As newly appointed AOR for BMW Canada, P&C will be working with the luxury brand to re-imagine their XM events while fostering new ways to meet their target consumer throughout Canada.
There’s a simple reason why Pomp & Circumstance is the fastest-growing independent PR agency in Canada, says Amanda Alvaro, its co-founder and president.
“We’re putting out some of the most creative work in the industry,” Alvaro says. The ethos of creativity has allowed Pomp & Circumstance (P&C) to grow substantially since its founding in 2015. The Toronto-based agency now has 40 employees and last year secured a spot on The Globe and Mail’s ranking of “Canada’s Top Growing Companies.”
Pomp brought TikTok star Tinx to Canada to launch Chipotle on Skip the Dishes. With events that included a signature Tinx Bowl available exclusively on Skip in Ontario and BC for one weekend, the campaign generated 42.9 million program impressions.
P&C launched the Nude World Tour to help beauty and skincare brand Nudestix ring in its 10th anniversary. It launched in Los Angeles with a three- day event with programming ranging from VIP dinners to fitness classes led by celebrity instructors that garnered more than 11 million impressions and $1.6M in EMV for the events in Toronto & LA.
Alvaro notes much of P&C’s growth stems from existing clients who seek out the agency for a single service, such as media relations, “and then see within our four walls we’re able to meet so many more of their needs.”
PR shops like P&C that provide multiple services have become “the go-to stop for a lot of brands,” she says. The complex marketing landscape means brands need agencies that can provide a holistic approach to content and storytelling, not only coming up with the creative to support it but the social and digital expertise to successfully get it out into the world. And P&C has been serving that need – and beyond.
P&C’s work for Air Miles’ “Carousel of Dreams” contest is an example of the agency flexing its creative and media chops. It set up the spot as a TikTok takeover, using CGI to make a video of a TTC subway pulling into a station that looks like a baggage carousel filled with suitcases.
TikTokkers found it compelling and the platform told P&C it was the best performing paid ad campaign it had seen in Canada and it ultimately generated over 15.4 million impressions on paid and organic channels.
The agency adapted the original campaign featuring mega-influencer Emma Chamberlain for the Canadian audience to show how Canon digital cameras provide superior photo quality than smartphone cameras. With placements on YouTube, TikTok and Spotify, the campaign generated an “enormous” 30,000 purchase conversions, Alvaro says. “Canon was thrilled, and we were excited about taking something that may be considered older technology, pairing it with someone who is clearly in the zeitgeist of the moment, and making it current and contemporary,” she adds. The Canon campaign was adapted by P&C’s Bonus Track division, which brings together a specialized team of designers, influencer managers, media buyers, art and creative directors, and branding strategy experts to build on its content creation, paid media, and brand strategy work.
Convincing Gen Z and Alpha to use traditional cameras instead of their phones is no small feat, but Pomp succeeded in a campaign for Canon that tapped American influencer Emma Chamberlain, using Spotify, YouTube and TikTok.
Air Miles tasked Pomp with developing a launch strategy for its new travel booking platform. The agency developed an approach that included media outreach, an influencer program and speaking engagements for key executives in travel and loyalty media.
Bonus Track has grown tremendously since its inception two years ago, attracting division-specific clients like Canon, Fanduel and JLL, as well as taking on existing P&C clients.
Event production has been a feature of P&C since the start, but the agency has also expanded its experiential arm significantly. “There is a growing desire for brands to connect with people not just in the digital world, but physically,” Alvaro notes.
The move has paid off, with P&C named experiential marketing AOR for BMW Canada this year.
P&C is the national AOR for brands such as Dermalogica, Air Miles, SkipTheDishes, Tiffany & Co and eBay, and U.S. brands like QSR Shake Shack and the Nobu restaurant chain have selected the agency for their Canadian launches.
“When a client comes to us, they are expecting big and bold in the creative,” Alvaro says. “I think that’s why marketers choose us – because they want to push the limits.”
CONTACT:
Erika Ceddia
Partner, vice-president of accounts & business development
erika@pomppr.com
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