The Government of Canada has selected GroupM’s Government Practice Powered by EssenceMediacom as its new media agency of record. The new three-year contract with Public Services and Procurement Canada puts the agency in charge of services across media planning and strategy, buying, as well as ad serving and trafficking, ad verification and reporting.

GroupM Canada CEO Kevin Johnson says, “We are tremendously proud to be selected for this important role in helping the government reach and connect with Canadians. This result validates that we effectively demonstrated GroupM’s industry leading media intelligence and expertise, and our unwavering commitment to the responsible management of media investment.”

The Federal Government team will run out of the GroupM Government Practice office based in Montreal and led by GroupM Quebec president Monique Brosseau.

Brosseau says, “This win demonstrates our comprehensive understanding of the challenges that government communicators face in their responsibility to reach all Canadians, and our aptitudes in understanding the nuances of Canadian audiences to deliver success in that.”

Over the last few years, GroupM and its agencies have demonstrated a clear interest in becoming the leaders in delivering excellence in media for public service clients, steadily increasing their roster of government clients, leading to the announcement of their dedicated Government Practice last year.

The new contract runs from April 1st, 2024, to March 31st, 2027, with the option to extend the contract up to four additional one-year periods.