go through a general. He shares person stands up for a brand, he or collection of media to tell one great big photos, videos she becomes an undeniable voice for "human" story to one person at a time and inspirational legitimacy. When the people say it, other – nano-communication. The individual quotes. The people believe it. So let the people say it. chooses from a variety of online media, response to every What’s even more interesting is consumes the story his way, and shares it post is instant, how this trend has evolved thanks to his way too. massive and online media. We’ve always known that Which means that the medium is just fascinating. brands have wanted to be connected to one in a multitude of tools. The brand is Massive because individuals. The good ones know whom the message. And the consumer – love JUSTIN KINGSLEY GSP’s online to target first. We’ve known about early him or hate him – is the story. is a partner at Sid Lee interaction rate is adopters and brand ambassadors and PR. He can be reached at at least 10 times, then influencers and now, in my favourite [email protected]. and often 20 times vernacular, tastemakers. A brand comes

June 2012 53

Forum.June12.indd 53 12-05-18 4:30 PM THE YEAR OF

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54 www.strategyonline.ca

BackPage.June12.indd 54 12-05-18 5:40 PM THE POWER TO REACH YOUR AUDIENCE IS IN OUR HANDS

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ST.21412.CBC.Ad.indd 1 18/05/12 3:28 PM Entries accepted at cassies.ca until August 2nd

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