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

In early 2023, McCann Worldgroup Canada – which turned 108 this year – brought on CCO Ian Mackenzie from three-year-old, pure-play digital shop Performance Art, which was simultaneously folded into the agency. In addition to his CCO duties, Mackenzie was also named McCann’s global AI creative lead. A couple weeks after his hiring, the agency launched “See You There” for Black & Abroad.

The campaign was more than a way for the cultural collective to connect with Black tourists – it also helped uncover the biases that exist in AI. During development, the team found that Gen AI was having challenges creating non-stereotypical images of Black travellers – many of the pictures looked like they were from poverty-stricken areas in Africa. Responding to this discovery, McCann created a website showing how AI models failed to show Black travellers in various locations, and encouraged others to take their photos in popular tourist spots using #WhereIsTheBlackTraveler.

“What we are trying to do is unleash the full potential of every idea that we have, and it’s almost impossible to do that without digital,” says AJ Jones, chief strategy officer at McCann Worldgroup Canada. “Whether it involves a tremendously complex AI campaign or a billboard, McCann always thinks in terms of ideas rather than mediums.”

Bringing on a data-driven creative like Mackenzie – who has spent decades tinkering with tech and developing a host of award-winning work that lives in the digital-sphere – was not McCann’s first move to magnify its digital expertise. While McCann Worldgroup boasts a 12,000-plus workforce in 122 countries, with 215 staffers in Canada, Mackenzie says investing in skilled creative, strategy and innovation-related talent has always been a pillar of the agency’s growth strategy.

In addition, the McCann team also has a global network to tap into when a campaign calls for higher production needs. For example, the agency’s Barcelona office is known for its CGI work. Meanwhile, the Toronto office is considered a “global centre of excellence” within the network when it comes to video post-production work. “We have an amazing team of post-producers, editors, motion graphics editors and VFX artists. Our team takes on work from McCann offices all around the world,” says Ryan Timms, president of McCann Worldgroup Canada.

So far this year, McCann’s efforts are paying off. At the 2024 Marketing Awards, six of the agency’s campaigns medaled or were shortlisted. “The Stage Zero Collection,” a campaign for Black-owned lingerie brand Love & Nudes, picked up an M for Mpact Award, which highlights creative that advances social change and equality, as well as a Grand Prix at the Shopper Innovation and Activation Awards.

And, as the year closed, McCann kept knocking new wins. In October, the shop won a Bronze Effie for its work on the Wendy’s “French Toast Guy” campaign, where a man serving himself French toast on Toronto’s subway went viral, as well as two more Bronzes for “Roots Remastered,” an ad that brought together country music and the pivotal relationship between corn farmers and their land to promote a Bayer rootworm treatment. Both leaned on sophisticated approaches that went far beyond an interactive website or YouTube hit.

Perhaps, most importantly, almost all of these projects, including the AI campaign for Black & Abroad, were built on tight budgets – a necessity in the Canadian market, Timms says.

“We can come up with really focused briefs that can then be executed in really interesting and innovative ways, but not necessarily on the multi-million dollar budgets that some other markets get to enjoy,” says Timms. “We have to be really clever and scrappy in how we make the most of what we have to work with.”

New Business
Vidanta, Canadian Red Cross, Black & Abroad, Sports Excellence, ATCO Energy, RÜMI, Forests Ontario

New Hires
Ian Mackenzie, CCO; Arnaud Icard, group director, product developer

Offices
Toronto, Montreal, Calgary

Staff
197

Cases

“See You There” for Black & Abroad used Gen AI to personalize travel experiences for past guests, showcasing them at future destinations. The campaign also included a mass media push highlighting issues of bias and introduced an AI Bias Reporting System. The initiative led to an 81% email open rate and 81 million impressions.

For Wendy’s “The Strip-cident,” McCann used TikTok to launch a new breakfast combo by pairing chicken strips with French toast sticks. The viral trend led to an over 3,000% engagement increase and 100,000 units sold in just four weeks. In fact, the combo was permanently added to the menu due to overwhelming demand.

For “Roots Remastered,” McCann worked with Bayer Crop Science to transform corn root health into a country music album. Using digital tech, they converted data into MIDI signals, creating a six-track album. The campaign boosted product demand by 20%, with over 10,000 streaming listens and widespread media coverage.