The NABS Ambassadors Committee, a sub-committee of the National Advertisers Benevolent Society, has chosen Toronto agency Huxley Quayle von Bismark as its first agency of record following a competitive review with three other unnamed agencies.
Andy Shortt, a partner at HQvB, said the agency presented ideas on how the committee can connect with advertising professionals under 35 during an RFP earlier this month.
The agency is in the planning stages of a rebranding effort that will launch next year. Shortt said NABS is traditionally seen as a charitable organization that the industry can rely on when times are tough.
“Our job is get people to know that [NABS] will help you with your resume, help with interview techniques…a bunch of different things,” Shortt said. “We think it should be a cool exclusive club that people in advertising can belong to, that just happens to have some good stuff for people when they need it.”
The agency has also discussed moving its Just One Project to NABS, said Shortt. The program asks major advertisers in Canada to set aside “just one” marketing project to be handled by laid-off workers on a freelance basis.
Despite orchestrating projects for Connect in Private and the Canadian Newspaper Association, Shortt said the program hasn’t garnered response from large advertisers.
“A lot of people are still out of work,” he said. “We thought if one of the hurdles they need to get over was doing something through an agency, then perhaps doing it through NABS would be a little more palatable for them.”
HQvB is currently working with the NABS Ambassadors Committee to create support materials for next month’s prom-themed fundraising event.
“We are confident HQvB will be a strong partner to help us achieve our communication strategy,” said Julie Howlett, NABS Ambassadors Committee Chair and director of sales at Astral iMedia. “In our very first meeting they had lots of interesting ideas and seemed to have a great handle on our challenge.”
