SMALL AOY | SILVER

This article was originally published in the Fall issue of Strategy Magazine

Launched in 2020, Lifelong Crush was originally intended to be a supporting act for parent co. Broken Heart Love Affair. Now the only time LLC and BHLA cross paths is when their coffee mugs get mixed up in the office kitchen.

For the better part of the last two years, LLC has been building out its own brand, capabilities and reputation, entirely separate from BHLA. Its motion to become self-ruled was spurred on by creative powerhouses Christina Yu and Derek Blais stepping into co-CCO roles in 2023. “When we arrived two years ago, we strategically redesigned Lifelong Crush to be its own entity,” says Yu.

For example, for Kruger, a client that both agencies pitch work for, BHLA takes care of master brand platforms while LLC handles culture-focused work; things like the “Cashmere Collection” or “Ultraluxe Guide.” In fact, the “Ultraluxe Guide” came to fruition after hearing that the bathroom tissue category was keeping Kruger CMO Susan Irving up at night. That’s when Blais and Yu pitched the idea to create a Michelin Guide, but for restaurant bathrooms, to Irving. She bought the idea on the spot and rolled it out four weeks later. It was too brilliant to pass up, Irving told strategy.

“The idea came from the insight that everyone talks about restaurant bathrooms, but no one is setting a standard,” says Blais. The agency went whole-hog on the guide’s development, hiring bathroom inspectors, restaurant experts and interior designers to evaluate and rank the most luxurious restaurant bathrooms in the country. “I feel proud of the multi-dimensional, multi-channel approach we pulled off,” says Yu. “We want [more] clients who are looking for more than just a typical campaign.”

Inspired by its moniker, Yu says the agency’s focus is to develop “unconstrained ideas” that “stick with you, that leave a lasting impression. You never forget your lifelong crush. We aim to create brands that occupy people’s minds in that way… [And] we watch for those genuine reactions that signal we’ve created something that’ll work.”

The CCOs recognize that finding new ideas that hold consumers’ attention is a tall order in our ever-connected society. “There’s a constant barrage of information coming at you every day, whether it’s in advertising messages or daily scrolling,” says Blais. “There’s never been a better time to be creative. It’s more challenging than ever before, but that also means the work has to be much more creative to grab attention for our clients’ marketing investment.”

As for its workforce, Lifelong Crush’s strategy is to find talent who are “multi-hyphenated,” as Blais puts it. “Our team possesses strong craft, creative and production skills,” he adds, noting that LLC is set up differently from your traditional shop, in that the teams are also responsible for all aspects of in-house production and development. Much of the agency is made up of dual-talent team members – for example, designers who are also able to direct a shoot.

This Jack-and-Jill-of-all-trades hiring strategy came about after recognizing that its clients are required to work faster than ever, says Yu. “This has motivated us to work smarter, especially when it comes to production. We focus on finding talent who are multi-hyphenated so we can collapse those layers to problem-solve faster and more efficiently.”

The agency spent the last two years carving out its independence by assembling the right team. But in the years to come, “we’re dedicated to finding the right clients and developing those unconstrained ideas,” says Yu. “Finding universal truths that are globally relevant is something that we’re really excited about.”

New Business
Kicking Horse, Hayu, Arterra Wines, Scarborough Health Network Foundation, Lee Valley Tools, Kelsey’s, Brain Canada Foundation, OK Tire

Office
Toronto

Staff
24

Cases

The “Love Scarborough” campaign for Scarborough Health Network Foundation aimed to shift perceptions and boost funding for underfunded healthcare. By showcasing the resilience and dedication of SHN staff, the campaign secured $8 million in donations, garnered 1.1 billion media impressions and improved community support by 12%.

The “Let’s Do Something” campaign for Lee Valley Tools reignited Canadians’ passion for DIY hobbies. Through its winter “Second Life” effort and a spring campaign, Lee Valley achieved over 22 million impressions and a 439% return on ad spend.

Lifelong Crush’s “Cashmere UltraLuxe Bathroom Guide” for Kruger redefined bathroom luxury by ranking top restaurant bathrooms using a Michelin-like rating. The approach generated more than 32 million impressions and boosted product mentions.