Dentsu and SkipTheDishes created “The Inflation Cookbook” which tracked the top ten price drops each week across retailers and turned those into shoppable recipes. Taking inflation out of shopping.
The phrase “be tough on the work and be kind to each other,” according to Dentsu Canada’s CEO Stephen Kiely, encapsulates the strategic approach that has propelled the agency to a record-breaking year. For Kiely, who has been with Dentsu for 18 years and assumed the role of CEO of the firm’s Canadian media, data, and creative business in 2022, this year’s success can also be attributed to the effort dedicated to uniting creative talent, data-driven tools, and strategic strategic media planning and investment. The agency’s mantra, “innovating to impact,” permeates every project undertaken by its 1,220 staff members across offices in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver.
Describing it differently, this ethos of being “tough but kind” has resulted in over 40 awards in the past year, including a recent Best in Show Marketing Award and a Best of Discipline One Show Award for its collaboration with Skip the Dishes. Additionally, Dentsu Canada has secured contracts with prominent new clients including: Perrier, Haagen Dazs, Air Miles, and Carlsberg.
Each division of the agency is overseen by seasoned professionals, with renowned creative leader Jordan Doucette assuming the position of president of Dentsu Creative, in addition to her role as chief creative officer earlier this year. Kiely proudly states that the creative team is producing industry-leading work that is both “beautifully loud and ambitious.”
Dentsu took Subway’s ‘Globally Inspired’ menu ads out of the restaurant and into the world, showcasing the diverse culinary experiences that inspired the new offerings, aimed at appealing to younger Canadians.
Leading the data side is Walter Flaat, who has been promoted to chief product officer and helps clients use the power of data to inform the development of campaigns.
Dentsu, under Flaat’s leadership, is pioneering “unbiased advertising” and AI by collaborating with industry leaders to establish best practices for data use. The team focuses on understanding Canadians better through data collection and fostering an open, secure, and interoperable data landscape, exemplified by the evolution of their data flagship product, Merkury. As a leader in AI enablement, Dentsu integrates AI into its teams and products, with Flaat leading efforts in Canada to support AI enablement in client organizations. His work helps boards navigate shareholder pressures to implement AI effectively and ethically.
Dentsu brought Mastercard’s 2024 Grammys campaign to the center stage with an electrifying SZA performance at Grammy House, encouraging engagement in the Priceless Planet Coalition’s mission to restore global forests.
The three media brands are led by industry veterans Jennifer Lewis, Carat, Tracey Johnson, iProspect and Moira Gilderson, Dentsu X. Nicole Brown rounds out the leadership team heading up the investment arm of Dentsu. “Our work drives impact at the convergence of marketing, technology and consulting” Kiely says “so it’s critical our media brand leads have that omnipresent vision across the full-funnel spectrum and this is a deep bench of media talent, leadership and strategic thinking”.
By harnessing the mobilizing power of music, Mastercard urged action for the environment, partnering with Lyft and SiriusXM to restore 100 million trees, and fostering positive climate impact and community resilience.
Dentsu’s recent “Following Wildfire” campaign for ethical apparel company TenTree exemplifies the synergy between its data, creative, and media teams. The campaign encourages social media users to tag nature images with #FollowingWildfire, which are then scanned in real-time by a remote sensing AI algorithm for early signs of wildfires. This innovative approach integrates regional weather and vegetation data to assess the potential fire for ignition, spread and intensity. A trained wildfire specialist reviews positive detections to rule out false positives and validate the geo-location of the image. Social media users are then instructed to contact their local fire authority hotline to advise when there is a confirmed fire detection.According to Doucette, “Following Wildfire” harnesses the combined power of transformative creativity, data, and technology to provide a tool that enables every Canadian to contribute to wildfire management eefforts with iProspect leading media investment.
Kiely sees campaigns like “Following Wildfire” as a testament to Dentsu Canada’s overarching goal: to contribute to culture, improve society and shape the future. “This is a group that’s committed to good, but also giving our clients a competitive advantage and I’m just in awe of all of them,” Kiely says.
CONTACT:
Kate Dobrucki
SVP communications
kate.dobrucki@dentsu.com
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Media Experts: Building better connections between brands and audiences
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