Canada’s quest to help brands effect change begins on the inside

“That to me is inventing the future, helping to make society better and operating in the zeitgeist culture. That’s modern creativity.”

The same could be said of “F#cking Old,” a recent effort for disruptor condom brand Jems. Dentsu Canada created a line of hard candies supported with a campaign that sparked a conversation between Gen Z and their elders about safe sex. Breaking cultural norms, the younger generation shares its wisdom about hookup culture with Canadians seniors reentering the dating scene. The work was done in response to rising STI rates among seniors.

DDENTSU CANADA IS BUILDING A culture that prioritizes its people, fosters collaboration, and breaks down cultural and departmental silos so it can continue to deliver what CEO Stephen Kiely calls the “promise of modern creativity” for brands.

Over the last few years, Dentsu Canada has done substantial internal work to nurture a spirit of collaboration and create an environment for its 1,200 employees to do its best work.

Simplifying its internal processes is step one. As part of a global initiative, Dentsu Canada continues to consolidate and integrate its operations across its offices in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary.

Last year, the agency collapsed its creative unit into one central brand: Dentsu Creative. The creative team is now better positioned to work closely with Dentsu’s three media brands in Canada – Carat, iProspect and Dentsu X – and the CXM (customer experience management) and data specialists within Merkle.

The reorg is being supported by new faces in the creative department. Jordan Doucette and her former Taxi co-worker Rafik Belmesk were hired as CCO and CSO late last year, and former Rethink partner Maxime Sauté was named ECD in February.

The new talent has already contributed to efforts such as the Inflation Cookbook, a data-powered, budget-maximizing tool for users of SkipTheDishes and its grocery and convenience delivery service, Skip Express Lane. The AI-powered platform monitors real-time prices of healthy grocery items and curates recipes with ingredients matching the user’s location, family size and budget.

“Canadians are suffering from high food costs, so we created a product that can help them figure out how to fill their weekly grocery cart with the most cost-effective ingredients,” Kiely says.

Creating an inclusive workplace is another Dentsu priority, with the agency looking to increase the collection of employee self-identification data within its HR system. It also gave staff pens and customized ink (dubbed “Inklusive”) made from materials meaningful to employees’ identities, such as tea leaves and petals, inviting them to “write progress together in this space,” Kiely explains.

Under the leadership of Marème Touré, VP of diversity, equity and inclusion, Dentsu continues to forge ahead on its agency-wide DEI strategy. Last year, its Anti-Racism Action Team launched YouTurn, a career mentorship program designed to empower Dentsu’s racialized employees by matching them with leaders within the organization. To date, 20 mentoring pairs have participated.

Globally, Dentsu International is working towards having at least 50% of director and executive roles filled by womenidentifying employees by 2025. Dentsu Canada has already surpassed that goal.

An effort led by Merkle is advancing the industry’s understanding of the potential bias that exists in traditional customer segmentation and planning methods. It’s working with clients to eliminate bias by segmenting based on customer behaviours, such as interests and purchase history, rather than gender or race. The approach is having positive results on outcomes for clients, since a wider, more diverse audience is being targeted.

Dentsu Canada’s overall DEI efforts are helping it stand out and provide innovative solutions for brands, says Kiely. They are reflected in award-winning work, such as last year’s “Trouble with Words” campaign for Dyslexia Canada, which drew attention to the challenges faced by those with the disorder, as well as #TapeOutHate for Budweiser Canada and the Hockey Diversity Alliance, which drove awareness of the experiences pro hockey players face and called for an end to racism in the sport.

CONTACT: