DentsuBos and Aegis have been awarded the creative and media business for Staples Canada following a North American review earlier this year. Zeno Group, a sister agency of Edelman, won the PR account.
The win is part of a team effort led by New York-based McGarryBowen, part of the Dentsu Network that will handle creative duties in the U.S.
According to an article in Ad Age, Staples was seeking greater collaboration from agency partners. Sources said Staples invited its incumbent shops – which included Interpublic Group of Co.’s McCann, WPP’s MediaCom and Publicis Groupe’s Razorfish – to pitch as one team. In the final round, that group of incumbents competed with the Dentsu team.
Claude Carrier, president of DentsuBos Toronto, said marketing efforts here will be a combination of made-in-Canada campaigns and North America-wide creative.
“This is a major North American retailer, of course. If they can get some efficiencies, they will,” he said. “But there are also demands that are specific to the markets. Sometimes it’s using North American assets and repurposing for the market here, and other times it’s doing things based on specific needs.”
Japan-based Dentsu network bought London-based Aegis Group last July. Carrier said when the deal was made, a lot of people raised eyebrows. “I think this is one of the first points of proof that together as a network, we’ve become a very powerful solution for clients,” he said.
“We are looking forward to this new relationship,” said Rick Atkinson, vice-president of marketing at Staples Canada, in a release. “They clearly demonstrated their ability to develop solutions based great insights and strategy to help us succeed.”
