Strategy Sponsored Supplement

Extreme Group

Anything Is Possible

Anything is possible. That philosophy is the inspiration behind Extreme Group, an entrepreneurial agency with offices in Halifax and Toronto.

“The smartest agencies are the ones that aren’t afraid to think differently, take a risk and truly believe that anything is possible,” says Mike Bevacqua, managing director, Toronto. “We believe that when it comes to tackling any challenge, there’s no better person to hire in any industry than the person who is going to dig the deepest, try the hardest, and find the most unique solution.”

Extreme doesn’t have a forced creative process, but before the storytelling begins, the agency dives deep to understand the clients and brands they work with, to discover their strengths and uncover unique insights.

“We encourage creativity from every role in our office. The people we hire, whether account service, production or creative, have a true passion for the business and creativity – and are up to tackling new challenges,” says Bevacqua. “When you walk into our office, you’d be hard pressed to tell who works in what department. We really want everybody to feel like they have a role in the work, and the onus of the ideas should not just be placed solely on a team of two.”

What comes out of this creative philosophy are brand experiences that deliver results.

For example, when given the task to develop awareness and trial for BULL’S-EYE BBQ Sauce, a Kraft brand not as well known in Ontario as its competitors, Extreme created a campaign that hinged on building the brand’s credibility with the target.

The first wave was to develop a community on Facebook that took the BULL’S-EYE fan base from zero to roughly 50,000 fans in five months by generating branded content relevant to the target group, males in their mid-30s. The Facebook page features rugged food photography, recipes created by the Extreme team, BBQ tips and tricks, and mouth-watering videos to get guys excited about all things BBQ.

The majority of photography is done in-house at Extreme’s Toronto office. Every two weeks or so, the staff gets together over the two office barbecues to cook up the content and shoot it themselves. They develop the recipes and cook the food with BULL’S-EYE at the centre of it all.

The second wave for BULL’S-EYE BBQ Sauce was all about trial, a hard-to-miss summer sampling experience that personified the boldness of the brand. At the centre of the campaign was the first-ever customized 2.5-ton Bulldozer-BQ which Extreme took around Ontario to events like Mosport, Edgefest, Honda Indy, Wakestock and the Havelock Jamboree, to get in front of the target group.

“These aren’t the kind of places you show up quietly to get noticed,” says Bevacqua. “We were the heavy duty combination of meat and testosterone. Guys saw us as an oasis and they just had to stop by to try our steak, take pictures and go back for more. It was an incredible success.”