Marketing News Roundup: May 10, 2022

Today we feature a round-up of some big events and recent industry happenings.

• Allison Litzinger joins Sephora Canada as Senior Vice President of Marketing
• FitXR Appoints Thinkingbox as Creative Agency
• Coors Seltzer’s New Ads Celebrate Millennials’ ‘Wild’ Times

Read more below!

Allison Litzinger joins Sephora Canada as Senior Vice President of Marketing

Passionate about purpose-led brands, Litzinger will lead the beauty retailer’s marketing strategy in Canada, developing innovative and impactful marketing programs grounded in data insights and consumer and market research, to drive awareness of Sephora Canada’s offering and establish new client growth.

"Sephora has been disrupting the retail and beauty industries with its strong foundational purpose, best in class customer experience and loyalty program,” said Litzinger. “I'm thrilled to be joining this values-driven Global brand, and to lead the marketing team into a new era of omnichannel retail growth in Canada."

With over 20 years of marketing experience, Litzinger is a seasoned brand builder and marketer within both the consumer packaged goods and retail industry. She began her career building brands and businesses on the agency side, supporting numerous Procter & Gamble and retail brands such as IKEA Canada and Canadian Tire and leading breakthrough strategic and creative campaigns that increased market share, brand health and consumer engagement. At Hudson’s Bay Company, she led brand strategy, sponsorships & marketing, consumer, and market insights and was responsible for retaining, transforming and growing the retailer’s loyal customer base. Litzinger’s work is internationally recognized - by the Cannes Lions, The One Show, D&AD, The Clios, The Atomic Awards, The Marketing Awards and the CMAs.

Litzinger replaces the outgoing Senior Vice President, Marketing, Deborah Neff, who held the leadership position at Sephora Canada for five years. In her new role, Litzinger will oversee the Sephora Canada Marketing Team, reporting directly to Gregory Bruyer, SVP and General Manager of Sephora Canada.

FitXR Appoints Thinkingbox as Creative Agency

Global creative collective Thinkingbox has announced that it has been named creative agency of record for FitXR. The team at Thinkingbox will handle visual and conceptual rebranding, digital strategy, website development and design, content, and experiential marketing for the brand. Sister company AntiSocial Solutions will work alongside Thinkingbox as their social partner.

An immersive virtual fitness experience, FitXR stands at the confluence of the fitness and VR technology industries. Founded in 2016, FitXR is an inclusive company that serves everyone by catering to all, including those who are brand new to fitness. The company appeals to a wider range of people than just those who are already fitness-forward by making exercise feel like play, tapping into the flow-state one tends to achieve when playing group sports. Enjoying one’s workout is the key to forming more consistent habits. This is inherent when engaging with FitXR, and a true benefit of the VR fitness module. The company sought an agency partner that matched their ambition, understood their immersive brand, and was capable of playing a major role in furthering the company’s position in the VR fitness movement.

“We are thrilled to support FitXR as a strategic and creative partner across their entire brand. A true collaborative pairing that encourages us to push them into new creative territories. Our team is incredibly inspired by their vision within the fitness and VR space and we see this as a dream opportunity to grow with a company as we continue to build their brand,” said Sarah Scott, Managing Director at Thinkingbox.

“We’re excited to collaborate with Thinkingbox to further solidify FitXR as the leading player in VR fitness,” said Sam Cole, CEO, and Co-Founder of FitXR. “We know that Thinkingbox is the right agency to help FitXR establish a clear brand identity and help broaden the already significant impact FitXR is having to serve all customers across the activity spectrum.”

Coors Seltzer’s New Ads Celebrate Millennials’ ‘Wild’ Times

Coors Seltzer’s new ads (seen here – Saturday Afternoon and here – Mortgage) celebrate a new kind of “wild” for millennials, who are entering full-fledged adulthood. In one ad, a homeowner enjoys a Coors Seltzer after somehow successfully trimming a tree with his new chain saw. In another, a couple relaxes over a Coors Seltzer after securing a bank loan for their new home.

The new spots, which will air on TV (with various placements including a partnership with TSN Tennis where the ads will appear in Wimbledon, US Open, French Open) and digital and social channels across Canada, are aimed at a 30-35-year-old millennial audience that emerged as particularly loyal fans in Coors Seltzer’s first year on the market, and who are going through a different kind of “wild” than in their 20s.

Coors Seltzer shot out of the gate when it was introduced last spring, with consumers responding well to the brand’s environmental message of each 12-pack helping to restore 1,000 litres of Canada’s waters. Consumers also appreciated the familiar brand name, knowing that with a new product and even a new category, it would deliver on dependability and be a product they’ll love.

Coors Seltzer recently launched a second variety pack in Canada, called the Splash Pack, containing 4 new flavours (that’s now 8 flavours in total with the original variety pack containing Black Cherry, Lemon Lime, Grapefruit, Mango, and the splash pack containing Fruit Punch, Blue Raspberry, Strawberry, Peach). The new Splash Pack has had favourable early returns since its launch in April. Now the brand has ambitions to be Canada’s top hard seltzer brand tied to a beer brand.

All campaign creatives were done by Mischief and the media buy by Wavemaker.

Compiled by Emma Whiten, editor of Marketing News Canada