Blackjet named AOR for Gay Lea » strategy – strategyonline.ca
Blackjet named AOR for Gay Lea
The agency will lead creative and drive more of a connection for the co-op’s flagship brand of butter and dairy products.
Dairy co-op Gay Lea Foods has picked Blackjet as the creative AOR for its flagship brand.
Selected following a competitive review, Blackjet will lead creative efforts for the products sold under the Gay Lea brand, which includes butter, sour cream and whipped cream toppings. More specifically, Blackjet has been tasked with driving national brand awareness and creating a deeper consumer relationship with the brand.
“Gay Lea is a name that everybody recognizes but nobody knows much about,” says Blackjet CEO Rob Galletta. “In fact, Gay Lea Foods has a great story and one that’s particularly relevant to the way consumer needs are changing.”
Work on a new campaign expected to launch later this year has already begun.
Blackjet first began working with Gay Lea in 2021, when it was enlisted to develop a brand strategy that brought its portfolio of products under a single proposition. Blackjet will now work on bringing that strategy to life creatively, focusing on Gay Lea’s roots as a co-operative and producing foods its customers like to share.
“From our work together on the strategy project we knew Blackjet had the strategic thinking to help us and the review process demonstrated they also have the creative talent to bring that thinking to life,” says Mike Renton, EVP of sales, marketing and supply chain for Gay Lea Foods.
Aside from its flagship brand, Gay Lea Foods also sells Ivanhoe cheese, Nordica cottage cheese and Western yogurt and cream cheese.
Gay Lea previously worked with Agency59 on its first national campaign in 2019, though it has more recently worked with Chalkboard on experiential and direct campaigns focused on getting its butter into the hands of bakers.