CIBC picks Courage, Oliver for AOR assignments

CIBC has selected two new agencies – Courage and Oliver – to lead its creative following a review.

The new assignments will see Courage  a new agency started earlier this year – tackle origination and “big picture creative thinking,” while Oliver will deliver high-quality production.

“Over the past year, our focus has been on modernizing how we bring the CIBC brand and our purpose to life,” says Tammy Sadinsky, SVP of brand and marketing for CIBC. “As we begin this new chapter for our brand, we are excited to partner with Courage and Oliver, two globally recognized agencies, who share our strategic and creative vision and will help take our brand to the next level with execution excellence.”

Courage, founded earlier this year by former Rethinkers Dhaval Bhatt, Joel Holtby and Niki Sahni, will lead the bank’s creative strategy and develop breakthrough concepts for the institution.

“We started this agency to help people and brands find their courage. The way CIBC has embraced this notion from our very first conversation, we couldn’t be more excited for this opportunity to do work that breaks conventions,” says Bhatt, the agency’s CCO.

Oliver, meanwhile, will serve as the bank’s implementation agency, taking the ideas developed by Courage and executing them. David Carey, managing director at Oliver, says the agency is energized to work with the bank given its focus on “the constant modernization of an industry.”

The assignments mark an end to the decade-long relationship between Juniper Park\TBWA and the bank. The news comes just one year after the launch of a major rebrand for the financial institution by Juniper Park\TBWA, and shortly after the debut of the latest campaign in its “Ambitions Made Real” platform.