Final Round : April

Pascal De Decker.
 

Co-President & Executive Creative director, taxi mtl


Although he is known for his sense of humour, Pascal De Decker clearly takes advertising very seriously. After leading many successful campaigns for prestigious brands such as Volkswagen, McDonald’s, Molson, Bell, Loblaws, Telus, Coca-Cola, Porsche, and Stella Artois, Pascal left a lasting impression over his 20-year career. Originally from Belgium, he has taken the wheel at TAXI Montréal. Passionate about advertising and determined to do the best work possible, he is a great example of a modern creative leader, and his inspiring, natural leadership always takes his team far. During his career, he put his talent to work for agencies such as LOWE Troost, Duval-Guillaume, DDB Brussels, and Cossette. Before joining TAXI, he was vice-president and creative director at PALM + HAVAS (now HAVAS Worldwide) for seven years.

Brief: "it's time to step up"

“Come up with new ways for companies to facilitate refugees’ integration in Canada.”
— Pascal De Decker

Refugees are pouring into Canada.

Syrian refugees, escaping this decade’s worst tragedy. 

And American refugees, escaping, well,…

As Canadians, we’re happy to welcome them.

We’ve been called the best in world at accepting them.

And we probably are.

But we’re not so good at integrating them and making sure they thrive.

Despite our government’s best efforts, many of them end up isolated, lost and disappointed. 

It gets so bad, that some want to leave and go back.

Which as Canadians, is the last thing we want.

But there’s a silver-lining. 

Privately sponsored refugees (by community groups) tend to fare much better than government assisted ones, which shows that access to the right support system allows them to find work, learn the language and fast-track their integration.

So here’s your brief:

It’s time for companies to step up. 

Come up with new ways for companies to facilitate refugees’ integration in Canada. The idea has to be mutually beneficial to both the brand and to refugees, i.e, you can’t ask brands to simply donate money to the cause.