For UM Canada president Shelley Smit, the day-to-day focus at the Interpublic Group agency is about raising the bar for themselves and the industry: Better science. Better art. Better talent. Better training. And better outcomes for clients.

It’s an approach that has not only translated into a rash of new business wins, including GoodLife Fitness, Expedia, Tim Hortons, Netflix and CAMH, but also significant industry recognition – 36 awards in the past year alone – making UM the most decorated media agency in Canada.

UM helped prevent the great Canadian getaway from turning into the great Canadian entertainment gap by creating Netflix “Download Zones” along key routes into cottage country. The zones enabled travellers to download their favourite shows for off-line viewing in areas with spotty internet coverage.

This includes international recognition at Cannes Lions and Festival of Media awards and “effectiveness” wins at the Cassies and Effies across a broad range of clients and categories. UM was also the most-awarded agency at the 2017 Media Innovation Awards (16 trophies, including Best of Show for the “Budweiser Light Up the Nation” campaign).

UM staff celebrated an industry-leading 16 awards at the 2017 Media Innovation Awards, including Best of Show for “Budweiser Light up the Nation”, featuring the “Red Light Goal Notification App”. UM is Canada’s most awarded media agency, with over 36 awards in the past year alone, including international recognition at the Cannes Lions, Festival of Media Global and the Effie Award shows.

UM is creating the template for a modern media services company, one boasting highly engaged employees delivering data-driven, creative media.

“We’re committed to proving that media can be a topline growth driver,” says Smit. “One of the challenges for our industry, and our clients in particular, is that they’re under enormous pressure to deliver results. We’ve always been focused on outcomes. It’s not about [ad] impressions. It’s about driving sales and delivering impact in the market.”

Read the full article in Strategy here.