Portfolio:
Creative Direction
Creative Direction
I was never a teacher’s pet.
But I’m a son, husband, in-law, nephew, cousin, and friend to many, many teachers. My family is filled with them. And while I would never catch the teaching bug, I do take a teaching-and-learning approach to all of my work.
I want to learn everything I can about every aspect of marketing—the science of persuasion and the craft of creative; the tools and channels; the trends and the tried-and-true techniques. And I teach others as much as I can.
I want to learn everything there is about my client’s business, their competition, their audiences, and their opportunities to grow. And I always want to teach them something new.
My drive to learn has led me to be employed as a strategist, copywriter, designer, art director, and programmer—a broad set of skills and experience to bring to bear as a Creative Director for some of Canada’s biggest brands.
While I may not leap into action at the sound of a school bell, the ding of a message notification does get the dopamine going, and bringing ideas to life for your brand really gets it going.
So reach out, and let’s get to work.
McDonald’s & Ronald McDonald House Charities
#HereforRMHC
In 2020, the pandemic affected everyone around the world. Ronald McDonald House Charities and their donations weren’t immune. In order to keep awareness going, and to drive donations to keep families together, I conceived of the Heart Hands for the #HereForRMHC campaign.
The idea was a simple challenge crafted perfectly for a locked-down social-media-focused world craving connections. It would reach millions around the world and start conversations about the undeniable impact of Ronald McDonald House Charities and the bigger challenges faced by the families who depend on it.
Prime Video
Brand & Titles
Amazon’s streaming service and it’s content properties were as big and bold as their competition, but they were a distant third in adoption in Canada.
To make Canadians think about adding another subscription, I oversaw several large stunts and events, along with the paid and organic social media strategy for Prime Video Canada.
A live event across multiple social channels and featured on Rogers sports channels, this bombastic event brought local market attention to Amazon’s soon-to-be-infamous car show.
We immersed fantasy, sci-fi, and gaming fans in the newly imagined world of Carnival Row, introducing the conceit and tensions of the epic show to Canadians with a spectacular experience.
Coleman
Get outside Day
To earn attention for Coleman across earned, owned, paid, and social media, craigritchie oversaw the growth of Get Outside Day, a perennial campaign focused on generating buzz around petitioning the Canadian government for a new holiday to appreciate the outdoors.
Kraft: MIO
The Mio Squirtcar
Mio, the water enhancer, wanted to make a splash in Canada, and Kraft wanted to align it to the values of its young target consumer. I helped plan the creative experience of the world’s most original music venue.
RBC
YOUTH MARKETING
I conceptualized and crafted multiple campaign extensions for RBC, including celebrating youth contribution to #Make150Count (RBC’s Canada150 campaign) and the multi-channel Future Launch campaign, designed to make Canada’s biggest bank relevant to young Canadians.
Canada’s largest-ever billboard celebrating the contributions of Canadian youth came to life in a matter befitting the excitement and pride demonstrated by the employees of the country’s biggest bank.
The launch of Future Launch demonstrated to Canadian youth how RBC was ready to help their dreams come true, as the nature of work evolves faster than ever.
Club house
Content Strategy
To break through the clutter of recipe videos while still feeding newsfeeds of family cooks with content they would like and share, craigritchie crafted content strategy, wrote and directed many content pieces for Club House.
This content series sought to align the flavour of local and in-season ingredients with the Pure Flavour of Club House spices.
I’ve also overseen social & digital strategy and campaigns for many of Canada’s favourite brands. Here are just a few. More to come.