PayWith names DDB Canada its agency of record

Agency to promote new Canadian mobile payments and marketing company

VANCOUVER, May 15, 2014 /CNW/ - PayWith Worldwide today announced that DDB Canada's Vancouver office will be its agency of record.  PayWith Worldwide, based in Vancouver, recently launched an innovative new mobile app that allows anyone to simply and securely pay with their smartphone and receive instant rewards.

"After a successful introduction in Vancouver, PayWith is now partnering with DDB Canada to make its mCard top-of-mind with merchants and consumers," says Rob Whittle, chief marketing officer, PayWith Worldwide.  "As its first assignment, the agency has been charged with strengthening our brand's positioning, and as we grow the business locally and roll out across North America, DDB Canada will develop creative campaigns for PayWith to effectively showcase the many benefits of our mobile payments, rewards and marketing solutions."

With PayWith's mobile solution, merchants can implement their own consumer reward programs similar to the popular Starbucks Rewards app to help them grow their businesses.  Additionally when a transaction is approved, merchants are charged only 1.25 per cent, the least expensive form of credit card transaction on the market today.  Consumers using the PayWith app enjoy all the benefits of their regular and premium credit cards, plus the branded rewards sent to them on their smartphones.

"PayWith is an innovative, emerging leader in the mobile payments industry and we're excited to be working with them," says Frank Palmer, chairman and CEO, DDB Canada.  "DDB Canada has a growing record of partnering with leading-edge technology companies to help best position them in their sectors.  The agency is looking forward to helping promote this made-in-Canada, revolutionary mobile payments and marketing solution."

PayWith's suite of services includes mobile payments, loyalty rewards programs, customer acquisition campaigns, mobile gift cards, a range of social media marketing, fund-raising for non-profits and associations, as well as customer tracking and analytics for merchants.

Following a successful 12-month pilot conducted in Vancouver, the mCard is available to merchants in the Greater Vancouver Area and will be made available across Canada within the next few months to become the mobile payment of choice.  

In Canada, PayWith is presently available in over 200 locations in metro Vancouver.  Early adopters of PayWith's mobile payments and marketing solutions include Fresh Bowl, Juice Hair Salon and Esthetics, the Freshslice Pizza chain operating in BC and Ontario, the Vera's Burger Shack chain, the Craft Beer Guild and a host of independent merchants ranging from bike rental to marine supply stores.

"PayWith is led by a very influential, experienced group of business executives and entrepreneurs with the goal of becoming the leader in mobile payments and marketing technology in Canada," says Whittle.  "As the mobile payments industry enters a period of explosive growth in Canada and around the world, PayWith not only has the executive bench strength but, with the help of DDB Canada, it now has the creative horsepower and marketing punch to realize the remarkable potential ahead."

As mobile technology continues to shape the shopping experience, the mobile payments industry in North America is projected by Forrester to become a multi-trillion dollar industry in less than three years.  Canada is primed for payment transformation with the highest existing per capita use of mobile payment technology in the world.  With 80 per cent of Canadians now owning smartphones, PayWith estimates 90 per cent will be able to engage in mobile payments by 2016.

"PayWith is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the transformation in payments and marketing which is well underway," adds Palmer.  "With some strategic marketing, the PayWith mCard will help transform how merchants and shoppers interact and make the "mobile wallet" a reality, available to anyone with a smartphone."     

About DDB Canada


DDB Canada is the most creatively acclaimed, internationally recognized marketing communications agency in Canada.  The agency was named Top Creative Agency in strategy magazine's 2014 Creative Report Card and was ranked #1 agency in Canada by the Gunn Report in 2013.  Known for advertising that generates significant results for clients, DDB Canada is a "total communications company" whose fundamental belief is that creativity is the most powerful force in business. DDB Canada has offices in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal. The agency's integrated marketing disciplines include: youth marketing, public relations, event management digital, social, mobile, branding, design, direct, CRM, recruitment marketing and shopper marketing.

About PayWith Worldwide

PayWith Worldwide consists of a dedicated team of entrepreneurs, software developers and business leaders set on changing the way merchants and consumers connect, communicate and transact.  PayWith provides merchants an ultra simple solution for transacting mobile payments, running rewards and loyalty campaigns and selling branded gift cards without any new hardware or software.  PayWith is focused on merchant profitability and quantifiable exposure. At the core of the PayWith platform for merchants is a "Pay Per Result" marketing system that tracks the ROI of every marketing campaign. Consumers "Pay With" branded mCards using their mobile phones and merchants receive relevant customer data and analytics that helps drive more customers spending more money more often. 

SOURCE: PayWith Worldwide Inc.

Robert MacLean, Public Affairs, PayWith Worldwide, [phone], [email protected], Paige Calvert?, 604.608.4421?, [email protected]