With plenty of warehouse conversions, walkable alleys and transit access, west-end Toronto’s Liberty Village has become Canada’s ad agency hub. With Cossette moving in this summer, more bike racks and Pabst kegs are surely on order By Chris Powell
Liberty Village was a thriving industrial area throughout the first half of the 20th century, home to factories that manufactured everything from munitions to washing machines, carpets to toys.
One by one, those companies either faded away or moved their operations outside the city, and the west-end Toronto neighbourhood has been transformed over the past decade or so into a hotbed for knowledge-based businesses.
Liberty Village, from Dufferin Street at its western boundary to East Liberty Street, is designated by the City of Toronto as ’employment lands,’ and businesses have flooded the area. According to the Liberty Village BIA, the ‘hood now boasts more than two million square feet of office space and approximately 500 small- to mid-sized businesses employing more than 6,000 people.
It is the next stomping ground for the city’s agency community and associated businesses, boasting more than 70 shops specializing in marketing and advertising services alone. And this summer, Cossette opens its new headquarters at 32 Atlantic Ave. with 50,000 square feet for its 250 employees.
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Agency 71 (Agency71.com)
25 Atlantic Ave.
Working out of a 5,000-sq.-ft. building, Agency 21 creates marketing materials like posters, movie trailers and opening credits for clients including The National Film Board of Canada, Astral and Sony.
Channel 500 (Channel500.com)
147 Liberty St.
Specializing in ‘show and sell’ marketing, this direct-response shop has produced infomercials and other DR work for big-name clients including Bell, Rogers, KitchenAid and Dell, as well as major banks.
Espresso Brand Infiltration (BrandInfiltration.com)
67 Mowat Ave, Unit 411
Led by CEO Jacqueline Cyr (who appeared on Profit’s list of Canada’s top female entrepreneurs in 2011), Espresso is an integrated brand agency that has provided a marketing jolt for clients including Samsung, Carlsberg and The City of Toronto.
Filament Creative
(FilamentLab.com)
31R Atlantic Ave.
Opened in 2001 when artists were still squatting in the ‘hood, Filament is a full-service digital creative agency that has worked with clients including the Toronto Parking Authority, Rogers and Parkers Dry Cleaners.
Jam3 Media (Jam3Media.com)
171 East Liberty St.
Jam3 Media garnered considerable attention last year for its work on pop singer Bjork’s website (Bjork.com). Jam3’s work has also been honoured at the ADCC Awards and the agency won Best of Show at the 2009 Digital Marketing Awards .
KB Media (kb-media.ca)
1183 King St. W, Unit 300
Established in 2009, the out-of-home ad shop specializes in ‘mirror advertising’ digital mirrors with motion sensors that monitor viewer interactionin recreational facilities, sports arenas and health clubs.
Matchstick Marketing
(MatchStick.ca)
219 Dufferin St. Unit 200b
Matchstick is a social media agency that cultivates word-of-mouth marketing for clients. It has ignited conversations around top-tier brands including L’Oréal, Maple Leaf, Jeep, Carlsberg and SC Johnson.
Sage Medica (SageMedica.com)
219 Dufferin St., Unit 101a
The full-service agency specializes in new media solutions for pharmaceutical and healthcare partners. Its services include traditional creative, digital and events.
extreme group
(extremegroup.com)
47 fraser ave.
Already established as one of the best agencies on the East Coast, Halifax-based Extreme moved to Toronto in November 2007 working for clients like Grand & Toy, Quiznos and Cadillac Fairview.
Strategic Storytellers (StrategicStorytellers.com)
219 Dufferin St., Suite 3b
It was probably a dark and stormy night when Strategic Storytellers was established in 2007. Headed by president and ‘chief storyteller’ Anne Tomsic, Strategic Storytellers specializes in ‘documentary-style’ storytelling for businesses including RBC, Golf Canada and Fairmont.
The Tite Group
(thetitegroup.com)
219 Dufferin St.
Ron Tite, former VP and creative director at Sharpe Blackmore Euro RSCG (and actor and comedian), set up his own shop in Liberty Village last December.
The content marketing firm boasts such clients as Dx3 Canada, VMC Group, Corus, Openfile, Art of Productions and Mom Central Canada.
Teehan+Lax (TeehanLax.com)
109 Atlantic Av., Unit 202
Established in 2002, this 40-person digital outfit moved to Liberty Village a little over a year ago. Services include digital strategy, social media integration, product and service design and video production for clients including Virgin Mobile, Bell Mobility, Telus and BMW.
Unit:PR (UnitPR.com)
1179 King St.
Launched in 2006, Unit:PR specializes in publicity for the television and film industries. To date, it has promoted more than 80 television series for
15 broadcasters including The Movie Network, Alliance Atlantis and Teletoon Canada.
Yield Integrated Communications & Advertising (YieldBranding.com)
1183 King St.
Founded by head of strategy Brad Usherwood 20 years ago, Yield has provided work for a diverse group of clients including Porsche, Scotiabank International, Deloitte and the Ontario Government.
Plastic Mobile
(PlasticMobile.com)
171 East Liberty St.
Established in 2007 by Sep Seyedi, the former technology director at Critical Mass, Plastic provides ‘compelling mobile experiences’ for clients including Unilever’s Axe brand, Pizza Pizza, Rogers Radio, Citytv and Just For Laughs. Services include mobile web development, couponing and mobile experience design.
