Parker: Creative agency continues to Strut its stuff after 25 years
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Strut kept its long-standing accounts and has acquired some amazing new local and international clients.
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Founded by Aaron Salus and Natalie Selinger out of Selinger's spare bedroom, the company is celebrating its 25 th anniversary next month.
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It grew, and although taking bigger space above Café Beano in Kipling Square — and for many years in the office building at the corner of 17 th Avenue and 2 nd Street S.E. — during the pandemic its staff got used to working remotely. Today, it conducts its business virtually, with half of the staff of 13 in Calgary and the rest in Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Canmore and the Okanagan.
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Selinger left to raise a family and Salus has been joined by partner and creative strategist Russ Bugera in achieving Strut's success in its three main areas of brand, campaigns and digital platforms.
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Among its newer clients, Salus is proud of the work Strut has done in the not-for-profit world for the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA). Strut was charged with communicating the findings of its scientific studies to help people understand the risks of alcohol abuse. It produced a campaign in newspapers, transit and digital to direct people to the CCSA website, resulting in huge numbers responding to its overarching goal of improving the wellness for people experiencing the harms of substance use.
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'Drink less — live more' was Strut's advice.
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CCSA is based in Ottawa, and Salus says it contacted Strut after admiring the good work it has done for Canadian Geographic over the past 16 years.
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The Calgary company has completed some remarkably good projects for Canadian Geographic, most recently in rebuilding its online magazine experience, including an interactive map and feature photography articles, and a collection of powerful tools facilitating searching through decades of content. It brings it to life in ways not possible in the print issues of the 96-year-old magazine, while increasing reader engagement, subscription, donations and advertising.
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Other notable campaigns for Canadian Geographic include Live Net Zero, helping Canadians reduce household carbon emissions; sharing the stories of Indigenous peoples with online and app resources for the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada; and 10,000 Changes, championing Canada's commitment to rethink plastic.
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