Just months after acquiring a well-known local ad agency, Ottawa’s Xactly Design & Advertising has hired a veteran industry leader who’s worked with some of eastern Ontario’s biggest retailers to help its clients craft their branding and marketing strategies. Xactly announced this week that J.J. Hochrein has joined the agency’s executive team. The Laurentian University […]
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Just months after acquiring a well-known local ad agency, Ottawa’s Xactly Design & Advertising has hired a veteran industry leader who’s worked with some of eastern Ontario’s biggest retailers to help its clients craft their branding and marketing strategies.
Xactly announced this week that J.J. Hochrein has joined the agency’s executive team. The Laurentian University commerce alumnus will advise clients on account management and branding strategies and will also act as a fractional chief marketing officer for “businesses in need of high-level marketing leadership,” the company said in a news release Thursday.
Hochrein brings more than 25 years of experience in marketing and branding to his new role.
He most recently served nearly two years as director of brand marketing for the Chicken Farmers of Canada. Before that, Hochrein was head of marketing at grocery chain Farm Boy from 2020-22 and vice-president of marketing at Ottawa-based retail powerhouse Lee Valley Tools from 2013-19.
He also spent time as an account executive and director at several agencies in the Toronto area, where he helped guide brand and marketing strategies for clients such as Home Hardware and Mitsubishi Motors.
Xactly founder and CEO Denis Sabourin said Hochrein’s “extensive experience and leadership with some of Canada’s most respected brands will not only strengthen our internal team – but more importantly, help our clients make smarter, more effective marketing decisions that lead to real business growth.”
Hochrein’s hiring comes on the heels of Xactly’s acquisition of veteran Ottawa marketing executive Veronica Farmer’s TrueCourse Communications agency last December.
Founded in 2002, Xactly is one of the capital’s leading marketing and branding agencies. Its clients include Canadian Bank Note, trailblazing tech firm MindBridge Analytics and energy management giant Schneider Electric. 
