The Holmes Report has named Citizen Optimum its 2013 Canadian Agency of the Year.
In a statement, Holmes Report editor-in-chief and chief executive officer Paul Holmes cited a 22% growth in Canadian fee income, earning new business from “marquee client” Procter & Gamble, and work produced for Pampers, Tourism British Columbia, and Capital One Canada’s financial literacy initiative as rationales for the agency’s win.
Nick Cowling, general manager of Citizen Optimum, said the award was a surprise given that the agency won North American Midsize Agency of the Year in 2012 (this year’s winner in that category is Gibbs & Soell). This year’s award, he said, is “icing on the cake.”
“In the last twelve months we’ve brought on some amazing clients,” Cowling said. “That’s allowed us to demonstrate our abilities in the corporate communications and public affairs space. It’s evened out our company.”
Among the clients added to Citizen Optimum’s roster in the past year are Egg Farmers of Canada, Bayer and Sleeman. The agency, which rebranded just a year and a half ago, also repitched and won the Future Shop account.
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Cowling said the Citizen Optimum team has been working to reposition its place in the market over the past five years. “[The award] is a testament to that working,” he said. “It brings with it a lot of credibility.”
The announcement came in advance of an awards ceremony held later this week in New York, where the Holmes Report will also hand out accolades to GolinHarris for Large Agency of the Year and Shift Communications for Small Agency of the Year.
