What makes Canadian creativity resonate on the world stage?

According to Aaron Starkman, it starts with an idea.

The Rethink CCO and partner, who also served as president on this year’s Outdoor Lions jury, believes Canada’s creative culture has been shaped by necessity. Without the budgets, celebrity access and scale available in larger markets, Canadian agencies have had to rely on ideas that are simple, distinctive and immediately understandable.

Strategy caught up with Starkman in Cannes to discuss why Canada is having a creative moment, the work that stood out to him this year and what he believes the industry needs to do to keep the momentum going.

Strategy: We’ve come out of the gates strong this year, with 18 Lions on the first day. What is it about Canadian brands and creativity that’s resonating so strongly – not just at home but around the world?

Aaron Starkman: I think Canada is having a moment. It’s a special moment. Ideas have always been king in Canada. It hasn’t necessarily been that way to our neighbours to the south. And that’s simply because of necessity for us.

In the states, agencies can rely on a get-out-of-jail-free card, which is using a celebrity instead of a really amazing idea that breaks through. Or using money and big budgets to buy their way out of a problem.

In Canada, it’s creativity. It’s creativity that has always been the key part of advertising. Nothing else other than creativity.

We saw so much creativity in the Canadian work. It stands out on an international stage. In fact, I’d say it’s standing out more than it ever has. I remember back in 2004, Canada did really well here.

No matter how we do this year, I can say that the calibre of work from Canada is probably the best it’s been in many, many years.

So, what is it about this moment in particular?

The ideas that we’re talking about – because a great idea usually can be as simple as a social post or as simple as an image – you get it right away. Some of the Lions we’re seeing from Canada, you just get it right away.

The advantage of getting something right away, without a celebrity coming in or being wowed by a big budget, is that you can start off small. In Canada, that allows agencies and marketers to gain trust with each other. You can start off with a social post, beta test it, see how people react to it, and then invest in it.

So, in a way, Canada has a really unique system of delivering consistency and excellent creativity. It is because of our budget constraints. It is because of the lack of spending.

For nervous clients globally, I think they should look to countries like ours to nail the kind of creativity they need. I hope Canada capitalizes on the fact that people are loving our work so much and turns it into international assignments, not just from Canadian clients. I don’t see why we can’t set the standard for the world.

We need to think big. And if we think big and continue doing the work we do, the sky’s the limit. Sure, we can start out small with a social post, but those big budgets may come our way – not just from Canadian clients, but from international clients, big brands and bigger budgets.

Some of the work you’ve done this year has really stood out. I’m thinking work for clients such as Heinz and Ikea, though there were many others. I think IKEA’s “Sleep Talk Reviews” stands out particularly well in its category. Why do you think it resonated?

IKEA is a Goliath in Sweden but, in terms of selling mattresses, they are a big challenger brand [in Canada]. Challenger brands need to do things in a different way; do things that break out of the box and do things that have never been done before.

We have a wonderful relationship with our client partners at IKEA, Jonelle [Ricketts] and Jackie [Wark]. They loved this idea the first time they saw it. They were the biggest supporters of it.

The clients saw it on a page and they loved it right away … They made it happen. They opened up their store to people sleeping in it.

The weird quirkiness of this idea is very consistent with the work that IKEA has done in the past. So, the tone of voice is most certainly recognized as IKEA. And I think when consumers see it, they would see a challenger brand breaking the status quo and doing something out of the box.

Image courtesy of IKEA Canada 

There were strong showings by a lot of Canadians today – especially in Outdoor.

I thought the Canadian work in the Outdoor jury was some of the strongest in the world. Being from Canada and just walking around outside, I raved about those Tim Hortons ads to my fellow jurors.

[At first] they didn’t understand the significance of the red iconic cup. And they didn’t know that ‘Always Tim Hortons’ tagline. I explained to them that I’ve seen Tim Hortons ads since I was a kid. There’s been a lot of billboards about soup and sandwich deals, and coffee and bagel prices. This is by far the best Tim Hortons work I’ve ever seen in my life as a consumer.

As an advertising practitioner, it is simply the best work. It is outstanding. You almost instantly have to sing the jingle when you see it. By using restraint and minimization, that campaign stands out more than any others around it in the outdoor space.

“Look for the Leaf” for Maple Leaf is another idea that I was pushing for. It was bumped up by the jury after I gave them the cultural significance of that work to explain how it really wasn’t just a war of words with Donald Trump about the tariffs.

We were fighting back with our wallets, and Maple Leaf took a strong leadership position. When I saw this work, I was equal parts jealous and proud as a Canadian, and I was hoping that this work would be recognized by the jury.

I was able to elevate something that didn’t make the shortlist, so I decided to push for KFC “Hockey Smile.” I talked about the significance of hockey in Canada and how rough a sport it is. The jury appreciated it more after that.

Also there was a lot of love for the “Kit Kat Security Truck.” I recommended it for Gold when discussions began, but the jury felt good about it as a very strong Silver. I love this work so much.

The TD work (“TD Fractional Window Shopping”) was well received and a deserving Lion. The jury appreciated how scrappy it was, especially for a financial institution.

So, do you think Canada is going to have a good year?

I really do, and I’m going to be cheering really loud. I think we’re going to hear all the Rethinkers cheering really loud, and I’m really rooting for some of the strong work coming out of Canada.