DDB Canada has announced that it will not defend the Destination Canada (formerly the Canadian Tourism Commission) assignment it has held for the past 13 years as the crown corporation prepares to launch a mandatory review.
“As Destination Canada pursues a new direction, we believe it is time for a new agency to pick up and carry the torch that we have lit,” said the Omnicom agency in an official statement issued late last week.
The statement said its marketing campaigns have garnered 153 national and international awards, while delivering a 51% increase on Destination Canada’s return on investment. Destination Canada declined to comment.
In a subsequent email interview, DDB Canada president and chief operating office Lance Saunders told Marketing DDB has moved the Destination Canada brand to “many new and unprecedented heights.”
“As proud Canadians, it has been our immense honour to champion Canada as a brand to the world,” said Saunders. “Working on this business gave our team a chance to give back, in our own personal way, to this great country that we love so much. We know that Destination Canada’s next partner will be equally as proud.”
DDB last defended the account in 2012, in a review that started with 35 agencies before being whittled down to five. At the time, the organization’s former senior vice-president of marketing strategy, Greg Klassen, said the agency was selected on the basis of its strategic capabilities.
Saunders called the account “significant,” representing between 10-12% of DDB Canada Vancouver’s business. Asked if there would be layoffs as a result of losing the account, Saunders explained the agency completely “re-engineered” the way it operated in 2013, enabling it to be “nimble and scalable” to better accommodate client needs and business fluctuations.
“As a result, we will be in a better place to examine the many variables at play with this account shift,” he said.
Marketing named Destination Canada (still known as the CTC at the time) as its Marketer of the Year in 2009, marking the first time a crown corporation received the honour. Saunders called the win “incredibly rewarding.”
He said he is particularly proud of the long-standing “Locals Know” platform, which showcased the country’s hidden travel gems and encouraged Canadians to share their experiences via a dedicated online hub.
DDB’s current five-year agreement with the crown corporation is set to expire in April 2017. The agency currently has a campaign in market called “Found in Canada,” which is specifically targeting U.S. customers for the first time since 2010.
The campaign is built around what Saunders described as “lively and upbeat” films comprised of real footage and Instagram hashtags. The films provide would-be tourists with a glimpse of what a trip to the country might entail.
Saunders stressed that DDB would continue its tourism-related work through clients including Rocky Mountaineer, Tourism Nova Scotia, Edmonton Tourism, B.C. Place, Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver Convention Centre, Edmonton International Airport and the Beaches International Jazz Festival.
