About MSL Canada
Connected, Curious, Innovative and Influential, MSL Canada is an award-winning creative PR agency that
lives and breathes communications. Established in 2004, as the communications agency within Publicis
Groupe, our team uses strategic communications, content and experiences to engage communities and
transform the way people think about the brands and services they rely on. We’re known in the industry
for shaping the reputations of some of the world’s most iconic brands.
With a team of 42, and a focus on diversity of thought, lived experiences and languages, MSL Canada has
the agility of a smaller agency, the sophistication of a marketing communications company, and the
support of a global network.
Our team is our biggest and most important asset. At MSL, we prioritize nurturing a culture of
collaboration, respect and growth. As a flat organization, we empower the team to be connected and
invested in shared goals – theirs, our partners’ and the agency’s. We believe that everyone at every level
has a role in elevating MSL and creating opportunities for themselves to grow. And as leaders, we strive
to nurture an environment that champions openness and acceptance of diverse ways of thinking
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We are always moving forward in our thinking to cultivate a progressive, boundary-pushing approach to
creative ideation, partnerships and content strategies. We place consumer insights at the core of our
work, applying a deep understanding of the Canadian market, boosted by regional intelligence from our
offices in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to drive meaningful brand strategies that engage audiences
with messages that are timely and relevant. Through our proximity to diverse communities, sophisticated
tools, and our global network, we are working to capture emerging trends and conversations as they
happen.
In 2022, MSL established a multicultural marketing strategy to drive relevancy and anchor efforts with
insights and authenticity. MSL is committed to developing an inclusive approach to multicultural
communications because we believe that more voices deserve to be heard. We want to share these
insights with our clients and champion these voices in an authentic and empathetic way to help shape our
conversations and strategies to reach Canadians from many different cultural backgrounds, with many
different value systems.
This year, MSL also introduced MSL Studios, an in-house, full-service creative production company. MSL
Studios collaborates with both global and local brands to build influence and deliver impact, helping MSL
clients connect with audiences through creativity and engaging storytelling. From video production and
brand strategy to photography and design, MSL Studios is the new go-to for all things film, production,
digital, print and beyond.
We pride ourselves in representing some incredible global and Canadian brands, including P&G, Mark
Anthony Group, TD Bank, General Motors, Pfizer, Properly, COTY, Google, Sporting Life & Golf Town,
Magic: The Gathering, and more. At MSL, 2022 was our strongest year to date in terms of impactful and meaningful campaigns, including:
Olay Skin – #FacetheSTEMgap
In February 2022, Olay devoted themselves to reducing the gender gap in STEM through their #FacetheSTEMgap campaign launch. As a brand that relies heavily on its science and research, it comes as
no surprise they delved into aiding and empowering women to help break the glass ceiling. In collaboration with Actua and Walmart, Olay amplified the voices of prominent women in STEM-related roles to serve as role models and help encourage over 10,000 young girls to explore a potential future in STEM industries. Not only did Olay pull together an inspiring compilation of shared stories from these women, but they took it a step further and created the ‘faces of stem’ for specific Olay products. To further support the cause, Olay launched a limited-edition Retinol STEM jar and with every purchase an additional $15 was donated to the Actua Canada National Girls Program. Olay saw great value in supporting future generations of young girls to learn, grow and thrive into fearless STEM leaders of
tomorrow.
TD – Love and Money
While 2021 was truly a challenging and unforgettable year for all, TD managed to shift the narrative in
2022, and instead have the community focus on their Love and Money Campaign. Through TD’s annual
survey, they asked the real questions and found relevant connections between love and money, and
couples’ behaviour toward personal money management. To really resonate and encourage optimal
engagement rates, TD partnered with best-selling author and money guru Melissa Leong, who shares her
financial advice on CTV’s The Social as well as The Drew Barrymore Show, Forbes, BNN and more. The
campaign’s goal was to explore key consumer and customer insights, which would lead to better understanding their changing needs, wants and preferences when it came to simplifying their banking
needs. Because who doesn’t love having finance explained simply? This campaign was successful in gaining 102 media hits, garnering engagement through the "financial green flags” viral trend on Instagram with 330,000 social impressions and 100% positive sentiment. As a result, TD was able to share helpful tips for couples on how to approach financial discussions through their TD Stories article which received 57% higher readership than previous articles produced.
Pantene – #HairHasNoGender
Pantene redefined gender normative stereotypes with their #HairHasNoGender campaign. In collaboration with the 2SLGBTQ+ community, they chose to explore the power behind hair and the role it plays in a person’s self-expression and identity. With this campaign, Pantene not only promoted but normalized inclusivity and allyship in the workplace. In partnering with 2SLGBTQ+ organizations around the world, they developed educational materials for organizations and individuals to help make the workplace a more inclusive space for all. With spotlighting individuals’ lived experiences and providing relevant resources, Pantene’s campaign changed what supporting others truly means.
GoodFood – 30-Minute Delivery
In 2021, online grocery shopping was up 287 per cent over the previous five years. Goodfood responded by evolving its brand and launching their online grocery offering with 30-minute delivery in key markets. MSL leaned into the speed factor to develop a 360-degree campaign centered around the fastest humans we could think of: Olympians Andre de Grasse and, for French Canada, Charles Hamelin. The launch drove over 15M+ media impressions and 10M+ social media engagements. In the first two months of online delivery availability, Goodfood fulfilled almost 34,000 orders and truly proved itself to be as speedy as an Olympic athlete.
Secret – Just #WatchMe
According to a study done by Canadian Women & Sport, 1 in 3 girls drop out of sport by the age of 16, three times the rate of boys. To address this, over the past three years Secret has demonstrated their commitment to supporting female athletes through their partnership with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). Secret is building onto their pledge by showing young girls that they belong in sports. Through the Just #WatchMe campaign, Secret amplified the voices of female athletes, partnering with Marissa Papaconstantinou, Paralympic Medalist, Brigette Lacquette, PWHPA Player and Jennifer Abel, Former Olympic Diver, to show young girls that the skills they learn in sport can take them beyond the track or rink, and provide lifelong value.
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Management Team
- Jessica Savage, CEO
- Nadia Beale, President
- Wendie Godbout, Senior Vice Present, Quebec
- Strategy and Insights
- Lauren Thomson, Vice President, Creative Strategy and Integrated Communications
- Sarah Burns, Vice President
Testimonials
Tala Arous
Director, P&G Communications
"At P&G, we consider MSL Canada to be an extension of our team. Agile partners who are open to new ways of working, MSL is deeply invested in our success and have shown themselves to be trusted brand guardians through major news events and business challenges. As leaders in the beauty space, we rely on their regular trend reports to remain relevant with consumers and have found immense value in their deep understanding of the Quebec market where we continue to grow our business."
Kelly Knoop
Marketing Director, Mark Anthony Group
"We started working with MSL for one of our biggest and most important product launches. We needed to bring White Claw to Canada in an impactful way and MSL over-delivered on the ask with a clever and strategic plan that garnered significant earned media results and captured our fans’ excitement. Since then, we have broadened our relationship and scope with the agency because we value their collaborative and partnership-forward approach."
Jessica van Rooyen
VP Marketing, Properly
"After only a few meetings with MSL, it was clear that they deeply understood our business, priorities, and objectives. A concept they presented in their pitch became one of our first initiatives together and, given its success in driving coverage and building our brand, we hope it can become an annual event. They are a strategic, supportive partner with a finger on the pulse."
Why Its Great To Work At MSL Canada
MSL Canada Team Photos
MSL Canada Campaign Photo & Video Gallery
What’s Next?
It’s the beginning of an exciting new era. As Canadian consumers seek out more authenticity, so are our clients, and we’re stepping up in big ways for 2023. This includes a continued push for inclusion and an expansion of how marketers define the Canadian consumer; more content with in-house production team MSL Studios; and increased sophistication in data and insights, like those provided in our MSL Predicts bi-annual consumer behaviour ID service, using Publicis Groupe network tools. More importantly, we will further nurture our community-focused mindset, which informs our approach
internally and with clients, so we show up with impact.
