MICHAEL PAL
VANCOUVER-based associate creative director and copywriter
Michael Pal is to advertising what Vlad the Impaler was to impaled human corpses: he’s a pro, he’s very sharp, and his work is killer.
GCI - WILDLY INGENIOUS
GCI is an Alaskan telecom that started in a van. 45 years later, they’ve brought Internet to the farthest reaches of the state with a network that spans more than 10,000 miles.
Our goal was to create a new brand platform that lived up to that wild level of ingenuity, honoured the bravery of living in Alaska and positioned GCI as a brand as daring and non-conformist as Alaskans themselves.
Travel Yukon -
a little bit metal
Selling the Yukon as a winter vacation destination isn’t easy. People think it’s too cold and there isn’t much to do. And they’re not entirely wrong - it’s pretty hardcore.
But for adventurous travellers, that’s a selling point. So we turned to a genre that’s as intense and unapologetically badass as winter in the Yukon, and created the world’s first tourism campaign disguised as a full-length metal song.
Then we turned up the volume, designing posters that mimicked metal band artwork, reframing activity itineraries as festival line-ups, and creating a line of collectable band merch. We even offered free tattoos (temporary, of course).
Recognition
Clios - Bronze
Applied Arts
Campaign Canada Mighty List 2024
MCDONALD’S-
RIDE OFF INTO THE GOLDEN ARCHES
At the world’s largest outdoor rodeo, McDonald’s Canada partnered with the Calgary Stampede, and tipped our hat to all the farmers and ranchers by recreating the iconic western scene of “riding off into the sunset” with one tiny, golden twist.
Our hand painted ads pointed toward real restaurant locations and appeared all over the Stampede grounds, creating an outdoor gallery that paid homage to our farmers, while also reminding the 1.4 million attendees to “Ride off into the Golden Arches” after a long day of stampeding.
Recognition
One Show 2025 - Finalist
7 West - Pizza Time
7 West is a 24-hour Toronto restaurant that wanted to boost off-hour pizza orders. A DM campaign targeted current customers by turning 7 West pizza boxes into reasons why pizza time can be any time. If someone ordered pizza at 1 PM, they received it in a box that suggested why 1 AM is also a great time to devour pizza. 12 boxes were designed and coordinated to delivery hours. Orders increased by 30%. Yum. Yum.
Recognition
2021 ADCC - Gold x2
2021 LIA - Bronze
2021 Clios - Bronze
2021 Applied Arts x4
2020 D&AD - Graphite Pencil
2020 D&AD - Wood Pencil
2020 One Show - Merit
2020 ADC - Bronze
2020 Dieline Awards - Silver
MCDONALD’S - GOOD MORNING CHAMPION
Sure, you didn’t run a marathon before the sun came up, but you did remember to clean that old tupperware in your bag and empty the cat litter. That’s a win, and you deserve to start your day like a champion with a hot cup of McCafé.
SObeys -
Clear the clouds
In 2022, after more than two years of school closures, virtual learning, isolation, and lost time with family and friends, child and youth mental health was an issue that desperately needed attention.
We created this spot to bring awareness to Sobeys “Family of Support”, a partnership with 13 children’s hospitals across Canada to fund programs, initiatives and child & youth mental health support.
GAIN - GAINIAC
There’s a fandom for just about everything. Beyoncé has the “BeyHive”, Justin Bieber has his “Beliebers”, and it turns out Gain laundry detergent has… “Gainiacs”. Yes, for real.
So we wrote an ode to Gainiacs everywhere, and brought it to life with the help of the perfect 80s track (and movie reference) and Craig Robinson’s sweet, sweet dance moves.
AT&T - MADNESS LOVES COMPANY
Whether it’s Chet Holmgren, UCLA mascot Joe Bruin, or Kiwi NBA star Steven Adams, March Madness just isn’t March Madness unless you have some company to go crazy with (and a super fast connection from AT&T to stream it on).
We also took over the CBS Bracket Manager website and created a series of spots
that would air contextually depending on how you were doing in your pool.
Featured in
Adweek | Muse By Clio | AdAge
Bell -
tiff 2019
As the lead sponsor of the Toronto International Film Festival, we were tasked to not only showcase Bell’s love of movies, but, more importantly, their love for movie lovers.