Creative Report Card
The 2015 Creative Report Card
It was a big year for DDB, Molson and Rethink. See who else topped the list and find out where you landed on the report this year.
Creative Report Card: Mapping the Beer Fridge’s globe-trotting success
A look back at the Beer Fridge’s epic journey, which brought it to the top of this year’s CRC.
Creative Report Card: DDB gets it
The top agency on the list this year takes us inside its award-winning work for Netflix.
Creative Report Card: Leo Burnett Always brings it
The agency’s “Like a Girl” campaign landed the shop and client P&G in the #2 spots on the agency and brand lists, respectively.
Creative Report Card: Taking Rethink to new heights
This year’s top creative directors, Chris Staples and Ian Grais, talk about how they keep the creative juices flowing at their agency.
Creative Report Card: Fighting tooth and nail for big ideas
The top art director, Rethink’s Joel Holtby, and top copywriter, Saatchi’s Matt Antonello, dish on what brought them to the top this year.
Creative Report Card: The year’s biggest trailblazers
They may not have taken the top spots, but these brands, agencies and creatives made pretty big leaps on this year’s report.
Creative Report Card: Methodology
A breakdown of how the report is scored, and which awards count.
Editorial
Rethinking education
From our latest issue, editor Emily Wexler asks whether it’s time for an educational overhaul.
Upfront
Get schooled by 123W
The Vancouver shop is launching a mini bootcamp for advertising and marketing students, partially as a scouting tool.
Anomaly skates through school
The shop is working with an alternative high school, where students design and sell skateboards.
ICA gets students’ feet wet
The Agency Diving Society aims to show what it’s like to work in the industry and encourage potential future leaders to dive in.
Is Montreal big enough for the agency influx?
With four English Canadian agencies planning to set up shop, here’s the scoop on what’s driving the invasion.
Ad class is in for SapientNitro techies
You’ve probably heard of creatives getting schooled in coding and developing, but here’s a new twist.
Forum
The secret behind true mentorship
It’s more than just teaching methodology, says Brand Voice’s Syd Kessler. It’s about personal relationships too.
Getting to real human truth
After going through 158 case studies, CASSIES convenor John Bradley weighs in on some key learnings.
Back Page
Back page: Finding the viral unicorn
Every brand wants it, but how do you snag one? Leo Burnett shares its secrets.
Features
Weekend reading: Axe bromances the older gent
How Unilever ditched the bikini babes, toned down the scent and matured its messaging to reach a demo that’s growing up.
Weekend reading: Incubation nation
Read up on three organizations that are taking the incubator model in new directions.
Learning the ropes
How colleges and universities are trying to ensure the next generation of marketers have the skills needed to succeed in the biz.
Weekend reading: How to train your marketers
Are we on the verge of a talent crisis? CPG marketing experts weigh in on the state of training.
Publisher's Note
Are brands set up for the long haul?
Publisher Mary Maddever noticed a trend among the award-winning campaigns of the past year. Are we thinking too short-term?
The CASSIES
CASSIES Grand Prix: Molson Canadian’s passport to success
After some globe-trotting and unique thirst-quenching, the Beer Fridge snags top honours at home.
CASSIES Gold: Putting the Mr. back in Mr. Clean
The iconic character took centre stage, helping the brand reach record-high dollar share.
CASSIES Gold: Ubisoft hacks a successful launch plan
“Watch_Dogs Live” saw unprecedented engagement for a free app, and drove significant game sales.
CASSIES Gold: Amex turns envy into instant sales
From free valet parking to premium lounges, the brand highlighted Platinum Card perks at Pearson Airport to boost acquisition.
CASSIES Gold: Canadian Tire breaks records from a cold start
The retailer brought a new meaning to winter in Canada with its “Ice Truck,” while driving car battery sales.
CASSIES Gold: Ikea’s home run
To prove it knows life at home, the retailer engaged consumers with its “House Rules.”
CASSIES Gold: WestJet delivers surprising results
It was a happy holiday indeed for the airline when its “Christmas Miracle” video went viral and increased revenue by 86%.
CASSIES Gold: MDA helps trigger gun policy change
With its “Skip Starbucks Saturdays,” Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America drove home a serious message.
CASSIES Gold: Hellmann’s stays real
The Unilever brand shed its “junk-in-a-jar” perception with a focus on simple ingredients and real food.
CASSIES Gold: Boston Pizza finds its happy place
Bringing a fun spin to classic and fictional characters, “Here to Make You Happy” delivered notable growth for the resto.
CASSIES Silver: Taco Bell makes angry consumers eat their words
To launch its Doritos Locos Taco, the QSR literally fed fans their own tweets and posts.
CASSIES Silver: Subaru’s rallying cry for increased sales
The auto brand put the “sport” back in SUV, engaging families with a twist on the typical test drive.
CASSIES Silver: Tangerine bears the fruits of branding success
To break through the clutter, the challenger bank unveiled its new identity, gaining awareness and clientele.
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CASSIES Silver: Heart & Stroke brings home increased donations
The charity shared survivors’ stories to highlight the impact donors can make.
CASSIES Silver: Canadian Tire celebrates unsung heroes
Aiming to connect athletes to people, Jonathan Toews and a cast of “everyday heroes” took centre stage in “Team Photo.”
CASSIES Silver: Volkswagen takes a gamified approach
A unique reverse-auction helped the car co speed through its pre-sale objectives.
CASSIES Silver: Raptors embrace northern identity
“We the North” came to life in just two weeks, but still managed to generate 546 million impressions.
CASSIES Silver: Oreo gets in on the Olympic spirit
The campaign focused on athletes and sportsmanship, and boosted Q1 dollar consumption by 16.3% within three weeks.
CASSIES Silver: SickKids focuses on the hero within
The hospital foundation stood out from the pack by sharing the strength and resilience of its patients.
CASSIES Silver: TD turns features into benefits
To stand out from the crowd, the bank touted its Mortgage Payment Vacation and secured 115% more mortgage deals than forecast.
CASSIES Silver: Maple Leaf changes lives with bacon
Eschewing the typical male target, the brand showed mom how bacon can make her days easier.
CASSIES Silver: Oka’s dual-market strategies
The brand took a two-pronged approach to break into Ontario and also reposition itself in Quebec as a daily cheese.
CASSIES Silver: Ivanhoe Cambridge encourages closet cleaning
The shopping centre owner increased Black Friday traffic, while getting consumers to make space for new purchases.
CASSIES Silver: McDonald’s shows its skinnier side
To boost sales of the decades-old Egg McMuffin, the QSR highlighted its lower-than-expected calorie count.
CASSIES Silver: Ikea breathes inspiration into catalogue pages
To build excitement for the retailer’s new catalogue, a campaign depicted home decor situations and ways to solve pain points.
CASSIES Silver: BMW drives new performance standards
As part of the M line launch campaign, a video featured an M1 drifting around the tallest rooftop helipad in the world.
CASSIES Silver: Koodo spices up the telco category
Koodo broke into the market with industry firsts such as no contracts, not to mention fun mascot El Tabador.
CASSIES Silver: Taking the fat and boredom out of pork
Les Eleveurs de porc du Quebec tackled two perceptions about the meat with re-education efforts.
CASSIES Silver: Koodo empowers consumers to help themselves
The telco launched its Koodo Community, a customizable, peer-to-peer support platform, which has become self-sustaining.
CASSIES Bronze: La Presse turns the page to a new readership
The French-language paper launched a free daily news app for iPad, plus an integrated campaign to promote it.
CASSIES Bronze: TFO channels insights
To combat TFO’s reputation as dated and elitist, plus flat to declining viewership levels, the “Je-ne-sais-quoi Télé” campaign was launched.
CASSIES Bronze: Honda drives long-term dominance
Executions that celebrated the nation built around Civic and messages of quality and dependability helped the car co stay on top.
CASSIES Bronze: University of Manitoba turns a negative into a positive
To turn around prospective students’ perceptions of Manitoba being cold, flat and remote, a two-phase campaign was launched.
CASSIES Bronze: Jackson-Triggs proves its universality
The brand shifted focus from “wine lovers” to “wine drinkers” and boost sales by more than 30%.
CASSIES Bronze: The Fonds de solidarité makes RRSPs relatable
The brand unveiled a creative platform that reminded young people in a light and funny tone that 30% more in tax savings is a 100% no-brainer.
CASSIES Bronze: Canadian Tire takes its Canadianness to digital
The retailer reinvented its catalogue online, featuring real people’s stories and their passions.
CASSIES Bronze: Who’da thought VW needed simplifying?
Resulting sales from the “Who’da thought” campaign made it the brand’s highest fall sales period in Canada.
CASSIES Bronze: BP’s wacky rib campaign nets serious results
From an unbranded Rib Stain Camo to the Ribnecks characters, Boston Pizza saw an ROI of 124%.
CASSIES Bronze: CAMH tells both sides of the story
“Understanding” told contrasting tales of seeking treatment for mental illness and going untreated.
CASSIES Bronze: Canadian Blood Services turns people into heroes
To engage young people, the “One Hero” campaign brought the target market into an immersive comic-book world online.
CASSIES Bronze: Alberta Health Services encourages quitting
To inspire smokers to try to quit again, a campaign poked fun at the bad choices we make until we get things right.
CASSIES Bronze: Honda drives home a successful spring
Rival neighbours Phil and Steve starred in book-ended spots to highlight the brand’s affordability.
CASSIES Bronze: Politicians’ losses were Workopolis’ gain
To show the site’s relevance, stickers were placed over defeated electoral candidates’ posters, welcoming them to Workopolis.
CASSIES Bronze: Vancouver Police Foundation leaves others in the shade
To raise awareness with a younger audience, VPF created an iconic pair of branded aviator sunglasses.
CASSIES Bronze: Ikea makes it quick and easy
The “Quick & Easy Room Makeover Show” showed couples working with a well-known designer to transform their rooms with Ikea textiles.
CASSIES Bronze: Nissan proves it’s a winter warrior
To offset the impression that the Nissan Rogue didn’t have off-road capabilities, a campaign akin to a Hollywood film trailer was created.
CASSIES Bronze: Selections Chartier goes where no wine has gone before
The brand promoted the world’s first “pairing-centric” range of wines and execeeded its first-year target within the first four months.
CASSIES Bronze: Strategic Milk Alliance milks every moment
With headlines like “Peanut butter and milk are soul mates. Jelly was just a fling,” the group highlighted milk’s role in enhancing the taste experience.
CASSIES Bronze: Shreddies shows its ‘Genuine Goodness’
To fight a decline in the cereal category, Post Foods shared simple stories of authentic Canadian goodness.
CASSIES Bronze: The Salvation Army makes a big change
“Tipping Point” showed how the smallest of donations (a coin in a kettle) could have an immediate impact.
CASSIES Bronze: Kraft shows the joys of guilty pleasures
“Shamefully Good” celebrated how adults (not just kids and students) enjoyed the iconic meal too.
CASSIES Bronze: York University looks ahead to get ahead
“This is my Time” featured York students sharing their visions of how they will help shape the world in the future.
CASSIES Bronze: Scotiabank demonstrates the power of free
The bank surprised movie-goers with free tickets and transactions in a variety of ways, such as hidden camera stunts.
The 2015 CASSIES
This year’s awards reflected changes in the industry, but as always, recognize ‘The work that worked.’
CASSIES 2015 judges
Meet the panel behind this year’s winning cases.
