The Workers Compensation Board of Nova Scotia has chosen to stay with incumbent creative agency Extreme Group following an extensive review process.
Mandated by its status as a Crown Corporation to put its accounts into review on a regular basis, WCB Nova Scotia took bids for its creative, media buying, public relations and digital and social media business.
Extreme Group, which has led the organization’s creative, PR and digital and social media efforts since 2003, successfully defended its creative file against a field that included fellow shortlisted firms Trampoline Branding and Colour.
Extreme’s work for WCB has earned several awards, including a Bronze Cannes Lion in 2008. However, Paul Leblanc, CEO at Extreme Group, said this success did not guarantee that his agency would keep the client.
“It was a legitimate review,” said Leblanc. “It was anyone’s account, but I don’t think we could have felt better about it going in.
“The creative has been splendid for eight years, with them pushing us and us pushing them to do great work.”
Steve MacDonald, acting director of communications for WCB Nova Scotia, said Extreme’s understanding of the public sector was a key advantage.
“There’s an incredible amount of talent in this region and we were really impressed with what everyone brought to the table,” said MacDonald. “At the end of the day, Extreme has a lot of experience in public sector marketing and behaviour change and social marketing.”
However, Extreme is no longer the lead on WCB’s PR account and digital and social media accounts, which went to Redgate Communications and ISL Marketing & Development, respectitvely. MacDonald noted, though, that other agencies had been contributing to these aspects of the account for several years.
Incumbent media planning and buying agency Jungle Media defended its WCB turf.
“We really wanted to see what was out there from a specialist point of view,” said MacDonald. “I know we’re not the only marketer thinking that way–rather than everything being with one firm, assembling the right team of specialists focused in different areas.”
MacDonald said the WCB and its new agency partners were still in the process of determining how the organization’s $900,000 annual marketing budget would be divided.
