Author: Sunil Sodani

Citizen Relations’ commitment to excellence and unleashing the potential for ambitious brands has been recognized once again by Strategy, with the agency winning bronze for PR Agency of the Year (AOY) at the 2025 Strategy AOY Awards last night. This marks the third consecutive year Citizen has secured a coveted AOY honour, taking home  Gold PR AOY in 2023 and Silver PR AOY in 2024. 

The Strategy AOY Awards are among the most prestigious distinctions in the Canadian marketing, advertising, and PR industries. This recognition signifies best-in-class performance and leadership in driving client success.

“Securing our third consecutive Strategy AOY award reflects the power of our integrated teams,” said CEO Nick Cowling. “It speaks volumes of our forward-thinking, tomorrow-first approach and the partnership we’ve built with our clients. Especially in a challenging market, consistency at this level proves we’re not just adapting – we’re leading.” Hear more from him in his interview with Strategy Magazine. 

The recognition is fueled by the agency’s continued growth and momentum in 2025, including expanding its global portfolio with new clients, promoting innovators into leadership roles and building a creative arsenal with strategic talent moves.

This win joins a prestigious lineup of continuous agency-wide recognition that highlights Citizen’s global and industry-specific leadership, including being named to the 2026 PRNews Agency Elite Top 120 roster, winning Campaign 2023 Global PR Agency of The Year (Bronze), and being named in PRWeek’s best places to work in 2022 and 2023.

Gen Z is the most economically anxious generation since the 1970s. Plagued by student debt, historic inflation, and a high cost of living that makes traditional milestones like homeownership feel impossible, they are often branded as financially reckless, defined by the “doom spending” narrative.

The Gen Z Collective, recently released by Citizen, shows this narrative is not only lazy but fundamentally wrong. Gen Z’s financial behaviour is not careless; it is calculated, complex, and highly intentional. They are the first generation forced to adopt an investment mindset just to survive.

The Core Paradox: Anxiety vs. Control

The high-stakes tension between financial anxiety and intentional spending defines Gen Z’s financial behaviour. Their splurges are not driven by nihilism, but by a desperate effort to exert control and make strategic investments.

They aren’t ignoring their financial problems; they are solving tangible, immediate needs with their wallets. This intentional spending is a calculated, justifiable investment in three key areas:

1. Mental Health & Control

2. Future Competence

3. Social Capital

Case Study: Selling Agency and Competence

Brands that successfully connect with this financial paradox don’t sell stability; they sell agency and a pathway to competence.

Robinhood serves as a prime example. It succeeded by turning a historically intimidating financial activity (investing) into a frictionless, accessible, and gamified experience.

• Democratizing Access: It eliminated friction and lowered the entry barrier for investing, making a financially anxious activity feel manageable.
• Focusing on Competence: It positioned itself as a tool for financial education and empowerment, allowing users to feel smart and in control of their future.

This approach validates the Gen Z mindset: a financial risk is acceptable if it feels like a strategic, informed step toward independence.

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Winning with the 5 Personas

A successful PR and marketing strategy must recognize and speak to the intentionality behind every purchase decision. Here is how brands can position their product as a justifiable, strategic investment for each of the five personas identified in The Gen Z Collective:

CEO Takeaway: Stop Selling Fear, Start Selling Aspirations

Brands that try to connect with Gen Z by dismissing their spending as reckless will fail.

If a Gen Z consumer is splurging, they are making a calculated, justifiable investment. Provide proof points that position your product as a smart, justifiable investment in their well-being, their competence, or their social capital.

For a custom look at how your brand can win with each persona, download the report and connect with us. 

Global communications agency, Citizen Relations, has been named to PRNews’ 2026 Agency Elite Top 120 list. This recognition on one of the industry’s most respected list of PR agencies is a testament to the increased momentum the agency has had over the past year. PRNews is dedicated to spotlighting the most innovative public relations and communications firms of the year, celebrating those who demonstrate excellence, creativity, and impact year after year.

Citizen’s success is the result of continuous investment in its global capabilities and people. Over the past year, the agency has expanded its global portfolio with new clients, promoted staff members to new leadership roles, bolstered their integrated offerings with AI, and launched their 2024 Connections Report — all designed to give clients a competitive edge and drive unignorable campaigns

Citizen’s performance at the PRNEWS Awards extended beyond the agency level. Earlier this month, Alex Green (SVP, PR) was individually honoured as a PRNews Agency Innovator, a highly-coveted recognition for leaders who are redefining the industry by driving growth and transformation. A true tomorrow-first thinker, Alex embodies the spirit of innovation we champion across the agency. 

Spruce’s “Who Let The Dogs Out” campaign was also given an Honourable Mention for PRNews Platinum Awards’ CPG Campaign of the Year. The campaign created buzz for its successful launch of Spruce Weed & Grass Killer using a playful, nostalgia-driven spin on the Baha Men’s famous anthem to highlight the product’s pet-safe differentiator. Exceeding KPIs by 647%, this campaign took over social media and retailers, changing the conversation about weed & grass killers.

The Agency Elite Top 120 recognition adds to a successful year for Citizen and honours those who demonstrate excellence, creativity, and impact. With integrated teams across PR, Digital, Strategy, Creative, Insights & Intelligence (I&I), and Experiential, Citizen excels at staying ahead of trends and making bold moves for its clients. 

Most recently, Citizen has received accolades at the SABRE Innovation Awards, North American SABRE Awards, CLIOs, PRWeek Purpose Awards, Canadian Event Awards, The Drum Marketing Awards and ILEA E-Spirit Awards. Citizen’s sustained performance is highlighted by other agency-level titles, such as Strategy 2024 PR Agency of the Year (Silver) and Campaign 2023 Global PR Agency of The Year (Bronze).