Our annual round-up of the Campaign editorial team’s favourite creative from the past 12 months.
by Campaign Staff December 18 2024
Coming up with our annual Mighty List (this marks our 5th compilation, going back to the early days of The Message), is a labour of love.
It’s an enjoyable experience to go back and review the year, picking out standout stories and breakthrough creative—there’s a lot of “I forgot about that one…it was so good.” This year’s exercise produced a long list of contenders that at one point was up to 70 pieces.
From there it was an arduous and difficult path to determine which 20 make our Mighty List—10 today representing our favourite creative of the year, and 10 tomorrow of our favourite people, causes and trends of the year.
It is so difficult, in fact, that minds can be changed right up to the last minute, including a very late addition to the creative list just this morning—we won’t say which one.
We look for work from a range of disciplines, styles and approaches from across the country, including our first-ever inclusion from the Yukon.
We have a bias toward innovation, but we also appreciate craft and storytelling, and the ability to look at old categories in new ways. These are our personal favourites, chosen without rigid criteria; instead, we use what we have called “thoughtful subjectivity” to come up with a list we think represents the best of the best from the vibrant, dynamic community of Canadian commercial creativity in 2024.
Mightiest Üse of Metal Marketing
“The Yukon: It’s a Little Bit Metal” — Yukon Travel, by Cossette
Promoting the Yukon as a winter travel destination has gotta be one of the tougher tourism marketing briefs out there. When most would-be tourists are buying hot and sunny, the Yukon is selling cold and dark.
But “most” is the operative word there. Tourism Yukon took an “it is what it is” attitude, and leaned into that cold, dark aesthetic for the “It’s a Little Bit Metal” campaign. The campaign targeted consumers who are looking for something different—“Travelling here in the winter isn’t for everyone,” reads one of the headlines on the site—reframing the territory as cool and rugged. It may be dark, but dark can be beautiful.
The idea was anchored by a full three-minute and 30-second heavy metal music video, with a four-person band engaging their inner hair-metal stylings with lyrics about snowshoeing, dog-sledding and ice-fishing.
“We didn’t just need to reframe the perception of the Yukon in winter—we wanted a campaign that stood out from conventional tourism ads, breaking away from the slow pans across beautiful vistas,” explained Cossette’s ACD Michael Pal.
The tune may be more Soundgarden than Sabbath, but the message is unmistakable. If you want to follow the pack to Mexico or the Caribbean, go ahead. But if you bristle at travel conventions, and have a bit of a wild streak and a predilection for badassery, you should rock out with your (thermal) socks out in the Yukon. —DB
Mightiest Comeback
“Shoulda Skipped It” —Skip, by Courage
Skip bringing back Jon Hamm as its Canadian spokesperson after a two-year absence is more than just a welcome return to genuinely funny and engaging marketing. (Hamm trading barbs with young kids while stuck in the back of an SUV is one of my favourite ad moments of the year.)
But his return is also a win for everyone who believes that made-in-Canada advertising can be just as good—and witty and fun—as that produced by our international counterparts.
Campaign spent a good part of this year championing the power of Canadian creativity, so it’s gratifying to see Skip embrace homegrown creative again after nearly three years of relying on mostly adapted work featuring the likes of Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg, et al.
(And yes, we see the irony of decrying the use of global stars while at the same time championing a Canadian campaign featuring an American actor.)
It’s unusual for brands to bring back a spokesperson, but it’s clear Skip’s marketing team knew they had a winner with Hamm, who appeared in more than 30 pieces of content for the food delivery service between 2018 and 2022.
It remains to be seen if Hamm and a new agency partner in Courage will be enough to rescue Skip from its well-documented challenges, but like one of the actor’s most famous characters, Don Draper, once said, “If you don’t like what is being said, change the conversation.” Skip did just that.—CP
Mightiest Hip-Hop Collab
“Bills Paid on Time”— BMO, by FCB Toronto
Brands regularly try to engage with Gen Z through music and influencer culture–placing advertising in environments where the demographic is already consuming media—but it can be difficult to achieve in a way that feels authentic.
The BMO “Bills Paid on Time” campaign was immediately well received, however, amassing 8 million views on TikTok in its first week of being published (nearly a year later, that number is up to 30 million), and garnering comments like “This is the first time in the history of TikTok I didn’t skip the ad,” and “This is the best bank commercial I have ever seen or heard.”
The 60-second music video, produced by FCB Toronto and UM Canada in collaboration with Canadian rapper bbno$, is part of BMO’s strategy to promote its new Eclipse Rise Visa Card, designed to encourage good financial habits among young consumers.
What makes the ad particularly effective is its seamless integration into the hip-hop genre, with bbno$ rapping about financial responsibility in a way that feels like a genuine music video rather than a traditional bank commercial.
Since the brand gave the artist creative autonomy, the song and video feel engaging and accessible to young consumers, addressing important financial topics like credit building and managing debt without sounding preachy.—EJW
Mightiest Awards Show Hijack
“Award Show Hack,” InLaws Audio House, by Bleublancrouge
B2B campaigns seldom attract the same attention and plaudits as consumer campaigns, but every once in a while one comes along that is so innovative and audacious, it deserves to be fêted.
As a three-year-old audio house going up against well-established incumbents, Toronto’s InLaws Audio House needed a truly unique way to get on the radar of ad creatives, who tend to stick with tried-and-true suppliers. “It’s rare that somebody who doesn’t know us personally would come to us,” said co-founder Spencer Hall.
Working with Bleublancrouge, InLaws created three musical self-promotional spots with lyrics referencing specific awards shows and their judges. They then ran those ads on small market radio stations in Saskatchewan and Ontario, fulfilling the criteria for judging shows, which stipulate that entries must have had some paid ad support in order to be submitted.
The ads name checked specific judges including Edelman Canada’s Anthony Chelvanathan and Angry Butterfly’s Erin Kawalecki, while putting forth InLaws as a potential collaborator on their next creative project.
Hall said that the company spent less than $1,000 on the campaign, and judges, too, seemed to appreciate the effort they went to to drum up new business. “It disrupted my judging experience for a moment, so I’d say that’s a win,” said Kawalecki.—CP
Mightiest Truncated Logo
“Magic Duos”—Coca Cola, by VML
Strong logos and wordmarks are invaluable to a brand, providing a visual language that consumers can instantly and easily recognize. It’s why marketers have long been reluctant to play with them too much, or at all, really.
Arguably no brand has greater consumer recognition than Coca Cola—the flowing italic word mark and unmistakable red are known worldwide, and “Coca-Cola” is said to be the second most understood word in the world, behind only “okay.”
When your visual identity is that strong, you only need a part of it—say 25%—to connect with consumers. That’s what VML did masterfully with the “Magic Duos” campaign this year.
Mealtimes remain a top consumption occasion for Coca-Cola, so to remind consumers that a Coke goes well with a lot of different food options, VML literally completed a number of popular food items with two letters from the word mark: a simple sans serif “TA” of taco, for instance, was completed by the unmistakable flowing “CO” of Coca-Cola.
Coca-Cola actually won a lot of awards for a recycling campaign last year that also played with the logo. But for me, that was work that impresses awards show judges and confuses consumers. This one is also winning trophies, including Communications Arts Best of Show, but will resonate with consumers and probably even make them smile. A Coke and a smile. Sounds right. —DB
Mightiest Marketing Adjacency
“Next to Stok’d”—Stok’d Cannabis by Angry Butterfly
The “Next to Stok’d” campaign by cannabis retailer Stok’d cleverly demonstrated that, with some good creative thinking, it is possible to work around Canada’s strict cannabis marketing laws.
The creative by Angry Butterfly sidesteps advertising restrictions by promoting neighbouring businesses, such as a bookstore, nail salon, and an electrician, rather than directly advertising Stok’d itself.
The ads were geo-targeted and featured actors playing business owners delivering pitches peppered with cannabis-related wordplay that got consumers thinking about weed without actually mentioning it. The payoff arrives at the end, when the speaker advertises the business’ address and points out that it’s right next door to Stok’d (or in the case of the electrician, in Stok’d).
The creative use of language, including a mix of double entendres, slang terminology and phrases commonly used to describe cannabis, is engaging in itself, delivering like a well-scripted stage skit. It also subtly hints at Stok’d products and atmosphere using language far more pleasant that that permitted to describe cannabis products in government-regulated retail spaces.
Meanwhile the sense of shared knowledge makes the brand feel relatable, a position reaffirmed by the seemingly generous and community-oriented approach of advertising neighbouring local businesses.–EJW
Mightiest Restaurant Guide
“Cashmere UltraLuxe Bathroom Guide”—Kruger, by Lifelong Crush
Imagine a world where the most prestigious restaurant award isn’t for food, but for bathrooms. That’s what Kruger Products has done with the Cashmere UltraLuxe Bathroom Guide, a marketing initiative ranking Toronto’s best restaurant bathrooms. Developed by Lifelong Crush, the guide takes Kruger’s position as the authority on bathroom luxury to new heights, aligning Cashmere UltraLuxe toilet paper with the appeal of an elegant bathroom experience.
The “Fleur” ranking system (inspired by the trademarked flower embossed on Cashmere UltraLuxe toilet paper) awards up to three Fleurs for excellence in criteria like design, amenities, cleanliness, and originality–making awarded bathrooms eligible for a listing in the official guide. Kruger then distributes official plaques to the restaurants that earn a spot, essentially creating a permanent ad placement.
Six Toronto restaurant bathrooms were added to the guide in 2024, and Kruger intends to extend the program to bathrooms across the country in 2025. Needless to say, the idea has long-lasting potential.
In terms of brand awareness, the campaign incentivizes restaurants to align with the brand by improving their restrooms, while making Kruger products synonymous with high-quality bathroom experiences in the mind of the consumer. Since nominations can be submitted via a hashtag, the initiative also invites easy consumer engagement.–EJW
Mightiest Song
“Our Song”—Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism, by Target
The VRBO marketing team couldn’t have known what they were getting into when they adopted “I’se the B’y,” a musical cornerstone of Newfoundland and Labrador culture, and used it to depict vacation disasters for their Super Bowl ad.
VRBO may have meant no offence, but offence was definitely taken—by many. While indignation spread quickly, so did the team at Target—which has created many years of world-class tourism work for the province. Less than 24 hours later, the agency had a charming rebuttal to VRBO produced, edited and online, complete with a new rendition of “I’se the B’y.”
A reaction like this could have seemed like insecurity, like a sore loser whining after not getting a rose on The Bachelor. This was the opposite of that. The spot took back the beloved song, and confidently reattached it to all things bright and beautiful about Newfoundland and Labrador, using the moment to remind everyone of how wonderful the province is. No shots at VRBO or talking heads demanding an apology necessary.
“’Our Song’ was a best in class example of how a brand responds to an insult, without getting a bunch of lawyers involved,” said Angus Tucker who led judging at the ICE Awards, where the spot won Best of Show. “It was a passionate and beautifully crafted rebuke to a thoughtless and lazy portrayal of the East Coast by VRBO. That they did it in less than 24 hours is mind-boggling.”—DB
Mightiest Stage Play
“The Last Timbit”—Tim Hortons, by Gut
It’s easy to regard Tim Hortons as a “safe” marketer. While it floods the market with an estimated $55 to $60 million a year in advertising for its many LTOs and promotions, its marketing—with a few notable exceptions—tends to be relatively by-the-book.
But the QSR seemed willing to tear up its marketing playbook for its 60th anniversary, and a 70-minute stage musical called “The Last Timbit” was a bonafide example of a big, audacious idea. A growing number of brands have dabbled in TV and movies—hey Barbie!—but live theatre is not something too many brands have attempted. Forget breaking a leg, it’s the kind of thing that can break a budget.
Based on the true story of a group of Tims patrons who waited out a snowstorm in one of its restaurants in Sarnia, Ont., “The Last Timbit” was staged at one of Toronto’s most venerable theatres, the 1,500-seat Elgin Theatre, and later shown on Crave TV.
Gut Toronto managing director and partner Ryan O’Hagan told Campaign that Tims considered the idea “nuts” when it was presented by the agency, yet didn’t veto it right away. The presence of acclaimed Canadian producer Michael Rubinoff, and a treatment by Canadian playwrights Anika Johnson and Britta Johnson, was enough to get the client on board, and the rest is Canadian marketing history.
A curtain call for a coffee colossus. Who woulda thunk it?—CP
Mightiest Olympic Ad
“Crop of Champions”—IGA, by Sid Lee
If we’re being honest, this might also be a lifetime achievement kind of selection. IGA’s holiday ads have long been a favourite among Campaign staffers, but the Quebec grocery retailer also brought its signature animation style to what we considered one of the year’s standout Olympic ads.
It could be argued that no Canadian brand uses animation consistently better than IGA, which has made the medium its default communications tactic in recent years.
Created by Sid Lee, “Crop of Champions” worked by helping forge an explicit link between the food athletes consume and its ability to nurture/nourish their Olympic ambitions. And, by extension, if it’s good enough for world-class athletes, it’s good enough for the regular Canadian. And it forges these links in a highly watchable manner.
The campaign’s unheralded hero is a farmer—part of a group that IGA refers to as “the athletes of their industry”— tending to a new “Crop of champions.” Through days and weeks of backbreaking labour, the farmer is able to nourish a bumper crop of Olympic athletes.
Sid Lee worked with Olympic athletes in sports as varied as swimming, weightlifting and boxing for several months in order to create the avatar seen by viewers. Amid a bumper crop of Olympic ads this year, “Crop of Champions” gets our nod for being both highly watchable while creating a vital link between IGA and Canada’s Olympic success.—CP
The Mighty Close Contenders: Since it’s always difficult to name just 10 campaigns, we like to shout out some of the ones that nearly made the cut. This year’s honourable mentions include: ROM “Nature’s Symphony”; Nescafe “80 Degrees”; Pizza Pizza “Bipartisan Wings”; McDonald’s “Eat the Code”; Taco Bell “Late Night Receipt Redemption”; Subway “Did it Just Get Worldly in Here?”; Go Transit “Discover the Journey”; “Campbell’s pAIntings”; Meridian “World of Numbers”; and Egale “Help us Remain.”