By Brennan Doherty

It’s not easy for an agency to find a “sexy” angle for RSV or lung health. But not every agency is Edelman, where bringing the most complex issues to life is what the global firm does best.

Take “Our Lungs Make Our Lives” for the Lung Health Foundation as an example. In the spot, Olympic swimmer Maggie Mac Neil breaks down her accomplishments in the pool by the number of breaths she took to get there, showing just how difficult life can be for Canadians who struggle to breathe.

Then there’s the campaign for Arexvys, a vaccine to combat respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In it, the agency shows an AI-generated version of Wayne Gretzky as a young man, talking about how RSV isn’t just a disease suffered by children. Edelman’s “Allegra Airways” work also took a unique approach to helping allergy sufferers, using a data-driven real-time navigation tool for people to find cleaner air to breathe.

These campaigns showcase one of the PR firm’s many talents: juggling creative, PR and government relations, and doing it all seamlessly.

Bianca Freedman, president of Edelman tells strategy that, in Canada alone, the shop boasts 285 staffers from coast-to-coast. Around 30 are devoted to creative and strategy work, but another 90 form a variety of teams – government affairs, business marketing and project management, to name a few. Edelman also has dedicated teams focused on health, tech and finance.

For clients like the Lung Cancer Foundation, for example, Edelman appoints an account lead who has a deep understanding of the health sector and its challenges. It means having a dedicated strategist and creative lead, both of whom tap experts inside and outside of Canada for guidance – from data security and intelligence to misinformation and other non-PR specialties.

In 2023, when IKEA removed taxes on secondhand products, Edelman was able to build conversations inside the government itself, along with other behind-the-scenes efforts in a PR drive that included media pitching, executive positioning, as well as digital and influencer marketing.

But as the agency evolves, so too does its creative workforce. In January, former Leo Burnett Toronto ACD Natee Likitsuwankool was hired by Edelman to be VP, creative director. At the time, global creative partner Anthony Chelvanathan said the hire was done in an effort to bring “craft and design to PR” and that Likitsuwankool has a “mix of attributes that can make the work exceptionally better.”

Pulling in creative advertising professionals to round out its offering and be seen as a one-stop-shop has been Edelman’s business strategy for a few years. “That’s where we move best – when we’re able to do the full mix of integrated work across the network,” notes Freedman.

And now, she says, it appears traditional ad agencies are moving heavily into PR, with more shops considering the talk value of a campaign. “I love to see the once-disparate worlds pushing each other to be better. The smartest clients are doing this internally, with more collaboration between PR and marketing.”

Edelman is expanding its business in Canada, with clients including PepsiCo Foods, Samsung and Microsoft. But its specialties in tech and health are also growing, and the sheer breadth of Edelman’s staff – both creative and PR – is helping to make that possible.

“The whole idea of truly integrated campaigns is not going anywhere. Those blurred lines will be a distant memory,” Freedman says. “You’re going to see more and more from us on that, and you’ll see more of it across categories.”

Offices
Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, Montreal

Staff
180

Cases

For Advil’s “Head Settings” campaign, Edelman tackled gaming headaches by partnering with neuroscientists and influencers to create optimized in-game settings that were designed to hack game-induced head pain. In the end, the program achieved 66 million impressions and a 51% increase in brand awareness.

Edelman and Knorr’s “Yummy K’s” campaign managed to revitalize the brand among Gen Z and millennials by mimicking fast food with a pop-up takeout experience, featuring menu items from celeb chef Matty Matheson. The campaign leveraged TikTok to drive 88 million impressions and sell out in just three days.

The agency’s “SHT” campaign for IKEA tackled the unfair double taxation on second-hand items, with the retailer covering the extra cost. It sparked a national debate and urged policy change, generating widespread media coverage, securing 34,000 petition signatures and boosting IKEA’s as-is sales by 192%.