To help Canadian business owners consider a .CA over a .COM, G&G leveraged the Canada Goose, who, while being a proud symbol of Canada, are also complete jerks. Our “anti-mascot” nudged small business owners into make the right domain choice and won a silver CMA Award.
For over a decade, Toronto’s G&G Advertising – AKA Giants & Gentlemen – has supported big brands like Harvey’s, Enercare, RBC, the Canadian Internet Registry Authority (CIRA), and Clover Leaf. Despite having a roster of high-profile clients, G&G co-founder and co-CCO Alanna Nathanson says it’s been a tough year for small shops. So she and her partner Natalie Armata strategized on the right solution for the next phase of the agency.
As it turns out, the answer was strength in complementary indies. In May, G&G was acquired by Acart Communications, an Ottawa-based agency known for its work with the Ottawa Senators and Food Cycler. Under the deal, G&G kept its name and branding and now operates as a specialist brand under the Acart Communications umbrella.
Once constrained by its size and resources, G&G now has access to a robust media trade desk, motion graphics team, developers, a full suite of strategic offerings and leadership. ”It’s a game-changer for our clients to have access to all of these competencies, for highly responsive, cost-effective and successful campaigns,” Armata notes. G&G gets to retain and continue to build the hands-on partnership service that’s become part of its core while adding bench strength and services for clients who like the agility of an independent agency but want to work with a one-stop-shop.
Acart’s CRO Andrew McWiggan and its CSO Theresa Forman, have joined Armata and Nathanson on the G&G executive team and, according to Nathanson, the transition has been “seamless.”
“The chemistry was there from the start; we all share the same ethos and work ethic. We knew right away that we were better together,” says Armata.
To highlight the complexities of an abusive relationship G&G worked with Assaulted Women’s Helpline to create the “Inescapable House” experience: an actual open house complete with realtor signs and brochures that sealed up once would be house hunters entered leaving no escape much like those living that experience in IRL. Clues were also left in each room, such as make-up in the bathroom to cover up bruises and flowers bought by the abuser to show the cycle.
“We are excited to contribute a robust strategic practice to G+G clients. Expanding our footprint in Toronto, widening our market segmentation, and adding complementary skills were all a win-win-win, it’s been a wonderful experience,” says Forman.
It’s a partnership that builds on what makes G&G most effective: A model and USP that sees the agency as part of the client’s team helping to build out a long term brand vision.
“Our ideal client sees us as a partner. They want to collaborate,” McWiggan adds, “so we can drive results to build the business together.”
Nathanson calls out CIRA’s 2022 “Listen to the goose” campaign. Getting audiences to talk about, much less think about, the importance of
registering a .CA domain isn’t easy. “It’s a tough, low-interest category,” Nathanson admits.
The solution was to go for laughs, opting for a fun, irreverent approach that only becomes possible when the agency has built trust with the brand. The spots feature a Canada goose as a .CA enforcer, using its famously ornery nature to “guide” undecided domain buyers into clicking the Canadian choice. “Humour became the great unifier,” she notes.
Another important campaign for G&G was its ongoing work for the Assaulted Women’s Helpline (AWHL) in Ontario. This year’s campaign was an evolution of 2023’s “When you live with abuse, there’s no easy way out” work, which was built around the insight that, on average, it takes a woman seven attempts to leave an abusive relationship.
That campaign featured the exterior of a house with no entrances or windows, a creative concept that G&G and AWHL wanted to expand. “This year, we shifted the point of view, staging the scene like an open house, but once people came in, everything would seal up, and there would be no way out.”
To highlight the complexities of an abusive relationship G&G worked with Assaulted Women’s Helpline to create the “Inescapable House” experience: an actual open house complete with realtor signs and brochures that sealed up once would be house hunters entered leaving no escape much like those living that experience in IRL. Clues were also left in each room, such as make-up in the bathroom to cover up bruises and flowers bought by the abuser to show the cycle.
The new iteration needed to convey the complexities around being psychologically trapped versus physically, a nuanced POV that Nathanson says required close collaboration and the deep understanding borne out of a long, close client relationship.
The campaign exceeded expectations, garnering over three million impressions and earning national coverage in over 10 different media outlets.
The attention- and award-winning work underscores the strength of the small shop, and with robust end-to-end services, G&G can provide a top tier client experience, data to optimize results, and production efficiencies like never before. Nathanson says, “Our model, and the people we work with, are still all about being able and eager to wear many hats and be part of building the business. Our tone is light-hearted, self-deprecating and fun. Advertising is supposed to be fun. Yes, the work can be hard, and you need to take it seriously… but don’t take yourself too seriously.”
CONTACT:
Andrew McWiggan
Partner & CRO
andrew.mcwiggan@gandgadvertising.com
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