After four years with BleuBlancRouge, Laurentian Bank has chosen Sid Lee as its new agency without a review.
“The bank wanted to revitalize its marketing efforts and was looking for a new partner,” said Vito Piazza, partner at Sid Lee. The agency has some familiarity with the bank, having worked on the account from 2000 to 2003.
“They approached us and we discussed how we viewed their company and the market,” said Piazza. “It is too early to give details on the direction of the strategy, but we can say that the bank is in a pretty specific position: it is a regional institution because of its solid position in Quebec, where the head office is. It is close to people. Also, its infrastructure is less imposing [than national banks], allowing for more flexibility.”
On Nov. 25, ahead of formal confirmation that Sid Lee had won the account, BleuBlancRouge issued a press release labeled “Mission Accomplished for the Laurentian Bank and BleuBlancRouge,” wherein the company said it was with “great emotion and a sense of accomplishment that BleuBlancRouge watches its baby leave the nest” and listed several awards its Laurentian campaigns have won.
“Our mandate was to change the course of things. And we did; it was a success,” said Benoit Chapellier, agency executive vice-president, client services. “From now on, the Laurentian Bank will consolidate what it has earned. Others will be able to do it. We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish.”
Piazza said BleuBlancRouge did “good work,” but the client changed its priorities with regard to its platform.
“The Laurentian Bank felt the need to redefine itself and to have a more global platform that would support their goals over the next few years,” he said. “They are looking for a lasting, long-term vision that can evolve with the institution. Beyond that, they appreciate our capacity to carry out this vision on different levels: experiential, interactive, traditional, et cetera.”
Touché PHD will handle media duties.
