To create significant noise and increase visibility for Valda lozenges, Havas unleashed “Heavy Metal Subway.” For a backdrop, the execution used the Montreal Metro – one of the most-feared places during the pandemic – and garnered significant earned media across TV, radio and online.
It’s no secret that consumer experience is no longer linear. Gone are the days of mass media, where messaging is shotgunned to the biggest audience possible in the hope it resonates. Consumers now congregate in places where they can have meaningful experiences and it’s up to advertisers to find them.
Havas Media Group Canada is just fine with that. “For us, meaningful experiences are brought to life through meaningful media,” explains president Noah Vardon. And that is Havas’ focus, all while building an ecosystem that is completely connected.
The full-service media agency – with offices in Toronto, Montreal and, most recently, Vancouver – has been hard at work evolving its media offering to address key gaps in the industry and solutions for changing consumer needs.
For the Dr Pepper “More is More” campaign, Havas partnered with Canadian streamer Sacriel to take on Twitch’s League of Legends game. The effort drove significant gains in unaided awareness (26% compared to the 20% benchmark) and other key metrics.
For example, last year Havas launched its Social Impact Marketplace, allowing clients to invest in ethical and responsible advertising. It offers access to publishers, networks and platforms focused on building a sustainable media ecosystem and reaching audiences engaged with improving their social and carbon footprint. Vardon says that’s paying off for clients such as Holt Renfrew and Keurig Dr Pepper Canada, which have strong sustainability initiatives.
Then there’s Havas Market, a strategic full-service e-commerce offering within the Havas Media network focused on creating meaningful shopping experiences. The team are experts in Amazon, Walmart, Loblaws and other retailers, and can help build expansive ecosystems for DTC.
The agency recently announced a global partnership with Lumen Research to create bespoke tools to plan, measure, buy and optimize attention. Vardon adds, “We’re showing clients they don’t necessarily have to outspend competitors if they have the right elements of the channels that drive attention.”
Havas helped launch Swiss fintech brand Klarna in Canada, looking to flip outdated attitudes and perceptions about the buy now, pay later category. The omnichannel launch included high-impact OOH, video, custom content and integration into the program Love Island Quebec.
In addition to launching innovative products, Havas Media has acquired a majority stake in the award-winning media performance and data analytics agency Noise Digital to drive significant growth in the market.
It all comes together in the agency’s standout projects from the past year. Consider Dr Pepper’s “More is More” brand platform, launched with 15-second videos featuring people getting upstaged by something that has a little bit “more” – such as a dogsledder overtaken by a rocket sled pulled by raptors. The concept was born out of the uniqueness of Dr Pepper’s blend of 23 flavours – long a staple of the brand’s identity, but expressed in an off-beat way that resonated with sports fans and gamers.
“We created community dialogue on Twitch and Reddit, getting people to expand the concept of ‘more’ and how that relates to gaming,” says Vardon. The campaign resulted in a 26% bump in unaided awareness and a 61% lift in message association.
For a campaign for Valda lozenges, Havas fielded a heavy metal choir to sing in the Montreal Metro. “We got great engagement from it – organic press and huge sales lifts,” Vardon says. Sales at pharmacy Jean Coutu, saw an increase of 101% in December compared to prior year, and a 75% total YOY lift.
Holt Renfrew found it was under-indexing among millennials and Gen Z as a brand that incites joy. So Havas created the fantastical “Unwrap the Wonder” campaign.
Or, consider the “Unwrap the Wonder” campaign for Holt Renfrew. “We saw compelling research around what drives consumer decisions and purchases,” Vardon explains. “That includes the joy as you’re interacting and purchasing. We were able to build an index around that, and then a media plan around driving joy.”
The campaign featured prominent high-impact activations such as a 3D billboard and social gift guides, resulting in double the site visits compared to the benchmarks and a five-point boost in brand favorability.
Internally, the agency has put the spotlight on expansive employee experience programs Vardon says will “help our future talent raise their profiles and give them an experience they might not have elsewhere.” The 245-person agency was named one of the 2022 Best Workplaces in Advertising & Marketing by Great Place to Work and Fortune.
“We want to be known for having great client relationships,” sums Vardon, “and for being one of the most advanced in digital analytics, data and technology within the media space.”
CONTACT:
Noah Vardon
President
noah.vardon@havasmedia.com
The 2023 A-Listers:
Zulu Alpha Kilo: Reinvention shapes this global indie
Agnostic: Layering on a journalistic lens
Daughter: Designing with purpose
Zerotrillion: Crafting cultural connections
Arrivals + Departures: Bold moves bolster offering and drive scale
Mint: Culture-mining to underpin brand relevance
Berners Bowie Lee: Stepping outside the advertising bubble
Initiative: Marketing for good
