Cogeco’s Anne Isabelle Roussy.
Following a two-month selection process, Montreal-based Cogeco Cable Canada has selected new agency partners for creative (Taxi), media (Touché) and CRM (Bimm).
Anne Isabelle Roussy, Cogeco’s vice-president of marketing and product development, said about 50 agencies responded to the company’s RFP, with 10 agencies – including the incumbent OgilvyOne Worldwide – invited to pitch the assignment.
OgilvyOne Worldwide, which Roussy described as “a trusted and eager partner” for the past 13 years, will continue working with Cogeco until its current fiscal year ends in September.
The new agency appointments come amid a period of intense competition in the cable industry. “It’s a mature and very dynamic industry, so we wanted to take a step back and say ‘What do we want to do with our brand and where do we want to go,’ and take a step back on the partners to do that with,” said Roussy, who assumed her current role in August 2013.
Taxi and Touché (Marketing’s 2014 Agency of the Year) pitched the assignment together, with Roussy saying the obvious synergy between the two shops was a key factor in the decision.
“As much as we went through this process saying we might take one partner and not the other, it was clear that in terms of their seamless approach, creativity and knowledge, it would be [beneficial] to have them combined,” she said.
Cogeco had four criteria in selecting its agency partners, said Roussy: It was seeking not just a communications partner, but a business partner; an agency renowned for its creativity, but not just for creativity’s sake; an agency capable of processing a high volume of work; and an agency that is a good fit with the company’s revamped marketing team.
“All of the agencies that pitched were good contenders, but the reason we chose Taxi was their 18 years in the business, their understanding of our business reality, [combined] with an ability to think outside the box, and their fit with the Cogeco team,” she said.
Roussy said Cogeco is known for superior customer service and approachability, elements that will continue to be reflected in its marketing. “We’ll see how we articulate our brand approach, but certainly our foundational elements will be key,” she said.
Roussy said Cogeco remains in regular contact with both residential and business-to-business customers, while also launching major campaigns around peak periods such as back-to-school and the holidays.
“In today’s world we need to be in close proximity with our customers and be there at the right time,” she said. “It’s a continuous effort throughout the year.”
