NHL athletes are true artists when it comes to their sport. To demonstrate the shot power and accuracy that a high-level player like Brent Burns can achieve with a CCM Hockey stick, Cossette chose a setting and tone reminiscent of the classical arts scene.

Of note is that, due to Burns’s busy schedule, the spot was shot in less than 90 minutes—a tall order in terms of production that also demanded perfect precision from both agency and athlete.

As part of the brand’s integrated content strategy, the video has been appearing as pre-roll and on social media in Canada and the U.S. for a few weeks now. What’s more, it’s even been shared on the NHL’s Twitter feed. The video has also been airing on television networks throughout Québec since September 22nd.

Competition is fierce between destinations in the global tourism industry. To ensure Québec City maintains its power of attraction, the destination needed a distinctive and unifying brand, reflecting its heritage and what it is today.

“The Québec City region offers a full spectrum of touristic experiences. Creating its new tourism brand was both a thrilling project and a source of pride for our people, especially since Cossette was founded in Québec City in 1972 and still has its head office here,” said Louis Duchesne, Executive Vice-President and General Manager of Cossette.

Banking on the “Québec, l’accent d’Amérique” positioning, Cossette designed a visually arresting identity.

Taking the shape of turrets, mountains and a crown, the acute accent that tops the logo recalls the Château Frontenac, and the architecture, topography and heritage of Québec City and its surrounding area. It’s also a symbol of the French language and a nod to our lilting accent. The short, evocative word “cité” punctuates the logo, neatly differentiating the city from the province.

The brand was unveiled to partners in the tourism industry and will make its debut in QCT communication initiatives over the next few months.

“As a rapidly modernizing Crown corporation, our values of innovation, trust and agility are even more important and represent the guiding force behind all our actions. This tagline is a reflection of what makes us unique and of what lies at the heart of our corporate culture. We are firmly focused on the future. Our ambition is to reimagine the Canadian journey by creating smarter ways to travel. With Love the Way, we hope that Canadians will indeed rediscover the joy of travel and thus contribute to a better future economically, socially and environmentally,” said Ann Bouthillier, VIA Rail’s Chief Communications Officer.

“VIA Rail is a major Canadian player in the transport industry and strongly believes that travel should be an easy, sustainable and enjoyable experience that meets the individual needs and preferences of today’s and tomorrow’s passengers,” she added. “Every action taken by our employees reflects the company’s commitment, resourcefulness and authenticity. We are acknowledged in the industry for providing customer service that is welcoming, professional, caring and focused on the needs of our clientele. Thanks to this experience, we are able to introduce Love the Way with confidence.”

Following a consultation exercise with its various target audiences, including employees, passengers and non-passengers, VIA Rail refined its brand DNA and identified the important factors that strongly contribute to the pleasure of travel. The process sought to build a creative platform based on the strengths of the Crown corporation, that would stand the test of time.

“When it comes to travel, the journey itself, with all the traffic, construction work, delays and lineups that people have to endure, is often more of an irritant than a pleasure. It’s a necessary evil for reaching a destination and a source of frustration and anxiety. The pleasure aspect got lost along the way,” explains Peter Ignazi, Cossette’s Global Chief Creative Officer. “And yet getting to one’s destination should be as important and enjoyable as the destination itself. This is the very essence of smart mobility and the cornerstone of the Love the Way platform. We want to inspire Canadians to renew their love of travel.” 

The launch campaign will be rolled out on television (30-second spots), the Web (30-, 15- and 6-second spots and banners) and in displays, print media and movie theatres (60-second spots). Digital agency Tink was in charge of updating viarail.ca to reflect the new platform. Visitors to the site will benefit from a more tailored experience that includes new features and content.

Credits

Sponsor: VIA Rail Canada

Creative Agency: Cossette

Media Agency: Touché!

Digital Agency: Tink

Production House: Cinélande

Director: Didier Charette

Post-Production: Post430, SHED Inc.

Music: Cult Nation

Sound: LaMajeure

About Cossette

Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency. It is a community of 700 creative humans who help people and brands connect in meaningful ways. Cossette was named Agency of the Year in Canada in 2016 and 2017. It currently has offices in Halifax, Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, visit cossette.com.

About VIA Rail Canada

As Canada’s national rail passenger service, VIA Rail (viarail.ca) and all its employees are mandated to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation service, in both official languages of our country. VIA Rail operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking over 400 communities across Canada, and about 180 more communities through intermodal partnerships, and safely transports nearly 4.4 million passengers annually. The Corporation has been awarded five Safety Awards and three Environment Awards by the Railway Association of Canada since 2007. Visit the “About VIA Rail” section at www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail. 

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For more information:

Roxanne Chaudier

Cossette

514 827-8315

roxanne.chaudier@cossette.com

“Depending on their age group, voters vary greatly in terms of fields of interest and consumer habits. We had to adapt and find a way to reach the population as a whole. That’s why, for the first time ever, two campaigns from Élections Québec will occupy the media landscape over the next few weeks,” explained Marie Vaillancourt, Senior Vice-President at Cossette. 

For 30 years, there’s been a decline in voter turnout, and this phenomenon seems to get worse over time as new generations of voters exercise their civic duty even less than their elders. 

“The number one reason abstainers give for not voting is that they feel their single vote has no impact. We developed the campaign for the general public around this simple observation in order to prove the contrary,” added Marie Vaillancourt. The awareness campaign highlights how voting brings people together. Regardless of age, occupation, interests or passions, every vote counts. This campaign will roll out on TV, on the radio, in signage, in theatres, online and on social media.

Because we’ll do anything to get you to vote!

Just over half of all potential young voters exercised their civic duty in 2014—they had the lowest turnout of any age group. With the slogan “We’ll do anything to get you to vote,” the campaign aimed at 18- to 24-year-olds is a testament to Élections Québec’s commitment to spare no effort to reverse the trend and encourage young people to go to the polls in great numbers on October 1.

The campaign aimed at them is more unconventional and has a playful tone. Élections Québec is pulling out all the stops to entice them—be it by melting their hearts with cute kids or enlisting the help of well-known and well-liked influencers like “Occupation Double Bali” participant Alanis Desilets, comedian Yannick De Martino, snowboarder Sébastien Toutant or the duo from “Jokes de Papa.” The hashtag #votealamode was also launched, in partnership with fashion influencers. 

Élections Québec’s campaign aimed at 18- to 24-year-olds also has the benefit of multiple points of contact to reach its target. For example, Snapchat users on school campuses can add a personalized filter to their photos to show they voted on site, and 75 coffee shops around colleges and universities will be giving out mug cozies with Élections Québec slogans. Spots on Spotify offer young voters 30 minutes of ad-free music to encourage them to vote. Signage at post-secondary schools will drive young people to elections.quebec/pretsatout via fake URLs. They’re employing various tactics and tips to reinforce the promise “We’ll do anything to get you to vote.”

Credits

Advertiser: Élections Québec

Agency: Cossette

Media agency: Cossette Media

Campaign for the general public

Strategy: Marie Vaillancourt

Creative: Yvon Brossard and Sonia Girouard

Product: Nicole Laplante and Pierre-Antoine Lavoie

Media: Josée Otis and Amélie Lemieux
Production house: Lyne Leclair

Director: Maxime Giroux / Les Enfants

Post-production: Mel’s

Sound: Cult Nation 

Campaign for 18–24-year-olds
Strategy: Marie Vaillancourt
Creative: Sébastien Forget, Marc-André Savard, Sonia Girouard, Yvon Brossard, Olivier Caron and Zoé Forest-Paradis
Product: Nicole Laplante and Pierre-Antoine Lavoie
Media: Josée Otis and Amélie Lemieux
Production house: Lyne Leclair
Director: Didier Charette / Roméo & Fils
Music: Cult Nation
Sound studio: Audio Z

About Cossette

Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency. It’s a community of 700 creative humans who help people and brands connect in meaningful ways.

Cossette was named Agency of the Year in Canada in 2016 and 2017. It currently has offices in Halifax, Québec City, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, visit cossette.com.

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For more information:

Roxanne Chaudier

514 827-8315

roxanne.chaudier@cossette.com

The national governing body is responsible for the development, promotion, and organization of curling across the country — from grassroots all the way to Team Canada who represents us internationally.

One of Canada’s most beloved sporting traditions, curling centres are at the very heart of many communities and can be found in every province. The game is a hot commodity internationally during Winter Olympic years, but has a huge dedicated following across Canada, year in and year out. The goal will be to keep building that following, both in terms of ticket purchases and participation.

“We were looking for a great sports client to add to our roster,” stated Nadine Cole, SVP, General Manager of Cossette in Vancouver. “When Curling Canada came up for review, we knew we’d found the ideal partner. A true team effort, everyone in the agency pitched in to win this. We couldn’t be more excited.”

About Cossette
 
Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency. It’s a community of 700 creative humans who help people and brands connect in meaningful ways.
 
Cossette was named Agency of the Year in Canada in 2016 and 2017. It currently has offices in Halifax, Québec City, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, visit cossette.com. 

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For more information:

Roxanne Chaudier

Communications Manager, Cossette

514 827 8315

roxanne.chaudier@cossette.com

So, McDonald’s Canada and Cossette launched Nuggetiquette: defined as one’s own set of “rules” for eating McNuggets. This campaign celebrates all of the unique ways people eat their Chicken McNuggets. #Nuggetiquette shows us there is no right way to eat McNuggets, just your way.

“McDonald’s can’t post on social without hearing hundreds of comments about how our fans eat their Chicken McNuggets. From dipping in specific sauces, to dunking in ice cream, to topping a burger, everyone has their own rules,” shared Jordan Cohen, Associate Creative Director at Cossette. “We wanted to celebrate these personal codes with a new campaign that crowdsources real fan rituals and contrasts them with classic moments when etiquette really meant something,” he added.

The campaign was created based on Nuggetiquette shared via social channels by real fans who even voiced the ads themselves. McDonald’s wants McNugget fans to share their Nuggetiquette online and plans to transform select scenarios into custom creative executions for the next evolution of the campaign — inspired by the real life fans.

“McNuggets are a great example of good food that you can have fun with. They’ve been a guest favourite at McDonald’s since the product’s launch in the 1980s. With a wide range of ordering options in terms of quantity and accompanying dipping sauces, the number of ways to enjoy McNuggets is almost limitless,” said Chuck Coolen, McDonald’s Senior Marketing Manager, Eastern Canada.

At the end of the day, McNuggets remind us of the playfulness of youth. Our intention was to reflect that “feel good” emotion in the #Nuggetiquette campaign.

The campaign included TV, Social Content, and Radio. Watch the TV spots here.

About McDonald’s Canada

In 1967, Canadians welcomed the first McDonald's® restaurant to Richmond, British Columbia. Today, McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited has become part of the Canadian fabric, serving close to three million guests every day. Together with our franchisees, we proudly employ nearly 100,000 people from coast-to-coast and approximately 90 per cent of McDonald's 1,400 Canadian restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent entrepreneurs. Of the almost $1 billion we spend on food, beverages and packaging, more than 85 per cent is purchased from over 100 suppliers in Canada. 

About Cossette

Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency. It’s a community of 700 creative humans who help people and brands connect in meaningful ways.

Cossette was named Agency of the Year in Canada in 2016 and 2017. It currently has offices in Halifax, Québec City, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, please visit cossette.com.

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For more information:

Tanya Black

416-666-5352

tanya.black@cossette.com

Full Nuggetiquette Credits:

Senior Marketing Manager: Chuck Coolen

Regional Marketing Supervisor: Andrew Mumford

Group Creative Director: Simon Clancy

Associate Creative Director(s): Jordan Cohen & Kevin Filliter

Art Direction: Kevin Filliter

Copywriting: Jordan Cohen

Strategy: Aynsley Deluce

Director of Content: Youri Hollier

SVP, Managing Director: Kathy McGuire

Group Account Director: Geoff Wilton

Account Director: Nicole Bakker

Account Supervisor: Dane Armstrong

Designer: Jenna Anderson, Eric Wood

Senior Retoucher: Trevor Gauthier

Studio Director: Raquel Mullen

Agency Producer: Colleen Floyd

Media: OMD

Public Relations: Weber Shandwick

Director :  Chris Woods | Scouts Honor

Editor :  Stephen Sora + Chris Chang = Saints Editorial

Colorist :  Eric Whipp | Alter Ego

Conform Artist :  Steve McGreggor | Alter Ego

Music :  Vapor RMW

“We are at our best when working with brands who are willing to invest in creativity, to redefine their categories. KOHO is innovating in an emerging market which provided us with the opportunity to help build the brand in a way that is completely unexpected,” shared Carlos Moreno, Global Chief Creative Officer at Cossette. “The rules of advertising have changed. There are no more boundaries which enabled us to tap into a hunger for change that is being felt around the world.” 

This brand film is about reclaiming one’s dreams, dreams that are being overshadowed by the stress of financial woes. It is meant to be a wake-up call and to empower people to take hold of their finances in a new way.

“A great piece can have a global reach with the right influencers behind it. It was a strategic decision to work with the right teams, to invest more in production to create something that would really resonate, than in promotion. We are challenging the status quo on every front with this work,” shared Jason Chaney, Chief Creative Officer at KOHO.

A two minute version of the short film will debut in theatres across Alliance Atlantis distribution channels starting August 1, 2018. 

Agency: Cossette

Global Chief Creative Officer(s): Carlos Moreno, Peter Ignazi

Creative Director/CW: Craig McIntosh

Creative Director/AD: Jaimes Zentil

Agency Producer: Dena Thompson

Account Director: Tyler Harris

VP, Client Lead: Anabella Mandel

SVP, Director Client Services: Janis Lindenbergs

Production House: Division

Director: Fleur Fortuné

DOP: Matias Boucard

Executive Producer: Jules de Chateleux

Client – KOHO

CCO, KOHO: Jason Chaney

Content Strategist, KOHO: Julia Cooper

Media Agency: Cossette Media

Luke Southern - Media Director

Jeannie Lee - Media Planner

Local Production House : Family Production (Kiev)

Producer: Nikita Bukowski

Editing House: Mikros-MPC

Editor: Jean-Christophe Bouzy

VFX:  Mikros-MPC

Lead Motion Graphics: Jean-Yves Parent

Colourist: Magali Léonard

Music House: Kouz

Music Performer: Matteo Locasciulli

Music Producer: Thomas Couzinier

Sound Design: Benoit Mouet

About KOHO
KOHO is a financial technology company whose mission it is to help all Canadians restore financial balance. Offering a tech-forward experience with options similar to those of traditional bank accounts, but without the fees associated with traditional accounts. KOHO consists of a prepaid, reloadable Visa debit card and an intuitive app that tracks user spending and helps Canadians find ways to automate their savings – with no fees.

KOHO’s technology allows users to make purchases everywhere Visa cards are accepted and provides access to a suite of other products, such as direct deposit, ATMs, bill pay, free transfers and more. KOHO is headquartered in Toronto, ON.

About Cossette
Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency. It’s a community of 700 creative humans who help people and brands connect in meaningful ways.

Cossette was named Agency of the Year in Canada in 2016 and 2017. It currently has offices in Halifax, Québec City, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, please visit cossette.com. 

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For more information:

Tanya Black

416-666-5352

tanya.black@cossette.com

The midnight sun refers to what happens in the summer sky around the Arctic Circle. The sun drops in the evening, but never quite sets. Then it rises again. Hence the sky is a riot of colour for several hours in the absolute dead of night.

Live images are being captured for two weeks between 11:00 PM and 1:00 AM just outside Dawson City. Working with Astral Media, those same images are then instantly posted onto digital billboards across Vancouver and the North Shore. 

“We wanted to bring some of the magic of the Yukon to the Lower Mainland,“ noted Kelsey Hughes and Mark Wilson, the creative team at Cossette. “The contrast between the brilliant sky in the visual stream and the darkness surrounding the boards is pretty dramatic.”

“The Yukon has always been a place of larger than life experiences and sights,” noted Jason Marcotte, Marketing Manager, Tourism Yukon – North America. “If the scene looks amazing on a board thousands of kilometres away, imagine being here in person. It is pretty remarkable.”

Vancouver and the Lower Mainland are key target areas as YVR is the main departure point for visitors traveling to the Yukon. The flight takes just under 2.5 hours and there are three to five flights daily, depending on the season.

For more information about Tourism Yukon, visit their site.   

Credits

Client: Tourism Yukon

Agency: Cossette

Media Agency: Astral Out of Home, Bell Media

Photographer: Alistair Maitland 

About Cossette

Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency. It’s a community of 700 creative humans who help people and brands connect in meaningful ways.

Cossette was named Agency of the Year in Canada in 2016 and 2017. It currently has offices in Halifax, Québec City, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, please visit cossette.com. 

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For more information:

Tanya Black

416-666-5352

tanya.black@cossette.com

“In a context where everyone is vying for consumers’ attention, we had to create a message that was strong and impactful, even if people’s reaction was simply to ask, ‘What are Takis, anyway?”, explains Heather Crees, SVP Marketing at Canada Bread, which manufactures the brand.

It’s through the message DON’T EAT TAKIS that the brand conveys each flavour’s unique characteristics—it’s too spicy (Takis Fuego), it’s too crunchy (Takis Xplosion), and it’s too intense (Takis Angry Burger).

“The message we’re sending consumers at each point of contact is don’t eat Takis, don’t follow us on Facebook or Instagram, and don’t visit our website. We hide the logo.  We block out the product. We purposely don’t play by the normal rules. Why? People here have never seen chips this intense, so it's our duty to warn them!” say Anne-Claude Chénier, Vice-President, Creative Advertising, and Michel-Alex Lessard, Vice-President, Strategy at Cossette.

What’s more, since the campaign launched, Takis has switched its Instagram page to private mode in an attempt to discourage users from following it. Naturally, it had the opposite effect. 

In three videos, Takis drives home its message when it surprises consumers who fail to heed its warnings. Rest assured that no one was harmed during the making of these videos. All “victims” walked away with smiles on their faces… and a bag of Takis!

The national offensive is being rolled out across several platforms, from out-of-home and posters in the public transit system, to an online component and social networks. Cossette also created the campaign website donteattakis.ca.

In the coming weeks, new content will be posted on social media thanks to partnerships with influencers from across Canada, such as Pyrobooby, Bongizzlez, Ryan Swaze and Lysandre Nadeau.

]

Credits

Advertiser: Canada Bread (Takis) – Heather Crees, Riona Coller, Stephanie Bell, Neha Pal

Agency: Cossette

Strategy: Michel-Alex Lessard, Mikael Lebleu

Creative: Anne-Claude Chénier, Ben Duquette, Cameron Hudson, David Théroux, Patrick Michaud

Digital: Belinda Potvin, David Fréchette, Kimberley Neill, Luc Mercier, Salima Lhessani, Sin Yi Ma, Sylvain Jacques

Product: Marie-Pier Kerr

Media agency: Spark Foundry

Produced by: 1One/Anthony Ayotte

Sound: Apollo

Public relations: Axelle Techer 

About Cossette

Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency. It’s a community of 700 creative humans who help people and brands connect in meaningful ways.

Cossette was named Agency of the Year in Canada in 2016 and 2017. It currently has offices in Halifax, Québec City, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, visit cossette.com.

About Canada Bread Company, Limited

Canada Bread Company, Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Grupo Bimbo since May, 2014, is a leading producer and distributor of packaged fresh bread and bakery products with brands such as Dempster's®, Villaggio®, POM®, Bon Matin®, Ben's®, McGavins®, Vachon® and Stonemill®.  In business for more than 100 years, the Company operates 19 bakeries and employs approximately 4,800 associates across Canada.   For more information, please visit www.canadabread.com. 

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For more information:

Roxanne Chaudier

514 827-8315

roxanne.chaudier@cossette.com

“We’re reinventing ourselves to not only democratize cycling, but also be a disruptive player in the industry, which admittedly can be a bit conservative,” explained Louis Garneau, President and Founder of LGS. “Our goal is to make the bike both a mode of transportation and a lifestyle. Now with a stronger-than-ever portfolio of brands and products, we truly embody a cycling solution that’s relevant for everyone, whether they view biking as a passion, a pastime or just the best way to get to work.”

Capitalizing on the momentum created by the arrival of the second generation of Garneaus within the company, LGS along with Cossette is revamping its business model and repositioning its communications platforms in order to better respond to consumers’ needs and better equip its partners, found in 50 countries around the world. It will be an in-depth transformation for the company that will be applied simultaneously throughout the organization.

“By developing brands’ like Louis Garneau Sports’ ability to provide concrete solutions to concrete problems, we enhance their growth potential and—perhaps more importantly—we stimulate their internal and external vitality”, said Alexis Pinard, Strategic Lead and Brand Expert at Cossette.

About Cossette

Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency. It’s a community of 700 creative humans who help people and brands connect in meaningful ways.

Cossette was named Agency of the Year in Canada in 2016 and 2017. It currently has offices in Halifax, Québec City, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, please visit cossette.com.

About Louis Garneau Sports

Founded in 1983, the Louis Garneau Group has its head office in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Quebec, and employs over 450 people. The company also operates a distribution center in Derby, Vermont, since 1987, a factory in Mexico started 10 years ago, as well as a procurement and sourcing office in China. Garneau products are sold in over 50 countries.

Garneau relentlessly concentrates its energies on development and innovation. More than ever, athletes the world over stand out and perform thanks to the latest innovations of the Garneau brand. 

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For more information:

Roxanne Chaudier

514 827-8315

roxanne.chaudier@cossette.com

For the occasion, certain menu items were represented in ads using the moving accessory par excellence—the cardboard box. McDonald’s intention was two-fold: wish all Quebecers a good move and invite them to try the new My McDo mobile app.

“At this time of the year, the landscape is inundated with ads about moving. It was a stimulating challenge for us to do something different and give free rein to our creativity,” said Patrick Michaud, Associate Creative Director at Cossette.

Credits

Advertiser: McDonald’s Canada

Agency: Cossette

Creative team: Alexandre Jutras, Anne-Claude Chénier, Barbara Jacques, Patrick Michaud, René Lachapelle

Product owner: Annie Vanier

Media agency: OMD

About Cossette

Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency. It’s a community of 700 creative humans who help people and brands connect in meaningful ways.

Cossette was named Agency of the Year in Canada in 2016 and 2017. It currently has offices in Halifax, Québec City, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, visit cossette.com.

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For more information:

Roxanne Chaudier

514 827-8315

roxanne.chaudier@cossette.com

Cossette takes home the Grand Prix for Follow the Arches, an OOH campaign that went viral globally, in which McDonald’s iconic arches were de-constructed and transformed into directional billboards, meant to give consumers a nudge towards the brand’s nearest restaurant. Follow the Arches is an imaginative campaign that captures the truly iconic nature of the Golden Arches and creatively transforms the iconography into universally understood and playful signage that can be adapted globally.

“It is with great pride that we accept this shared recognition with McDonald’s Canada. The work that our teams across Canada produced together embodies the out-of-box thinking that we encourage. We are lucky to have the trust of the McDonald’s Canada team to allow for us to be as creative as possible,” shared Melanie Dunn, Global President and CEO of Cossette.

“Follow the Arches is a wonderful example of the brand equity we’ve built in the Golden Arches and our ability to create simple feel good moments in people’s daily lives. I’m so proud of the McDonald’s team and proud to have a more than 40 year partner in Cossette. We look forward to many more exciting campaigns to come,” added Antoinette Benoit, Chief Marketing Office of McDonald’s Canada. 

Cossette also took home a Bronze Lion in the Design category for Humanity & Inclusion’s new brand identity.

To date, Cossette received shortlists for SickKids VS, Humanity & Inclusion, MTELUS and McDonald’s Canada campaigns in the Health, Design, Outdoor and Industry Craft categories. 

Congratulations to all the hard work that Cossette’s teams from coast to coast put in everyday. These awards are a recognition of their collaboration and spectacular work.

In it’s 65th year, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a seven day festival bringing the world’s most inventive, talented and creative people in the communications industry together in Cannes to learn, network and celebrate.

About McDonald’s

In 1967, Canadians welcomed the first McDonald's restaurant to Richmond, British Columbia. Today, McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited has become part of the Canadian fabric, serving close to three million guests every day.

Together with our franchisees, we proudly employ nearly 90,000 people from coast-to-coast and approximately 85 percent of McDonald's 1,400 Canadian restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent entrepreneurs. Of the almost $1 billion we spend on food, more than 85 percent is purchased from over 100 suppliers in Canada. For more information on McDonald's Canada visit McDonalds.ca.

About Cossette

Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency. It’s a community of 900 creative humans who help people and brands connect in meaningful ways.

Cossette was named Agency of the Year in Canada in 2016 and 2017. It currently has offices in Halifax, Québec City, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, please visit cossette.com. 

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For more information:

Tanya Black

416-666-5352

tanya.black@cossette.com 

Credits

Agency: Cossette

Chief Creative Officer(s): Carlos Moreno, Peter Ignazi

Group Creative Director: Simon Clancy

Creative Director(s): Craig McIntosh, Jaimes Zentil

Art Director: Spencer Dingle, David Théroux

Copywriter: Jordan Hamer, Philippe Brassard

Senior Designer: Oleg Portnoy

Designer: Corey Way

Senior Production Artist: Graham Washer

Senior Retoucher: Trevor Gauthier

Studio Director: Raquel Mullen

Account Coordinator: Megan Smith

Account Executive: Valerie Mascarin

Account Director: Nicole Bakker

Group Account Director: Geoff Wilton

SVP, Managing Director: Kathy McGuire

Public Relations: Tanya Black, Stacey Masson

Media Agency: OMD, Novus 

Client – McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited

Chief Marketing Officer & SVP: Antoinette Benoit

Senior Marketing Manager: Chuck Coolen

Advertising/Marketing Manager: Andrew Mumford

In celebration of VIA Rail’s 40th anniversary, the Canadian railway company, together with Cossette, launched the Canada-wide VIA40 campaign and contest with a historic twist.

Together, they created tickets upcycled from the steel of a major part of VIA Rail’s history to mark the milestone. VIA Rail is reusing its past to propel 40 lucky participants toward a more sustainable future by melting the truck of a train that had recently been removed from service and destined for the scrap heap. The truck was part of a railway car that had travelled over six million kilometres, which is equivalent of travelling across Canada more than a thousand times. 

“To celebrate our 40th anniversary, nothing could have been more fitting than literally transforming an iconic part of our history, and in doing so, repurposing the past to move forward, towards a more sustainable future. It was a compelling idea steeped in symbolism, yet bringing it to life was a considerable challenge. The entrepreneurial spirit of the teams at Cossette and here at VIA Rail played a key role in it all coming together,” added Ann Bouthillier, Chief Communications Officer at VIA Rail.

This initiative was carried out in collaboration with ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada where the video was shot at its Contrecoeur facility in the province of Québec. The beautiful behind-the-scenes imagery really captures how monumental the process of melting the train car down was, and how symbolic the tickets are of passing the historical torch to the next generation of riders. 

“To come up with new concepts, you sometimes have to step away from your computer and connect with the product. Members of our creative team rode the train from Montreal to Toronto and back to do some brainstorming. The idea came to us on the trip back, just outside of Kingston,” shared Gilles Legault, Assistant Creative Director.

The contest will gift 40 Canadians with two cross-country return trips. The tickets, forged from the past, will allow VIA Rail’s past to live on, while the contest winners will create their own stories to be told for years to come.

Watch the full campaign video here. 

Learn more about the VIA40 campaign and contest here. 

Credits 

Client: VIA Rail Canada

Agency: Cossette

Digital Agency: Tink

Media Agency: Touché!

About VIA Rail Canada

As Canada’s national rail passenger service, VIA Rail (viarail.ca) and all its employees are mandated to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation service, in both official languages of our country. VIA Rail operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking over 400 communities across Canada, and about 180 more communities through intermodal partnerships, and safely transports nearly 4.4 million passengers annually. The Corporation has been awarded five Safety Awards and three Environment Awards by the Railway Association of Canada since 2007. Visit  the “About VIA Rail” section at: www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail.

About Cossette

Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency. It’s a community of 900 creative humans who help people and brands connect in meaningful ways.

Cossette was named Agency of the Year in Canada in 2016 and 2017. It currently has offices in Halifax, Québec City, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, please visit cossette.com.

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For more information:

Tanya Black

416-666-5352

tanya.black@cossette.com

Cossette’s integrated marketing communications expertise and creativity coupled with what Stradigi AI brings to the table, counting more than 80 employees which includes 20 applied AI research scientists, will allow the two partners to deliver even better solutions to current and future clients.

“We’re joining forces with a leader in the field of AI with the aim of building on the extensive technology and CRM expertise we’ve acquired in recent years. This is an important step towards expanding our service offering that will immediately benefit our clients,” noted Cossette Executive Vice-President and General Manager Louis Duchesne.

“This partnership marks the start of our accelerated growth plan, and we are honored to be combining our know-how with Cossette’s expertise,” said Basil Bouraropoulos, co-founder and CEO at Stradigi AI. “It’s a clear sign that Stradigi AI’s knowledge and insight are recognized within the industry. 

Cossette will transfer the proprietary solutions it has developed over the years to the new joint venture—including the recommendation engine (or automated learning system) designed for Tourisme Montréal in order to adopt a unique, personalized marketing approach by proposing context-based content according to visitors’ profiles, interests, and travel dates, all in real time.

Stradigi AI, whose research lab is headed up by co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Carolina Bessega, recently became the very first Québec-based AI solutions provider to partner with the Vector Institute. It is also set to open offices in Toronto and Brazil in the coming months as part of its ongoing expansion.

About Cossette

Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency. It’s a community of 700 creative humans who help people and brands connect in meaningful ways.

Cossette was named Agency of the Year in Canada in 2016 and 2017. It currently has offices in Halifax, Québec City, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, visit cossette.com.

About Stradigi AI

Stradigi AI is an artificial intelligence solutions provider, backed by an applied research lab committed to bringing excellence & smarter results to international businesses. Its passionate research scientists devote their time to identify challenges and provide original and custom AI solutions, that are then built into scalable products thanks to its talented team of software engineers. Together, they provide a full ecosystem catered to AI innovation, giving them and their partners a competitive edge. For more information, visit stradigi.ai. 

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For more information:

Roxanne Chaudier

514 827-8315

roxanne.chaudier@cossette.com

For 35 years, Ronald McDonald House BC and Yukon (RMH BC) has been providing accommodation for seriously ill children and their families who must travel to Vancouver for major medical treatments. Cossette worked with Common Good and Vapor RMW, to launch RMH BC’s first ever mass media campaign, which is aimed at building awareness and raising donations for the House. The campaign illustrates what it feels like when a family can't be together during these challenging times due to financial or logistical setbacks, and how RMH BC offers them a place to stay together when they need it the most. 

"We’re delighted to launch our first-ever mass media campaign, aimed at increasing awareness and driving donations for RMHBC. The House serves 2,000 families every year from communities throughout BC & the Yukon, and we rely on the generous support of donors to fund our mission of keeping families close when it matters most. The campaign was inspired by the strength and resilience of the families we are privileged to serve,” said Shannon Kidd, VP of External Relations and Development at RMH BC.

The campaign focuses on the relationship between a mother and her son who is seriously ill, with the video exploring how any distance between the two feels much farther. This emotionally charged metaphor extends to print and digital executions as well, with mother and son being kept apart using separated ad spaces, highlighting the painful reality of distance between family members in need.

“We tried to tap into the raw emotion of being separated from your sick child when they really need you. In order to express this epic feeling of distance, we took a cinematic approach with the creative, telling a story that we hope will resonate with people who haven't had to experience it themselves,” shared Cameron Spires, Senior Copywriter and Grace Cho, Senior Art Director at Cossette.

Credits

Client: Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon

Agency: Cossette

Production: Common Good

Audio: Vapor RMW

Media Agency: OMD

About Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon

For over thirty years, Ronald McDonald House BC and Yukon (RMH BC) has been providing accommodation for seriously ill children and their families when they must travel to Vancouver for their child’s major treatment. Since 1983, they welcomed families at their 13-bedroom home in Shaughnessy, but the need for their services was much greater. In 2017 RMH BC opened a 73-bedroom House, conveniently located on the grounds of BC Children’s Hospital.

About Cossette

Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency. It’s a community of 900 creative humans who help people and brands connect in meaningful ways.

Cossette was named Agency of the Year in Canada in 2016 and 2017. It currently has offices in Halifax, Québec City, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, please visit cossette.com. 

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For more information:

Tanya Black

416-666-5352

tanya.black@cossette.com

With Mother’s Day around the corner, Cossette and SickKids have teamed up to release the newest SickKids VS: Nothing campaign, which shines a light on the simple fact that when you have a child suffering from critical illness, nothing matters more than their health. 

“When you are a parent caring for a very sick child – everything else in life becomes inconsequential. It’s hard to imagine worrying about what you’d like for Mother’s Day. We wanted to give a voice to the SickKids moms coping with this devastating circumstance and at the same time encourage other moms to think about asking for a gift that could lessen a SickKids mom’s burden,” said Lori Davison, Vice President, Brand Strategy & Communications, SickKids Foundation.

The spot features five mothers of children being treated at SickKids and was inspired by their real-life heart-wrenching experiences.   

“We wanted to continue to tell the stories of these unsung heroes in our communities and help people better understand what they go through every day. The VS platform features real children, parents and people, who are fighting every day,” said Peter Ignazi, Global Chief Creative Officer, Cossette.

Last year’s SickKids VS: MomStrong video showed that moms are often the pillars of strength for their children but of course, they’re also human. This campaign showcases how selfless SickKids moms are and how you can make a difference in the lives of families - by making a donation online through the Get Better Gifts program. 

Each of the SickKids moms featured in the video are available for interviews. Behind-the-scenes photography from the video shoot is also available.

Credits

Client: SickKids Foundation

Agency: Cossette

Media Agency: OMD

About SickKids Foundation

The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), affiliated with the University of Toronto, is Canada's most research-intensive hospital and the largest centre dedicated to improving children's health in the country. As innovators in child health, SickKids improves the health of children by integrating care, research and teaching.

About Cossette

Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency that offers a complete range of cutting-edge communications services. It’s a community of talents, a unique gathering of expertise and creativity that builds strong brands for its clients and maintains a dialogue with consumers.

Cossette was named Agency of the Year by Strategy magazine in 2016 and 2017. The agency currently has offices in Halifax, Québec City, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, please visit cossette.com.

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For more information:

Tanya Black

416-666-5352

tanya.black@cossette.com

A seasoned communicator, Benoit has over 20 years’ experience at top agencies. He started his career at DDB and Saatchi in Paris, moving to Taxi and then Cossette as Account Director, and finally serving as Associate Vice-President, Account Services at Bleu Blanc Rouge. He also co-founded communications agency LaBase.

“With his enviable track record, entrepreneurial spirit and impressive grasp of various industries’ business contexts, Benoit represents a valuable addition to our leadership group,” said Cossette Executive Vice-President and General Manager Louis Duchesne. “We’ve already begun to feel the positive effect of his presence, and I’m excited about the many opportunities created by his arrival.”

Benoit enjoys sharing his passion with the next generation, teaching at both HEC Montréal and Université de Sherbrooke.

About Cossette

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For more information:

Roxanne Chaudier

514 827-8315

roxanne.chaudier@cossette.com

"Many teens are afraid to speak up at school because they want to fit in with their peers. But staying silent when witnessing sexual harassment and abuse perpetuates and normalizes sexual violence. Staying silent is like saying it’s okay,”shared Diane Sowden, Executive Director of the Children of the Street Society.

Interactive school posters and transit shelter ads encourage passers by to use their phones to scan custom Snapcodes. The scanned code generates a Snapchat filter, which gives a response teens can use to combat sexual harassment. The campaign also includes a PSA video that mimics the use of Snapchat to reveal how teens who stay silent could change the story and speak up against sexual harassment.

“This campaign empowers teens to speak up in the face of sexual harassment by using our custom Snapchat Snaplenses. We’re giving them a tool to combat sexual exploitation on a platform they’re already spending a lot of their time on, ” said Pierre Chan, Creative Director, Cossette.

Credits

Client: Children of the Street Society

Agency: Cossette

About Children of the Street Society

Children of the Street Society is a provincial society and federal charity dedicated to preventing the sexual exploitation and human trafficking of children and youth in British Columbia through education strategies, public awareness initiatives, and family support since 1995.

About Cossette

Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency that offers a complete range of cutting-edge communications services. It’s a community of talents, a unique gathering of expertise and creativity that builds strong brands for its clients and maintains a dialogue with consumers.

Cossette was named Agency of the Year by Strategy magazine in 2016 and 2017. The agency currently has offices in Halifax, Québec City, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, please visit cossette.com.

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If you're interested in an interview to further discuss the campaign or Children of the Streets Society’s initiatives, please reach out to:

Tanya Black

416-666-5352

tanya.black@cossette.com

Cossette strengthens its creative team in Vancouver by welcoming Katie Ainsworth as the new Executive Creative Director and by promoting Pierre Chan and Scott Schneider to Creative Directors.

“I’m excited to be working with Katie again and to have her join us as Executive Creative Director,” said Nadine Cole, Senior Vice-President and General Manager at Cossette. “Her unique vision and ability to connect with clients and consumers alike will be true assets during this strong growth period for Cossette.”

Having started her career at Cossette as a junior writer, Katie Ainsworth has since worked with some of the most reputable agencies and brands in the business, making a name for herself as a strategic-minded creative leader. Katie joins the agency with an impressive portfolio of work, including national campaigns for World Vision, OK Tire, Future Shop and Sobeys as well as acclaimed smaller campaigns for Vancouver International Film Festival, Alberta’s Libraries, Coast Capital Savings and BC Used Oil.

“I was drawn back to Cossette due to the remarkable calibre of creative work being done across Canada, as well as the company’s culture of entrepreneurialism and innovation,” noted Katie.  

Her arrival comes just in time as the Vancouver agency has recently picked up a number of new accounts including Williams Sonoma, Red Racer, Flight Centre, BrokerLink and Kabam. Rounding out the creative leadership is Lisa Nakamura, Creative Director of Design, and new Creative Directors Pierre Chan and Scott Schneider.

“One of our main goals is to provide an environment where a diverse range of talent can thrive and grow. Pierre and Scott are an amazing example of this, having both been promoted to Creative Directors recently. They have dreamed up world-class campaigns and will continue to produce award-winning work for years to come as our newest Creative Directors,” Nadine added.

When asked what inspires them most about working at Cossette, Pierre and Scott both agreed that company culture, opportunity for career growth and support from senior leadership to push the limits of creativity, along with the incredible client partnerships are key differentiators.  

About Cossette

Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency that offers a complete range of cutting-edge communications services. It’s a community of talents, a unique gathering of expertise and creativity that builds strong brands for its clients and maintains a dialogue with consumers.

Cossette was named Agency of the Year by Strategy magazine in 2016 and 2017. The agency currently has offices in Halifax, Québec City, Montréal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, please visit cossette.com.

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Photo caption (from left to right): Scott Schneider, Katie Ainsworth, Nadine Cole and Pierre Chan.

For more information:

Tanya Black
416-666-5352
tanya.black@cossette.com

“Let Go is more than an advertising concept. It’s an attitude, a pledge that resonates throughout the content, year-round. We used a documentary-style approach to showcase the spectacular landscapes of Québec and the creative culture present here. We also wanted to show how much the warm welcome that awaits visitors makes their travel experience a truly memorable one,” said Florence Girod, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Integrated product at Cossette.

In an industry where global competition is always on the rise, this new platform has been implemented within an ecosystem where the content was designed in line with each traveller’s particular journey. “One-off campaigns don’t cut it anymore. We need to continuously reach out to travellers, with content that’s relevant to their interests. This is a platform that presents Québec through several stories that come together to make a whole,” said Sébastien Viau, Vice-President Marketing and Sales for the Alliance.

Québec as seen by five influencers

To illustrate the strong bond that travellers forge with Québec, the Alliance invited five influencers with various travel preferences to take time off from their hectic lifestyle.

“The five influencers we invited are used to being in constant contact with their communities. We asked them to shut off their phones and stay away from social media to experience every moment of their trip and fully enjoy Québec. It’s that experience of letting go that we captured, with all the sensations and emotions that ensued,” said Florence Girod.

Alliance and Cossette planned a unique travel itinerary for each influencer geared towards their interests. The goal was to help them enjoy the myriad experiences that the destination offers and to help them let go.

The influencers are:

• Jean Imbert, chef and restaurateur (France)
• Alan Estrada, actor and travel blogger (Mexico)
• Kiersten Rich, travel blogger (United States)
• Benjamin Prescott (Canada) and Jess Dales (United States), adventure photographers

Every influencer’s travel log is shown in four 60-second videos that will be released in pre-videos and on social media. “With director Eva Van den Bulcke, we focused on a sensible and unscripted approach. We wanted to emphasize the raw sensations you can experience in Québec and capture the magic of our guests’ adventures. It was a moment for us to let go as well,” added Florence Girod.

Even though no effort was spared to reveal the grandeur and majesty of Québec with breath-taking images, the adventures shown are accessible to everyone. It really is possible to sleep in a tree-top or with wolves. Every influencer’s travel experience can be booked on quebecoriginal.com.

Eleven 15-second videos were also produced to show the variety of the tourism offer and the experiences available in various region of Québec. A three-minute video invites travellers to create their own story by visiting the province.

Original music by Québec artist Geoffroy

Montréal-based artist Geoffroy provided an original composition, in collaboration with Cult Nation,specifically created for the Alliance’s new platform. His song “Wanderer” is the soundtrack to the main video in English and can be heard here. Québec singer Beyries lent her vocal talent to the French version. “We worked with Geoffroy to create a unique arrangement. It was a way for us to present local talent,” said Sébastien Viau.

A complete content ecosystem

Let Go’s content ecosystem was designed to reach travellers 365 days a year through every step of their journey, from the choice of the destination to the trip itself, with inspiration to help them select activities.

To support this new content ecosystem, more than 580 pieces were created for social media, in addition to 560 web banners.

By visiting quebecoriginal.com, travellers can find content to help them start planning their trip. “The site gives you a taste of what you’ll experience during your visit. We invite travellers to discover Québec through emotions, instead of simply recommending points on a map,” Sébastien Viau concluded.

For instance, they can learn more about the various experiences shown in the videos and find out how they can book them or add them to their itinerary.

The influencers mentioned above will produce content about their stay in Québec and take part in media relations initiatives in their respective markets.

This initiative targets markets in Ontario, United Stated, France and Mexico.

Credits
Advertiser: Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec
Agency: Cossette
Media agency: Touché!
Production company: Les Enfants
Director: Eva Van den Bulcke
Visual post-production: Chop Chop
Mix/sound design: Cult Nation
Photography: Martin Laporte and Guillaume Simoneau
Original music: Cult Nation (Tim “Heartfelt” Buron, Geoffroy Sauvé)
Vocals: Geoffroy
French adaptation and vocals: Beyries

About QuébecOriginal and the Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec
QuébecOriginal is the strong, unified voice that represents Québec as a world-class travel destination. A collective brand, QuébecOriginal encompasses the incredible landscapes, creative culture, and warm welcome of Quebecers. These components are the basis for memorable journeys and make Québec a place that is not merely visited, but experienced. The Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec (Alliance) is the business arm of Québec’s tourism industry. Along with its partners, the Alliance raises the national and international profile of the QuébecOriginal brand as a destination and increases the economic benefits of tourism throughout Québec.

About Cossette
Cossette is a fully integrated marketing communications agency that offers a complete range of cutting-edge communications services. It’s a community of talents, a unique gathering of expertise and creativity that builds strong brands for its clients and maintains a dialogue with consumers.

Cossette was named Agency of the Year by Strategy magazine in 2016 and 2017. The agency currently has offices in Halifax, Québec City, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, and has been making strides to become a major player in the global advertising community. To learn more, visit cossette.com.

About Touché!
Touché! is the Canadian media agency that’s received the most recognition and awards on the provincial, national and international stage. From its offices Montréal and Toronto, it advises the biggest advertisers in the country on the best way to harness media by combining the power of data with potent creativity. Touché! is an integral member of the Omnicom Media Group.

About the Ministère du Tourisme du Québec
The Ministère du Tourisme’s mission is to support the development and promotion of tourism in Québec, by encouraging cooperation and partnership between the various stakeholders with a view to ensure job creation, economic prosperity and sustainable development.

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For more information:
Roxanne Chaudier
514 827-8315
roxanne.chaudier@cossette.com