The Toronto restaurant Fresh has won a marketing budget "bailout" from Elemental‘s What’s in Your Budget contest and a marketing campaign worth approximately $300,000.
The restaurant has three locations in Toronto and serves meat-free, healthy meals and various all-natural juices.
Owner Ruth Tal Brown launched the business as a portable juice bar called Juice For Life 20 years ago. It rebranded in 1999 as Fresh to reflect a fuller food menu.
"We’ve never gone into the [marketing] realm before," said Jennifer Houston, executive chef and co-owner of Fresh. "We’d never done advertising before… We’re a smaller company and are excited about working with all these creative people and getting them to work with our brand."
"Fresh had all the ingredients of success and the possibility of being more successful," said Brent Wardrop, principal and creative director at Elemental. "They’ve done so much for what they have going on already. They’re extraordinarily passionate about what they’re doing."
Elemental, a 15-person agency with offices in Toronto and Montreal, launched the contest in June as a recession-busting attempt to reach out to businesses in need of marketing solutions.
The contest’s scope broadened in September when Elemental brought additional agencies on board to round out the prize offering. They included Cartilage digital and television production, Kim Graham & Associates public relations, Somerset Graphics print production and Westside Studio photography.
