By Andrew Jeffrey

Sid Lee has undergone a years-long journey to tear down barriers between its North American offices. And it all came to a head this year when the agency decided to combine the teams across its Toronto, Montreal and U.S. offices and create one cohesive unit that would help reinforce the creative-led values of an agency that has impacted the advertising world for decades.

Founded in Montreal as Diesel by Philippe Meunier and Jean-François Bouchard, before renaming to Sid Lee – an anagram of its original moniker – the agency now also operates offices in Toronto, New York, London, Los Angeles and Seattle. This year, especially, brought major changes to the agency’s leadership as it looked to elevate its creative output and promote better teamwork across its offices.

Geneviève Boulanger has been at the centre of much of this reshuffling, having been promoted to president of the agency’s Montreal office in March as part of a stated effort to foster a new generation of leadership in Sid Lee’s Canadian offices. Later in October, agency co-founder Philippe Meunier transitioned away from his role as CEO to executive and creative chair, a position that will give him a tighter focus on the agency’s creative output – while Boulanger was also promoted into her current role as COO, where she works to connect all of Sid Lee’s offices across the continent.

The purpose of all this is to benefit clients. Take sportswear brand FILA, which introduced its “Bellisimo” campaign from Sid Lee this year. The work was designed to celebrate the brand’s heritage while launching a refreshed look for the brand globally, and is the result of collaboration across all of Sid Lee’s offices.

In Canada, that’s especially crucial between Sid Lee’s Toronto and Montreal offices. Clients like salad chain Mandy’s, insurer Belairdirect and grocery delivery service Voila are looking to reach more customers across the country, and creative minds embedded in Canada’s major markets are needed to better understand how these brands can expand their reach.

“There’s no one better than someone that lives in the GTA to generate ideas for a brand that’s actually core to the GTA market,” Boulanger says. “I’d like to believe I can come up with those ideas living in Montreal, but it has to be locally relevant.”

The result of Sid Lee’s intention to elevate its creative output can also be seen in “Any Way We Can,” the largest campaign in United Way Greater Toronto’s history that covers issues from food insecurity to mental health; Tennis Canada’s promotion of the “Best of Women’s Tennis” ahead of this year’s National Bank Open in Toronto (aimed towards bringing in younger fans); and “Know Thy Nuts” for Testicular Cancer Canada, which found an irreverent way to raise awareness for Testicular Cancer Awareness Month in April.

This is a continuation of work Sid Lee has excelled at for decades. The biggest difference now is that agencies are being tasked to find ways to bring clients’ visions to life more quickly. “We need to adapt the way we work and our structure to make sure we deliver speed, but also we deliver quality creative ideas,” says Boulanger. “I find we’re always on our toes. The thing we’re trying to nurture with the teams is to stay agile and open-minded, but also to have the courage to take risks.”

New Business
Mielle, Sports Interaction, The Keg, RE/MAX, Bridgehead Coffee, Naturesage, Great Canadian Entertainment

New Hires
Justin Furman, VP, growth & innovation; Geraldine Tixier, VP, head of strategy; Julien This, director, growth and innovation; Félix-Antoine Brunet, Yura Lee, senior ADs; Olivier Goulet-Lafond, senior CW

Offices
Montreal, Toronto

Staff
271

Cases

Sid Lee’s “(Re)search & Find” campaign for IGA/Sobeys and Fondation Charles-Bruneau featured an online game where players discovered 25 characters drawn by children in cancer remission. Design played a crucial role, transforming simple sketches into a vibrant, interactive experience, and helping to drive $498,252 in donations.

The “Design Thinkers” campaign for the Association of Registered Graphic Designers embraced a vibrant, optimistic identity. Sid Lee used 3D software and open-source materials to create eclectic, dynamic visuals (including a liquid metal question mark), which sparked conversation and led to record attendance and multiple awards.

The agency’s new branding for Au Pied de Cochon revamped the Montreal restaurant with a distinctive pig icon, as well as typography reflecting chef Martin Picard’s culinary style. The design system, featuring over 30 pig variations and vibrant colours, unified the brand’s 37 products, boosting shelf visibility and sales.