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Hello, nice to meet you.

We're Arrivals + Departures: a national, proudly independent creative agency built to help brands see the world differently. Here's who we are, what we do and who you'll work with.

01 About us

See the world differently.

Established in 1997, Arrivals + Departures is a national, proudly independent, full-service creative agency.

More importantly, we're a group of passionate, down-to-earth people with the entrepreneurial spirit and hustle today's ever-changing world demands. Our name is inspired by that changing world, and it reflects our mission: to see the world differently.

That means we approach every challenge and opportunity with fresh eyes, and never fall into the trap of delivering the expected. Simply put, we're for those who want to challenge the status quo, with a relentless pursuit to see what no one else sees.

The A+D agency reel
1997

Founded, and independent ever since

80+

People across strategy, creative, media, digital and production

2

Offices, in Toronto and Halifax

3×

Strategy Small Agency of the Year honours

02 Our core values

Six values we live by, day in and day out.

Every person at A+D believes in and follows these values.

We apply them to our clients' businesses and to the relationships we never take for granted.

01

Who you see is who you get

Heavily engaged leadership that stays involved.

02

Small agency, big agency experience

"Best of both worlds" thinking.

03

Entrepreneurial at heart

We treat our clients' business as though it were our own.

04

Transparent in everything we do

The tough conversations are as easy as the good ones.

05

Attitude and ego free

Life's too short. Enjoy who you work with.

06

Nimble and scrappy

Driven to bring more unique thinking and efficient execution.

03 Capabilities

Everything in-house, under one roof.

We're always investing ahead of the curve, so our capabilities work harder for our clients.

Behind every service are remarkable people who face each challenge with an open mind and rolled-up sleeves, delivering meaningful brand experiences that drive results.

01

Strategy

Insights that set the course.

The first steps set the course. Ours always head toward uncovering unique insights that identify points of difference for brands, allowing for ownable communications that connect with customers and drive business results.

02

Advertising

Integrated campaigns, one great idea.

We make hard-working, integrated brand campaigns: individually tailored pieces carefully crafted for their channels, all connected to a singular great idea. And if you just need a tactical radio spot, we can do that too.

03

Media

The right people, places and moments.

Consumers are unique individuals, and our team makes sure you reach yours in the right places, at the right times, with the right message. We build robust consumer profiles from a deep understanding of demographics, psychographics and regional, national and global nuances, then find media solutions grounded in research, aligned to business objectives and built to maximize your investment.

04

Social

Platform-first thinking, culture-ready.

Trends come and go, a post can ignite a national conversation, and the next TikTok is already out there somewhere. Few things change as fast as the social landscape. Our team keeps a finger on the pulse to shape social strategies and deliver platform-first thinking that contributes to today's culture and connects with today's consumers.

05

Digital

Experiences that perform.

It's a big world wide web out there, and we pride ourselves on keeping up with emerging trends and technologies to deliver comprehensive, cutting-edge digital experiences. We create and maintain responsive, functional and optimized digital products that deliver exceptional user experiences and boost brand presence and performance.

06

Design

Identities that stick.

On a screen, in a hand or out in the physical world, a keen eye for aesthetics combined with a deep understanding of consumer behaviour creates pieces that shape identities, communicate values and build memorable brands.

07

Production

If we dream it, we can make it.

Our nimble producers navigate all things broadcast, print, ambient, social and digital (you get it). Working closely with every department, our in-house creators and outside production partners, they bring ideas of all shapes and budgets to life with speed and precision.

04 Our team

The people you'll actually work with.

Our leaders stay hands-on, working with a team of experts who execute the day to day.

A+D's size and independence let us stay nimble and pull in the right specialized resources to solve challenges faster.

05 Client partners

Brands that trust us.

We work with a diverse range of clients with very different business and brand needs.

We're proud of the broad spectrum of work we deliver across almost every business category.

06 Achievements

Independent + mighty.

We like to think we punch above our weight.

We're humbled to be one of only three agencies named to Strategy's Top 10 Small Agency of the Year list three years in a row.

2019

BronzeStrategy Small Agency of the Year

2020

Top 10Strategy Small Agency of the Year

2021

Top 10Strategy Small Agency of the Year

More importantly, the achievements most worth celebrating are the ones where our clients' goals were met.

07 Our work

A few stories worth telling.

Brands that chose to break category conventions, and what happened when they did.

Twisted Tea

Breaking category conventions to drive growth.

Challenge
Twisted Tea was losing market share as brands flooded the ready-to-drink and health-conscious hard seltzer space. Competitors all leaned on similar lifestyle messaging, focused on a relentless pursuit of self-improvement.
Idea
Rather than follow the category, we positioned Twisted Tea as a brand devoted to enjoying life: genuine fun over fleeting trends or an inauthentic lifestyle. A charismatic new character and a refreshed tagline, "Fancy A Twist?", invite people to embrace spontaneity and find joy that nourishes the soul.
Angry Orchard

Using an activation to create content on a limited budget.

Challenge
Pure in taste, Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Cider is made with less sugar than leading competitors. We needed to make that difference felt in a category known for sweetness, without a big-campaign budget.
Idea
The "Not So Sweet" platform is our rally cry to flip the category on its head: authentic cider should be the norm, not the exception. The latest campaign builds on it by physically bringing the brand's angriest element to life, the apple tree itself, and turning one activation into a library of content.
Truly Hard Seltzer

Connecting through culture and technology.

Challenge
Truly wanted to launch into new markets across Canada and attract a younger generation of drinkers. Sometimes a conventional campaign isn't enough: brands need cultural relevance and new ways to connect.
Idea
Flavour is more than taste; it's a way to express yourself and inspire creativity. So to introduce Truly to new markets, we created music in a fruitful way, as flavourful and refreshing as the seltzer itself.
Samuel Adams Wicked Easy

Finding differentiation through a brand's roots.

Samuel Adams Wicked Easy out-of-home creative
Challenge
Wicked Easy was a brand-new product with no awareness and packaging that looked more like craft beer than a premium import. With a lean budget, we needed to punch above our weight to get noticed.
Idea
Bostonians are a living metaphor for what Wicked Easy is all about: hardworking and laid back, gritty yet down to earth, sophisticated while keeping it simple. To bring the positioning to life, we leaned into a fun, unmistakably "Bawstonian" tone of voice.
Samuel Adams Boston Lager

Identifying insights for Québec.

Challenge
Attract a younger demographic and reposition Samuel Adams Boston Lager as the premium import in a new market, with a French-first campaign built for Québec.
Idea
We discovered an unexpected parallel between the Bostonian spirit and the essence of the Québécois, and amplified that rebellious, gritty attitude to carve out our own place in the premium import category. Breaking import beer ad conventions, the platform "Premium pas précieuse" (premium, not precious) reframes the premium yet casual nature of the beer.
08 Thank you

Thank you.

If you've made it this far, thank you. Why not connect and talk about how we can help?

Interested in working with us?
Talk to Mike.

Let's connect
Toronto

491 College Street West, Suite 300
Toronto, ON M6G 1A5
416-607-6665

Halifax

1809 Barrington Street, Suite 910
Halifax, NS B3J 3K8
902-461-2700