Meet the briefing
The Briefing is your quarterly snapshot of client highlights, emerging media trends and insider public relations insights straight from our agency. In every issue, we’ll share the latest happenings across our portfolio of beauty, lifestyle and hospitality brands, as well as a curated selection of products our team of creatives is loving!
This quarter, we’re taking you behind the scenes to explore how our brands have tapped into the sensorial mania shaping consumer experiences this year. From cocktail inspired innovation to scratch-and-sniff billboards, we’ve seen brands leaning into bold, unexpected campaigns designed to captivate the senses and spark conversation.
It’s been a season of creativity, experimentation and measurable impact, and we’re excited to share a closer look at the stories, campaigns and cultural shifts driving awareness and engagement across the Devon Communications portfolio.
Trend Report:
SENSORIAL
Storytelling
This summer, we witnessed an exciting evolution in sensorial storytelling, with brands continuing to captivate consumers through immersive, multi-sensory experiences. In particular, gourmand-inspired and culinary-driven activations took center stage, transforming brand narratives into edible moments that excited senses and sparked curiosity. These experiences went beyond traditional campaigns to merge taste, scent and visual aesthetics to create deeper emotional connections and pique consumer appetites, both literally and figuratively.
Below, you’ll find a showcase of how our brands embraced and activated around this growing sensorial trend, bringing storytelling to life in deliciously unexpected ways.
Spotlight ON
Brita Drop
This summer, Brita took centre stage at festivals across the country to keep festival-goers hydrated with filter-fresh water. From coast-to-coast, Brita delivered great-tasting water by activating at music fests throughout Canada at branded water stations and our dedicated Brand Ambassadors distributed free, reusable bottles to reduce plastic waste. While artists dropped the beat, Brita owned the spotlight on hydration, ensuring fans stayed cool and hydrated throughout the summer’s biggest events. This activation expanded reach and cemented Brita’s role as the go-to brand for clean, refreshing hydration wherever Canadians gathered – giving out more than 34,000 branded bottles over the course of summer.
This Coast to Coast hydration & celebration tour hit:
VELD in Toronto, ON
Osheaga in Montreal, QC
Sunfest Country Music Festival in Vancouver, BC
ÎLESONIQ in Montreal, QC
Lasso in Montreal, QC
Sommo Festival in Cavendish, PEI
Complementing these on-the-ground efforts, Brita rolled out a highly strategic, festival-focused social campaign to amplify its presence - backed by four professional photo/video teams across the country, produced by the Devon team. Brita’s owned social channels highlighted water station locations and showed high-energy footage of festival-goers hydrating and feeling refreshed to drive excitement and engagement. To deepen connections with audiences, Brita also invited local content creators to each festival, leveraging authentic voices to boost visibility and generate buzz across digital platforms.
Follow to see Brita’s next move here!
The Maker Launch:
Revel Fragrance
The Maker’s newest scent, Revel, is the best day of your life bottled. Juicy pineapple, lush lychee and rosewater blend seamlessly with creamy florals, warm sandalwood and velvet musk. It’s made for main-character moments and special celebrations.
To celebrate the launch, we hosted an intimate preview event at LoversLand bridal boutique with creators. While guests enjoyed a sneak peek at 2026 wedding trends and styles, they enjoyed wedding-ready bites from Gallz Provisions’ bespoke treats in the space adorned with innovation ingredients including fresh pineapple and lychee fruit.
Additionally, guests discovered their signature scent through a custom fragrance concierge from the The Maker. More on Instagram here.
Burt’s BeeS
x The Hut
Burt’s Bees, known for its iconic natural lip balms, celebrated its commitment to real ingredients with a flavourful twist by launching a custom smoothie inspired by its Sweet Peach formula as summer began. Partnering with The Hut Smoothie & Juice Bar, the brand brought the lip balm to life through taste, featuring a limited-edition Sweet Peach smoothie, branded merchandise, stickers and in-store visuals.
The collaboration kicked off with a media preview at The Hut’s Toronto location, where press and influencers sampled the smoothie and captured shareable moments among fruit-inspired florals, product displays and limited-edition merch. This private event generated over 100+ social posts and an estimated reach of 4.5M+ in just one day.
The next day, the activation opened to the public with a month-long promotion with every smoothie or smoothie bowl purchase including a complimentary Burt’s Bees lip balm. By the end of the program, 3,400 lip balms had been sampled—driving strong trial and engagement. More here.
Team Picks
Our team’s favourite products of the season.
