MSLGroup Canada, and the PR industry as a whole, isn’t immune to forces at play at agencies in other disciplines, especially when it comes to the demand from clients for comprehensive programs that hit all platforms.
Across MSL’s PR counterparts big and small in Canada, developing in-house creative services has become an increasingly popular way to provide the one-stop offering clients are looking for. But MSLGroup is facing this demand by teaming up with its sister agencies instead.
In June, holding company Publicis Groupe added global leadership of MSLGroup to the duties of Arthur Sadoun, CEO of creative agency Publicis Worldwide, in an effort to create a stronger integrated offering. The alignment was strengthened by bringing on Guillaume Herbette shortly after, as both CEO of MSLGroup and EVP of Publicis Worldwide.
Gayla Brock-Woodland, president of MSLGroup Canada, says the effects of that move are already being seen in Canada, but that could be because the agency has had a bit of a head start. Brock-Woodland says she “must have had a crystal ball” when she spoke to strategy in May, just as the agency brought on former BCP director of reputation management Isabelle Dubé-Côté following BCP’s merger with Publicis Montreal. At the time, MSL had already been collaborating more with Publicis Toronto, and she said she hoped her new hire would help to continue that trend with its Montreal office.
“The key factor to our success is being more strongly integrated with our sister agencies,” Brock-Woodland says. “Yes it’s about scale, but it’s also about having expertise on every part of an integrated offering. They’re going to have best-in-class creative solutions and assets in big data, insights and all the other spaces that are part of crafting an effective strategy for the client. But it’s a two-way exchange, and ad agencies in general want what we’ve got, because what we bring is just as essential to the customer journey.”
Rising to the top and grabbing the second-ever PR Agency of the Year Gold is no small feat. But Brock-Woodland is familiar with taking steps to stand out in crowded environments.
“Competition for business is intense right now, mostly because there are more people than ever involved in competing for it,” Brock-Woodland says. “What’s changed in PR is our clients, more and more, are in the marketing departments, and they measure our value in a very different way. They want to understand our unique value and our impact on the brand and commerce.”
While PR is primarily an earned media game, paid social is an increasingly important part of its purview. For MSL, much like the industry at large, that has meant increasing its digital expertise, including specialists and a new social and digital lead, former Harbinger VP Ian Giles. But for Brock-Woodland, becoming experts on social media influencers and utilizing them across paid, earned and owned channels has been key.
“The whole industry is focused on [influencers] right now, and that’s great for us, because that’s our home base, and it’s given us increased value in the marketing mix,” Brock-Woodland says. “Influencers have exploded and become the rock stars of PR. They have this grassroots social currency that makes them the best at commanding attention from the right demographic, and specializing in finding exactly the right influencer for the right brand has made us just as valuable.”
MSLGroup’s U.S. arm took home a Grand Prix in Public Relations at Cannes this summer for the blockbuster “#LikeAGirl” campaign for Always. Here in Canada, the agency reached out to individual influencers as well as non-profits focused on women, getting “#LikeAGirl” trending in Toronto by 9 a.m. on the day of the campaign’s launch, before it had done so anywhere in the U.S. And for Pantene, the agency showed it not only understands who the best Canadian influencers for their clients would be, but also how they create their content and connect with an audience (see cases below).
“[Influencers are] very powerful tools but also very independent, so understanding how to identify that right influencer is just about experience,” Brock-Woodland says. “We just do a lot of it, and that has made us leaders in making that relationship work for both the influencer and the brand.”
Between makeup tutorials, new product unboxings and fashion advice, the lifestyle, health and beauty categories are tailor-made for social influencers. That’s why MSL has made a point of bringing in new hires this year who not only have backgrounds in those categories, but proven understanding of the mechanics and strategies that are effective in influencer relations. The agency has been able to stay on a path of double-digit growth in its lifestyle and beauty business over the past three years, resulting in expanded mandates with existing clients like P&G.
While traditional media relations might be less sexy in a world of social influencers and integrated campaigns, MSL is still seeing huge demand for more traditional programs, especially in B2B as the tech sector continues to boom. A growing marketplace and crowded media landscape means it’s getting harder to stand out, so Brock-Woodland expects to see more of its consumer-facing tactics used in B2B. That means the same expertise it has been cultivating, for lifestyle brands or with influencer relations, is just as applicable to those spaces.
“I think PR is being called upon more and more to generate conversation and also to make a real impact on consumer decision-making,” Brock-Woodland says. “It’s not enough that you’re spreading a message and creating awareness, you have to make a really strong connection with consumers, and that’s what we’ve proven we can do. Now that we’ve developed that reputation, we’re a magnet for that kind of work.”
New business
Fresenius Kabi Canada, French’s, Mazola. New brand mandates with existing clients P&G, Rona and PayPal.
Key hires
Victoria Caruk, influencer relationship specialist; Ian Giles, social digital leader; Hilary Lawton, account supervisor; Monika Rola, VP; Nare Tutundjian and Robyn Hunt, senior account executives; Rebecca Lewis, Justin Gaul, Marni Zaretsky, Lissa Mangano and Audrey Ann Laurin, account associates.
Staff
40
Cases
Always rallies influencers
P&G’s Always inspired a self-esteem movement with the 2014 “#LikeAGirl” campaign. MSLGroup was tasked to enlist media and influencers to help make it viral.
The agency targeted leading women’s lifestyle publications and news organizations and partnered with prominent Canadian women and girls’ advocates to share the #LikeAGirl message – from powerful NGOs to social influencers with engaged teen and female audiences. It invited Canadian personalities, celebrities, parenting experts and athletes to support and share what they proudly do #LikeAGirl.
The campaign surpassed its goals and contributed to a significant shift in the conversation. It was supported and endorsed by influencers and celebrities (YouTube star Lilly Singh called it “The best thing to happen. Ever.” on Twitter). As a result, it generated more than 105 million earned media impressions, as well as 35 million earned social impressions in Canada.
The campaign triggered 50-plus stories, including coverage in Huffington Post, Elle Canada, Fashion, Glow, Toronto Star, Canoe, TVA, Chatelaine, CBC, TSN, Yahoo and MSN. Also, more than 40 social influencers posted about #LikeAGirl with a call-to-action to watch the video.
Media step inside Indigo’s gift guide
To drive holiday sales for Indigo, MSLGroup transformed the retailer’s headquarters in Toronto into product vignettes for 160 journalists and bloggers. Inside the office, MSLGroup showcased Indigo’s product line in areas such as Kids and Toys, Tech Gifts, Home Decor and more.
The Toronto event was recreated in Vancouver and Montreal. To drive Quebec coverage, the team selected five media for a VIP dinner, giving them an opportunity to discuss Indigo’s offerings.
To sustain media interest throughout the season, MSLGroup developed weekly targeted pitches focusing on various themes, and the team worked closely with media and bloggers to customize content, like product placement in themed spreads.
Indigo had a successful holiday season with 30,000 new customers shopping at the retailer, as PR messaging reached beyond Indigo’s regular customers. Transactions were up 3% during the period, revenue was up $7 million during the last quarter and media relations efforts generated 862 million impressions through 1,401 stories.
Pantene encourages women to #ShineStrong
P&G brand Pantene created a new global platform called “Shine Strong” to empower young women. To promote it, the agency enlisted 13 influential Canadian beauty and lifestyle YouTubers to produce videos sharing how they #ShineStrong. They included a Pantene testimonial and a link to a coupon.
The PR shop worked with ad agency Grey to develop a dedicated #ShineStrong tab on the Pantene North America YouTube channel, showing the best videos from the campaign. These videos were also used to produce a 30-second spot for digital banner ads and pre-roll.
The team also identified the opportunity to sponsor the charity Lean In Canada, and had members post a #ShineStrong message on social media.
The campaign delivered more than 875,748 video views, as well as 1.8 million Instagram impressions and 61,268 likes. The program also encouraged sales, as downloaded coupons exceeded the norm.
