Karo has been a strong fixture in the Calgary market for almost 50 years so little wonder that when Toronto-based communications agency Rain was looking to expand its operations nationally it sat down with Karo Group chair Chris Bedford to talk about the West.
The result: Karo’s offices in Calgary and Vancouver have been acquired through the efforts of Rain president and CEO John Yorke and they are now under the Rain umbrella.
Yorke says, “We have spent a lot of time in Calgary over the past year with Freedom Mobile clients, and we really saw an opportunity to bring our growth philosophy here.”
Tracy Gonzalez, formerly with Venture Communications and Twist Marketing before it was integrated into Karo in 2016, has been named vice president, managing director responsible for the Calgary and Vancouver offices. Dennis Cant, with WAX partnership until last year, has been named vice president client development.
Rain’s newest accounts in the Toronto office include Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Meridian Credit Union, a new digital bank launching this year with plans to expand into the Calgary market. Locally, Rain has been named agency of record for Peppino Gourmet Foods.
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Sharie Hunter, principal and managing partner of Arthur/Hunter, has relocated her office into new space on the third floor of the Petro West Plaza on the corner of 8th Street and 12th Avenue SW.
Her “room to expand” news came at the same time she was proud to announce Arthur/Hunter had won six Hermes Creative Awards for clients Calgary Opera and ARC Resources.
It was also contracted to design Calgary Opera’s 2018-19 season; a campaign that includes the season brand, brochure, marketing materials, advertisements, digital media, event signage and media launch assets.
And Hunter also boasts of new accounts PrairieSky Royalty, Kelt Exploration, Criterium Group and Crescent Point Energy.
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Tyler Chisholm, CEO of ClearMotive Marketing Group, says he is excited and honoured to be awarded the brand refresh and creative identity work for Lammle’s Western Wear. The Calgary company, launched in 1983, has stores across B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan. Rated as the number one retailer in western wear, Lammle’s is the official western wear retailer of the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede.
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Daughter Creative has been chosen to handle the promotion and marketing for Savanna Bazaar, the shopping centre to be built in Saddle Ridge inspired by open-air markets found throughout South Asia.
The project by Royop Development and designed by Abugov Kaspar Architecture will include an ethnic market, professional services building and a banquet hall for cultural weddings and community activities.
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Parker’s Pick: The Calgary Zoo’s marketing campaign to welcome the pandas that helped bring in record attendance for the month of May.
