Rogers forms Elevate to offer creative agency services

Company plans a data-centric approach to differentiate from competitors

Rogers has restructured and rebranded its Client Solutions group to form an in-house creative agency that will support its Media Sales business.

Known as Elevate, the agency is putting an emphasis on merging data and analytics with creativity and content to stand out from potential competitors. Services could range from idea and concept generation to brand spots, online media, microsite builds and more.

Elevate will be led by Brandon Kirk, vice-president of Sales Client Solutions, who told Marketing while Rogers has been offering marketing solutions for years, the rebranded group will be better positioned to bring together Rogers’ assets with what customers need.

“A big area of challenge for a lot of brands is to have the right insights to act on an opportunity,” he said. “We’re going to be completely driven by those kinds of insights.”

For example, Elevate will be able to draw on what Rogers learns about the way customers engage with content across everything from its Enterprise Business Unit for B2B clients to its wireless, cable and retail operations that serve consumers, said Al Dark, senior vice-president of sales.

“Many agencies are often looking at the old tools – how many eyeballs were on a website, or how many forms were filled out,” he said. “We’ll be defining up front how we’re measuring. Where analytics is headed now is tracking things down to the second.”

In a teaser trailer promoting the agency, Elevate flashes through well-known names that Rogers owns, such as MoneySense and Today’s Parent, as well as those it has worked with such as Loblaws and Marshalls. The breadth of those relationships is also a differentiator, Kirk said.


“We have access to more than 100 leading brands that Canadians are exposed to on a daily basis,” he said. “We’re taking that knowledge and we now have a dedicated team on the strategy side paired with a dedicated team on the creative side.”

Elevate will be potentially making some additional hires, Kirk said, and will be promoted through roadshow events with customers as well as case studies, white papers and other assets.

See all comments Recent Comments
SBS

2014 called and it wants its metrics back. Oh and it’s magazines too. Back in 2014 they were on top. Now where are these so called magazines? Not on newsstands. Circ declines outpacing the industry. Only brand to do well is the one that got love and supports the NHL foolish investment. Managed the business into decline everywhere else.

Friday, September 30 @ 10:27 am |

Jmac

while it may have been long in coming (like trying to turn the Titanic), I think Rogers is moving in the right direction. With their print titles, custom publishing initiatives, broadcast channels, cable/internet/mobile services, etc. Rogers has the potential ability to reach and engage consumers in a way that no other Canadian company can. It will be interesting to see how they leverage this ability, and are able to aggregate data analytics for their customer interactions across all of their brands.

Friday, September 30 @ 9:47 am |

SiRand

“Where analytics is headed now is tracking things down to the second” oh Rogers, once again so late to join the game.

This is being done and done by those better equipped. Remember data is not information, information is not knowledge, knowledge is not understanding, understanding is not wisdom. Experts often possess more data than judgement.

Thursday, September 29 @ 11:12 pm |

Provost

Unless you are connecting the dots directly to sales revenue, profits, market share and EPS the data your referencing is merely an illusion of progress. Marketers have been trusting 3rd party data analysis to facilitate real time marketing optimization for several years.

What is Elevate’s plan to connect-the-dots before or after the fact regarding specific cause and effect? Did sales go up because of the Brand’s advertising, content marketing or some sales promotion? Or was it a relative price increase by a competitor? Or just a new digital/social media spike?

Reframing internal departments to present clients “progressive solutions” that are in reality commonplace is unfortunately not surprising for Rogers.

Thursday, September 29 @ 11:09 pm |

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