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  • About

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    Let's make this simple.



    We are a creative consultancy. Part strategic consultancy, part creative boutique. But only the good parts.

    We create marketing solutions that are unexpected, transformative and, in hindsight, obvious.

    If there is one trait that differentiates us, it's our ability to take complex challenges and express them as simple ideas.

    And if our experience has taught us anything, it's that simple is hard to do. But that's what we do everyday at Smith Roberts.



    The company we keep.

    logos
  • Work

    • The United Church

      BobbleHead-4Web

       

      Wonder Cafe
      How do you bring young people back to church?
      Simple Idea:
      Create an online ministry.

      The United Church is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada, embracing core liberal values of inclusion and acceptance.

      But, over the past decade the number of people attending services has fallen sharply, and those who do continue to attend are increasingly older.

      To introduce The United Church to younger audiences, we created a virtual Wonder Cafe and positioned it as the place for open-minded Canadians to explore spirituality on their own terms.

      We invited people to join the conversation and drove traffic online with social media and web, print and poster advertising. The campaign generated an avalanche of PR and helped breathe new life into the church with its bold and irreverent approach.

      Bible_NEW-4Web
      GayMarriage
      BobbleHead-4Web
      WhippedCream
      Bling-4Web
      The-United-Church-of-Canada-Wondercafe_Project_Images_983x700__0003_Unemployed
      Deskop
      UCC_6

      UC-Quote

      The Breakdown

      + $4 Mil

      Earned Media

      6 MTH

      web-traffic objective met in first week

      3 HRS

      of TV coverage

      8%

      awareness increase post launch

      34%

      “more favorable to United Church” post launch 

    • Toshiba

      Tosh-NC-TOP-image

       

      Canada’s Land Watch
      How do you connect people to an impenetrable database?
      Simple Idea:
      Let pictures tell thousands and thousands of words.

      Since 1962, the Nature Conservancy of Canada has been securing land that will forever provide a home for wildlife, an escape from the city, and a vital resource that cleans the air we breathe and the water we drink.

      Our client, Toshiba, is working alongside the Nature Conservancy of Canada to help ensure that those lands and their rich biodiversity remain protected.

      Canada’s Land Watch is a new web portal we developed that showcases the partnership we catalyzed to preserve our most diverse ecosystems.

      Intuitive, visually immersive, and punctuated with thought-provoking statistics, the new portal provides insights into the threats that face our landscapes. And what we can all do to protect them.

      Toshiba-and-NCC-Canadas-Land-Watch_Project_Images_983x700__0009_Responsive-Website
      Toshiba-and-NCC-Canadas-Land-Watch_Project_Images_983x700__0008_start
      Toshiba-and-NCC-Canadas-Land-Watch_Project_Images_983x700__0003_Life
      Toshiba-and-NCC-Canadas-Land-Watch_Project_Images_983x700__0007_info
      Toshiba-and-NCC-Canadas-Land-Watch_Project_Images_983x700__0000_threat-action
      Toshiba-and-NCC-Canadas-Land-Watch_Project_Images_983x700__0001_perservation

      The Breakdown

      2.6 MIL

      acres of ecologically significant land

      16 MINS

      AVERAGE SITE VISIT DURATION ON MOBILES/TABLETS

      1

      SOCIAL GOOD DESIGN AWARD, 2013

    • Ford Motor Company

      Ford Primary Brand Web

       

      Human Car
      How do you make people believe in your cars again?
      Simple Idea:
      Make your cars more human.

      Ford was under siege. Their product was improving but public perception was lagging. (And keep in mind, this was six months before the government bailout.)

      Through countless hours of focus group research, we heard that people thought Ford was out of touch with what ordinary people wanted.

      So we knew that just saying “Ford is changing” wouldn’t cut it. We had to give a demonstration of the thinking and commitment to its customers.

      “Human Car” is an imaginative and creative way that gets across the idea that people are the inspiration of everything Ford does.

    • Colleges Ontario

      Colleges_Ontario-Obay

       

      Obay.
      How do you get students to choose college over university?
      Simple Idea:
      Tell parents to step aside.

      Colleges Ontario is a non profit advocacy organization for Ontario’s 24 colleges of applied arts and technology.

      Given the level of educational excellence now being offered, our task was to help future students overcome their parents’ bias toward a university education and to encourage them to explore Ontario’s colleges.


      Colleges_Ontario-Obay_Project_Images_Images_983x700__0000_EN_TSA_Aspirations_TSR
      Colleges_Ontario-Obay_Project_Images_Images_983x700__0003_EN_TSA_Aspirations_REV
      Colleges_Ontario-Obay_Project_Images_Images_983x700__0001_EN_TSA_Teenagers_TSR
      Colleges_Ontario-Obay_Project_Images_Images_983x700__0005_EN_TSA_Sonsideas_REV

      The Breakdown

      35+ Mil

      Impressions Worldwide

      6 Week

      Campaign reversed five-year declining enrolement

      6%

      Impressions Worldwide

      Grade 8

      Case study in grade 8 media-literacy textbooks

    • Nabob Coffee

      Nabob Coffee Endshot

       

      Nabob Coffee
      What’s the best strategy to compete against Starbucks?
      Simple Idea:
      Make it all about the coffee.

      Nabob long held the position as the premium coffee in the grocery aisle. That all changed when Starbucks entered the market. All of a sudden, the experience of leisurely drinking coffee, green-aproned baristas, a new language (grande, vente, etc.), richly designed interiors, and exorbitantly high prices all conspired to knock Nabob off the shelf

      The temptation to meet Starbucks head on and begin to act like them was strong. But even stronger was the fact that loyal Nabob customers continued to prefer their coffee over other brands in blind taste tests.

      This was the time for Nabob to play to its strength. What makes Nabob a great tasting cup of coffee are the beans. Pure and simple. And to exude some brand-building confidence, we felt it would be more memorable to be playful while we were at it.

    • Sick Kids Hospital

      Baby[\

       

      Voices from the heart
      How do you help scared parents bond with their premature infants?
      Simple Idea:
      Let their babies talk to them.

      Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) is one of the leading paediatric healthcare centres in the world. Its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit caters to the most fragile infants.

      The NICU can be intimidating for new parents who feel overwhelmed and uncertain about their role there. Their babies do not have the same opportunities for bonding as typical newborns.

      Our task was to help them understand the essential role they play in their children’s recovery. Messaging emphasized that the lines of communication were critically important to recovery.

      The concept is now being replicated in hospitals around the country.

      Sick_Kids_Neonatal_ICU-Words_from_the_Heart_ProjectImages_Images_983x700__0002_SickKids_10.5x16.5_Poster4
      Sick_Kids_Neonatal_ICU-Words_from_the_Heart_ProjectImages_Images_983x700__0001_SickKids_11x17_EngPosters_Final2
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      Sick_Kids_Neonatal_ICU-Words_from_the_Heart_ProjectImages_Images_983x700__0003_Chalkwall
      Sick_Kids_Neonatal_ICU-Words_from_the_Heart_ProjectImages_Images_983x700__0004_WindowDecal

      Sick-Kids-Quote
    • Corby Spirit & Wine

      Black Sheep Print

       

      Black Sheep Rum
      How do you make a rum stand out in a sea of sameness?
      Simple Idea:
      Make it bad ass.

      The spiced rum category is the fastest growing spirit category in both volume (+18%) and retail value (+20%) and has more than doubled in size in the past 3 years. The market is highly competitive and has been evolving over the past few years with many new entrants.

      Lamb’s Black Sheep had remained unchanged from its original launch liquid profile and positioning, and research was showing that the liquid, the label, brand positioning & story needed to be completely overhauled and relaunched in order to be competitive with brands such as The Kraken and Sailor Jerry’s.

      We created an entirely new personality for the brand – dirtied it up to appeal to its young audience – new positioning, new packaging, new liquid, new advertising – all consistent with a “bad ass” theme.

      The campaign idea “Plunder the Night” became the calling card for the brand and represented all things dark and forbidden. Advertising, promotional activity, extensive sampling and social media were used to relaunch the brand

      Black Sheep Cell
  • Partners

    • Malcolm Roberts

      malcolm

      Founder/President

      E: malcolm@smithroberts.ca
      “The most effective and enduring campaigns that I ever created all share one thing in common: they are incredibly simple ideas.”

      Malcolm’s 25-year career as an award-winning creative director and agency principal has spanned multinational agencies, in both the UK and Canada, including Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi, JWT, DDB and Publicis, on blue-chip accounts in both the private and public sectors.

      Since founding Smith Roberts Communications in 2004, Malcolm’s strategic vision and creative leadership grew his agency in size and reputation on the principle that they didn’t just advertise clients’ brands, they solved business problems with ideas that were smart and brave but, above all else, simple. This approach consistently delivered exceptional ROI for their clients. In many cases, far exceeding expectations and industry norms.

      Now with partners Prasad and Chris, Malcolm’s passion is unearthing powerful, simple ideas that cut through the ever-increasing proliferation of today’s media landscape.

      AWARDS:
      Marketing Awards, Advertising & Design Club of Canada, Applied Arts, Golden Marble, Extra Awards, Graphis, One Show, London International Awards, Social Good Design Awards, Internet Advertising Competition, Web Awards
      INDUSTRY INVOLVEMENT:
      Board of Governors – Institute of Communication Agencies
      Judge at 2014 Marketing Awards
      Judge at 2015 Applied Arts Awards
      Contributing Author – Wharton School of Business/Future of Advertising Program
      Speaking engagements at marketing conferences across Canada

    • Prasad Rao

      2K-VTLA-Prasad_Rao-1

      Partner/Strategy

      E: prasad@smithroberts.ca
      “This is simple. I have a Bachelor of Science degree and a karate green belt. I’ve been known to brandish both in tense meetings.”

      Prasad has led, built and grown brands and agencies across three continents. He has served blue chip accounts such as Coca-Cola, Unilever, J&J, GM, and Royal Bank, as well as public sector clients such as Ontario Ministry of Health & Long Term Care, Brampton Transit, University Health Network and West Neighbourhood House (formerly St. Christopher House).

      His entrepreneurial instincts led him to co-found Rao Barrett and Welsh, an idea centric communications agency in 2005, and in 2011 The Multicultural Partnership, providing clients with deep insight into the emerging multicultural markets in Canada.

      A champion of great creative, Prasad fully understands that great work is borne from insightful, informed and strong strategic planning.

      Prasad is a global thinker, a champion of cross-cultural communications and a brand builder. He finds brand truths and connects them with cultural truths.

    • Chris McGroarty

      Chris Profile

      Partner/Creative

      E: chris@smithroberts.ca
      “If simple was easy more people would be doing it.”

      Chris’ journey begins with writing the Sears catalogue. Sit-on lawnmowers, dusty rose valances, four-way stretch polyester pants. Not a glamorous job, but it taught him the importance of a word count.

      Twenty years later, Chris looks back at the agencies where he’s worked. Cossette, Leo Burnett, JWT, FCB and Y&R. Clients, like Bell, McDonalds, Scotiabank, Kellogg’s, Cadbury, Kraft, Unilever, S.C. Johnson and the biggest of them all, Ford.

      This gives insight into why he wanted to start a small agency. Which he did, called “Jimmy.” Along the way he still felt something was missing. As it turns out, it was Prasad and Malcolm. Chris is now very content to be working alongside two partners who share the same outlook on creativity and the same love of Japanese comfort food.

      AWARDS

      Marketing Awards, Applied Arts, Advertising & Design Club of Canada, One Show, London International Awards, Cannes, Extra Awards, Crystals

  • Contact

    Toronto

      1170 Mount Pleasant Road
    Suite 200
    Toronto, ON M4N 2T2
    416.986.8649
    malcolm@smithroberts.ca