New Canadian Agency THE UNKNOWN ™ Launches

For many years now, the advertising and media industry has been facing significant challenges following drastic changes in consumer behaviour when it comes to content. Traditional media are being left behind while digital alternatives such as streaming and mobile are gaining ground—offering high-quality content without advertising interruption. New agency THE UNKNOWN™ came to life in response to these realities—proposing solutions that combine entertainment and advertising—supported by innovative technology that ensures content performance and target audience relevancy.

"We needed to find a solution that allows advertisers to reach their target with interesting content and without any interruption. Not an easy task but having spent 12 years backstage has allowed me to benefit from an outside view on what works in the industry and what doesn’t. Branded entertainment is really aligned with consumer realities, customer preferences and brand needs," says Fayçal Hajji, founder and president of THE UNKNOWN™, and owner of FH Studio, a renown integrated production company operating for now more than 10 years.

Creative Storytellers from All Walks of Life:

THE UNKNOWN™ is bringing together all kinds of storytellers under one roof. Whether from the cinema industry, show business, advertising or photography, all these talents bring their expertise to deliver creative products that truly meet the challenges facing the agency’s clients, while always keeping in my mind viewers during the whole process.

The team welcomes well-establish members such as Pascal Bascaron, who has—among other things—made his mark in film production with feature films such as Ricardo Trogi’s 1991 and Anne Émond’s Nelly.

"We go well beyond product placement. We start from a marketing standpoint and create a whole world around the brand through storytelling that connects with people. The era of forced interruption is over. At a time when streaming platforms are multiplying (Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Disney+, etc.), this is the perfect timing for brands to carve out a place within the industry, and for TV channels to overcome the obstacles of cable by offering quality content without having to get funding through commercial breaks," adds Pascal de Decker, partner and chief creative officer.

The agency's operational structure also moves away from usual business models where many levels of project management affect the process and take up hours that could have been allocated to strategy, creation and production. THE UNKNOWN™ offers a structure where project management is minimal and acts as a facilitator. The accessibility and seniority of our experts leave more room to project development and design— Fayçal Hajji sees it as "applying the ‘put-your-money-on-screen’ philosophy."

Using data and technology to better connect with the audiences THE UNKNOWN™ is also developing a pilot tech & AI project. By analysing data available on the marketing target, THE UNKNOWN™ technology helps build and develop the perfect audiences for content, while ensuring more efficient and less costly distribution—which will contribute to other key success factors.