Canada’s second-largest supermarket chain has selected Corporate Communications Ltd. of Halifax to handle its advertising and direct marketing work in Atlantic Canada. Stellarton, N.S.-based Sobeys named CCL as agency of record in late January, after holding a review that also included Cossette Atlantic and Bristol Communications, also of Halifax.

Sobeys hasn’t determined whether CCL will also take charge of its Quebec and Ontario business, and is currently focusing its attention on Eastern Canada, where the retailer is trying to fend off the aggressive expansion of Loblaws, the country’s biggest supermarket chain.

CCL will handle the retailer’s TV, print and online creative, and will also assume responsibility for Club Sobeys, the grocer’s loyalty program. Halifax-based Clary Fleming & Associates, an incumbent on the Sobeys account, will continue to head up radio creative, as well as media buying and event marketing.

With the pandemic continuing to keep in-person events off the table, innovation isn’t just a bonus – it’s an imperative. Companies need creative tech to engage with consumers, whether that’s live-streaming, gaming or data-driven personalization. This is the year that remote comes first, making it an opportune time to experiment with format, devices and tools.

Joshua Richards

Director, Creative Technology, john st.