Broken Heart Love Affair (BHLA) co-founders Todd Mackie and Denise Rossetto have a lot of history with Go RVing Canada, but now they’ll be a part of shaping the organization’s future.

Go RVing Canada has selected BHLA to serve as its creative AOR, replacing incumbent Doug&Partners and joining a roster that includes Jungle Media and Agnostic. The agency won the assignment through an RFP process.

“BHLA is now part of an integrated team and we’re all functioning under one platform,” says Chris Mahony, president of the lifestyle organization. That platform, known as Wildhood, was first ideated by Mackie and Rossetto while the pair were with Doug&Partners in 2015, and Go RVing Canada continues to draw upon it as the foundation for their messaging to this day.

“A lot of people talk about the brands they want to work on, but the way we’ve talked about things is who we want to work with. That makes a huge difference as to whether a brand is successful or not,” explains Mackie, now a partner and CCO at BHLA. “We had a great relationship with Chris [Mahony] a long time ago, and we created something really special. To have that opportunity again is a lot of pressure on us.”

This is a critical time for the RVing industry, which experienced a boom during the pandemic in spite of a wave of dealer closures due to lockdowns. With people seeking an escape from their homes that was safe and complied with restrictions, RVing saw “a huge increase in demand,” Mahony told strategy in February, with increases in its website activity that showed people were planning trips and spikes in demand at dealers.

Now, Go RVing Canada is looking to seize this moment and capitalize on it, converting the pandemic audience into lifelong RV enthusiasts.

“Our audience has grown significantly, and now what we’re looking to do is speak to this new audience in a different way,” explains Mahony.

To start, BHLA is going to “take a step back strategically” to get a lay of the post-pandemic land and a better understanding of who the customer is now, Mackie says. “There’s a lot to figure out before something hits the air.”

“We keep talking about all of the freedoms that were taken away from us [during lockdown] that we may have taken for granted. RVing gives us the ultimate freedom to go and explore any piece of land we’re attached to,” says Mackie. “There’s a huge opportunity to explore the current mindset of consumers, get a real clear look at how people are feeling, and find out where this brand can sit in their hearts. We can play a role in their happiness.”