High Five: The Key Ingredients to Canadian Success
The pieces I’ve chosen demonstrate one or more of four key ingredients that make great advertising: 1) Thoughtful and strategic brand collaboration: the right partnership can be greater than the sum of its parts. 2) Timing: seizing the moment is key for optimal brand relevance. 3) Authenticity: connecting with people in a meaningful way creates brand love. 4) Challenging the status quo: disrupting the category whenever possible helps brands get noticed...
Tim Hortons x Justin Bieber - 'Timbiebs'
Agency: GUT Toronto
Production: Boy in the Castle
Director: Colin Tilley
Post: Rooster x The Vanity
Music: Grayson Music
The collaboration between two Canadian icons, Justin Bieber and Tim Hortons, was the perfect recipe for sell-out success. Like most Canadians, Justin Bieber has always loved Tim Hortons, so having him launch 'Timbiebs Timbits' (bite-size donuts) made perfect sense for both brands and was something Canadians couldn’t wait to try.
Ingredients: Thoughtful and strategic brand collaboration (#1)
McCain Foods x Kraft Heinz - 'The Ultimate Power Couple'
Agency: Rethink
Photographer: Clinton Hussey
Studio Artist: Jonathan Cesar
Editor: Thomas McKeen
McCain fries and Heinz ketchup have always been inseparable, so recognising the power of their brand partnership and choosing to declare their love for each other on Valentine’s Day proved to be the perfect plan. Using the power of social media and digital OOH to make their romance public, this strategically timed 'love affair' was highly entertaining and generated buzz-worthy content.
Ingredients: Thoughtful and strategic brand collaboration (#1), Timing (#2), Authenticity (#3)
Smucker Foods of Canada Corp's Milk-Bone - 'Chewpons'
Agency: Leo Burnett Toronto
Photographers & Motion Direction: SATY+PRATHA (Saty Namvar and Pratha Samyrajah)
Post: The Vanity
Music: Vapor Music
Every dog owner has a story to share and likely evidence of their pup chewing something they shouldn’t have. The 'Chewpons' campaign seizes the opportunity to turn a negative into a positive by creating highly engaging and relatable content that dog owners will want to participate with.
Ingredients: Authenticity (#3)
IKEA - 'Make Yourself. At Home.'
Agency: Rethink
Production: Merchant
Director: Patrick Daughters
Director: Patrick Daughters
Post: Rooster
VFX: Artjail
Colour: Alter Ego
Music: Vapor Music
In the last two years, we’ve all lived in our homes more than we’d like to. But, all of this living, working and studying from home was an opportunity for IKEA to inspire people and offer a new perspective. Through artful storytelling, we see how the home environment can shape who we become - putting a clever new meaning on the phrase: 'Make Yourself. At Home.'.
Ingredients: Timing (#2), Authenticity (#3)
Google Pixel - 'Google Pixel 6 x Simu Liu: For All You Are'
Agency: Cossette
Production: Asymetric
Director: Peter Huang
Post: Saints Editorial x Alter Ego
In a category usually saturated with sexy, sleek product shots, Google Pixel was able to stand out with something that resonated with Canadians - Simu Liu. By creating a spot entirely in Mandarin, the Canadian superstar’s native language, Google was able to demonstrate their inclusive tech in a natural and authentic way. By embracing our nation's diversity, this spot was able to capture attention and connect with people more deeply.
Ingredients: Thoughtful and strategic brand collaboration (#1), Authenticity (#3), Challenging the status quo (#4)
