Sid Lee is an international

creative services Creative services are a subsector of the creative industries, a part of the economy that creates wealth by offering creativity for hire to other businesses. Creative Services also means a department within a company that does creative work such a ...

firm founded in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. It operates offices in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The agency offers services in the fields of branding,

digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Businesses *Digital bank, a form of financial institution *Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) or Digital, a computer company *Digital Research (DR or DRI), a software ...

and

social marketing Social marketing is a marketing approach which focuses on influencing behavior with the primary goal of achieving the "common good". It utilizes the elements of commercial marketing and applies them to social concepts. However, to see social ...

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

analytics Analytics is the systematic computational analysis of data or statistics. It is used for the discovery, interpretation, and communication of meaningful patterns in data, which also falls under and directly relates to the umbrella term, data sc ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

and retail design,

branded content Branded content (also known as branded entertainment) is a type of entertainment product made or otherwise funded by an advertiser. They are designed to build awareness for a particular brand by presenting content that reflects its values and image ...

, and entertainment.

From Diesel to Sid Lee

In 1993, Philippe Meunier and Jean-François Bouchard founded the advertising agency Diesel in Montreal. Diesel quickly made a name for itself with innovative campaigns: a radio-only campaign for Sleeman Breweries and the creation of a fleet of graffiti-covered car wrecks for Pizzédélic pizza chain. With the rise of the Internet in the mid-‘90s, Diesel quickly went digital. The agency was one of the first in Quebec to build a commercial website. After having been one of Diesel’s clients, Bertrand Cesvet joined the company in 1997. With the turn of the century approaching and a digital revolution about to transform the industry, Diesel merged with Stratège Media in 1999 and added Martin Gauthier and Daniel Fortier to their management team. This is also when Diesel began to develop a business relationship with Cirque du Soleil, an organization that would go on to establish itself as an innovative creator in its industry. In 2007, Diesel changed its name to Sid Lee to avoid being confused with the clothing brand. Sid Lee is actually an anagram of Diesel.

Diversification

In 2008, Sid Lee landed the global Adidas Originals account. In the midst of this partnership, the agency opened offices among the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam in 2008 and Paris in 2009, in what Bertrand Cesvet described as “a semi-controlled whirlwind of boundless enthusiasm.” In 2009, Sid Lee realized that the future of retail depended on a brand’s ability to attract customers to its stores and the way it interacts with its consumers. This thought led to the founding of Sid Lee Architecture. Jean Pelland and Martin Leblanc founded this new branch within the agency. The Toronto office also opened in 2010, an endeavour led by Vito Piazza. Sid Lee added an office in New York in 2012 and another in Los Angeles in 2014. In 2012, C2 Montréal hosted its first edition, a unique event imagined by Sid Lee and Le Cirque du Soleil. During the 2013 Cannes Lions Festival, the firm announced the launch of Sid Lee Entertainment, aimed at creating engaging experiences and content for its clients. The firm designed the Toronto Raptors’ We The North marketing campaign in 2014. On July 6, 2015, Sid Lee was acquired by kyu, the strategic operating unit of the Japanese

Hakuhodo DY Holdings is a Japanese advertising holding company that owns Hakuhodo, Daiko, and Yomiko Advertising. It is the second largest advertising company in Japan, following Dentsu. Its headquarters are located in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. History On December 3 ...

, which is currently headed by CEO Michael Birkin. In October 20, 2017, Sid Lee Paris bought YARD, a French creative and production agency. In 2019, Sid Lee continued its expansion into the United StatesSid Lee appoints first U.S. CEO as it expands in the region
as Hornall Anderson, Infrared and Red Peak joined the agency. Digital Kitchen also became a member of its community of talents. In the wake of these developments, the agency strengthened its US presence with an office in Seattle.

References

{{Authority control Advertising agencies of Canada Marketing companies established in 1993 Companies based in Montreal Companies based in Amsterdam Companies based in Paris Companies based in Toronto Companies based in New York City 1993 establishments in Quebec