Tammy Smitham
Vice President, Communications & Corporate Affairs
Shoppers Drug Mart (a current client)
(416) 490-2892
LexPR has been one of Shoppers Drug Mart’s (SDM) public relations agencies since 2007. The agency began with a single Life Brand project and has grown its portfolio to encompass SDM’s corporate and exclusive brands, as well as a number of key marketing initiatives.
One of the agency’s greatest strengths is working with our many external vendors (exclusive brands sold within Canada’s largest retail pharmacy chain). These vendors are of different sizes with varying marketing budgets and resources, yet LexPR approaches all of them with the same level of professionalism.
We regard LexPR as an agency partner. Their size and accessibility at a senior level is an asset that allows us to draw on their expertise for numerous areas of our business. They consistently go above and beyond to ensure that we get the value promised for our proactive campaigns and work with us to adjust the strategy and tactics where appropriate.
I would recommend their public relations services without hesitation.
Anthony Gussin
Director of Marketing and Business Development
Nytric Ltd., and Baanto International Ltd. (a former and current client)
agussin@baanto.com
905-671-9979
Nytric Limited first engaged with LexPR in the summer of 2006. The objective was to launch a PR campaign that would provide an insight into the many and varied aspects of the technologies that Nytric was involved in at the time. The engagement was continued over several years, and was very successful. It included many TV appearances and press articles that featured Nytric and its products, and a 3-year national innovation competition with Canadian Business magazine, a major business publication in Canada.
As Nytric grew, we believed that our PR outreach could perhaps be better served by going with one of the larger national agencies, and so we parted amicably with LexPR. This decision was to prove flawed. The agency that we engaged with was unable to provide the breadth and depth of coverage that we had become accustomed to from LexPR. We soon learned that the creative and non-conventional approach that LexPR brought to us could not be found in a big agency. As a result, we returned to LexPR as our agency of record, and again with notable results.
Around 3 years ago, Nytric launched a sister company, Baanto International. When that company matured to the point where a PR agency was considered a requirement, there was no question that LexPR would be the go-to.
LexPR have always brought highly creative ideas and strategies to the table, and the same has been true of their engagement with Baanto. Their outreach efforts have seen Baanto product featured on prominent national television, generating significant brand equity, and interest from other businesses in our targeted market segments. We are pleased and happy to have LexPR as our agency of record.
Connie Sarvanandan
Vice President, International
HBO Home Entertainment (a current client)
646-248-8945
Connie is traveling extensively this month and is unable to provide a written referral within the timelines of this RFP. She has indicated, however, that she would be happy to participate in a phone call to discuss LexPR’s work on the HBO HE file. Connie can be reached at the number provided above.
Laura Wiese
Vice President of Marketing
MGA Entertainment Canada (a former client)
905-940-2700 x2228
I had the pleasure of working with LexPR for 5+ years in the Canadian market within the world of toys, entertainment, games and fashion. LexPR worked on our business at the time when Bratz was a category leader within the fashion doll aisle.
During their tenure on our business, MGA was looking to establish a stronger presence in the French Canadian market, as well as establish Bratz as a fashion leader. Through an ongoing program built with Marie Saint Pierre designs and Wal-Mart, the LexPR program increased Bratz relevancy in the French market, boosting both general awareness and sales, grew our share at Wal-Mart and garnered hundreds of press clips across the country. Their ability to develop partnerships across multiple media, design and retail groups was executed flawlessly.
LexPR’s solution was more than create buzz around the brand – but to give French Canada ownership in generating that buzz. To date this has been our most successful exclusive line launch for Bratz in Canada.
I highly recommend LexPR for your company and, without a doubt, believe that they will be an amazing contribution to your brands and organization.
Kevin McKaye
(former) Director, Marketing & Communications, Ontario Place Corporation (a former client)
Current: Assistant Director/Manager, Strategic Communications, Ontario Ministry of Labour
kevin.mckaye@ontario.ca
416-326-1814
Kevin is on vacation and is unavailable to provide a written referral within the timelines of this RFP. Kevin can be contacted after September 22 to discuss LexPR’s work on the Rogers Chinese Lantern Festival as well as Sherry Lawlor’s prior experience in the realm of government/tourism as Media Relations and Sponsorship Manager at Ontario Place Corporation.
Awnish Srivastava
(former) Vice President of Marketing, Maxxium Canada (now Beam Global) (a former client)
(former) Vice President of Marketing, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group Canada (a former client)
Current: Chief Marketing Officer, Mill Street Brewery
awnish@me.com
647-283-4935
I was first introduced to LexPR in 2007 when I was leading a PR RFP for Maxxium Canada, a premier global spirits and wine distribution group that represented Absolut Vodka in addition to many other world-class brands. We had already begun our RFP process and had meetings in place with six large and mid-sized PR agencies when a compelling referral came across my desk about LexPR. We decided to give LexPR (by far the smallest agency among our short list) a chance to pitch our business.
My 20-person marketing group and I decided to award the business to LexPR because their creative ideas were as good as and, in many cases, even better than the larger agencies and their price point was considerably better. They brought fresh, creative, and innovative ideas and approaches to working with our brands. As we began to work together, it became apparent that they were more accessible and responsive than larger agencies we had worked with previously. The agency was also able to successfully service multiple brands simultaneously and collectively, in addition to delivering results and managing expectations with a large group of brand managers.
Shortly after I moved to Warner, the entertainment company decided to undertake a series of RFPs including one for public relations services. I forwarded LexPR’s information over to the team leading the search, and again LexPR was chosen for similar reasons as outlined above. With relatively limited experience in this sector, LexPR demonstrated its ability to get up to speed quickly on both files and the industry itself. I remembering them saying “it’s not who you know but how you tell your story that builds and maintains your media relationships” – and they proved that in both cases. At Warner, LexPR delivered world-class events and extensive and measurable media opportunities.
Bottom line – you get great value for the money with LexPR, they’re passionate story tellers and they bring big agency creative and thinking to the table.
