Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) wanted to motivate politicians to reform outdated auto insurance regulation and move from antiquated “pink slips” to digital solutions. Paradigm developed a creative digital and XM solution – the Museum of Outdated Technology – opening the door for change, and resulting in the Alberta government announcing a move to digital pink slips.

Sometimes you get those stop-and-think moments – those deep insights that change the way you think.

For Paradigm , it was work with two clients early on that resonated: PokerStars.net and Energizer Personal Care (now Edgewell Personal Care). Both arrived soon after the Toronto-based company’s 2007 launch, and both drove home the same learnings.

“What became apparent early on,” recalls Partner Tracey Bochner, “is what they seemed to value most from us was our strategic insight, our creativity and our marketing strategy.”

To tell the story of Bulldog Skincare, Paradigm focuses on special events, media relations, influencers and social media to highlight the brand’s authentic voice. That’s helped Bulldog become the fastest growing men’s skincare brand in Canada.

Bochner explains they were being brought in on work that was well beyond the scope of traditional PR. “We were being tasked with programs that delivered against business objectives, not just communications objectives. We were doing promotions, events, sponsorships, sampling and digital. The outcome was that our business ended up evolving to meet that demand.”

When it comes to Edgewell, for example, Paradigm started by working on PR for one brand, but it grew to PR, digital and XM across all the company’s brands – all because the client challenged them and Paradigm stepped up and delivered.

Paradigm has worked with Hawaiian Tropic for over 12 years, helping transition the brand from beauty pageant sponsor to beauty mainstay. Paradigm reached a new audience by launching HT’s social channels (including the first Hawaiian Tropic Twitter page), Canadian Instagram page, as well as creating influencer events and programs.

Those early lessons refined how Paradigm viewed success, turning it strongly towards what marketers care about most. “If the solution is focused on the business impact, it’s no longer vanity metrics of: ‘Well, we got you this much exposure,’” observes Partner at Paradigm, Mike Abbass. “You have to back it up with meaningful KPIs. We measure our work against what matters to our clients.”

Timex continues to introduce new collections, sponsorships and partnerships with brands such as Peanuts and Todd Snyder. Over the last decade Paradigm’s work with Timex Canada has evolved from media relations to span social media, event support and influencer marketing, working with names like Adam Joseph Chase and Matty Conrad.

Clear evidence of the company’s results-oriented thinking shows in recent work for the Insurance Bureau of Canada in Alberta. When you think ‘modern and responsive,’ odds are insurance is not something that immediately springs to mind. This is an industry, after all, that still requires you to drive around with little pink slips of paper in your glove box to prove you’re covered.

So, how do you start a conversation about modernization?

As the PR AOR, Paradigm works with Under Armour on its influencer marketing to showcase the brand as a leading innovator in performance apparel and footwear. Montreal-based brand ambassador Jennifer Rochon was featured in a global campaign to launch the Infinity sports bra and Meridian leggings.

Well, you create the Museum of Outdated Technology (MOOT), a dusty old destination filled with all the best tech of the ’80s – giant cell phones, fax machines, Sony Walkmen and… an insurance display that hasn’t changed at all since then. “They came to us and said: ‘We need to get people to pay attention,’” recalls Bochner of their sit-down with IBC. “Some way that’s funny… which is not usually how people talk about insurance.  Insurance is boring and everyone knows that. So we needed something that was super attention-grabbing.”

A combination of social and a live event for MOOT timed to the recent provincial election in Alberta opened the door for conversations between the government and IBC, and a move to electronic pink slips was soon announced. Job done. Paradigm is now hard at work creating the next big change.

And how hard was it to sell a self-deprecating campaign to an industry leader? Not hard at all, it turns out. “These are, without question, some of the smartest people we’ve

ever worked with,” says Bochner of her insurance client. “They are a perfect example of a really great partner who is always open to listening to a new creative approach.”

Abbass concurs: success comes down to a client that’s ready to unleash the team’s potential. “We love working with partners who allow us to help solve their business and communication problems, versus being an afterthought.”

And that’s why it comes back to being able to offer end-to-end PR, digital and experiential service. “For us, [growing out] XM was probably the smartest business decision we made,” notes Abbass. “PR people have always done events and solved problems but XM people are great at creating experiences.”

As the North American digital, PR and XM AOR for Playtex Baby, Paradigm connects the brand with its core consumers, pre-natal and new moms, focusing on digital media, influencer marketing, media relations and sampling to impact Diaper Genie and bottle sales.

Beyond the award-winning IBC work, you can see Paradigm’s deft hand on campaigns like Schick Hydro’s “The Man I Am,” Under Armour, recent work for the NFL, and more. And as brands need to change gears quickly, the fact that this 22 person shop is accustomed to being flexible and lean comes in handy. “We’re built for speed,” sums up Bochner. “We can deliver the programs, the big ideas, the executions – quickly.”

CONTACT:
Tracey Bochner
Partner
tbochner@paradigmpr.ca