Veritas Communications is changing up its business model with the launch of its Growth & Innovation Lab.
The lab will become the “cerebral cortex” of the PR agency, housing insights, strategy, creative innovation, digital, influencer and social measurement, events and publicity. The goal is to blend the best of PR and the best of advertising, emphasizing “impeccable” account service alongside big, creative ideas.
“My vision is to create an agency within an agency,” said Krista Webster, president of Veritas Communications. “And it’s powered by the best talent and the best specialists who help promote innovation at every level.”
As PR evolves, a number of agencies have bolstered their creative capabilities and expanded their service offerings. Fleishman-Hillard, for example, rebranded to become a full-service agency, hiring creative directors and planners to master the paid channel. Most recently, Edelman Toronto hired Jordan Doucette, formerly of Taxi, as executive creative director. The agency currently has 12 people on its creative team.
But even as the lines blur, Veritas’ Webster (pictured, on left) said her vision isn’t about becoming an advertising agency that does paid media. “My focus is on being the best earned media specialist out there,” she said.
The first hire for the Growth & Innovation Lab is Nicola Moore, a former executive director at GolinHarris who has taken on the role of chief strategist. Moore said a key benefit of the Growth & Innovation Lab is “getting above the fray.
“Our account teams do amazing, creative strategic work, but they also implement all of the programs on behalf of their clients,” said Moore (pictured, on right). “It can often be hard to take a step back and have a fresh perspective when you’re in that fast-paced environment. So we’re a group that sits above the fray, that’s always looking for new insights and developing new innovations and tools to enhance the work our teams are doing for their clients and to [bring Veritas] to the next level.”
Veritas is currently on the hunt for a creative director, digital strategist, analytics team, and events and publicity experts.
“What is unique in this investment is the number of talent we are hiring as a company in the Canadian marketplace,” said Webster. “That’s been very important to me and I’ve rallied with [parent company] MDC to have that support.” With the additional roles, Webster said, “I can’t imagine we won’t be creating magic every minute. That truly is my expectation and I will rise and fall with this decision. It’s an expensive proposition, but I feel wholeheartedly that it will deliver.”
