Sid Lee and Cheekbone’s plan to tell more positive Indigenous stories wins IDEA Award
During its Upfront presentation on Thursday, Bell Media didn’t just roll out the new shows it had picked up for its fall schedule – it also announced that its jury had picked Sid Lee and Indigenous-owned cosmetics brand Cheekbone Beauty as the winner of the first IDEA Award.
First announced last year by the ICA and Bell Media, the Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity in Advertising Awards were established not just to generate entries that celebrate diversity on-screen, but back it up with diversity behind the scenes and during the campaign development.
Sid Lee’s entry was based around a more positive “smear campaign” that would block out negative headlines about Indigenous communities to instead focus on news that champions positivity and defiance. Details on exactly how the campaign does that are being saved for the campaign launch – which will now be supported through $1 million in ad inventory from Bell Media – but Zemina Moosa, EVP and head of account services at Sid Lee Toronto, told strategy it will mostly be through a campaign strategy that aims to “reclaim the narrative” of Indigenous people in the media.
“This is exactly the type of project our artisans at Sid Lee leap out of bed to work on,” Moosa said in an email. “We can’t wait to cheer from the sidelines as Cheekbone Beauty’s business grows into a global empire and we are dedicated to support them reaching their full potential.”
Edelman picks up AOR duties for Sol Cuisine
Canadian plant-based food brand Sol Cuisine has picked Edelman as its agency of record in North America to drive awareness and growth as it continues to expand its product portfolio.
Led by the agency’s Toronto office, Edelman will handle creative strategy on a new integrated campaign that is set to launch later this year, as well as earned media, influencer relations and digital strategy and content.
Ken Cross, CMO at Sol Cuisine, says the company has plans to further expand its product portfolio, which already includes plant-based burgers, appetizers and roasts, as well as distribution in Canada and the U.S. He adds that the integrated approach Edelman presented will make the agency “a great partner” as it looks to support its growth by evolving its brand and increasing awareness.
Match Marketing Group names new head of business development
Ryan Macor has been named VP of business development for both Public Label Canada and Match Retail, two agencies that formerly made up Match Marketing Group, which relaunched in December into separate agencies.
Previously known as Match Marketing, the agency was split up in December under the Match Marketing Group banner so each could have more “clarity of purpose” and focus on their core strengths: Match on retail and merchandising, and Public Label on integrated advertising, experiential and shopper marketing.
Reporting to Public Label’s SVP of growth Stephanie Sumner, Macor will be responsible for leading growth initiatives for both agencies. He will be initially focused on finding new opportunities in the Canadian market, though in the future will work on expanding Match Retail into the U.S. He joins from Influence Marketing, where he was director of experiential and digital marketing and worked with clients including Moosehead, Xbox, Corby, Twisted Tea, Onlia Insurance, Sony and Homedics Canada.
