In 2023, DAC set a course for exponential growth. The Toronto-based agency had already established a reputation for digital performance prowess. But it wanted more, and the complexity of today’s media environment presented a wealth of opportunities. 

So the agency made the decision to develop a more holistic media offering, building out capabilities in data, analytics, creative content, SEO, web development and AI, as well as paid, owned and earned media. 

The idea was to be able to offer clients a full suite of bespoke services – especially those looking to grow, domestically or internationally – to be able to deliver customized, targeted messaging at scale, in order to get brands the attention they’re looking for. 

“It’s been a growth story for us in 2024 as a result of the investments we made in 2023,” explains DAC’s SVP of strategy, Nasser Sahlool. “Particularly in the United States, but also in Canada, Europe and our nascent efforts in India.”

When brands consider growth strategies, Sahlool explains, they’re often challenged by two factors. The first is the now-universal refrain: “do more with less.” The second is that expansion into new territories usually means you’re the challenger brand. You need to build awareness and demand against established market leaders. 

Sahlool says that’s where DAC’s approach stands out. While it’s always tempting to go with the best practices suggested by platforms like Google and Meta, those are usually tailored to fit the needs of the market leader, not the upstart. What DAC offers, he explains, is bespoke strategies based entirely on real-world data, with highly targeted media plans that maximize marketing dollars. 

“We start from a data-centric focus,” explains the agency’s SVP of media, Jenna Watson. “One of the first things we do is take all of your existing customer data and layer on other sources of data in order to find pockets that are most likely to have the perfect audience for your brand.”

So, unlike many traditional approaches, it’s not spray and pray. This is about cutting-edge targeting. 

She illustrates this with an example of a project DAC recently took on for an American wealth management firm. The company was expanding from a regional to a national presence and needed to identify areas with high concentrations of potential clients. So, DAC compiled an extensive suite of data from both traditional and non-traditional sources – think census data, private school locations and neighbourhoods with high household incomes. Adding it all up led DAC to highly specific pockets of opportunity where media spend would be most effective. 

Another example can be found in the agency’s work with a major Japanese retailer. The brand, for which DAC manages all North American media, was facing an awareness challenge outside its core markets. “We’ve addressed that by moving them, for the first time, off of last-click, ROAS-based, bottom-of-the-funnel media into a full-funnel media environment. And this hasn’t negatively impacted their ROAS. It’s actually grown their new customer account significantly,” he reveals. In fact, by the end of 2023, the retailer had reached its revenue and retail goals in North America for the first time in its history.

Watson says it’s not uncommon for data to challenge a client’s preconceived notions about ideal markets and segments. “The right place might not be the place you think it is,” she says. “In fact, the right audience might not be the audience you think it is.”

That’s where the DAC’s capabilities shine. Its team finds the data, targets the campaign and then crafts the pitch into something that resonates with all the client’s target audiences. 

“We understand what it takes to take a national message and manipulate it in a way that makes it resonate locally,” she explains. By way of example, she points to one client for which DAC has run 7,000 individual campaigns. “It’s a lot of leg work, but we’ve got scale. We’ve got AI to help us. We’ve got processes to do these things. And that, honestly, is the difference between us and other agencies,” she says.

So, if you’re a brand looking to expand and grow, DAC might be the agency that takes you places you didn’t expect. 

“Articulate a business problem you’re trying to solve, and we’ll come to you with a holistic solution that will include elements you probably didn’t even realize directly contributed to why you’re having that problem,” says Sahlool.

For more information on DAC and how you can work with them visit www.dacgroup.com

To learn more about sponsored content opportunities with strategy contact associate publisher Neil Ewen at newen@brunico.com