Touché! and PHD Canada were recognised once again for their best-in-class creativity and innovation, taking home Gold and Silver respectively at Strategy’s 2020 Canadian Media Agency of the Year Awards. This marks the fifth time in seven years that Touché! won Gold, with this year’s accolade coming from impressive campaigns for BRP, Canadian Tire and Sport Chek; closely followed by PHD Canada earning Silver for their campaigns for GO Transit, Scotiabank and Tangerine.
Karine Courtemanche, CEO of PHD Canada and Touché!, says the agencies and their leadership teams have never been shy about their quest for award show glory: it’s about pushing innovation and showcasing your best work on the best possible platforms. The awards stage – both at home and internationally – is where the bar is set.
The agency’s focus has given clients innovative solutions to specific problems, and still found ways to play in its favourite space: media creativity.
“There’s good education in crisis,” says Courtemanche. For the last four years, the agency has been on a mission to pivot clients toward more Canada-specific media investment. The pandemic has only exacerbated the urgency in those conversations.
“When our clients were asking to cancel ads or pull them away, we had healthy conversations where we said if they really had to cancel, then yes, they could. But if they had a cause, maybe they could use that money to promote it,” explains Courtemanche. “Canadian Tire is the best example of that, using its TV buys to promote its response fund for COVID relief efforts. They really set the example.”
Touche!’s new key business in 2020 includes Canada Post, Reckitt Benkiser, Diageo, Fondaction, Harnois, BonLook, Exceldor, and the Quebec Environment Ministry.
At the beginning of the year, PHD Canada undertook the big task of galvanising its leadership team with a slew of hires and promotions, as well as a new vision.
PHD Canada’s new key business in 2020 includes LG, Casper, Arterra Wines, Allergan, Cubert, Ferrero, and the University of New Brunswick.
To read more about Touche! and PHD Canada’s winning cases, visit the Strategy Agency of the Year website.
