In the spring of 2015, a new face began appearing in the halls of Bensimon Byrne: Justin Trudeau.
After the ad agency assisted Kathleen Wynne’s successful Liberal bid for Ontario Premiere in 2014, Bensimon Byrne was tapped to guide Trudeau’s campaign for the country’s highest office.
It was a tall task: Trudeau was trailing in the polls at that time, and the Liberal brand was tainted with scandals. But with the help of Bensimon, Trudeau clawed back with a series of smart ads that traded in positivity and sold voters on a narrative that countered the Conservatives’ “He’s just not ready” message.
The results were astounding. On election night, Trudeau achieved a massive victory, ushering in the second Bensimon Byrne-assisted Liberal majority in just over a year.
The campaign marked the latest in a string of major business coups for the Toronto-based independent agency. Earlier in 2015, Scotiabank extended Bensimon Byrne’s mandate, awarding it its global wealth management, business banking and corporate social responsibility accounts.
Other anchor clients likewise handed the agency new assignments including Constellation Brands’ Clos du Bois, Dreaming Tree and Callie Collection wine brands, and Nestle’s corporate business, Turtles and the Nestle Waters portfolio.
Combined with new clients like Boneshaker, Mattamy Homes and the Ontario Provincial Pension Plan, those wins boosted revenue 18.5% year-over-year and led to the hires of more than 40 new staffers.
As significant as the Trudeau campaign was, it wasn’t the agency’s only big success. This fall, Scotiabank debuted its first-ever global spot: a Bensimon-crafted ad that showcased the human side of the banking brand and positioned it as a global powerhouse to rival brands like Barclays and HSBC.
Scotiabank CMO John Doig told Marketing the agency’s 16-year AOR relationship made it a natural selection to lead the brand’s new global creative. (The global accounts were awarded without an RFP.)
“There’s a huge trust factor with the Bensimon team,” Doig explained. “Who better to help us than the guys who have been living and breathing the brand?”
On the home front, the agency mounted a hockey-themed campaign that solidified the bank’s ties to the sport (39% of Canadians now recognize Scotiabank as an NHL sponsor, just behind Molson and Tim Hortons) and led to a 10% jump in purchase consideration.
Scotiabank isn’t the only client taking the agency’s work global. Its work for Nestle Waters was picked up in the U.K. and its work in the U.S. for Svedka continues to run across multiple international markets. On that brand, Bensimon Byrne delivered a creative hit with its printable Halloween costumes – part of an ongoing effort to increase Svedka’s social footprint that’s led to a 41% growth in the brand’s social community and a 7% boost in awareness this year.
With these campaigns, Bensimon Byrne proved its ability to punch above its weight as a Canadian independent. Though the agency has just one office, in 2015 it demonstrated its skills on the global stage. And it did that while keeping its roots firmly planted in Canada, where it continues to shine as one of the most creative and strategic shops in the country.
Just ask Justin Trudeau.
