January 7, 2021
Colour names Randy Newman, new CEO

January 6, 2021 – HALIFAX

New York-based Randy Newman has taken over leadership of the agency’s Canadian and US operations, signalling the company’s commitment to growth at the intersection of data, technology and creative advertising.

Having successfully navigated through one of the most unpredictable years in our industry, 2021 brings a shift in senior leadership for creative-digital agency, Colour. 

Randy Newman joined the agency in 2016 as VP of Media and Strategy and opened the agency’s New York office, responsible for growing practice areas around paid media planning and execution, as well as reporting and analytics. He became EVP in early 2020 and began overseeing people, process and culture across all three offices, in addition to leading strategy for key client accounts. 

“It’s an honour for me to take the helm of a great agency with such deep roots as a creative force and digital leader. I’ve witnessed firsthand how the team at Colour has expanded the agency’s Canadian footprint over the past few years and I’m excited to replicate that growth south of the border in 2021 and beyond,” said Newman.

Newman follows in the footsteps of long-term CEO Chris Keevill, who stepped away earlier in 2020 to assume leadership of the Atlantic Lottery Corporation. Keevill remains owner & chairman of Colour and will continue to advise Newman. “After meeting in New York at an alumni event, we became fast friends. Clients rely heavily on Randy’s smarts. He has a unique ability to simplify the complexity that connects creative story-telling to data and digital media.” says Keevill.

With global economic growth forecasted for this year, Newman maintains an optimistic outlook for the advertising industry as a whole and believes that the agency’s future looks bright. “2020 was an incredibly challenging year for Colour and for many of our clients, but our team persevered through sheer talent and the strength of work that’s been produced over the past few months. After some big wins to close out 2020, it’s encouraging to see us back on a trajectory of accelerated growth entering 2021.”

Colour is a creative-digital agency with expertise in media planning, social media marketing and content production — a combination that contributes to omni-channel marketing strategy and execution that integrates seamlessly across today’s most popular platforms. With offices in Toronto, Halifax and New York, Colour has seen its greatest growth of late in how it brings technology, data analytics and innovation to the forefront of the strategic marketing planning process in the areas of health and pharma, food, and automotive. Colour’s clients include AstraZeneca, Voortman Bakery, Nature’s Way Canada, Hankook Tire Corporation, Argus Insurance, Garrison Brewery, Sol Cuisine, and others.

For more information contact:

Leslie Keevill 
leslie@colour.ca
902-579-4598

October 16, 2018
Local McDonald’s Restaurant Owners Step Up to Help Youth in North Preston

Halifax, Nova Scotia – Four local McDonald’s franchisees are stepping up to support the dreams and aspirations of youth in North Preston. The four owners collectively will be the named sponsor of the initiative that supports the refurbishment of the basketball court in North Preston to give youth – through basketball – the opportunity to continue their education.

On the weekend of October 19th – 21st, $1 from every Big Mac sold at participating restaurants in the Halifax Regional Municipality will go directly to the North Preston Basketball initiative.

McDonald’s has a long history of building stronger communities and recognizes the role that sport and education play in fostering development of individuals in the community.

This gift was inspired by the initiative of Shaquille Smith, who grew up in North Preston. Shaquille drove this project with the help of a $100,000 grant from Nova Scotia Communities, Culture and Heritage, $100,000 from the Halifax Regional Municipality and $10,000 from the community fund of local Councillor David Hendsbee.

“When we first met with Shaquille, his passion to make a difference in his community through basketball was something we wanted to support,” said Peter MacIsaac, local owner of McDonald’s. “Shaquille’s vision to help youth was built on his own experience. He got to attend university because of a basketball scholarship to Acadia University. By recognizing the importance of sport and education, we knew we could make a real impact for youth in the community.”

The McDonald’s North Preston basketball court will also provide education programs to better prepare youth for university or college. North Preston basketball alumni will play an important part of the education program.

“Although I am excited to bring a new basketball court to the community, this project is not just about basketball – it’s also about ensuring players who get to attend university or college are prepared for what’s to come. Finishing their degree is the goal,” said Shaquille Smith. “With the new basketball court, players from North Preston will have the same opportunities I did. With the addition of preparatory programs, we can help them be better positioned to finish their degrees.”

Smith added, “I want to thank the local McDonald’s owners for stepping up to build a stronger community in North Preston. I’m proud of their commitment to the community by fostering the development of youth.”

To recognize and acknowledge the best of community leadership, McDonald’s has invited Shaquille Smith to Atlanta for the 2019 McDonald’s All American in March. Shaquille will get to choose one high school player from North Preston to join him.

About McDonald’s

In 1967, Canadians welcomed the first McDonald’s restaurant to Richmond, British Columbia. Today, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited has become part of the Canadian fabric, serving close to three million guests every day. Together McDonald’s and our franchisees, proudly employ nearly 100,000 people from coast-to-coast and approximately 90 per cent of McDonald’s 1,400 Canadian restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent entrepreneurs. Of the almost $1 billion we spend on food, beverages and packaging, more than 85 per cent is purchased from over 100 suppliers in Canada.

December 13, 2017
Colour Congratulates Aurora Cannabis on Winning 2017 Canadian Cannabis Award for Social Media Account Work

HALIFAX – At the recent 2017 Canadian Cannabis Awards ceremony in Toronto, Aurora Cannabis won first prize in the Social Media Account – Facebook category.

Aurora was chosen for this award based on votes received from the general public. Voting was held online between September 1 and September 30, 2017. The award ceremony took place on November 30, 2017.

“Since the summer of 2016, we have seen Aurora’s Facebook page grow to become the largest and most engaged of any licensed cannabis producer in the country,” said Savior Joseph, President of creative digital agency Colour. “We are very pleased to see Aurora receive recognition for this achievement and congratulate them on winning this award.”

Aurora Cannabis now has over 40% more “likes” than its next closest competitor and works closely with Colour to create content, with the goal of creating engaging, educational and relevant posts.   

Colour’s digital engagement team also collaborates with Aurora’s client care team and monitors comments through the work day in both official languages, plus evenings, weekends and holidays, helping to facilitate and foster an inspired community.

“The cannabis industry is complex, involves strict compliance and is rapidly evolving,” added Joseph. “This community initiative is a testament to our client’s trust and our team’s ability to make sense of the complexity and to execute within it in a socially responsible way. This is especially important to us as the law around recreational cannabis use is changing in 2018. Our continuous focus on responsible use is something to which we hold ourselves accountable.”

A publically traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: ACB), Aurora today operates state-of-the-art facilities – Aurora Mountain in Mountain View, Alberta and Aurora Vie in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. The company is also building a new production facility called Aurora Sky at the Edmonton International Airport, with a fourth facility being completed in Lachute, Quebec. Aurora is also pursuing new growth opportunities in Western Canada, Australia and the European Union.

“Colour is amazing to work with. The team is knowledgeable, constantly curious and fully focused on supporting our teams and our patients. They’ve been a vital partner in providing leading edge support across a variety of community initiatives,” said Neil Belot, Chief Global Business Development Officer for Aurora. “Our Facebook page has become one of the largest online medical cannabis communities and a safe place for patients to voice their opinions in a respectful way and to engage in meaningful conversation with our company and each other.”

With offices in Atlantic Canada, Toronto and New York, Colour is exporting creativity to markets everywhere.

November 16, 2017
Colour’s new Creative Director takes the reigns a week early

TORONTO – Creative digital agency Colour’s new creative director Chad Raymond is excited to get started helping Colour’s clients.

The former associate creative director for Canopy Growth Corporation and senior art director for Bensimon Byrne started at the agency’s Toronto office last week. His original start date was Tuesday, but he couldn’t wait to get started.

“With the growth that Colour has seen over the last year, it’s important for us to invest in a creative director that is able to lead our work across all digital channels,” said Savior Joseph, Colour’s President. “We’re very excited to have Chad join the Colour team. His expertise in all things creative and experience with technology, as well as in leading teams, will greatly benefit our clients.”

At Canopy, Raymond was responsible for building, evolving and maintaining the company’s three major brands. At Bensimon Byrne, Raymond was creative lead for such brands as Scotiabank, iShares, and HollisWealth. Raymond also worked three years as senior art director for Loyalty One / Air Miles. He began his career as art director of Digital Cement, where he worked for such global clients as Kraft, FedEx, John Hancock and AstraZeneca.

“Colour is working in a great space for clients, connecting creative with social, digital and PR,” said Raymond. “In week one, I really enjoyed getting to know the team and clients and I am looking forward to helping our clients achieve results with great creativity.”

Raymond holds diplomas in multi-media design and fine arts from Fanshawe College.

With offices in Atlantic Canada, Toronto and New York, Colour is exporting creativity to markets everywhere.

November 16, 2017
Colour adds new leadership to growing media and analytics practice

HALIFAX – Creative social agency Colour’s media business is growing and expanding, with new leadership in place to oversee planning and analytics.

To better support clients in a business that grew dramatically in its first year, ColourMedia hired Leonard Roberts as Director of Planning and Analytics.

“Marketers and communicators continue to look to digital and the power of data that comes from these approaches,” said Chris Keevill, CEO of Colour.  “Working with such a bright leader as Leonard Roberts will help existing and new clients make the most of data to connect with the people they need to connect with.”

A senior consultant formerly with MW360 Media, Time+Space Media and  GenieKnows.com, Roberts is responsible for ColourMedia’s data analytics, insights and optimization for clients across North America in paid, owned and earned media.  Based in Halifax, Roberts holds a Master’s Degree in E-Commerce from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Commerce from Saint Mary’s University.

“In his first six months at ColourMedia, our clients tell us that Leonard is a standout professional who brings sharp thinking to their respective accounts,” added Keevill.  “Leonard is constantly evaluating and analyzing performance, seeking ways to optimize and make the most of media spending on behalf of clients.  His enthusiasm for and interest in the success of a client’s business reflects a strong partnership with many of our partners.”

ColourMedia launched last fall in New York. Colour’s business is growing primarily through such clients as Nestlé, Wrangler, GlaxoSmithKline, Hankook Tire, Post Foods and AstraZeneca.  In addition to leaders like Roberts, since July, Colour has hired three new digital strategists, as well as four new social engagement professionals to work out of Colour’s new downtown Halifax office at the TD Centre, 1791 Barrington Street.

“Talent from Nova Scotia universities and college that Colour is hiring can compete all over the world,” said Keevill. “We are exporting the services provided by that talent from our head office in Halifax to our offices in Toronto and New York for our national and international clients.”

With offices in Atlantic Canada, Toronto and New York City, Colour is exporting creativity to markets everywhere. The company is owned by majority shareholder Chris Keevill (CEO), Savior Joseph (President), Robert Batherson (President, PR) and Sarah Flynn (Senior VP).

December 12, 2016
Colour Media will help clients better reach audiences in Canada & US

Creative|social agency Colour has launched a new business practice, Colour Media, to help clients reach audiences by using programmatic media buying.

“Our traders can buy virtually any ad impression on any site on any device,” said Chris Keevill, CEO of Colour.  “Colour Media is making this technology available to mid-market clients that was previously only available to the very largest ad buyers.”

With programmatic media, the purchase and sale of advertising in real time uses software to buy, place and optimize media through a bidding system.

The Forrester Report has predicted that 55% of the digital advertising market in the United States will be traded programmatically in 2016.  Other forecasters believe that more than 90% of advertising will flow programmatically within a decade.

“Clients deserve greater transparency and accountability from media agencies – in their spending,” added Keevill “Unlike others, Colour Media discloses all trading fees and gets more of the media budget to work for the brands we represent.”

With offices in Atlantic Canada, Toronto and New York City, Colour is exporting creativity to markets everywhere. The company is owned by majority shareholder Chris Keevill and managing partners Robert Batherson (Public Relations), Sarah Flynn (Creative) and Savior Joseph (Digital and Social).