Harnessing the power of meaningful media

To Drive Client Growth

they don’t necessarily have to outspend competitors if they have the right elements of the channels that drive attention.”

In addition to launching innovative products, Havas Media has acquired a majority stake in the award-winning media performance and data analytics agency Noise Digital to drive significant growth in the market.

IIT'S NO SECRET THAT consumer experience is no longer linear. Gone are the days of mass media, where messaging is shotgunned to the biggest audience possible in the hope it resonates. Consumers now congregate in places where they can have meaningful experiences and it’s up to advertisers to find them.

Above: To create significant noise and increase visibility for Valda lozenges, Havas unleashed “Heavy Metal Subway.” For a backdrop, the execution used the Montreal Metro – one of the most-feared places during the pandemic –and garnered significant earned media across TV, radio and online.

Havas Media Group Canada is just fine with that. “For us, meaningful experiences are brought to life through meaningful media,” explains president Noah Vardon. And that is Havas’ focus, all while building an ecosystem that is completely connected.

The full-service media agency – with offices in Toronto, Montreal and, most recently, Vancouver – has been hard at work evolving its media offering to address key gaps in the industry and solutions for changing consumer needs.

For example, last year Havas launched its Social Impact Marketplace, allowing clients to invest in ethical and responsible advertising. It offers access to publishers, networks and platforms focused on building a sustainable media ecosystem and reaching audiences engaged with improving their social and carbon footprint. Vardon says that’s paying off for clients such as Holt Renfrew and Keurig Dr Pepper Canada, which have strong sustainability initiatives.

Then there’s Havas Market, a strategic full-service e-commerce offering within the Havas Media network focused on creating meaningful shopping experiences. The team are experts in Amazon, Walmart, Loblaws and other retailers, and can help build expansive ecosystems for DTC.

The agency recently announced a global partnership with Lumen Research to create bespoke tools to plan, measure, buy and optimize attention. Vardon adds, “We’re showing clients

It all comes together in the agency’s standout projects from the past year. Consider Dr Pepper’s “More is More” brand platform, launched with 15-second videos featuring people getting upstaged by something that has a little bit “more” – such as a dogsledder overtaken by a rocket sled pulled by raptors. The concept was born out of the uniqueness of Dr Pepper’s blend of 23 flavours – long a staple of the brand’s identity, but expressed in an off-beat way that resonated with sports fans and gamers.

“We created community dialogue on Twitch and Reddit, getting people to expand the concept of ‘more’ and how that relates to gaming,” says Vardon. The campaign resulted in a 26% bump in unaided awareness and a 61% lift in message association.

For a campaign for Valda lozenges, Havas fielded a heavy metal choir to sing in the Montreal Metro. “We got great engagement from it – organic press and huge sales lifts,” Vardon says. Sales at pharmacy Jean Coutu saw an increase of 101% in December compared to prior year, and a 75% total YOY lift.

Or, consider the “Unwrap the Wonder” campaign for Holt Renfrew. “We saw compelling research around what drives consumer decisions and purchases,” Vardon explains. “That includes the joy as you’re interacting and purchasing. We were able to build an index around that, and then a media plan around driving joy.”

The campaign featured prominent high-impact activations such as a 3D billboard and social gift guides, resulting in double the site visits compared to the benchmarks and a five-point boost in brand favorability.

Internally, the agency has put the spotlight on expansive employee experience programs Vardon says will “help our future talent raise their profiles and give them an experience they might not have elsewhere.” The 245-person agency was named one of the 2022 Best Workplaces in Advertising & Marketing by Great Place to Work and Fortune

“We want to be known for having great client relationships,” sums Vardon, “and for being one of the most advanced in digital analytics, data and technology within the media space.”

Above: 1 For the Dr Pepper “More is More” campaign, Havas partnered with Canadian streamer Sacriel to take on Twitch’s League of Legends game. The effort drove significant gains in unaided awareness (26% compared to the 20% benchmark) and other key metrics. 2 Holt Renfrew found it was under-indexing among millennials and Gen Z as a brand that incites joy. So Havas created the fantastical “Unwrap the Wonder” campaign. 3 Havas helped launch Swiss fintech brand Klarna in Canada, looking to flip outdated attitudes and perceptions about the buy now, pay later category. The omnichannel launch included high-impact OOH, video, custom content and integration into the program Love Island Quebec

CONTACT: Noah Vardon President noah.vardon@havasmedia.com

BBRANDS ARE INCREASINGLY LOOKING TO INDEPENDENT agencies for their innovative thinking and innate agility. On the flip side, economies of scale and other efficiencies make a one-stop, soup-to-nuts shop appealing – rare outside of a multinational partner. But that’s what makes Arrivals + Departures a standout among indies following a series of entrepreneurial moves.

The Toronto- and Halifax-based agency has managed three mergers and acquisitions to bolster its offering and drive scale, most recently adding media planning and buying by acquiring MW360 Media, a national agency based in Halifax.

The agency’s A+D Media division now allows it to provide “full-service, seamless capabilities across Canada like any other media shop,” says Mike Bevacqua, partner and Toronto president.

While 2022 marked A+D’s 25th anniversary, it feels like the agency is just getting started. It’s coming off a record revenue year, expanding its offering, moving into new territories, and has grown from a staff of 48 to 84 since the start of the pandemic.

It’s all true to the agency’s name. “We are inspired by travel and stepping outside of one’s comfort zone to see what the world has to offer,” says Bevacqua. “Departing full of anticipation, excitement and fear; returning more courageous, inspired and better informed.”

He points to four areas as the agency’s keys to success.

Firstly, there is A+D’s ability to attract unique brands and build great relationships. He calls out its work for SkipTheDishes featuring Jon Hamm as “one of Canada’s most memorable campaigns. We took a hungry challenger brand and helped catapult it to the number-one food delivery app in Canada within two years.” He considers winning that business and creating that campaign a “leaping-off point” that showcased what the agency could do.

Left: In this humorous spot for RE/MAX, a dad uses peculiar methods for doing a house inspection. The campaign “The Advice You Need” from A+D reminds Canadians that the real estate company provides the guidance they can really use.

He says the agency works closely with clients to set and manage KPIs and expectations that drive business by providing creative platforms that differentiate them from competitors: “It ultimately gets back to our mantra of seeing the world differently and challenging the status quo.”

Secondly, he calls out culture. It’s important the indie agency controls its destiny and that the whole team embraces that. The senior people are accessible to the junior people, so everyone has a voice in the work and the future of the organization.

A+D understands that the industry and brand expectations are ever-changing, so it has further expanded through recent strategic hires.

In January it welcomed Chantel Brinkman, VP production. Formerly of Rethink and Grip, Brinkman allows the agency to produce the content it dreams up, bringing everything from shooting to photography and editing in-house.

Last year it hired Kimberley Pereira as creative director of design to work closely with its existing design team and CCO Jeff MacEachern. She will help shepherd the process as more clients want to be involved in design and branding, where they can see their feedback take effect in real-time.

And A+D’s foray into media planning and buying dovetails into the fourth of Bevacqua’s keys to success, which he calls “unconventional growth driven by entrepreneurial spirit.”

Its M&A activity dates back to 2016, when it was known as Extreme Group. It merged with Toronto’s Blammo Worldwide to create Arrivals + Departures. Soon after, A+D acquired BlueBand Digital, “which brought us a lot of back-end development work,” Bevacqua says.

A+D is taking the sum of these parts and running with it. It has won new business including Sabra Hummus, with a focus on social in the US; OXY Skin Care for work in Canada, the US, and Latin America; and Earth Rated, the Montreal-based brand behind the green poop bag pet owners know well, taking on its North American business.

“Any kind of growth matters because it makes us better,” Bevacqua says. “And as responsible business owners, we see this momentum and the client engagement, and need to make sure our team has the support and infrastructure to do the work they need and want to do.“

Left: 1 For travelers unwilling to leave pets behind, A+D worked with Pet Valu in creating the Let’s Go Outside book, filled with travel tips including pet-first hotels, campsites, hikes, parks, restaurants, shops and outdoor adventures.

2 Leaning into Twisted Tea’s unpretentious and irreverent personality, A+D repositioned the brand as “good for the soul,” creating a campaign inviting Canadians to vibe together with friends and leave behind the hustle culture that chips away at our joy and well-being. 3 MPG Sport is committed to creating high-quality activewear while minimizing its environmental impact. A+D helped MPG launch an awareness campaign demonstrating how choosing its clothing can have an impact on the world. 4 A+D worked with the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia to debut a bold and vibrant brand designed to expand how we think about the world around us, and the impact of art within it. 5 A+D served up a TV and OLV campaign showing parents how easily kids can enjoy independence in financial decisions with Mydoh’s Smart Cash Card.

Mike Bevacqua Partner, president mike.bevacqua@arrivalsdepartures.com