Twitter Canada has selected North Strategic as its PR agency of record. Effective immediately, the agency will handle all of Twitter’s communications and media relations in the Canadian market.
The account was previously held by Veritas Communications, which started working with Twitter at the time of its entry to the Canadian market in June 2013.
North was selected following a formal RFP – Twitter’s first in Canada – that went out in early January. A handful of agencies pitched for the account, including Veritas.
“North came out very strong,” Dickson Seow, head of communications for Twitter in Canada told Marketing. “They had a lot of great creative ideas and a strong understanding of social media. We feel very comfortable that they’ve got the right team for us. It’s been a really strong meeting of the minds.”
The agency’s experience in one of Twitter’s most important verticals (sports) and its expertise in social media also contributed to the selection.
Seow said Veritas was a strong partner in Twitter’s Canadian launch, but as it becomes more established in the market, the company decided to re-examine its communications strategy and partnerships.
“Now that we want to invest more into the market, we want to make sure we had a chance to speak to several agencies and get the best ideas,” he said. “Kudos to the Veritas team, we really appreciate all the support they’ve given us in Canada, and we look forward to working with North Strategic in 2015.”
At North, senior account director Victoria Freeman will be the lead on the Twitter account. Moving forward, North will be tasked with associating Twitter with the large cultural moments discussed on the platform. In 2015, that will include the NHL playoffs, the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the fall federal election.
Those events will be the entry point to showing Canadians how Twitter can be more useful to them and more engrained in their lives, said North Strategic co-founder Justin Creally.
“Awareness of Twitter is not an issue. People hear about it and know what it is,” Creally said. “There’s a lot of storytelling that can be done to have Canadians really recognize how to use Twitter more effectively.”
For example, a Vancouver Canuck fan not using the service is missing out on insider accounts from players, and political junkies not using Twitter are missing out on behind-the-scenes commentary from politicians and reporters. Big live events are key to demonstrating that value, Creally said.
For Twitter, the agency change comes as it continues its search for a new general manager for Canada. Last fall, former Twitter Canada head Kirstine Stewart vacated the position when she was promoted to vice president, North America for media partnerships.
