Taxi elevates staff in creative, design, client services and production

Leading the promotions is Frank Macera, who is now group creative director. Having first joined the agency as a creative director in 2017, Macera will be focusing on the agency’s Audi, Canada Life and Koho Financial work.

ACDs Alexis Caron-Côté and Alexandre Béland have also been promoted to creative director roles in Montreal. The duo’s recent work includes recent win Circle K, and with the promotions will play a larger role in the agency’s national work. Designer Meriç Karabulut, who was hired in 2018, has been promoted to ACD Design, contributing to the agency’s national design practice.

Outside of the creative department, Seth Waterman has been named group director of client engagement and will take on more duties supporting business coming from VMLY&R. Tim Pelz has also been named director of production operations, who will oversee the agency’s national delivery services teams from Vancouver.

Taxi said the promotions were tied to new business from Koho and Ungava Gin, as well as growth the agency has experienced in Canada thanks to its work on global assignments through the VMLY&R network, including Microsoft, Intel, Lululemon, and Boots.

Arrivals + Departures to lead work on Twisted Tea

Moosehead Breweries has assigned work for its Twisted Tea brand to Arrivals + Departures without a review.

The assignment includes strategic and communications planning, creative, multimedia production as well as leading an integrated collaboration model for media, PR, experiential marketing, sponsorships and retail/trade marketing. Mike Bevacqua, partner and president at Arrivals + Departures, says the plan is to utilize Twisted Tea’s “significant momentum” and engage consumers with experiences that reflect the brand’s “innovative and fun” spirit. The first creative is expected to launch in the spring.

Twisted Tea is one of the brands from The Boston Beer Company that Moosehead distributes in Canada through a long-standing partnership. Arrivals + Departures already leads Canadian work for Truly Hard Seltzer, Samuel Adams and Angry Orchard – the other brands included in the partnership – and the agency’s track record made the new assignment “a straight-forward decision,” according to Trevor Grant, VP of marketing and sales at Moosehead Breweries.

Earlier this month, Moosehead picked Toronto agency Conflict to lead creative duties on its own core lineup.

Simplii picks Pomp & Circumstance as new PR AOR

Pomp & Circumstance has solidified its relationship with Simplii Financial, being named its new PR AOR.

Though selected following a competitive RFP process, Pomp & Circumstance had already been working with the CIBC-owned digital banking brand on a project basis. As Simplii’s AOR, the agency will work with Simplii’s internal teams and other agency partners to oversee PR strategy and creative development, campaign launches and media and influencer relations.

Last fall, Simplii picked Broken Heart Love Affair as its new agency of record on the strategy and creative front.