James AllenRaising brand awareness is one of the hardest things that a business must do to survive and thrive. Like me making my best attempt to make a good impression on a cute lady I met in a bar, you only have one shot to get the attention of your target audience and make them hear why you’re worth dati—I mean trying out.
That’s why you need a wingman, an advertising expert, who can really sell your products or services to the public. According to G2, advertising can raise your brand awareness by up to a whopping 80%!
So, if you need an excellent advertising partner, make sure to get in touch with these reliable advertising companies in Toronto!
| How much do advertising agencies charge for their services? The average price that advertising agencies in Toronto charge for their services is $5,000 per month. However, this is only an estimate, as your price may be affected by factors such as the agency’s reputation, services offered, project scope, and your specific requirements. |
How We Chose
1. Grassroots Advertising Inc.
Address: 17R Atlantic Ave
Phone number: +1 416-531-3920
Business hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (MON-FRI)
Grassroots Advertising Inc. is an advertising agency in Liberty Village that’s suitable for businesses eager to try something new. Founded by David Owen in 1984, it specialises in guerilla advertising.
They can do various ad forms, like murals, projections, street frames, and backpack billboards. However, the service that really caught my attention is their Wildposting ads, which bombard a dense urban area with posters.
It’s also amazing to know that they have a team of professional street artists who can do stencil and chalk art ads anywhere in Toronto. They even have street washers who can do “reverse graffiti,” which I noticed is quite popular nowadays on social media.
Their innovative advertising style has actually earned them the Community Involvement Award in the Out of Home Awards 2023.
Pros
- Over 40 years of experience
- Specialises in guerilla-style advertising
- Can do chalk art and reverse graffiti ads
- Winner of the Community Involvement Award in the Out of Home Awards 2023
Cons
- Limited digital ad options
- Has received some complaints for not following all instructions provided by clients
Grassroots is the perfect balance of Responsiveness and Creativity
“Grassroots is the perfect balance of Responsiveness and Creativity: They will mock up and pitch cool ideas and locations for us so quickly. Our Grassroots partner John has even gone searching for abandoned barns for our Murals. He is so resourceful!”
-Brooke Leland, Google Reviews
Very responsive, super helpful, friendly and a pleasure to work with
“John was incredible! He was very responsive, super helpful, friendly and a pleasure to work with. Would recommend Grassroots Advertising if anyone is looking for great ad space at an extremely fair rate and great team to work with! Thanks again John, looking forward to the next project together!”
-Talia Freilich, Google Reviews
2. ADsologist Inc.
Address: 45 Charles St E
Phone number: +1 437-255-0237
Business hours: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM (MON-FRI)
ADsologist Inc. is an advertising agency in Church-Wellesley started by Oguz Yasar in 2022. It specialises in various forms of digital advertising, including QR code generation, augmented reality ads, and social media ads.
However, what really piqued my interest was their innovative ADbox billboard technology. These mobile 3D billboards display hyper-realistic and three-dimensional visuals.
They also have ADbikes, which are plastered with ad materials to boost brand visibility during deliveries.
They even have the Hakuna Madada service for those who are interested in hosting live events to raise brand awareness. Their staff can plan and manage events that feature mascots, light shows, live music, and more.
However, I still find it somewhat disappointing to see their lack of traditional advertising options like posters and brochures.
Pros
- Can do a wide range of digital ads
- Offers the ADbox billboard which displays hyper-realistic ads
- Can host and manage live events through their Hakuna Madada service
Cons
- Limited traditional ad options
- Less than 5 years of experience
The advertising strategies they developed were brilliant
“The advertising strategies they developed were brilliant. Their innovative ideas captured the attention. The staff is amazing.”
-Khushboo 01, Google Reviews
A great way to get people to notice you!
“Extremely eye catching, and a great way to get people to notice you!”
-Swathi Ramnarayan, Google Reviews
3. Sid Lee Toronto
Address: 952 Queen St W
Phone number: +1 416-421-4200
Business hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (MON-FRI)
Sid Lee Toronto, located in West Queen West, is one of the largest advertising companies in the city. Founded by Philippe Meunier and Jean-François Bouchard in 1993 as Diesel, they quickly changed the name to Sid Lee (an anagram of Diesel) to avoid being confused with the clothing brand.
Today, Sid Lee has a presence in various global cities, including New York City and Paris. They deliver multi-platform advertising campaigns done by their various teams, like design, branding, and media planning.
I applaud them for their commitment to developing innovative ad campaigns like the one they did for Cheekbone Beauty, which won awards thanks to its support of Indigenous communities across Canada.
They also have a team of architects and interior designers who can create spaces that can advertise and maximise brand awareness.
Pros
- More than three decades of experience
- Locations in other cities like New York and Montreal
- Develops multi-platform advertising campaigns
- Can remodel buildings and interior spaces to turn them into viable advertising spaces
Cons
- Tends to get fully booked quickly
- Has received some complaints for not following all instructions provided by clients
Sid Lee was really great!
“Sid Lee was really great! Looking forward to coming back again, thanks Sid.”
-JF Michaud, Google Reviews
Such a joy to work and create with them
“Love this agency. Such a joy to work and create with them. They just get it. Plus they’re great at communication and follow up. Their entire team are rockstars. If you need help with your brand, definitely check them out.”
-Marissa Berrini, Google Reviews
4. Accent Media Corp Toronto
Address: 267 Niagara St Suite 201A
Phone number: +1 647-834-3060
Business hours: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM (MON-SUN)
If you’re looking to spread your message across the city, you might want to try Accent Media Corp Toronto. Founded in 2014, this advertising company specialises in truck advertising and can continuously provide visibility to your brand at any hotspots of activity in Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.
Their mobile trucks can carry various advertising mediums, like glass displays, digital LEDs, and mobile billboards. I find their glass cube display trucks very impressive!
However, it should be noted that their advertising services are limited mostly to trucks, so don’t expect them to offer much when it comes to other forms of advertising.
Pros
- A decade of experience
- Specialises in truck advertising
- Offers mobile experiential advertising
- Has branches in Ottawa and Montreal
Cons
- Mostly limited to truck advertising only
- May take 24 hours to respond to enquiries
They definitely got our message across
“We used the services of Accent Media on April 22.23. and we couldn’t have been happier! The driver, Angelo, was so lovely to deal with. The screens on the truck were high quality and they definitely got our message across. If you are looking for a digital truck for your event, we highly recommend this company. Thanks so much Sergei for everything.”
-Toronto Anti-Vivisection Alliance, Google Reviews
Accent media is top of the line in the mobile ad truck industry
“Amazing mobile advertising truck, I was very pleased. Accent media is top of the line in the mobile ad truck industry”
-Oscar Baxter, Google Reviews
5. JDS Media Inc.
Address: 1 Yonge St #1801
Phone number: +1 844-232-6663
Business hours: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM (MON-FRI)
JDS Media Inc. is an advertising company that’s currently based in Harbourfront. Founded in 2020 by Darryl Stevens, it specialises in creating ad campaigns through the use of digital signage and print ads.
When it comes to digital signage, they currently have many displays scattered across Canada, including major cities like Vancouver and Ottawa.
These screens come in various types, like portrait, landscape, multi-screen displays, and video walls. Amazingly, clients are actually given full control of these screens via the Navori CMS app.
For me, that’s so helpful, as it allows you to freely change the ads whenever you want and even modify them to show any upcoming events or deals you have planned.
However, it should be noted that if any issues arise, you might find it difficult to contact them. Some clients complained that they never return calls or emails.
Pros
- Specialises in digital signage
- Has display screens scattered across major towns and cities in Canada
- Allows clients to control their display screens via the Navori CMS app
Cons
- Sometimes forgets to respond to calls and emails
- Sometimes takes weeks or months to implement new ad campaigns
So far it has been a wonderful experience!
“We’ve just started working with JDS Media, and so far it has been a wonderful experience! We got an awesome deal on some great advertising and their design team was great to work with, especially with revisions. We look forward to seeing the benefits of our advertising and continuing to work with the JDS team!”
-Alexandra Luongo, Google Reviews
They are the premier company in the digital ad space!
“We’ve worked closely with Jon & Darryl right from the start. Their attention to detail and execution is on-point! If you’re reading this review, I can save you the time from looking for other companies as we have vetted them against other companies, they are the premier company in the digital ad space! Thanks again Jon & Darryl for you over-the-top level of customer service. Keep up the good work!”
-Raider Wildlife Control, Google Reviews
