Creating an Olympic campaign had always been one of my career goals in advertising. And for me, it doesn’t get much bigger than a Winter Olympics campaign for Canada.

I had the opportunity to work with gold medalists, shoot in incredible locations across the country, and help develop a truly 360° campaign for Petro-Canada, one of Team Canada’s main sponsors.

The idea came from a simple Canadian truth: most of the time, we’re known for being polite, reserved and, well… nice.

But when the Olympics come around, something else wakes up.

Wake Up Canada was built around that hibernating championship spirit—the pride, resilience and relentlessness that emerges when Team Canada competes. We brought that spirit to life through a grizzly bear: proud, powerful and unmistakably Canadian.

Unlike other grizzlies, ours doesn’t hibernate through the winter. Every Olympic year, he wakes up stronger, faster and ready to compete—just like Team Canada.

Activations