Marketing Insights

Founded by Brazilian-born Paulo Salomao ten years ago, independent agency King Ursa has built a strong reputation. Now it’s investing in people and a structure that blends media and AI with its creative offering. Salomao talks about how the agency is at the ‘sweet spot’ of media and creative integration, and the need for faster innovation in the agency landscape.

Hi, Paulo. What’s your own background and what’s happening at your agency King Ursa?

I’m an art director by trade but curiosity has led me to build deep knowledge in content production, storytelling, brand strategy, new tech and media. I strongly believe these experiences have been the foundations that led King Ursa to be a performance driven creative agency.

Because of the evolution of tech and communications, we have carried a sense of accountability which drove us to evolve our services and open up to data science, driven by analytics and the discovery and development of new products.

Can you talk a little about King Ursa client work you’re proud of?

We’re agency-of-record for Timberland Canada, and have broken records of digital sales and efficiency – our analysis of creative and media have direct impact on sales. It’s a client we’ve been with for over five years now, and we’re very close to retail sales performance. For us, as a creative advertising agency, the capability of truly impacting sales has led to an amazing relationship.

On another note, we’re extremely proud of our relationship with Bimbo Canada. Early in 2024 we started the execution of a five-year plan that considered achieving short-term commitments, while supporting a long-term plan. We’re working in sync with their marketing team to strike the right balance between long term brand targets while providing solutions to meet more immediate sales needs.

You’ve spoken recently about the importance of bringing together creativity and media. Why do you think it’s needed?

Put simply: “Creative without smart media placement is lifeless, and media without great creative is empty”.

With the proliferation of digital content and advertising, it’s crucial to create hard-working content that engages consumers and drives media placement, rather than the other way around. An integrated approach ensures that the creative message is compelling and effectively delivered through the right media channels to reach the target audience. In the optimization phase, measurement models must include qualitative and quantitative.

In this overcrowded and limited media space, we’ve been able to help our clients outsmart their competition by relying equally on both disciplines.

What have you changed to support this move and your ambition to embed AI and media in what you do? Christopher Law, an experienced media operator, has joined as Partner and Co-CEO, and Helen Lazar promoted to Managing Director. What does this mean for the agency?

We started to offer digital media buying three years ago and today we have our entire organization’s culture immersed in performance driven advertising. I made the commitment to change then so we would be prepared for what we are seeing today, which is the need for the integration of new tools and the augmentation of the media offering.

Christopher, who has been my mentor on the media side and a big influence and support of that vision is bringing a 25-year-long track record of success in the media innovation industry. Together we are leading and influencing both spectrums equally balancing our media and creative offering.

Helena Lazar joins us as our EVP, Managing Director to focus on integration, strengthening operations, and standardizing procedures, which are Helena’s core strengths.

How did you come to recognize the importance of media as someone with such a strong background as a creative person?

Since my early days in advertising, I was always very curious about the impact my work had on the people I was trying to reach and the companies I was representing. Unable to get the answers, I started early on looking to better understand the world around me so I could get the information I wanted faster.

As my role and responsibilities grew, so did my sense of accountability. Add an extreme competitive nature to the mix and you’ll understand why I landed in understanding the importance media had in creative advertising!

And how will King Ursa’s new focus help brands, your clients, to achieve great things?

The performance focus has been with us from the get-go but the process has evolved. We’re now able to make a greater positive impact with our full media offering and greater advancement in our service and operations with AI tools.

With the two disciplines truly integrated under a single and proprietary process and tools, we are getting to solutions more efficiently than ever, providing results and optimization no other competitor in our category can.

I believe there is a lot of potential to create connections to unearth opportunities that the client perhaps didn’t even know existed or didn’t know it was possible to fund from savings to their investments.

What will this look like on a day-to-day basis?

Our day-to-day has been equipped with new players bringing leading edge thinking to our process. Internally and externally everyone is feeling the excitement in the air.

Finally, what are your plans? You’re looking beyond Canada to a launch in Miami, for example. Is that part of a gradual international expansion or are you very focused on Canada still?

We are already exercising our expansion plans in Canada and going back to US clients. Our integrated offering is head-to-head with top agencies in North America and we’re not shying away from it.

US clients bring different challenges and scale which we have experienced and are more prepared for than ever while we continue to influence and service our Canadian industry.

King Ursa is a member of the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA). Report on Marketing is where leading Canadian agencies showcase their insights, cutting-edge research and client successes. The Report on Marketing provides a valuable source of thought leadership for Canadian marketers to draw inspiration from. Find more articles like this at the Report on Marketing.

Darian Kovacs, Partner at Jelly Digital Marketing & PR, makes the business case for harnessing agency knowledge and representation.

Canada’s Indigenous Peoples—First Nations, Métis, and Inuit—bring distinct histories, cultures, and worldviews that are vital to the country’s identity. For organizations seeking to authentically engage with Indigenous communities, understanding these perspectives is not just an ethical obligation but a strategic advantage.

Ideally, marketers should look to engage with representation from all three Indigenous groups, and with a geographically diverse presence. It’s here that agency partners – where they have diverse perspectives and people – can not only bridge knowledge gaps but build relationships, foster trust, and deliver campaigns that make an impact across Canada’s vast and varied Indigenous population.

Distinct voices, united goals

This process starts with an appreciation that First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives reflect their unique histories, territories, and cultural traditions.

First Nations communities span the country, with distinct languages, traditions, and governance structures shaped by their connection to specific lands and histories.

Métis culture, born from a blending of Indigenous and European ancestry, is rooted in adaptability and the ability to bridge worldviews—qualities that are invaluable in communications.

Inuit, living primarily in Canada’s Arctic, have perspectives deeply informed by their connection to the land, ice, and sea, offering insights shaped by resilience and ingenuity in the face of environmental challenges.

In an ideal scenario, working with an agency that has a leadership and team members from all three groups ensures campaigns reflect these diverse perspectives while avoiding generalized or stereotypical narratives.

Geography: a key to authenticity

Indigenous Peoples’ experiences and priorities are deeply tied to geography. An Inuit community in Nunavut faces different realities than a First Nations community in the Okanagan Valley or a Métis community in Manitoba. A marketing strategy that resonates in one region may not translate to another without considering these nuances.

A geographically diverse perspective brings local knowledge to national campaigns. With team members embedded in different territories, an agency partner that is truly diverse can tailor messaging to reflect the specific needs and values of communities while maintaining a cohesive brand voice. This is less about logistics than ensuring the stories a brand tells honours the people they represent.

Why representation in agencies matters

Authenticity in marketing begins with representation. When Indigenous professionals are part of the creative and strategic process, their lived experiences shape the narratives being told. This ensures campaigns are not only culturally respectful but also resonate on a deeper level with Indigenous audiences.

In this scenario, agency people aren’t only marketers but translators, bridging the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous worlds.

The business case for inclusivity

That ability to connect people is important in today’s market not just because it’s the right thing to do but it also embraces consumer demand for authenticity and social responsibility from brands. Partnering with an agency that incorporates First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives offers businesses the opportunity to engage with Indigenous audiences in a meaningful way while enhancing their overall brand reputation.

Moreover, campaigns built on collaboration with Indigenous communities foster trust and long-term relationships, positioning businesses as allies in reconciliation and cultural respect.

Marketing’s future with indigenous leadership

An agency rooted in Indigenous leadership isn’t just about filling a gap—it’s about setting a new standard. By uniting First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives and ensuring a geographic presence that reflects Canada’s vastness, such an agency provides unmatched expertise.

These agencies are not only shaping the future of marketing and communications—they’re fostering understanding, amplifying Indigenous voices, and creating campaigns that drive real change.

Questions to ask your agency partners

If you’re considering working with an Indigenous-led marketing agency, it’s essential to ask the right questions to ensure the potential partner aligns with your goals and values.

First, does the agency have team members representing all three major groups – First Nations, Métis, and Inuit? And, second, is the team geographically spread out to reflect Canada’s diverse Indigenous communities?

Above all, in common with the approach of Indigenous agencies, think of the engagement as  a ‘Request for Partnership’ rather than a Request for Proposal. Embrace the process, have fun, and see this as an opportunity to collaborate, learn, and build a meaningful relationship. With the right partner, you’re not just launching a campaign—you’re contributing to a movement for inclusion and respect.

Jelly Digital Marketing & PR is a member of the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA). Report on Marketing is where leading Canadian agencies showcase their insights, cutting-edge research and client successes. The Report on Marketing provides a valuable source of thought leadership for Canadian marketers to draw inspiration from. Find more articles like this at the Report on Marketing.

Rodrigo Coelho, SVP and Managing Director at Momentum Canada, says that marketers can do more to maximize the impact of sponsorship.

We all believe that sponsorships present a unique opportunity for brands to get in front of passionate audiences and be part of important life moments. In meaningful ways we can truly engage specific audiences with any type of brand.

With sponsorship, there’s an incredible value exchange that comes with well executed creative alongside clever media placement, delivering significantly enhanced reach. Global sponsorship deals create endless opportunities and can be enhanced significantly when localized with authentically relevant creative.

It’s never been more important that we recognize this potential because ahead of us is a massive sporting moment. Global events will be held here in Canada with the FIFA World Cup 2026 and LA28. The rise of women’s sport viewership is unprecedented, female national leagues are starting in 2025 and the WNBA having a Canadian team in 2026.

But to maximize the impact of these partnerships, we need to work harder to close the gap on sponsorship being mere media placement to seeing viewing them as creative canvasses for driving success.  It is vital that we evaluate the opportunities for creative ideas to live with all sponsorships before pressing play.

Change your metrics for success

That’s because we’ve entered a vicious cycle where ROI is superficial, where effectiveness is measured using traditional media metrics to justify spend. For example, impressions, leads, awareness and so on, none of which truly measure how fans feel, how sponsorship attribution changed consideration, how it impacted sales, how it changed the organizational culture for employees, or how it created opportunities to establish lasting legacies.

I’m not claiming traditional metrics don’t give us directional pointers, I’m simply saying it’s a limited view that sets brands up for comparison against advertising, which is usually created to meet top-of-the-funnel objectives while sponsorships can impact the full funnel.

Truly effective sponsorships are win-win-win relationships between brands, rights holders and people (including fans, participants, athletes, communities, and employees). When done well they become company-wide platforms.

Be creative across all audiences

Beyond this, I believe that sponsorships must be multi-dimensional, an opportunity to use powerful creative chops to develop original locally relevant work that will connect with brands entire ecosystem of audiences, from factory workers to sales folk, from consumers to retailers, from grass to mass, from press to Government relations, from viewers to participants, and for collaborations with other sponsors and their employees.

In terms of taking action, here’s where I’d start:

1. Identify a credible/ownable brand role that can make a difference and keep it consistent.
2. Deliver creative for the platform by making it relevant for fans versus trying to force fit functional product attributes.
3. Explore the full ecosystem of opportunities by making it a company-wide rally.

Right now, there’s a problem because decisions to buy into sponsorships are taken based on defining metric successes before identifying how they will work for brands and how best to deliver them successfully.  Asset negotiations are being held without even having the creative or the brand roles identified. A brand should explore partnerships with a clear vision of what to do with it.

For example, ask the question, is it best that sponsors should explore a more custom consultive approach to negotiations? Is it the creative agencies that should be the neutral party that focus on understanding business problems and audiences to connect the dots?

With those big global events about to arrive in Canada, the marketing industry has the opportunity to change the game at a massive scale. Are we ready?

Momentum Canada is a member of the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA). Report on Marketing is where leading Canadian agencies showcase their insights, cutting-edge research and client successes. The Report on Marketing provides a valuable source of thought leadership for Canadian marketers to draw inspiration from. Find more articles like this at the Report on Marketing.