A hot global shop landed in Canada hungry for new business (and the ability to win it)
At the start of the year, Anomaly wasn’t even in Canada. By the end of the year, it was an agency force to be reckoned with.
When Franke Rodriguez arrived at work on April 16, a bowl of baseballs was waiting for him. Above them, a sign was taped: “Congratulations Franke. It takes a lot of balls to open an office in Canada.”
Rodriguez, Anomaly’s former global business director, had been selected president of the agency’s new Toronto office. The baseballs were a nod to his favourite sport, but the note’s signature was very fitting for Toronto, one of the founding NHL hockey towns: it was signed “The Original Six,” a reference to the first handful of Anomaly Toronto employees.
By November, 50 desks were filled at Anomaly’s office, in the middle of Toronto’s advertising heartland at King & Spadina. In its first few months Anomaly Toronto was working on three huge pieces of business: agency of record for Budweiser in Canada, Mini and Bud Light. It beat out Canadian stalwarts like Taxi, Sid Lee and Lowe Roche in pitches and made $6 million in revenue in its first six months.
In October it named Pete Breton and Dave Douglass as its executive creative directors, a coveted duo coming from Lowe Roche. As the newborn sibling of one of North America’s most buzzed about agencies, Anomaly Canada had plenty to prove. Less than a year into its existence, though, it’s already living up to Anomaly’s international reputation.
Even before Rodriguez began scouting real estate and senior talent in Toronto, Anomaly was busy working on the most captivating Canadian beer ad of the year. In the spot, “Flash Fans,” two recreational hockey teams are told they’re being filmed for a documentary. Once the puck is dropped, the arena is flooded with hundreds of screaming fans. From mascots to instant-replay, it’s an all-in NHL experience.
The sentimental spot stands in stark contrast to the slapstick tradition of Canadian beer ads. Rodriguez says this is the key to its success. “Sure, you can do advertising that’s funny. People might enjoy it. But if you can actually do something that matters or means something to consumers, it will stay with them much, much longer,” he says.
The spot was followed by “The Pride of Winnipeg,” a mini documentary about the NHL’s return to Winnipeg that also works the emotive muscles of hockey fans. Anomaly also designed a special run of of 24,000 cases of beer, which Budweiser hoped to sell within four weeks of the campaign launch. In just three days, all the cases sold.
As Anomaly Canada gets up to speed on the Bud Canada account, it will stick with the emotional approach. “We’ll continue to make sure we deliver authentic, honest, feel-like-you’re-on-the-ice experiences,” says Rodriguez.
One reason Anomaly opened in Toronto was to make a play for the full Budweiser Canada account, partially handled by Grip prior to a spring review. Anomaly already had the business in the U.S. but needed staff in Toronto to do product design and on-premise marketing to effectively manage the account on this side of the border, says Rodriguez. As he’s explaining the motivation for opening up shop, he’s interrupted by the loud buzz of a clock hanging on the wall beside him. A thumb-size Mini Cooper circles the rim and indicates it’s 2 o’clock. It is also a reminder of another highlight of the year.
“An intern bought that for us as a gift after we won the Mini pitch,” says Rodriguez. “Isn’t it funny?”
The agency won the account after a full review, then created a campaign for the Mini Countryman, a new four-door, five-seat car. Consumers didn’t realize the Countryman was new, or how it was different from the classic Mini Cooper, which Mini wanted to change.
Anomaly decided a TV spot was the best solution but Mini rarely produces original Canadian spots. “We thought, ‘We can’t go in there with a TV idea. We just won the business. They don’t do original TV. But it’s the right answer. You’re going to be able to drive awareness for this vehicle better in film than print or OOH,” he says.
Mini loved the idea and signed off on it.
The agency’s final big win came in July when it landed Bud Light, which Rodriguez says was a turning point for the new office. “We don’t do it in the U.S. so we have no legacy relationship to lean on,” he said. “Bud Light came with the size and the scale that then allowed us to go out again and bring in a lot more talent.”
He points to one wall in the office and says Anomaly has acquired the space next door. Soon they’ll demolish the wall to give the team more space. If the agency continues the streak it’s on, they’ll need it. More employees are on their way.
