What Leo Canada does

Leo Burnett Canada Ltd. (operating as Leo Toronto) is a Toronto-based creative consultancy and wholly owned subsidiary of Publicis Groupe, founded in 1952 with documents tracing a 70-year continuous partnership with Kellogg Canada. The agency provides strategy, design thinking, communications, and experience design services to enterprise brand clients across consumer packaged goods, financial services, telecommunications, food and beverage, and nonprofit sectors. Its named client roster includes Starbucks Canada, TD Bank, Bell Canada, Pizza Hut Canada, Kellogg Canada, Smucker's/Milk-Bone, ecobee, Campbell's, GMC Canada, and Enbridge, among others.

The agency operates two notable proprietary assets: the HumanKind Study, an annual national consumer research product surveying 4,127+ Canadians in partnership with Maru/Blue, and Hi LEO, an agentic AI platform launched December 2025 that aggregates multiple generative AI models into a secure environment for employee use. The HumanKind creative philosophy and accompanying GPC Scale (a 10-point creative evaluation system) are registered proprietary frameworks underpinning the agency's positioning as a creative consultancy rather than a traditional ad shop.

The business model is professional services-based, generating revenue through agency fees, retainers, and project contracts with enterprise clients. New business is acquired primarily through competitive pitches. The agency delivers work through direct client engagement and leverages Publicis Groupe's sister companies (Spark Foundry for media, MSL for influencer, Martel et compagnie for Quebec, Edelman and Media Profile for PR) to provide integrated multi-discipline service across Canada.

Name

Leo Canada

Legal name

Leo Burnett Canada Ltd.

Website

https://leoburnett.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Leo Canada is a Toronto-based creative consultancy and Publicis Groupe subsidiary providing strategy, advertising, and design services to enterprise brands including Starbucks, TD Bank, Bell, and Kellogg's across Canadian and cross-border markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising & Creative Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Other Services Related to Advertising (541890)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brand Experience (BX) & Service Design (BPAFAEAI), Brand Activations & Experiential Campaign Design (MPAAAGAA)

Keywords

• Creative consultancy services
• Advertising agency services
• Brand strategy consulting
• Experience design services
• Integrated marketing campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Creative Consultancy Services: Leo Toronto operates as a creative consultancy providing strategy, design thinking, communications and experience design services to solve business challenges for major brands. Revenue is generated through agency fees, project retainers, and creative services contracts with enterprise clients.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Leo Canada (operating as Leo Toronto) is a creative consultancy delivering strategy, design thinking, communications, advertising, and experience design services for enterprise brand clients. The agency produces end-to-end creative campaigns across multiple channels and supports its work with proprietary assets including the annual HumanKind Study (national Canadian consumer research) and the Hi LEO internal AI agent platform that aggregates generative AI models.

Product overview

Leo Toronto is a creative consultancy that puts creativity at the center of strategic consulting, design, advertising, and product/service design. The agency operates two main offerings: the HumanKind™ Study (an annual national research product providing Canadian consumer insights across topics like loneliness, cost of living, and AI concerns, now in its 5th edition), and Hi LEO (an internal AI agent platform that aggregates generative AI models to support employees across all disciplines). The agency delivers creative work across brand campaigns, digital content, social media, and media planning for clients including Starbucks, TD Bank, Pizza Hut, Bell Canada, and Kellogg's, among others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hi LEO: An AI agent platform that aggregates multiple generative AI models to support employees with creative and strategic work tasks.
• HumanKind Study
• LeoDesign

Products and services

• HumanKind Study Annual national research study providing uniquely Canadian insight on issues and topics that matter most to Canadians and their expectations of businesses, covering themes such as housing, healthcare, finance, technology, loneliness, and AI concerns. Produced in partnership with Maru/Blue and used to inform creative strategy and campaign work for enterprise clients.
• Creative Consultancy Services End-to-end creative consultancy delivering strategy, design thinking, communications, advertising, and experience design services for enterprise brand clients across financial services, QSR, telecom, CPG, automotive, and nonprofit sectors. Includes campaign development from insights to execution across digital, social, video, and out-of-home channels.
• LeoDesign

Quantifiable outcome

• Won 6 major accounts in 2023 including Starbucks, Pizza Hut, TD Bank U.S., President's Choice, CPP Investment Board, Sun Life
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Melanin GamerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2024Digital community protecting and promoting diversity and inclusion in video games. Partnered with Leo Burnett and The Angus Reid Group to launch The Watch - first rating system for online gaming toxicity.
• The WatchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2024Movement built on personal and collective lived experiences by victims and witnesses of racial injustice in gaming. Launched toxicity rating system for online gaming in partnership with Melanin Gamers and Leo Burnett.
• The Angus Reid GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2024Research partner for The Watch initiative. Surveyed hundreds of gamers across major gaming communities to develop toxicity ratings for online games.
• Maru/BluecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2023Research partner for Leo Burnett Canada's HumanKind Study. Conducted both qualitative and quantitative analysis with interviews of 4,127+ Canadians.
• Publicis GroupeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company and ultimate owner of Leo Burnett Group Canada. Leo Toronto operates as part of Publicis Groupe's global network of over 200 operating units in 85 countries. The relationship enables integrated client service across the network.
• Spark FoundrycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublicis Groupe sister agency handling media for Starbucks Canada. Works alongside Leo Toronto on integrated client campaigns.
• MSLcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublicis Groupe sister agency handling influencer marketing for Starbucks Canada. Collaborates with Leo Toronto on brand campaigns.
• Martel et compagniecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLeo's Montreal office handling Quebec market for Starbucks Canada, working alongside Leo Toronto for national coverage.
• Listenmore ConsultancyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerManaged the competitive pitch process for Starbucks Canada business that Leo Toronto won.
• Edelman CanadaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic relations agency of record for Starbucks Canada, working alongside Leo Toronto.
• Media ProfileminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic relations agency of record for Starbucks Canada, collaborating with Leo Toronto on PR campaigns.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cossette: Canada's largest independently owned creative agency network, headquartered in Quebec with offices across Canada. Directly comparable as a top-tier Canadian full-service creative/advertising agency competing for the same enterprise AOR business (TD, Bell, Canadian Tire, etc.).
• Zulu Alpha Kilo: Toronto-based independent creative agency known for award-winning work and high-profile Canadian brands (Cora, Toronto Zoo, Calgary Stampede). Closely comparable as a creatively led Canadian agency of similar size competing for the same A-list Canadian accounts.
• BBDO Canada: WPP-owned Canadian creative network and Leo's closest holding-company competitor in Canada. Comparable as a network creative agency pursuing the same enterprise AOR business with overlapping client verticals (CPG, telecom, financial services).
• Ogilvy Canada: WPP-owned Canadian arm of the Ogilvy network. Directly comparable in creative advertising and brand strategy for enterprise clients, with the additional overlap of WPP network resources analogous to Leo's Publicis backing.
• DDB Canada: Omnicom-owned Canadian creative agency (incorporating the former TAXI network). Comparable as a network creative shop serving similar enterprise clients across CPG, automotive, and financial services verticals.
• Juniper Park\TBWA: Toronto-based TBWA-affiliated creative agency known for disruptive creative work (e.g., Apple, Nissan). Comparable as a creatively led Canadian network agency competing for the same major AOR business and awards circuit.
• McCann Canada: IPG-owned Canadian creative agency (including McCann Worldgroup). Comparable in scope as a network creative agency pursuing enterprise AOR work with similar holding-company integration capabilities.
• Saatchi & Saatchi Canada: Leo Toronto's Publicis sister agency in Canada. Directly comparable in offering and network backing; in some cases the two compete for the same client reviews within Publicis' portfolio, making them the most direct internal benchmark.
• FCB Canada: IPG-owned Canadian creative agency network. Comparable as a network creative agency serving enterprise clients across multiple verticals with integrated media and production capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Dentsu Creative Canada: Canadian arm of Dentsu's global creative network. Comparable as a larger incumbent holding-company creative operation offering integrated advertising, experience design, and increasingly AI-driven production services to enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/leoburnett
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leoburnettto
• Instagraminstagram.com/leotorontocanada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Leo Canada