Working with Birchwood Auto Group to dispel the worries of buying used cars – Brandish created “No Second Guessing” highlighting the transparent experience the dealership group provides clients.
When brands want to make an impact, Winnipeg-based Brandish doesn’t hesitate to take on the challenge. And they did just that when they successfully launched the Winnipeg Sea Bears into the 2023 Canadian Elite Basketball League. In a city where hockey reigns supreme, Brandish was challenged to uncover what local basketball fans were looking for and then use these insights to encourage them to show up in full force for the Sea Bears first home game.
And by taking a shot with Brandish, the Sea Bears flourished in their inaugural season – smashing attendance records (65,609 people) and selling out their first game.
Brandish faced the challenge of introducing the Sea Bears, a new team in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, to Winnipeg. The “Day One” campaign, incuding a merch drop and a digital campaign, invited the city’s basketball community to be part of the team from the beginning.
These results were driven by research that uncovered basketball’s rising popularity among Canadian youth, growing fastest amongst women, the Filipino community and new Canadians. These insights helped launch the “Day One” campaign, an anthemic celebration of Winnipeg’s basketball community. The campaign highlighted basketball’s accessibility and community spirit, while inviting folks to join in on the team’s literal day one. The campaign blanketed Manitoba, and with a limited edition merchandise drop, the momentum helped secure the team as CEBL’s franchise of the year.
Lee Waltham, Brandish’s managing partner & co-founder, says, “This campaign showcased our sweet spot – bridging businesses and their customers in meaningful ways. It was more than promoting a sport; it was about igniting a community’s passion.”
Models rocking the Sea Bears “Day One” gear.
And it’s a prime example of the agency’s mantra to help brands pursue relevance. With the pace of change accelerating, Brandish leans on frequent research to ensure its strategies are relevant.
Brandish’s work comes from an understanding of what its clients’ audiences find meaningful, garnered through qualitative insight, Waltham says. “We advocate for an agile approach to research” to connect brands to the people they need to reach. Relevance is fleeting, “people are in
motion, and as their expectations change, so should brands.”
This intensive approach to research is also apparent in their work with Manitoba’s largest automotive dealership Birchwood Auto Group and educational institution Robertson College.
For automotive, their strategy focused on transparency. “We found that there is a lot of apprehension that goes into buying a used vehicle. Everyone can envision a sketchy car salesman, and with our “No Second Guessing” campaign, we made sure to address that concern head-on – deploying humour to communicate that with Birchwood, you don’t have to worry,” says Waltham. “On the flipside with Robertson, we found the barrier to recruiting was people thought they would have to quit their jobs. With the “Don’t Quit Your Day Job, Yet” campaign, we employed comedic scenarios to deliver the message that students could keep working while taking advantage of Robertson’s flexible programming.”
The “Don’t Quit Your Day Job, Yet,” campaign for Robertson College used humour to encourage workers not to quit their dull day jobs – not yet anyway – while upgrading their skills at the college.
Established in 2016, Brandish has grown steadily while maintaining its ethos as a small agency. “We’re not just building a business; we’re fostering relationships and trust,” says Waltham. This philosophy is evident in Brandish’s focus on people, offering a 4-day workweek to its employees and using a unique value-based billing system for clients. Eschewing the traditional hourly billing model, Brandish focuses on delivering results and aligning their success with that of their clients.
The agency’s recent merger with Red The Agency marks a significant step in Brandish’s growth. Red has “a really great book and strong reputation” with clients including the provincial government and Edmonton Oilers. Red principals Lori Billey and Randy Cronin will continue at Brandish in business development and strategy roles, “this brings us one step closer to that national footprint we’re looking to build,” Waltham says.
Brandish’s journey reflects a commitment to fresh perspectives and genuine connections, transcending traditional agency boundaries. As Waltham says, “It’s not about being the biggest; it’s about being the most impactful while staying true to our values. We’re here to create profound and impactful creative campaigns.”
CONTACT:
Lee Waltham
Managing partner
lee.waltham@brandishagency.com
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