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It’s truly amazing how a country can rally together – almost overnight – in the face of adverse times, chaos, and threats of annexation. Sure, it might be action driven out of necessity, but if you’d asked any Canadian at the start of 2025 if they had the true north strong and free coming together against the US on their bingo card for the year, undoubtedly, the answer would have been a resounding no.

Yet, here we are. Despite the resignation announcement from now former prime minister Justin Trudeau in January, as well as what felt like a growing schism in political ideologies ahead of the 2025 election, the citizens and residents of Canada dug deep and overcame their differences in a flash, coalescing in a way not seen in years.

As part of this, with trade war-induced tariffs hitting shelves and amplifying costs, the movement to ‘buy Canadian’ has never been stronger. And this has posed an interesting opportunity and challenge for the local ad industry. To this point, the country has already seen a wide array of approaches from brands across various sectors, but for Maple Leaf Foods and partner agency No Fixed Address (NFA), things needed to be taken in a unique direction.

Specifically, their approach has led to the launch of a new campaign titled ‘Look For The Leaf’, which, instead of focusing on the brand’s titular maple leaf adorned packaging, is using media to highlight other Canadian companies that sport the same insignia. Having already gotten more than 15 different businesses to join the cause, ranging from Chapman’s to Neal Brothers to Summer Fresh, it’s an initiative which steps away from the ‘us versus them’ approach many are taking right now, prioritising the idea that when it comes to Canadian brands, it’s never about just one company, but the collective whole.

“These are unprecedented times in Canada,” explains D’Arcy Finley, vice president of brands at Maple Leaf Foods. “We felt it was time to do something bigger than just reminding people of our own Canadian heritage. We wanted to give them some real utility, something that could help guide them as they navigate these trying times and search for Canadian brands on shelf.”

So, just what does it take to pull off a collaborative, culturally-relevant campaign in a timely fashion such as this? According to Shawne Elnicki, group account director at NFA, a full team effort, passion for the work, and quick decision making were the tickets to success here. Immediately putting together a one-pager that summarised the idea, vision, and how it needed to come to life, the agency hastily got to collaborating with the teams at Maple Leaf Foods and FUSE Create to distribute it to brand contacts across their respective networks.

“Once the call went out, brands got back to us really quickly and matched our excitement,” she continues. “We got on calls with a lot of their teams to talk more about the idea, how their brands could participate, and made a plan to get their products shipped to us for capture that same week. Everyone has been so wonderful and so collaborative!”

Affirming Shawne’s experience, NFA executive creative director Jamie Marcovitch adds that what normally would have been the biggest challenge with an undertaking like this – making rapid choices to get to the market as quickly as possible – was remedied by the brands’ shared desire to participate in something of this significance. Describing them as “totally in lockstep”, this enabled the agency team to get to the meat and potatoes of the campaign, bringing to life a short spot, out-of-home, social and a microsite in preparation for the launch.

“The design is all about reflecting the campaign name, ‘Look For The Leaf’,” he says, breaking down the creative process. “Using a more editorial, natural look and feel, we wanted to make sure each partner brand’s leaf was the star of the show, so consumers could know what to look out for on the shelf. We balanced that with making sure their branding also came through.”

From here, the team would use the new photography to put together a simple edit of all the leaves captured, emphasising it as a symbol of connection to inform Canadians of what they should look for on shelves. Even going so far as to feature the leaves of brands not yet participating in the initiative, this decision was done both with the awareness that people need to know what to pay attention for, and that truthfully, the call to shop locally goes far beyond this single endeavour.

“Not everyone knows which products are truly Canadian,” the ECD continues. “There’s Canadian-made, Canadian-owned, Canadian-packaged – it can be confusing for shoppers. However, Maple Leaf Foods believes it’s important that Canadians buy Canadian, no matter what name is on the package.”

After that, it was just a matter of finding the right placements to grab Canadian attention, ensuring maximum eyeballs were on the message and that people could experience the depth of these newfound partnerships. “That’s why we focused on high-traffic areas that allowed us to share multiple placements,” Jamie notes. “In the end, even though it’s Maple Leaf Foods’ media, it’s really about all the other brands and their leaf.”

With all that said, and the work now receiving a strong response in market, the big question on the minds of Canadians is, ‘will this initiative to promote maple leaf-wearing brands carry on into the future, or is this a one-off effort?’. Answering, Shawne confirms that new brands are joining the cause daily, but that more importantly, whether or not the tariffs stick around, this newfound wave of Canadian patriotism should not be taken for granted, or left to once again cool off.

“['Look For The Leaf'] shouldn’t just be a moment in time, but a long-term solution to help Canadians support homegrown brands,” she says. “Maple Leaf Foods sees these new partnerships as long-term, and hopes to continue to include more. Our microsite has a sign up for inviting more brands to reach out and participate, so whether it’s on our site, on social, or in OOH, the hope is that we can help create a database of Canadian options for Canadian shoppers.”

While that will undoubtedly be a large commitment worth discussing down the line (should all go according to plan, of course), for now, the team at NFA can take a deep breath after this sprint to the finish line. Taking a moment to reflect on the process, Shawn emphasises that for her, this wasn’t just about creating a campaign, but something much bigger.

“Maple Leaf Foods is such a Canadian icon – one that every household knows,” she explains. “To be able to put out work on its behalf, and have the team trust us with this message in such an important time is nothing short of everything.”

This sentiment is shared by Jamie. Initially citing his feelings as “hard to describe,” he elaborates, adding that for him, this has been one of those rare moments where you get to create a campaign that feels bigger than just advertising – something he refuses to take for granted.

“I think I speak for all of us at No Fixed Address when I say there’s a sense of making a difference, of doing your part at a time when frustrations are high. It feels good to do something that you hope will help people in their own personal mission to shop Canadian.”

Reflecting on the release, he concludes that ‘Look For The Leaf’ not only feels like an appropriate response to the events of the world, but something different and wholly necessary for the Canadian market to have at a time like this.

“The minute the tariff conversations started, understandably, Canadians felt a surge of patriotism. And to be honest, weeks later it doesn’t feel like a trend – it feels like the new normal,” Jamie finishes. “Every Canadian brand wanted to make sure its provenance was clear in the marketplace, which resulted in a lot of ‘us versus them’-type messaging. That has total merit, but Maple Leaf Foods, a company that’s been feeding Canadian families for over 125 years with the leaf in its name, logo, and heart and soul, challenged us to think of a way to come at it differently. How could it help unify the brands and make shopping Canadian easier, not just shopping Maple Leaf Foods easier? Because brands, just like people, have more power to make a difference united than they do individually.”