The Canadian Olympic Committee Names Sid Lee as Creative Agency of Record

TORONTO – Today, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) announced Sid Lee, an internationally renowned marketing and creative agency, as its new creative agency of record. The partnership will run through the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

After a thorough review of all brand marketing activities and agency partnerships, the COC selected Sid Lee to be its creative agency of record as it heads into a new quadrennial planning cycle. The organisation’s mission was to partner with an agency with the experience and proven track record to lead all brand strategy and creative planning, as well as develop a fresh perspective to continue the COC’s strong brand growth.

The COC’s new brand vision involves a more integrated identity throughout all projects and will see a consistent brand presence across all platforms. The partnership will focus on telling athletes’ stories and rallying Canadians around our Olympians on their journey to the Games and beyond. The brand strategy will come to life across all COC platforms including its market leading digital channels, via innovative experiential activations and powerful Games-time campaigns.

Additionally, the COC banks on Sid Lee’s experience with global and national sports brands, including the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 100th Anniversary and the iconic Toronto Raptors’ We The North campaigns, to elevate its brand presence in the market by rallying Canadians together and behind Team Canada.

The COC would like to thank Cossette for its outstanding collaboration and dedication throughout the 2015 Pan American Games and Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Together in partnership with the COC, Cossette delivered the cinematic Now or Never and Ice In Our Veins brand campaigns.

The COC will continue to work with its other agency partners, OMD (media), Zync (digital), and North Strategic (PR).

QUOTES

“The COC is proud to partner with a major player like Sid Lee. Their iconic sports experience is vast, relevant and in line with the vision we have to take the COC brand to the next level. We are excited to begin this work together to make Team Canada the most magnetic, inspirational and valuable national sports brand in Canada.”

Derek Kent, Chief Marketing Officer, Canadian Olympic Committee

“I’ve worked with Sid Lee a little over the years and I’m always so inspired by what they create. Having witnessed the commitment they have toward their craft, I can confidently say that the folks at Sid Lee are basically the Olympians of the marketing and advertising space. I’m excited to see the stories of the Canadian Olympic Team told through their lens…”

Adam van Koeverden, four-time Olympian, four-time Olympic medallist

“We believe that the COC is at an inflection point and are incredibly proud to have been selected as a strategic partner in helping bring a new level of excitement and awareness to Canada’s efforts on the Olympic global stage. Above all, our passion for Canada and Canadian athletes will be a guiding force in creating a dynamic marketing platform in support of the COC’s desire to embrace a transformation agenda.”

Joseph Barbieri, Partner and Managing Director Content, Sid Lee

About the Canadian Olympic Committee:

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) leads the achievement of the Canadian Olympic Team’s podium success and advances Olympic values in Canada. Independent and predominantly privately funded, the COC delivers resources that Canada’s elite athletes need to prepare the Team for the Olympic Games, Youth Olympic Games, and Pan American Games. By sharing our athletes’ stories, we inspire all Canadians: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

About Sid Lee:

Sid Lee is a creative services firm with 600 professionals working globally from offices in Montreal, Toronto, Paris, New York and LA. The agency creates transformative consumer experiences for brands – across all contact points – leveraging true interdisciplinary collaboration. Rooted in strategic thinking, it offers services in the fields of branding, digital and social marketing, advertising, analytics, architecture and retail design, branded content and entertainment. Named “Agency of the Year” four times since 2009, the company has earned a global reputation for its progressive work and the solid results it has achieved for top-tier clients. Sid Lee is also the creator and curator of C2 Montreal, one of the largest innovation events in the world, and is part of kyu, a new collective of creative companies established by Hakuhodo DY Holdings, the second-largest agency network in Asia.