TORONTO, Canada – Leo Burnett Toronto continues its run of success, with the creative consultancy now able to boast the iconic Starbucks brand as their latest AOR partner. “We are thrilled to be joining forces with such an iconic brand to help them deepen their relationship with people across Canada,” said Ben Tarr, president Leo Burnett Group Canada.
The win came after a hotly competed pitch process, managed by Stephan Argent’s Listenmore consultancy.
Said Deborah Neff, vice president, product and marketing, Starbucks Canada, “Starbucks has been uplifting its customers’ day in Canada since 1987 when we opened our first store at the Seabus location in Vancouver, BC.
Since then, we’ve grown to more than 1,400 locations in communities throughout the country and are excited to work with Leo Burnett to amplify our brand in the Canadian market.
We were impressed with the thinking and approach from the Leo team, showcasing a strong understanding of the essence of our brand. There was a strong connection between our teams, and we are looking forward to growing our love and connection with Starbucks customers together.”
“What we discovered during the pitch was how much passion and love there is for this brand and how there is a huge opportunity here for Starbucks to play an even bigger role in peoples’ lives. We’re very excited to dig into this in the new year with our new client partners who have big ambitions for the brand in Canada,” said Tahir Ahmad, chief strategy officer, Leo Burnett Toronto.
Starbucks also works with Publicis Groupe sister companies across media with Spark Foundry, as well as MSL for influencer marketing, and will now work with Martel et compagnie (Leo’s Montreal office) in the Quebec market. Starbucks has Edelman Canada and Media Profile as its public relations agencies of record.
This caps off an impressive year for Leo Burnett Toronto who have now picked up six major accounts in 2023 including Pizza Hut, TD Bank US, President’s Choice, Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board, Sun Life and of course, Starbucks.
Leo Burnett will begin work with Starbucks January 1st, 2024.
