To get people thinking of Astro’s yogurt outside of breakfast, The Hive reframed it as cooling sauce, an antidote to the many mouths scorched by hot wings on Super Bowl Sunday.
To thrive in today’s saturated media landscape, a brand can’t afford to be boring. That’s the mantra – and business strategy – at The Hive, a Toronto-based independent agency with a bold focus on building interesting brands that generate outsized returns.
“We exist to beat boring by building interesting brands,” says Josie Daga, The Hive’s recently appointed president and CEO. “We’re for brands that believe in that mindset. We’re here to help them stand out and connect meaningfully with people.”
As a challenger brand that is outspent 10:1 in the market, The Hive got creative for EQ Bank by dramatizing what other banks take vs how EQ helps Canadians get ahead. Results included a 32% increase in sign ups.
Daga, who joined the 30-year-old agency in January, brings fresh leadership and a strong sense of focus to the 35- person Toronto based shop. She says the agency’s appeal lies in its agility, depth of senior talent and creative ambition – qualities that allow The Hive to punch above its weight and go head-to-head with larger network competitors. “We’re small, senior and strategic. That’s our edge,” she says.
Daga is joined by chief strategy officer Dino Demopoulos, who recently came on board after collaborating with the agency and being impressed by its culture and capabilities. “It was clear there was a collaborative spirit here, backed by a 30-year pedigree and a strong independent ethos,” he says.
And the work proves the point. Take EQ Bank, a challenger brand in a category dominated by institutions that outspend it roughly ten to one. To help EQ stand out, The Hive developed a campaign anchoring EQ’s value in something more interesting than typical category messaging: the truth that banks are built to take, while EQ is built to help Canadians get ahead. The message came to life through a 360 integrated campaign in English and French Canada.
When Canadian pride was low leading into the 2024 Olympics, The Hive debuted a campaign promoting Canadian athletes for the Canadian Olympic Committee to inspire regular Canadians who felt the odds were against them.
“We weren’t just listing features – we were dramatizing what consumers feel when a bank actually gives something back,” Daga says.
For Ontario Lottery and Gaming’s sports betting brand Proline, The Hive zigged while competitors zagged. In a newly deregulated market flooded with global players like BetMGM and FanDuel.
The Hive repositioned Proline as a catalyst for exciting social connections – rather than just a set of betting features. The result? A 135% spike in sign-ups and a 47% lift in positive brand perception.
“In a market obsessed with app features, we focused on what betting enables socially – shared excitement, friendly rivalries, moments that matter,” Daga explains.
Another campaign took a sharp creative turn with Astro yogurt. Instead of targeting the usual breakfast crowd, The Hive used the unexpected context of Super Bowl weekend to introduce Astro as a cooling sauce for chicken wings – a clever way to tap into one of the year’s biggest eating moments. The idea generated millions of impressions on a modest budget.
“We reintroduced yogurt as a dinner pairing at a time when people weren’t thinking about it that way,” says Daga. “It’s about finding an authentic, interesting angle – and delivering impact without massive spend.”
When Canadians were lacking national pride leading into the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, The Hive crafted the “Brave is Unbeatable” campaign. Partnering with the CBC/Radio-Canada, the campaign uncovered typically unseen stories of adversity faced by Canadian athletes and how they overcame them. These interesting human stories were spotlighted to inspire Canadians facing adversity in their everyday lives, and also boost support for the Olympians.
To stand out in a newly deregulated sports betting market, The Hive positioned Proline as the catalyst for exciting social connections and experiences.
“We pivoted from traditional flag-waving approaches to instead portray the personal challenges that are lived and overcome by athletes,” says Daga. “The campaign was designed to inspire Canadians who were feeling adversely affected.”
Daga points to stats from The Extraordinary Cost of Dull by System1 and Peter Field that show interesting ads grow share over six times faster than boring ones. It’s this philosophy – backed by data and delivered with creativity – that underpins The Hive’s mission. “In this moment of media fragmentation and AI-generated content, brands that leverage the power of interesting will win,” she says.
With sharp leadership, cultural awareness and a commitment to doing the unexpected, The Hive is proving that in its third decade, the agency has no interest in playing it safe. After all, as Daga says, in a world full of noise, boredom is the biggest risk.
CONTACT:
Josie Daga
CEO
jdaga@thehiveinc.com
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