MARK MARTIN
Welcome to my 2025 portfolio! Scroll down to view.
Bio
Mark is a Senior Art Director & ACD with several years of experience working for some of the most notable agencies and brands out there. He's had the opportunity to work on all types of campaigns in almost every sector imaginable. In 2025, his work contributed to a win for Campaign Canada’s small agency of the year award.
Some of the brands he's worked with include SodaStream, Enbridge, Mackenzie Investments, Patron, Samsung, Government of Canada, Fruity Pebbles, Versace, Heineken, and Planet Fitness.
Mark started his career in film as a commercial and music video director and production designer before moving into the ad space. He has several years of experience building and managing teams, along with leading a social media management agency as their Creative Director.
JACK’S NEW FLAVOUR TRIP MENU
Our friends at Jack Astors recently launched a new summer menu, and one of their classic menu items lost their S#!T. After all, what proven menu item wants to be put on the back burner?
Featuring eight globally-inspired dishes, the Flavour Trip menu had mouthes watering and fingers trippin’. While the new dishes took centre stage on social, digital, OOH, and more, the chicken fingers threw shade in the background, letting everyone know just how disrespected they felt.
Who knew fingers could be this vocal?
SEEING THINGS OTHERS MISS
Founded in 1967, Mackenzie Investments is one of Canada's largest investment management firms. But in order to meaningfully grow, Mackenzie needed to expand with highly sophisticated securities advisors and institutional investors. Yet to become a preferred partner with this selective, hard-to-impress group, they needed to shake off an unfair perception of being dated and unsophisticated, amid a category crowded with asset managers clamouring for attention. To drive consideration, we needed to get these sophisticated investors to see Mackenzie in an entirely new light.
We launched "See Things Others Miss", a 360° integrated campaign designed to showcase Mackenzie's ability to uncover opportunities that others overlook, keeping them, and their clients, ahead of the curve. Because opportunity isn't found simply by drilling down endlessly into data, it also requires the specialized expertise and insight to see the big picture and interpret the signals. With Mackenzie's innovative mindset, boutique teams, and global expertise, they see possibilities everywhere.
With a media buy placed in business-focused environments like Financial District elevators, BNN, and LinkedIn, we met investors where they were at, using insider language and striking illustrations to cut through the noise and invite investors to take a second look at Mackenzie.
MAKING HVAC SEXY (for the first time)
Enbridge Sustain, a new energy company born out of Enbridge Inc, needed to make a splash with their innovative SmartFlow solution, an HVAC tech & equipment bundle. With a custom system that does all the thinking for you when it comes to reducing energy use and emissions alike, SmartFlow brought something new to the tired HVAC space.
However, HVAC is a truly “out of sight, out of mind” category that most homeowners actively avoid thinking about. So we needed a breakthrough approach in a category that’s usually only thought about when a problem arises. Knowing that no one thinks about their HVAC, we turned the tables to show what it thinks about its homeowners.
With a campaign that featured video, radio, social, and OOH, we brought new energy to a sleepy category by giving voice to SmartFlow’s thoughts (and borderline obsession) with homeowners. The unexpected comedic tone in a functional and technology-focused space helped grab eyes and ears, keeping the benefit of an HVAC system that always keeps you top of mind.
The “BORN TO CRUSH IT” campaign was birthed from a positioning shift within Strongbow’s messaging strategy. We wanted to internalize the “force of nature” to come from within the consumer, which begged the question: what qualities do each of us have that makes us a force?
To achieve this in physical form, we created an augmented reality based activation and DOOH campaign that interpreted and communicated users “force of nature” by extracting data from their social media accounts. The interaction gave users real-time answers that uncovered their force.
To incentivize users and maximize engagement, we programmed the system to connect with DOOH boards across the city in real-time which drove both user and brand exposure in parallel.
The AR mirroring component was then transformed into a META filter to be used as a social extension for reach beyond the activation itself.
The activation was accompanied by an OOH campaign that showcased powerful messaging in relation to the core values of our target.
BORN TO CRUSH IT
SOCIAL MEDIA
DESIGN
PRODUCTION
Starting in film before moving into advertising allowed Mark to transition between the two worlds (that are inherently connected) gracefully. He moved into the ad space with a full understanding of all production process types while speaking the language, too. It’s given him a great advantage in designing, overseeing, and executing experiential projects. Here’s a few (of many) fun ones he’s worked on as a production designer!
