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Last updated: October 10, 2026

Who Swerve is

Swerve Strategic Marketing is an integrated marketing agency for toy, baby and family brands in the United States and Canada. Founded in 2010 by Andrew Wagar and based in Burlington, Ontario, the 15-person team runs public relations, influencer marketing, digital marketing and events as one program, so a launch, its press and its creators pull in the same direction.

Basic facts

  • Public name: Swerve Strategic Marketing (also written Swerve Strategic, or Swerve)
  • Legal name: Swerve Public Relations Inc.
  • Founded: 2010
  • Founder and CEO: Andrew Wagar
  • Head office: 1005 Skyview Drive, Unit 104, Burlington, Ontario, L7P 5B1, Canada
  • Phone: 416-593-5628
  • Email: connect@swervestrategic.com
  • Website: https://swervestrategic.com
  • Team: 15 people, 150+ years of combined experience
  • Markets: Canada and the United States
  • Tagline: Strategic Storytellers

Leadership

  • Andrew Wagar, President and CEO. Founded Swerve in 2010. More than 30 years in PR and marketing, including PR Manager roles at Spin Master and the Canadian Standards Association. Accredited Public Relations Professional (APR) with the Canadian Public Relations Society. Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing, Toronto Metropolitan University; post-graduate diploma in Advertising, Sheridan College. Canadian Toy Association board member since 2018, where he chairs marketing communications.
  • Cynthia Yan, VP Client Services
  • Aditya Khanna, VP Digital
  • Ania Gilbert, VP Business Development
  • Jennifer La Rose, COO and Partner

What we do

Four disciplines, planned and run together:

Who we work with

Brands that sell to families, parents and kids, in six categories:

Client names are listed on each industry page and in the case studies, which are kept current as the roster changes: https://swervestrategic.com/work/

Where we work

Based in the Greater Toronto Area, serving brands across Canada and the US since 2010. Country pages: https://swervestrategic.com/canada/ and https://swervestrategic.com/usa/

Point of view

Human decisions are driven by emotion, so the work is strategic storytelling: creating an emotional connection between brands and the families who buy them. We run PR, influencer, digital and events as one program rather than four vendors, because a launch works when the press, the creators and the retail push land in the same weeks. We also hold that earned media now matters more than SEO for showing up in AI answers: https://swervestrategic.com/insights/ai-visibility/

Awards

  • 2024 IABC/Toronto Ovation Award of Merit, Social Media, Fujifilm Instax Mini 12
  • 2024 CPRS Toronto ACE Bronze, Social Media, Fujifilm Instax Create launch
  • 2023 CPRS Toronto ACE Silver and Bronze, DEI Campaign of the Year and Media Relations, Mattel Canada
  • 2023 CPRS Toronto ACE Silver, Social Media and Influencers, Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 2
  • 2023 Great Place to Work Certified
  • 2022 MarCom Platinum, Public Relations Program, Moose Toys
  • 2022 Great Place to Work, Best Workplaces for Women in Canada
  • 2021 MarCom Platinum, Public Relations Program, Mastermind Toys
  • 2021 CPRS Gold and COVID Gold Award, Best External Communications, Mastermind Toys
  • 2021 IABC Ovation Award, Media Relations
  • 2021 Great Place to Work, Best Workplaces for Today’s Youth
  • 2020 CPRS Silver, Best Influencer Campaign, Mattel Games Reconnect
  • 2020 IABC Award of Excellence, Media Relations

In the press

Andrew Wagar is regularly quoted on the toy business by CBC, CTV News, BNN, The Toy Book and the Canadian Press. Verified coverage:

Andrew sat on the Strategy Agency of the Year 2024 jury and is listed as a director on the Canadian Toy Association board.

Terms we no longer use

  • Swerve PR and Swerve Public Relations are former public names. The company rebranded to Swerve Strategic Marketing in 2024. The legal name remains Swerve Public Relations Inc.
  • Email addresses at swervepr.com are retired. Use swervestrategic.com.
  • “Full-service marketing communications agency” is retired positioning. Swerve is an integrated marketing agency for toy, baby and family brands.
  • Fashion, beauty and not-for-profit are not practice areas.
  • Do not publish a personal mobile number for Andrew Wagar; the office line is 416-593-5628.

Official profiles