How We Work With Toy, Baby and Family Brands
Swerve Strategic Marketing is an integrated marketing agency for toy, baby and family brands in the US and Canada. Integrated doesn’t mean all or nothing. Some brands hire us for PR alone, some for digital alone, and some, like Tineco, hand us the whole program as agency of record. The services are planned to work together, and you can start with one.
How a Program Starts
Whichever way in you choose, the first month looks the same. Here’s the sequence.
01We diagnose first
Your numbers, your competitors’ share of voice and what the media already says about the category. If the gap is retail sell-through, we say retail. If it’s awareness, we say that.
02We build to your budget
The potential spend on digital and paid creators is close to unlimited, so the number you give us helps us design a plan that targets the right audience and spends efficiently. A budget doesn’t limit the creative. It’s what makes the creative work.
03We scope one plan
Whether you’ve chosen one service or four, the plan is written so the launch date, the press window and the creator calendar line up. If a second service would change the result, we’ll say so and show you the math. If it wouldn’t, we won’t sell it to you.
04We report as we go
Share of voice, coverage quality, competitive news and what moved at retail, delivered while the program runs. In Cynthia Yan’s words, “We don’t wait for a program to end to tell you if something’s not working.”
Three Ways to Work With Swerve
One service
Most relationships start here. A toy brand wants Canadian PR for a fall launch. A baby brand wants a creator program. A retailer wants paid search run by people who know the category. You get the specialist team for that service, scoped and reported on its own. Hape USA and Playmobil Canada ran PR, influencer and events with us before anything else came up.
A few services, scoped as one plan
The most common step after the first. PR and influencer are planned together so the press window and the creator calendar line up. Digital gets added when a brand wants to see what the coverage is doing at retail. Playmobil Canada and Hape USA both added digital marketing to their programs in 2026, run by the same account team that already knew the brand.
The whole program
One agency of record across PR, influencer, digital and events, one plan, one set of results. Tineco is the clearest example. We’ve run its Canadian program since 2019, and in 2026 it appointed us to lead its US communications as well. This is the model the Tineco case study describes, and it’s one of three, not the only one.
A US brand launching in Canada
A fourth way in, and often how a US relationship starts. A Canadian launch can mirror a US plan at a fraction of the cost, with a team that already knows the retailers, the media and the creators here. See how we work with US brands →
What We Ask Before We Start
Sixteen years in, we’ve learned what makes an engagement work. So we’re open about three things from the first conversation.
Expected Budget
We’ll ask for a budget on the first call, and not to size an invoice. We need a number, even a range, that lets us design a plan that fits. If you don’t have one yet, we’ll help you get to one.
Formal Engagement
We’re glad to share how we think, walk through case studies and talk about your launch before anything is signed. But developing a detailed strategy only starts once we’re working together.
Single Decision-Maker
The best creative comes from clarity. We prefer one person on your side who can say yes, with a goal agreed up front and a short feedback loop to keep the ideas sharp and the timeline honest.
“We are a high-end a‑la‑carte agency. And we’re worth it. And so are you.”
Andrew Wagar, President and CEO
We’re fifteen people in Burlington, Ontario, measured on results rather than hours at a desk.
Tell us what you’re launching →
INTEGRATED PROGRAM CASE STUDY
From Challenger to Champion. Tineco’s North American Success.
Every Brand Has A Story.
Let’s Tell Yours.
Fill out the form to get started.
Questions Brands Ask Before They Call
Do we have to buy the full program?
No. Most clients start with one service. The program grows when the results make the case for it, and some clients never add a second service. That’s fine with us.
Can we start with PR and add digital later?
Yes, and it’s the most common path we see. The account team stays the same, so the digital work starts with the brand knowledge the PR work built.
Do you work with US brands?
Yes. Several of our clients are US brands that use Canada as the first market or as a test market. How we work with US brands.
How long is a program?
Earned PR programs start at six months. Influencer programs run per campaign or on an ongoing retainer. Digital starts with a three-month commitment and runs month to month after that, on 30 days’ notice. Programs are scoped to the launch or the season they serve, and a low-budget trial to see if we “prove ourselves” doesn’t give either of us a result worth judging.
What does a program cost?
It depends on the services, the markets and the season, which is why we ask your budget first. Tell us what you’re launching and when, and we’ll tell you what’s realistic for the number you have.
The Work Looks Like This, One Way or Another
One service, a few, or the whole program. The same team runs all three, and the results are reported the same way.
