The $1.5-million Sporting Life account has moved to Gee Jeffrey & Partners, Toronto, after three years with Grey Canada.
The new agency chose an innovative way to announce the win.
A box arrived emblazoned with the words, ‘These days, it takes a lot of balls to make it in retail.’ Inside, along with a selection of four sports balls, it reads: ‘It takes even more to change your advertising.’
Sporting Life is an upscale Toronto retailer with 55,000 square feet devoted to equipment for skiing and racquet sports, as well as shoes and clothing for all lifestyle sports.
It will also be opening a bicycle store late next March, just a few blocks from the original location, and is using the retail space as a clearance centre until then.
Alan Gee, chairman of Gee Jeffrey, says that Sporting Life is a big newspaper advertiser and roughly requires about 200 different ads a year.
New advertising in September will see the retailer venture into tv and billboard advertising.
Gee says Sporting Life has been concerned about losing brand profile, with its heavy emphasis on promotional advertising.
The new campaign will be a departure from anything it has done in the past, and will put more emphasis on its image without sacrificing its success at the cash register. PS
