Air Canada appoints JWT Canada Agency of Record

TORONTO — JWT Canada announced today that it has been selected by Air Canada as its new creative advertising agency of record, following a national search process. JWT Canada will handle all of Air Canada’s global brand communications and digital marketing with effect from January 2014. Mindshare will handle all media planning and buying.

“JWT demonstrated strong capabilities in strategy, creative, and digital throughout the search process,” said Craig Landry, Vice President of Marketing at Air Canada. “JWT’s global network and international solutions are solid complements to Air Canada’s business strategy, which increasingly is focusing on international markets as a source of growth. We look forward to our new relationship.”

“We are energized by this magnificent opportunity to work with such a respected and iconic brand. Air Canada has great ambition for growth, and to have been chosen as their strategic partner and AOR is both an honour and an enormous responsibility. We are very excited to begin our new partnership and will be focused on developing the kind of fully integrated brand experiences that will drive growth domestically and internationally,” said Susan Kim-Kirkland, President and CEO, JWT Canada.

“Like Air Canada, we are committed to being agile, accountable and lifting the already iconic brand even higher in collaboration with JWT,” said Jake Norman, President and Chief Strategy Officer, Mindshare Canada. “We are thrilled to be working with such an iconic brand that is leading in a highly-digitized, competitive and fast-paced media environment.”

JWT has operated in Canada for more than 80 years, and today is one of the country’s leading agencies. With its pioneering spirit, the agency has created business-building campaigns for some of the country’s most beloved and iconic brands, such as Tim Hortons and SickKids (The Hospital for Sick Children), Tylenol and Walmart Canada. Clients of JWT Canada include Canada Bread, HSBC, Johnson & Johnson, Mazda, Nestlé, ParticipACTION and the University of Toronto, among others.


About JWT
JWT is the world’s best-known marketing communications brand. Headquartered in New York, JWT is a true global network with more than 200 offices in over 90 countries, employing nearly 10,000 marketing professionals. JWT consistently ranks among the top agency networks in the world and continues to be a dominant presence in the industry by staying on the leading edge—from producing the first-ever TV commercial in 1939 to developing award-winning branded content today. JWT embraces a WORLDMADE philosophy, making things inspired by the world through blending technological innovation with international imagination. For more information, please visit www.jwt.com and follow us @JWT_Worldwide or @JWTCanada.

About Mindshare
Mindshare is a global media agency network with billings in excess of US$29.2 billion (source: RECMA). The network consists of 113 offices in 82 countries throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific, each dedicated to forging competitive marketing advantage for businesses and their brands. Mindshare is part of GroupM, which oversees the media investment management sector for WPP, the world’s leading communications services group.

About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada’s largest domestic and international airline serving more than 175 destinations on five continents. Canada’s flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2012 served close to 35 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 60 Canadian cities, 49 destinations in the United States and 67 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world’s most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,328 destinations in 195 countries. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax that ranked Air Canada in a worldwide survey of more than 18 million airline passengers as Best Airline in North America in 2013 for the fourth consecutive year. For more information, please visit: www.aircanada.com.