Hires and promotions
Montreal agency Adviso has announced a wave of new hires across several disciplines, including analytics, UX, digital media and content marketing. Joining the agency are: Ehsan Seyedian as a developer on the analytics team, Edouard Reinach as a digital transformation consultant, Morgane Loffroy as an SEO and content marketing specialist, Camille Dupuy Groulx and Xavier Mainville as a digital media analyst, Rosemarie Leroux as office manager, Hugo Martin-Bonneville as a client experience strategist and Vanessa Garcia as a digital media campaign manager.
Montreal agency Prospek has brought on Peter McMahon as office manager and Yohann Cuppens as a specialist in SEM and digital marketing. McMahon has experience from BBDO and Saint-Jacques Vallée (Taxi), while Cuppens has worked at TC Media and Ressac.
Hill+Knowlton Strategies has added Isaac Ransom as an account director to its public affairs team in Toronto. He most recently worked with Socom Strategic Outcomes, an issues and crisis management firm based in Melbourne, Australia.
Matt Chong has joined Fifth Story, a Toronto-based content marketing agency, as VP of brand partnerships. He arrives having served as VP of strategic development and partnerships at Notable Life and as manager of strategy and development at Maru Matchbox. He also serves as marketing director of the Chong Tea Co., an “e-commerce startup focused on educating and sharing exceptional experiences through tea,” as well as president of the American Marketing Association’s Toronto Chapter.
New business and other news
Multicultural agency Barrett and Welsh has been selected to develop strategy and creative for Nia Centre for the Arts, a professional multidisciplinary centre for African-Canadian art based in Toronto. The agency will work to create community engagement and awareness of Nia’s role, plans and work, according to Gavin Barrett, CCO at Barrett and Welsh. The shop was awarded the business last week ahead of the Canada Day long weekend.
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has selected National Public Relations as its public relations AOR following a review. The firm will seek to drive awareness and engagement for the gallery’s collections, major exhibitions and special programming through strategic communications, media and influencer relations and general communications.
Media Profile will work to build awareness for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) through media and influencer relations and events, having been appointed its Canadian consumer public relations AOR by R&R Partners, a Las Vegas-based marketing and PR firm. Rob Dondero, EVP at R&R Partners, and who played a role in the selection, said in a release that Media Profile stood out for its “creativity, energy and strategic thinking” during a competitive review. He said the agency was looking to work with a regional PR partner, seeing as Canada is the number one international visitation market for Las Vegas.
North America restaurant consultancy The Fifteen Group Inc. has acquired Fervid Communications, a Toronto-based hospitality-focused marketing agency launched in 2016. The acquisition helps round out The Fifteen Group’s service offering with the addition of marketing and PR. It already offers branding and restaurant conception services, operations management, staff training, menu development, kitchen design and financial consulting.
Media
Giants & Gentlemen has entered the media space through a deal to bring on brand and marketing agency Push as an in-house media partner. Push is G&G’s third in-house partner and adds media planning and execution to the latter’s existing offering of brand strategy, creative and design services (full story for Media in Canada subscribers).
Bell has taken a minority interest in OverActive Media and become the e-sports company’s first founding marketing partner. The multi-year deal makes Bell an exclusive partner for team sponsorship, content integration, event production, activations and traditional and digital advertising.
