DIGITAL | GOLD + PR | BRONZE

This story was originally published in the 2023 fall issue of strategy magazine.

By Chelsea Clarke

FCB describes itself as an agency that’s “never finished.” There’s always further to go creatively, more dynamic ways to work, and deeper insights to be made. But the agency’s most significant work-inprogress might be its digital landscape.

“Our goal isn’t just about disruption,” says FCB’s CSO Shelley Brown. “Instead, we understand what people are trying to accomplish—then how our brands can be a part of that.”

Perfecting the integration of data and technological advancements is, like the digital world itself, constantly evolving. But what FCB brings to that is a fearless sense of play: “We’re always inventing new things, developing new processes, and trying new tools,” says Brown. “It’s a state of ongoing investment through experimentation and exploration.”

Take, for example, OLG’s Lotto Max Dream Bars. Igniting millennial and Gen Z consumers’ desire for obscure, limited edition snacks, FCB created ice-cream bars inspired by millionaire lifestyles – with names such as Designer Handbag, Private Island, Grail Sneaker and Rare Oil Painting. Each purchase included a QR code for a free lotto ticket and OLG saw a 50% lift in brand consideration from its target demographic, as well as 56 million impressions.

Digital practices were expertly woven into this campaign. FCB used more than a dozen social listening tools, such as Infegy and Netbase, to intantly capture viral trends so they could release new flavours and capitalize on cultural moments.

Additionally, it captured first-party data when consumers redeemed a free-play ticket in an effort to draw consumers into the OLG universe, which provided the team with information for future campaign success.

“User experience is important, but it’s the empathy and understanding of what people are looking for in the moment,” says FCB’s CEO Bryan Kane. “We determine how a brand can meet that need in a way that achieves both the business objective and the consumer expectation.”

Its ongoing investment in digital has led FCB to create strategic teams that are dedicated to developing dynamic creative, such as video and AI integration, and supporting the ideation and production processes with technology.

“Tech isn’t a stage at the end w here someone is asked to go make something. Instead, our ideas are informed and infused with tech,” says Kane.

“Strategy, creative and production are working together,” adds Brown.

Digital capabilities have played an integral role in better understanding consumers. “The element that’s made our success repeatable and ongoing is rooted in understanding what’s happening in a consumer’s life,” says Kane.

“We’re able to understand human behavior in an authentic environment, rather than have people sitting in a focus group,” notes Brown. “We can understand their actions and interests, what they’re engaging with, and what they care about. That allows us to bring brands into a relationship with people in a completely new way.”

Indeed, the agency’s top campaigns have capitalized on cultural and societal insights.

For the Canadian Down Syndrome Society, it connected jobseekers with mentors via LinkedIn; turned rainbows into donations that benefitted 2LGBTQ+ organization Rainbow Road for BMO; promoted visibility for neurodivergent athletes in Adidas’s “Runner 321” campaign, and improved commuters’ mental health with Corona’s “SunBrew.”

“At our core, we want to unlock unique possibilities for our clients that our competitors can’t,” says Kane.

“There’s lots of activity coming from brands that are trying new things that don’t really make sense for them,” adds Brown. “We intentionally work to get a sense of what our brands are, and which brands feel right on which platforms.”

As FCB continues to make tech and digital advancements its playground, the agency views the evolution as a limitless chance to improve. It’s investing in its team, creating roles such as VP of creative innovation, with former FCB/Six-er Eli Ferrara stepping into the position last year. His job has been to pioneer new formats and educate FCB employees and clients on fledgling platforms like the metaverse and gaming, or refining the network’s ability to collect first-party data and integrate it into its work.

“We recognize how marrying creativity with data and technology can lead to better creative solutions for our clients. It’s at the heart of everything we do and fundamental to fully understanding and intercepting the consumer journey in the most effective way,” CCO Nancy Crimi-Lamanna told strategy at the time.

“Technology makes us more creative, not less,” adds Brown. “And for brands, that means we’ll continue to prove that creativity drives business – it’s an economic multiplier and the secret ingredient to the most effective work.”

“Technology informs the dimensions of an idea to realize its full potential,” adds Kane. “Months from now – not years – our creative teams will be empowered with a whole new suite of tools to create work that blows our minds and does incredible things for our clients.”

New Business

Quickbooks, Pawsome, North Cover, Greenstone, Fifty Up, UL, BDO, Unite Students

Offices

Toronto and Montréal

Staff

288

CASES | DIGITAL

1. Snack (and dream) bigger! The FCB Lotto Max “Dream Bars” campaign engaged young adults with ticket-inspired ice cream bars. Flavours mimicked millionaire luxuries (like Designer Handbag or Private Island), and each had a QR code for a lottery ticket. Proceeds supported Friends of Ruby, aiding the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

2. BMO’s “Rainbow Deposits” transformed Pride Month support into tangible action. Using an app, users turned rainbow photos into $1 donations for Rainbow Railroad, in support of persecuted 2LGBTQ+ globally. The rainbows could be real, from another brand, or featured on a piece of clothing. The campaign also included social media, window decals, and influencers showcasing the rainbow deposits.

CASES | PR

1. Running toward inclusion. The “Runner 321” campaign by FCB for the Canadian Down Syndrome Society aimed to inspire and promote visibility for athletes with Down syndrome by reserving the number “321” for a neurodivergent athlete in marathons. Adidas also got involved, launching the campaign with athlete Chris Nikic, its first sponsored athlete with Down syndrome.

2. “Keep Up Can” for GE Appliances acted as a portal to connect Canadians with Team Canada in Qatar. Fans used an augmented reality filter to participate in what became the biggest game of virtual keep-ups. The experience also provided fans with a platform to share messages of support.

3. Corona faced the challenge of standing out during the country’s cold winters. So FCB created “Sunshine Underground,” an immersive sunlight-filled experience in a 250-foot-long underground commuter tunnel that included lights, Muskoka chairs,