Rethink Communications

{{Short description|Canadian advertising company}}

Rethink Communications is an independent advertising agency based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Toronto, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec.{{cite news

|last = Chong

|first = Kevin

|title = Chris Staples of Rethink Advertising Reimagines Vancouver Advertising

|newspaper = BC Business

|location = Vancouver

|date = 3 June 2009

|url = http://www.bcbusinessonline.ca/bcb/top-stories/2009/06/03/chris-staples-rethink-communications-reimagines-vancouver-advertising

|access-date =

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090916002800/http://www.bcbusinessonline.ca/bcb/top-stories/2009/06/03/chris-staples-rethink-communications-reimagines-vancouver-advertising

|archive-date = 16 September 2009

}}

The agency was founded on November 1, 1999, by Chris Staples, Ian Grais and Tom Shepansky. All three were formerly employed at Palmer Jarvis DDB (now DDB Vancouver). Staples was the national creative director of that agency; Grais was the creative director and Shepansky was the director of client services.{{cite news

| last = Hunter

| first = Jennifer

| title = Shaking up the ad world

| newspaper = Maclean's Magazine

| location = Toronto

| date = 22 November 1999

| access-date = }}

Staples, Grais and Shepansky opened Rethink with no staff and no clients. In December 1999 they won the Dominion Grocery Store account in Ontario and the A&W Food Services account nationally, in English and French.{{cite news

|last = Lazarus

|first = Eve

|title = Dynamic Duo

|newspaper = Marketing Magazine

|location = Toronto

|date = 24 March 2003

|url = http://evelazarus.com/articles/article6.html

|access-date =

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091117202137/http://www.evelazarus.com/articles/article6.html

|archive-date = 17 November 2009

}}

In their first year of operation the agency grew to 20 people and was featured on the CBC-TV business program Venture.{{cite episode

| title = Venture (CBC)

| series = Venture

| series-link = Venture (TV series)

| airdate = September 1, 2001

| season = 17}} Rethink made news by offering a money-back guarantee in the form of a five percent rebate to be earned based on client-set criteria.{{cite news

| last = Folb

| first = Mikala

| title = The ad lib

| newspaper = Canadian Business Magazine

| location = Toronto

| date = 26 November 1999

| access-date = }}

They also launched Rethink Beer to demonstrate their branding abilities. The product was available in BC and Alberta until 2003.{{cite news

|last = Prendiville Roux

|first = Julie

|title = Rethink

|newspaper = Communication Arts

|date = May–June 2007

|url = http://www.commarts.com/feature/rethink.html

|archive-url = https://archive.today/20130119222943/http://www.commarts.com/feature/rethink.html

|url-status = dead

|archive-date = 2013-01-19

|access-date =

}}

The agency currently handles advertising, design and online work for a range of local, regional and national clients. These include A&W (Canada), Shaw Communications, Molson Coors Brewing Company,{{cite news

| last = Williams

| first = Natalia

| title = The Rethink Effect

| newspaper = Strategy Magazine

| location = Toronto

| date = December 2006

| url = http://www.strategymag.com/articles/magazine/20090201/crcagency.html/aoygold.html?word=natalia&word=williams

| access-date = }} IKEA Canada,{{Cite web|url=http://strategyonline.ca/2017/06/13/ikea-picks-rethink-as-new-aor/|title=IKEA picks Rethink as new AOR|first=Josh |last=Kolm|date=2017-06-13|website=strategy|access-date=2019-12-19}} Coast Capital Savings, WestJet,{{Cite web|url=http://strategyonline.ca/2018/04/04/rethink-named-lead-agency-for-westjet/|title=Rethink named lead agency for WestJet|first=Josh |last=Kolm|date=2018-04-04|website=strategy|access-date=2019-12-20}} Mr. Lube, Playland, Science World at TELUS World of Science, and Weston Bakeries.{{cite news

| last = Toane

| first = Carey

| title = Top agency: Rethink thinks local, wins big

| newspaper = Strategy Magazine

| location = Toronto

| date = February 2009

| url = http://www.strategymag.com/articles/magazine/20090201/crcagency.html

| access-date = }}

Rethink was named Canada's Agency of the Year three times: first in November 2003 by Marketing Magazine,{{cite news

| last = Lazarus

| first = Eve

| title = Rethink's Fresh Obsession

| newspaper = Marketing Magazine

| location = Toronto

| date = 24 November 2003

| access-date = }}

and a second and third time by Strategy Magazine in December 2006 and October 2019.{{Cite web|url=http://strategyonline.ca/2019/10/30/rethink-is-the-2019-agency-of-the-year/|title=Rethink is the 2019 Agency of the Year|first=Jennifer |last=Horn|date=2019-10-31|website=strategy|access-date=2019-12-19}}

The agency was also ranked by Strategy Magazine as the most award-winning agency in Canada in 2008{{cite news

| title = Top Agency: Rethink

| newspaper = Strategy Magazine

| location = Toronto

| date = February 2008

| url = http://www.strategymag.com/articles/magazine/20080201/crcagency.html

| access-date = }} and 2009. Partners and co-creative directors Staples and Grais were ranked the most awarded creative directors in 2006,{{Cite news

| last1 = Williams | first1 = Natalie

| last2 = Spevick | first2 = David

| title = Top Creative Directors: Ian Grais, Chris Staples, Rethink

| newspaper = Strategy Magazine

| date = February 2006

| url = http://www.strategymag.com/articles/magazine/20060201/cd.html

| access-date = September 10, 2009

}} 2008{{cite news

| title = Top Creative Directors: Rethink's Chris Staples and Ian Grais

| newspaper = Strategy Magazine

| location = Toronto

| date = February 2008

| url = http://www.strategymag.com/articles/magazine/20080201/crccreativedir.html

| access-date = }} and 2009{{cite news

| last = Toane

| first = Carey

| title = Top creative directors: Ian Grais and Chris Staples of Rethink

| newspaper = Strategy Magazine

| location = Toronto

| date = February 2009

| url = http://www.strategymag.com/articles/magazine/20090201/crccd.html

| access-date = }} in the same surveys.

Rethink clients Coast Capital Savings and Mr. Lube were named Marketers of the Year by the BC Chapter of the American Marketing Association in 2006{{cite press release

| title = Coast Capital Savings wins BCAMA 'Marketer of the Year' Award

| publisher = Coast Capital Savings

| date = 18 July 2006

| url = https://www.coastcapitalsavings.com/About_Coast_Capital_Savings/Press_Advertising/

| access-date = 18 July 2006 }} and 2008{{Cite news

|title = Mr. Lube wins marketer of the year

|newspaper = The Vancouver Sun

|date = 25 June 2008

|url = http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=73df6a44-ffe5-478a-8f96-f03a4abf351d

|access-date =

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090531032530/http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=73df6a44-ffe5-478a-8f96-f03a4abf351d

|archive-date = 31 May 2009

}} respectively.

On April 5, 2010, Rethink opened an office in Toronto, headed by partner and managing director Pema Hegan and creative director Dre Labre.{{Cite web|url=http://marketingmag.ca/advertising/rethink-moves-east-opening-a-toronto-office-1582|title=Rethink moves East, opening a Toronto office|date=March 8, 2010|first=Eve |last=Lazarus|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-21}}