Loblaw names new creative AOR to focus on PC Brand

Loblaw has named John St. as its creative agency of record to focus on the President’s Choice brand. The WPP-owned agency replaces Bensimon Byrne, which held the account for more than a decade.

In a statement to Marketing, Loblaw said “The brand, its promise, and its products have been brought to life for many years through the great work of Bensimon Byrne, Loblaw’s agency of record for over 10 years. The agency played a pivotal role in shaping a great era of President’s Choice. Its contributions are valued and will endure.”

It was on Bensimon’s watch that Loblaw executive chairman Galen Weston became pitchman for the private label brand, making his debut in a 2007 commercial for reusable bags, or what the grocer called “Canada’s greenest shopping bag.”

Weston has appeared in dozens of television commercials since, championing healthy, organic and ethical food and promoting PC products within those categories.

“We are incredibly proud of the work we have done for President’s Choice,” said Bensimon Byrne president Jack Bensimon. “The work has been incredibly effective by so many different measures, and we hope to get the chance to work with them in the future.”

Loblaw last held an agency review for the PC brand in 2008.

Bensimon Byrne was told last summer that Loblaw would begin to look at other creative partners, but continued to work with Loblaw until it was officially notified of the switch in February. Despite the loss, Bensimon said the agency is hiring thanks to expanded mandates for clients like Constellation Brands and Nestlé which works with the agency’s OneMethod division.

Bensimon Byrne’s most recent campaign for the brand launched in November in support of President’s Choice’s smartphone-friendly PC Plus rewards program – a one-to-one marketing initiative that tracks shopping patterns and offers deals accordingly.

This article was first published by Marketing magazine