The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair has named Grip Limited as its agency of record, replacing incumbent Smith Roberts, which held the account for less than two years.
Rachel Woodman, director of marketing for the Royal, said Grip was given a three-year contract, beating out shortlisted agencies Leo Burnett, DDB Canada, and Small World Marketing.
Grip will handle the marketing strategy, planning, print, television, radio, outdoor, online and social media advertising for the annual fair, which takes place Nov. 2–11 at Exhibition Place in Toronto.
Woodman said she was most impressed by the insights that Grip was able to provide about their customer base—which at present is 61% female, 39% male.
“Because of their relationship with Facebook and with Google, Grip was able to glean insights and information about our audience that we didn’t know about,” she said.
Woodman said the marketing will also shift this year from a primary focus on mom’s and families to a broader demographic.
“We’d like to reintroduce the Royal to the city of Toronto. There are a lot of urbanites and young professionals who haven’t experienced the Royal as it is today,” she said. “We want to get the young people out of the theatres and bring them down to the Royal and have a completely different experience.”
This year marks the Royal’s 90th anniversary in Toronto.
