2025 Winner

The Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), a government body, needed to work around strict cannabis advertising laws to raise awareness that half of the cannabis sold in the province comes from illegal retailers – many of which are designed to look legitimate. “Buzzkill” educated consumers by setting up a fake dispensary in downtown Toronto. Custom typography and packaging were developed for products that appeared credible but listed toxic substances commonly found in illegal cannabis, including pesticides, heavy metals, toxic chemicals or even feces. The “products” were displayed on open shelves instead of behind glass, while “budtenders” offered information on the floor. Videos projected images of stylized petri dishes, mould spores and pesticide spraying to reinforce the message. Visitors received swag directing them to legal cannabis sources. Supported by PR and wild postings, the campaign reached an earned audience of over 33.2 million and drove a 20% increase in visits to
OCS.ca’s safety page.

Credits

CREATIVE AGENCY: LG2
CLIENT: Ontario Cannabis Store
PRODUCTION: Nimble Content
EDITORIAL: Recess Post
SOUND: Eggplant Music + Sound
EXPERIENTIAL PRODUCTION: WXM
MERCHANDISE PRODUCTION: O2O, The Gas Company
MEDIA AGENCY: Initiative
PR AGENCY: Glossy

[Creative Agency-LG2]
CREATIVE DIRECTION: Rana Chattejee, Jeff Cheung, Ryan Crouchman
COPYWRITING: Scott Hildebrant, Daniel Kanhai
ART DIRECTION: Kyle Winsor
DESIGN: Jessica Brasil, Adam Globa, Erin Struble
MOTION DESIGN: Samuel Thibodeau
STRATEGY: Mike Strasser
CONTENT STRATEGY: Nikole Patterson-Hurst
CLIENT SERVICES: Krista Findlay, Luke Whitty, Shilpa Chandra, Geraldine Sebastian, Casey Mendoza
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Lisa Ye, Briar Koski, Dylan Hamilton
PHOTO: Kaamil Lakhani, Ashley Harris
AGENCY PRODUCTION: Tara Greguric, Christine Malacas, Tracy Haapamaki
CCOs: Josh Stein, Marc Fortin, Luc du Sault
VP, ECD, DESIGN: Ryan Crouchman
VP, STRATEGY: Keith Barry
VP, ACCOUNT SERVICES: Shelly-Ann Scott

PRODUCTION: Nimble Content
DIRECTOR: Erica Orofino
EP: Andrew Lynch
LINE PRODUCER: Kyle Welton

EDITORIAL: Recess Post
EP: Tanja Harney
ASSISTANT: Benjamin Sagar
EDITOR: Joey Whitelaw
ONLINE: Brett Blackwell

MUSIC & SOUND DESIGN: Eggplant Music + Sound
PRODUCER: Laura Merrett
DIRECTOR: Jamie Pennock
ENGINEER: Benjamin Spiller

[Media-Initiative]
DIRECTOR, CLIENT ADVICE & PM: Ryan Gentile
MANAGER, STRATEGY: Austin Tenhunen
SR COMMUNICATIONS DESIGNER: Elizabeth Varghis

[PR-Glossy]
FOUNDER: Shannon Stephaniuk

[Client-OCS]
PRESIDENT & CEO: David Lobo
CHIEF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE OFFICER: Alexandre Jalleau
VP, CHANNEL STRATEGY & DIGITAL EXPERIENCE: Janet Ihm
DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS & STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT: Julie Gathercole
SR MARKETING MANAGER: Kim Lang
SR MANAGER, SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY & IMPACT PARTNERSHIPS: Jenna Valleriani
MANAGER-COMMUNICATIONS & STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT: Amanda Winton
SR LEGAL COUNSEL: Katharine Brickman-Miller
MARKETING SPECIALIST: Angela Bosilkovski
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: Jessica Rochwerg