The selection process for our annual Mighty List follows a certain routine that hasn't changed all that much since we compiled our first list in 2020.
It starts by looking at everything we've published over the preceding 12 months (950 stories so far this year) to come up with a long list of likely candidates. That process typically yields dozens of potential entrants, including a handful of "can't-miss" prospects.
It starts by looking at everything we've published over the preceding 12 months (950 stories so far this year) to come up with a long list of likely candidates. That process typically yields dozens of potential entrants, including a handful of "can't-miss" prospects.
Which is when the hard work really begins.
Selecting the remaining work for inclusion tends to be a long, laborious—but also fun—process, with endless back-and-forth and individual writers stumping for personal favourites, all while worrying that we might've somehow overlooked a blindingly obvious choice.
Which is to say that the list below was not arrived at easily. Believe us when we say we could have included 20 entries, and still feel some remorse about the ones we left behind. And while "honourable mention" tends to be regarded in some circles as "not quite good enough," every piece included there was vigorously lobbied for at some point.
As diehard enthusiasts of year-end lists, we realize the impulse to say "Yeah, but what about....?" or "How could you miss....?" but we also stand by each of the 10 selections below.
They made us laugh, tugged at our heartstrings, inspired an "oh, that's really cool" reaction, or just made us marvel at the sheer creativity on display. The list includes examples of traditional advertising tactics like TV and out-of-home, but also reflects the vital role of new media channels and the industry's willingness to embrace emerging technologies.
It's by no means comprehensive, but we feel it's a good representation of the truly outstanding work being produced by Canadian marketers and agencies. And hey, we've got another Mighty List celebrating the industry's "big ideas" coming on Friday.
That's right, we went through this process twice.
Wendy's—"French Toast Guy"
Consumers have become pretty adept at sniffing out brand stunts designed to earn free media exposure. But when Torontonians spotted a mysterious guy wearing a chef's hat riding the TTC and preparing and eating French toast at a makeshift table (complete with linen table cloth), there was genuine bemusement.
Quickly dubbed "French Toast Guy," the mysterious figure began popping up around the city—riding the subway, sitting outside of a subway station making French toast on a hot plate—and people naturally started posting photos and videos of his antics.
This went on for several days—earning coverage from media outlets including the Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, and CP24—before Wendy's and McCann Canada admitted that they'd concocted the whole stunt to promote the addition of Homestyle French Toast Sticks to the QSR's revamped breakfast menu. By the time they copped to the stunt, much of the city was probably talking about French toast.
While those who fell for the stunt might have felt for a brief moment like they had egg on their face, it was ultimately a good bit of fun, demonstrating once again that the best—and most effective—advertising isn't always interruptive or driven by a massive media budget . — CP
Tim Hortons—"Even AI gets better..."
In a year dominated by debate, discussion and, understandably, consternation about artificial intelligence, it was probably inevitable we’d have at least one campaign on this list that was AI-based.
There were multiple options to choose from, but the one that stood out for us was from Tim Hortons and Gut. The idea was simple: ask a popular, though unnamed, AI program to describe three common scenarios which often involve coffee—road trips, morning commutes and a break from work. Then the AI was asked to describe the setting “as if you just had a cup of Tim Hortons coffee.” The answers were more confident, friendlier, and more concise.
For the past few years, Canada’s top donut-and-coffee brand has seemingly focused mostly on menu innovation and tactical/promotional advertising. Aside from TimBiebs and a handful of IRL activations, the advertising has been pretty earnest stuff about real people enjoying the coffee and donuts and new products—but not this one.
It felt like the brand breaking character to have a bit of fun in the zeitgeist. There’s no hard sell, and a just barely-there product shot.
Most of the talk about AI to this point has rightfully been about how it will change almost everything around us. But Gut and Tim Hortons cleverly wondered how Tim Hortons coffee could change AI. — DB
L’Oreal—“Asking For It”
The beauty brand partnered with anti-harassment organization Right to Be and McCann Montreal to produce an awareness campaign for street harassment, which debuted during International Anti Street Harassment Week in April.
The campaign featured a series of wild postings with glaring victim-blaming phrases like “Women who wear tight clothes are asking for it.” From a distance, the posters were shocking, but closer inspection revealed a phrase at the bottom that read “tear down this poster if you disagree.”
If you obliged, you’d see that the poster underneath was slightly amended. Rather than stating that victims are “asking for it,” the poster read “asking for it to stop.”
The second poster also revealed a QR code which redirected to Right to Be’s “Stand Up” initiative, featuring two 10-minute training programs that teach you how to respond if you witness street harassment or experience it yourself.
The concept is inspired by the bystander effect, in which onlookers don’t intervene because they assume someone else will. By inviting people to take action, the brand and organization hoped to turn bystanders into vigilant allies.
Looking at this campaign, I first asked myself whether victim-blaming phrases are the most appropriate and effective way to get the message across. After all, the wrong passersby might agree with the initial statements.
However, when you see people tear down the posters in the campaign’s anchor video, it inspires an undeniable swell of triumphant emotion. I almost cried when I watched the first rip, and I think it’s this experiential aspect of the posters that really brings the message home.
There are few things that feel as good as tearing something to shreds when you’re angry, and this campaign proves that you don’t even have to be the one doing the tearing to feel the cathartic satisfaction. — EJW
KFC—"Fixed it"
From its "Fries Eulogy," to putting a playable version of the Colonel in the fighting game Street Fighter 6, KFC produced a bucketful of noteworthy campaigns this year.
But for us, it was the brand's clever hijacking of the launch of McDonald's Canada's Chicken Big Mac that stood out as just super clucking smart: simple in execution, yet big in impact, and topped off with a delightful bit of nose-tweaking. Always good fun, that.
"Fixed it," from agency partner Courage, simultaneously co-opted and undercut its QSR rival's ad blitz for the new McDonald's sandwich by using a series of digital and mobile billboards featuring a likeness of the iconic Big Mac sandwich, except with McDonald's chicken patties replaced by KFC. This was accompanied by the simple two-word message, "Fixed it."
KFC even parked a mobile billboard featuring the "fixed" sandwich outside one of its rival's downtown Toronto restaurants, and enlisted influencers to "fix" their Chicken Big Mac by replacing the patties on their sandwich with KFC. It also engaged in some good-natured sparring with McDonald's on social using the hashtag #BetterWithKFC.
The campaign was further proof that it's hard to beat KFC in a game of chicken. —CP
Go RVing—"Find Your Wildhood"
As someone whose Instagram is full of nomad lifestyle content, regular posts about people hitting the road in converted vans, buses, or some other form of RV, I'll admit that this one felt kinda personal.
But it also made our Mighty List for its tight connection to the brand, and the beauty of the execution. Despite “Wildhood” being an eight-year-old platform, rather than asking for something new, Go RVing doubled down on the idea at the heart of it all: Go RVing isn’t just about the vehicles, it’s about what the vehicles enable you to do. And BHLA brought that to life in a new, ambitious, and evocative-verging-on-visceral manner.
The essence of the platform is still adventure and wanderlust, Kristy Pleckaitis, SVP of strategy at BHLA told us. But the priority this year was about “connecting with oneself.”
The film itself packs a lot of story into two-and-a-half minutes, and does a masterful job of capturing that feeling of being trapped, living a life that is not true to who we are. That opening scene is followed by the breakout, chasing something new and better, even if it’s not clear what that is, before finally coming literally face-to-face with a happier, placid version of one’s self. Shout out here to director Natalie Rae for OPC and OSO Audio for the soundtrack: “Stay Alive” from José González.
A lot of people might watch this spot and shrug their shoulders, or maybe even shake their head at the suggestion that a recreational vehicle could possess such magical power. Ad critics may also question the effectiveness of a 150-second ad that doesn't show an RV until the 137-second mark.
But I think there’s a certain kind of person—the kind whose Instagram thinks they want to convert a bus into a home—that will watch the ad and dream of escape. — DB
IKEA—"The Troll"
We tend to feel a bit gloomy and grumpy right after the holidays, but thankfully our home can offer some respite.
IKEA and Rethink masterfully brought that idea to life during the dark days of January with "The Troll," a lovely piece of film that, in its title character, featured one of the best creature creations—CGI or otherwise—I've ever seen outside of a big-budget film or TV show.
There's quite literally a fairytale feel to "The Troll," a story of a grumpy ogre being transformed through his interactions with a young boy who helps him turn his cave from cold to cozy with help from IKEA.
Directed by Australian Nick Ball, who also shot Extra's post-pandemic spot "For When It's Time," the full two-minute version of the spot is not only a feast for the eyes (the overhead shot of the young boy making his way through a vast open field is a personal favourite) but also tells a resonant story.
“We really want to create emotion, but also talk with a clear message that if you can create coziness in your home, it will impact your wellbeing,” said IKEA's then head of marketing Johanna Andren. "We wanted to keep the twinkle alive with IKEA," added Rethink creative director Caroline Friesen.
Even cave-dwellers can appreciate the sentiment and sheer visual loveliness of this spot. —CP
OLG—"Winner/Gagnant Remix"
Companies with distinctive brand assets, particularly those with a degree of cultural relevance, are blessed with the ability to deploy them in unique and unexpected ways.
In use since 1993, the "Winner/Gagnant" chime played on OLG retail terminals whenever someone cashes in a winning ticket, is one such asset.
According to OLG's director of media relations Tony Bitonti, the chime is one of the things the lottery corporation is best known for. That probably has something to do with the fact it's played approximately 180 million times a year, whether it's signalling a $2 or $70 million win.
But BBDO earned some serious musical cred for rethinking the 8-bit chime this year, partnering with London, Ont.-based pop duo Loud Luxury and singer-songwriter Preston Pablo to turn it into a club-worthy dance track. It's a smart generational play, a way to reach younger players who may not play the lottery, but have likely grown up hearing that chime.
The artists debuted their remixed version of the chime at the Veld Music Festival in August, and OLG played the song at concerts by artists including Alvvys, Arctic Monkeys, The National and 50 Cent as part of an activation called “Bring Home the Win.”
The execution is another example of how advertisers are waking up to the fact that reaching consumers outside of their typical media touch-points, with tactics that play with emotion and nostalgia, can be an effective way of standing out amid the noise and clutter.
Bitonti also said he hoped to one day have the remixed version of the chime play on the lottery corporation's approximately 10,000 terminals. That would be (winning) music to his ears. — CP
Heinz—"Ketchup Fraud"
Kraft Heinz and Rethink have been on an extraordinary roll for a few years now, producing a steady stream of innovative, breakthrough work that, most importantly, has been paying off for the business. The 2021 hit “Draw Ketchup” won Gold in Creative Effectiveness in Cannes this year, and very nearly won Grand Prix.
This year, “Ketchup Fraud” has been winning big at awards shows. The campaign was based on the claim that some restaurants refill empty Heinz bottles with other ketchups. Rather than protest this identity theft, Rethink and Heinz used it as inspiration for the outdoor, digital, and print-led campaign.
Each execution looks like a frame snipped from a surveillance video, catching the fraudsters in the act, with the headline: “Even when it isn’t Heinz… It has to be Heinz.” Heinz also asked people to identify restaurants perpetrating ketchup fraud. Among the alleged culprits: Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox.
Awards aside, “Ketchup Fraud” is Mighty for us because the more time spent with it, the more you appreciate it. There’s the craft and subtlety of the creative itself. In each tableau, the focal point—the actual act of ketchup fraud—is off centre, and the iconic keystone Heinz label barely visible.
Then there’s the respect for the consumer; it’s not hard to understand what’s going on, but it requires a moment of consideration, and that engagement makes the payoff all the more delightful, more meaningful, and therefore more effective.
Finally, I suspect the campaign is the product of trust and confidence. Many clients would have asked (insisted?) that the bottles be turned, the labels more visible, and the brand more unavoidable. But when agencies produce a steady stream of innovative, breakthrough work that drives the business, clients tend to believe them when they say "trust us."— DB
Sonnet—"Adulting Made Easy"
The sheer drudgery of adult life can be a rich vein for comedy, and Sonnet Insurance mined it brilliantly with "Adulting Made Easy," the first major work for the brand from Mackie Biernacki.
Inspired by the popular meme "I don't feel like adulting today," the platform is squarely aimed at 30- and 40-somethings coming face-to-face with the realities of life as an adult.
It humorously conveys the message that while life can throw up many obstacles and occasionally persnickety challenges—getting the kids to conflicting sporting events, finding the hood latch on a car, having to come up with dinner ideas Every. Single. Day.—a quintessentially adult task such as buying insurance doesn't have be among them.
Sonnet's director of marketing Ashley Ritchie said the platform was about ensuring that the brand's creative is as sophisticated as its audience. “We’ve matured alongside the audience we’re trying to attract, and with this campaign, we’re taking our creative to the next level of adulthood for the brand,” she explained. “[W]e wanted to be modern, simple, and relevant by taking a back-to-basics approach that lets our product shine through."
"Adulting Made Easy" feels like a platform offering an array of creative avenues—from DIY home repairs, to "free time" being consumed by errands, to the never-ending stream of bills. Insurance is a grudge purchase for sure, but since I have no choice, why not buy from a brand that "gets" me.— CP
Wealthsimple—“Martin Short’s Short Day at Work”
Celebrity advertising can be a bit of a gamble: It's always a coup when a brand manages to land a star, but you've got to be able to give them something to do that justifies their presence.
I personally think that too many of America's big-budget Super Bowl ads have become reliant on simply plugging in A-listers at the expense of a cohesive strategy or well-articulated brand promise. But with "Martin Short’s Short Day at Work,” Wealthsimple found a way to incorporate the beloved Canadian actor's zany antics with very on-brand messaging about how your money should work harder than you do.
The 60-second spot is a non-stop barrage of jokes, with Short at his comedic best playing a pampered, egotistical, version of himself.
He demands help climbing the six inches onto the stage, critiques a makeup artist for getting too close, and completely butchers the one line he has to deliver: "WealthSimple, your money should work harder than you do," by saying "your monkey should work harder..." The spot ends with him being helicoptered to his car, just a few feet away.
That spot is complemented by a series of shorter spots featuring the actor gleefully sending up his role as a pampered star. "What's a four-letter word for someone who's phoning it in?" he asks while trying to complete a crossword. "Hack. Of course. Sometimes it's so obvious."
While the author of Slate's now infamous September hit piece on Short said they found his "whole schtick exhausting, sweaty, and desperately unfunny," this spot is proof that he remains a consummate showman whose presence enlivens just about everything he appears in. —CP
The Mighty Close Contenders: As we said, we looked at a lot of work, and found it difficult to choose just 10 campaigns this year. Those that very nearly made this year's list include: Adidas, Audi, Bayer, Hellmann's, Kijiji , Kraft Heinz (and Taylor Swift), Nair, Nescafe, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, and Tremclad.
