DDB Ignite puts the power of Canada’s most celebrated communications agency behind emerging entrepreneurs and start-up companies. We’ve tailored our strategic planning tools and processes to generate business results for start-ups. Different than traditional accelerators, we offer expertise and mentorship to help start-ups reach their next stage of growth through the creation and expression of a compelling brand story.
Our brand accelerator model is designed to collaborate with next generation companies to move them from a unique product idea to a concise brand and business-driving idea.
A company without a story is a company without a strategy.
These sessions empower entrepreneurs with the ability to tell a compelling story, build their brand and develop a solid communications strategy. Workshops are offered semi-annually at DDB’s offices in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Montréal.
Learn more about the Brand Founding Workshop.
We support start-ups ready to scale their growth with a comprehensive brand-led campaign by offering deferred payment for our creative services and the opportunity to secure media space in return for equity through our strategic partnership with Discover Media House.
Learn more about the Brand Inflection Project.
We invest expertise for equity and empower founders. We look for partnerships with starts-ups that are ready to scale.
Learn more about the Brand Growth Partnership.
DDB's team have specialists in brand, channel, digital and social media planning and integrated communications strategy. Our team has a deep bench and pedigree to help grow and build start-up success from the brand to the communications strategy.
As EVP, co-Managing Director, Michelle is executive sponsor of the DDB Ignite program. Michelle is responsible for the agency leadership and has over 25 years of experience as a business leader and driving growth and innovation in marketing communications.
As the Business Director for Twice, Roger has over a decade of experience leading the development of award-winning creative born from strategic insight and expressed with truth and authenticity to attract like-minded customers.
Nina is a UX Strategist who brings over a decade of experience to digital and interactive projects. Always looking to solve business problems in ways that are meaningful to users, she advocates for holistic user experiences that make use of technologies in new and innovative ways.
Dan is a digital strategist and marketing analytics practitioner with 16 years of experience in the field. Over his career, he has lead the creation of effective digital campaigns and data-driven optimization programs for clients such as Rocky Mountaineer, McDonald’s, Mercedes-Benz, BC Lottery Corporation and General Mills. Dan particularly loves the early phases of a company's growth. With foundational decisions being made that can ultimately make or break the business model, Dan finds it to be an energizing and satisfying time to be involved in the life of a business.
As VP of Brand Experience and Content for Tribal Vancouver, Gaylene leads its digital strategy and user experience practices. Her mandate is to create forward thinking, user centric strategies and content that push the limits and extend across all channels. Gaylene has deep expertise in brand and product development, go to market planning as well as tech innovation.
As Group Creative Director for Tribal Vancouver, Stéphane has over 15 years of experience crafting digital creative. He is responsible for translating strategy into simple and beautiful user experiences. He embraces ever-changing technologies but keeps the human experience at the forefront.
Marie-Nathalie is a data driven creative strategist with over 10 years experience. She started in digital; search, social, analytics and CRM, before going into brand strategy. She approaches every challenge with a holistic viewpoint and a consumer-centric approach.
Liam is a Business Unit Director who has spent the past 15 years walking the line between art and science to deliver break through customer-centric solutions for his clients. He has lead multiple account, strategy and project management teams and is a firm believer an idea is only as good as your ability to flawlessly bring it to life.
For more than 25 years, Paul has dedicated himself to following customers on their journey along the path to purchase, using data and analytics to build 1:1 lifelong brand loyalty. As Managing Director of TrackDDB, Paul leads his team in delivering direct marketing solutions across multiple channels including direct mail, email, loyalty programs, ePortals, web, mobile and call centre.
With over twelve years of strategic and interactive marketing experience, Andrew has a vast knowledge of all things digital including online advertising, mobile, social and search marketing, commerce and analytics. Andrew leads DDB’s interactive division as Tribal Worldwide’s President.
As President of DDB Toronto, Melanie provides executive leadership across all disciplines under the DDB Toronto umbrella. She has worked across a range of clients and industries and is an expert at developing integrated campaigns that dramatically transform perception and behaviour to deliver outstanding business results.
Helene has packed a lot into her career, from founding her own agency, to joining Palmer Jarvis Advertising as a shareholder, to now leading DDB’s award-winning Edmonton team to build great brands across the corporate and retail sectors. She has successfully guided organizations, large and small, in their search to discover their own unique brand positioning by drawing on years of experience as a business leader, strategist, mentor and collaborator.
Adam leads DDB Edmonton’s digital department. He has 10+ years of experience delivering award-winning digital and social media marketing campaigns. He is entrepreneurial by nature, as evident by his former role as founder and editor-in-chief of OilersNation.com, the popular independent Oilers news website written for fans of the team by fans of the team. Adam has been recognized with the University of Alberta’s Alumni Horizon Award, Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 under 40, and as one of Alberta Venture’s Next 10.
As DDB Edmonton’s Design Director, Howard pushes his team to focus on communication through insight and effective design. He has been with DDB for 16 years, including a sabbatical where he worked as marketing manager for a local software company. Howard's strategic and design council is paramount to many of DDB’s award-winning campaigns.
This day-long session hosted at DDB’s offices is designed specifically for validated start-ups to empower the entrepreneurial teams behind them with the ability to tell a compelling story, build their brand and develop a solid communications strategy that will drive efficient, scalable growth.
Leaders from each of our practice areas will present key strategies and tools while leading discussion around 5 key topics that cover how to build a brand while taking into consideration the constraints and opportunities of a start-up.
Workshops are free for qualifying companies.
Find out if your start-up qualifies and submit your application.
Is the Brand Founding Workshop right for you and your team? If you answer yes to the questions below, then you are ready to learn how to apply DDB’s brand and communications tools to your business:
Up to fifteen companies will be accepted per workshop based on their fit with our philosophy. We aim to co-create innovation with companies whose businesses align with the industries, culture and type of ideas our expertise and network are positioned to support.
If you’ve built a business and are ready to tell the world and you meet our qualifications to participate, you can apply using the form below.
| Vancouver | |
|---|---|
| Applications Close | May 4 2017 |
| Fall Workshop | May 18 2017 |
| Edmonton | |
|---|---|
| Applications Close | September 23 2016 |
| Fall Workshop | November 1 2016 |
| Toronto | |
|---|---|
| Applications Close | September 30 2016 |
| Fall Workshop | November 8 2016 |
| Montreal | |
|---|---|
| Applications Close | September 23 2016 |
| Fall Workshop | October 26 2016 |
Start-ups ready to use the power of an integrated campaign to scale their business beyond the plateau of direct tactical marketing can do so while deferring the majority of the costs for the creative development fees and the media placements. DDB has partnered with Discover Media House to offer negotiated access to media space from top networks across North America. This is in exchange for equity or fees tied to milestones that defer costs to the time of the company generating new revenue and cash flow as a result of the campaign.
DDB works with start-ups selected for Discover’s Inflection Program to develop their brand story and creative concepts using the strategic approach of brand building supported by targeted activation which has been proven to drive the highest return on marketing investment.
We offer services with deferred payment options to start-ups who qualify for Discover Media House’s Inflection Growth Program.
To inquire about the Brand Inflection Project, please send an expression of interest to our office nearest you: Vancouver Edmonton Toronto Montréal
We invest expertise for equity in start-ups who are building disruptive businesses. We empower founders with the resources of a full-service agency and work collaboratively with their teams to establish a customer engagement strategy that focuses on early adoption and advocacy from seed customers and influencers.
Our ideal partners have a market ready product, have qualified their target audience through customer research, and have an internal team including marketing and sales resources. You have dedicated financing to support the execution of a national or global launch based on the strategy we develop together.
DDB offers an agreed upon value of services in return for equity, based on the current valuation of the start-up.
To inquire about the Brand Growth Partnership model, please send an expression of interest to our office nearest you: Vancouver Edmonton Toronto Montréal
