Strategy - Agency of the Year

Lili Côté

Lili Côté is president and creative director of Communications Lili Côté, a Montreal-based firm offering integrated advertising services, including creative development, strategic planning, graphic design and marketing consulting. She has more than 15 years of experience in regional and national advertising, having worked at Cossette Communication-Marketing, BCP and Marketel.

Favourite advertising:
1. Cantel AT&T, "Customs" TV spot for Digital One rate, by Gee, Jeffery & Partners Advertising.
2. Masterfile Corporation, "El Gusano" print ad (woman in dumpster), by Holmes & Lee.
3. Insurance Corporation of B.C., "Walking" TV spot, by Palmer Jarvis DDB.

General comments:
"Impressed by the print work more than the TV. Completely seduced by the intelligence of one particular spot by Gee, Jeffery & Partners for Cantel AT&T: 'Customs.' Un petit chef d'oeuvre!"

Karen Howe

Karen Howe is creative director of Due North Communications in Toronto.
Howe began her career in 1980 as an art director. Seven years later, she switched disciplines, adding copywriting to her resumé. She worked for some of Canada's leading creative agencies, including Harrod & Mirlin, Lowe SMS and Cossette Communication-Marketing (as creative group head) before joining Due North last year.

General comments:
Ammirati Puris Lintas: "Absolutely stunning executional values in television overall."
BBDO Canada: "Solid work in some very demanding categories. I'm a particular fan of the 'Joy of Cola' outdoor."
Gee, Jeffery & Partners Advertising: "The 'Customs' spot for Cantel AT&T is one every wearied traveller can relate to.
Nice identification of the target group."
Holmes & Lee: "The Short Man Brown's outdoor campaign is terrific."
Ogilvy & Mather: "Smart work on tough, big brands."
Palmer Jarvis DDB: "This was an extraordinary body of work - tremendous insight, enviable consistency. Whether it's print, radio, TV or outdoor, the work is great. Let's hope the post-Staples PJDDB maintains the fresh, witty demeanour that propelled it to the front of the pack."
TAXI Advertising & Design: "The Clearnet work is remarkable for its consistency across all forms. It is a triumph of seamless design and personality."
Young & Rubicam: "Some great work on tough brands. The AGF creative continues to enter uncharted waters for mutual funds."

Rick Kemp

Rick Kemp is senior vice-president, executive creative director with Toronto-based J. Walter Thompson.
Kemp began his career in 1983, with Young & Rubicam in Toronto. He moved to Ogilvy & Mather in 1987, Cossette Communication-Marketing in 1989, and finally Leo Burnett in 1991, by which time he had ascended to senior art director.
In 1996, Kemp moved west, where he spent two years as creative director with Vancouver's Bryant, Fulton & Shee, before returning to Toronto to join JWT.

Favourite advertising:
1. Insurance Corporation of B.C., "Walking" TV spot, by Palmer Jarvis DDB.
2. AGF Mutual Funds, "Web of Golf" TV spot, by Young & Rubicam.
3. Masterfile Corporation, "Kamikaze Tours" magazine ads, by Holmes & Lee.

General comments:
"Based on the work I saw, Canadian advertising seems to be in excellent shape. I see no reason why we shouldn't be competing for more business on a North American or even global scale.
"Every agency had one or two killer campaigns - although once you went deeper than that, their soft underbelly started to show. The exception was Palmer Jarvis DDB. They were consistently fresh across all five campaigns. Unlike some larger agencies, their ads were never 'over-worked' or 'over-thought,' and the strategy never showed."

Jeff Lennard

Jeff Lennard is creative director with Highwood Communications in Calgary.
An ACA graduate, Lennard has worked primarily in Calgary, for clients including the Calgary Stampede, Travel Alberta and Great Western Brewing.
His work has earned recognition from the Marketing Awards and the Advertising and Design Club of Canada, as well as Calgary's advertising awards show, the Ad Rodeo (where a Highwood television spot for the Calgary Stampede won best of show in 1998). Lennard's work has also been featured in Lurzer's Archive.

Favourite advertising:
1. Lever Pond's, Finesse Shampoo "Poem" TV spot, by Palmer Jarvis DDB.
2. The Weather Network, "Told You So" outdoor execution, by Holmes & Lee.
3. Peoples Jewellers, "That's Gotta Hurt" TV spot, by Gee, Jeffery & Partners Advertising.

General comments:
"I wish I did that. I wish I did that... I wish I did that one, too . . . I wish I did that . . . And that one . . . Oh, wow, I wish I did that one. I wish I did that one. I wish I did that one and that one . . . I wish I did that one. I wish I did that one. I wish I did that one. I wish I did that one. I wish I did that one. I wish I did that one..."

Jane Pritchard

Jane Pritchard is vice-president, executive creative director with Toronto-based DraftWorldwide Canada.
In her 25 years in the business, Pritchard has worked on such iconic brands as Labatt Blue, and chaired the annual Marketing Awards. She worked previously at Young & Rubicam, where she served as senior vice-president, executive creative director. Prior to that, she was at J. Walter Thompson, where she rose to the position of senior vice-president, creative director.

Favourite advertising:
1. Sun-Rype Fruit To Go TV campaign, by Palmer Jarvis DDB. ("I loved the consumer insight that it was for active kids. As a mom, I really thought they were talking to me.")
2. Indian Motorcycle Café print campaign, by Holmes & Lee. ("Beautiful. Exquisite. It was the best print I saw.")
3. Cantel AT&T, "Anyone can get a cell phone" cinema spot, by Gee, Jeffery & Partners Advertising. ("It made me laugh out loud. It really paid off the tagline. Hysterical.")

General comments:
"I saw a lot of fabulous work that I'd never seen before. And not just for public service advertisers or obscure moving companies - for big, serious packaged goods and corporate clients. I think this says a lot about the way our business is heading. Advertisers are demanding and getting 'out-of-the-box' creative. Congratulations to all the finalists in this year's competition."

Roberto Wilson

A 23-year industry veteran, Roberto Wilson is a well-known figure on the Quebec advertising scene. Most recently, he served as executive vice-president and chief creative officer at Groupaction/JWT.
Wilson began his career with the founding of Wilson & Chartier, a graphic design and illustration firm catering to advertising agencies. In 1983, he joined Cossette Communication-Marketing as senior art director. From there, he moved to Scali McCabe Sloves (Quebec), serving as vice-president, creative director from 1986 to 1991.
From 1991 to 1995, he was vice-president, creative director with Young & Rubicam (Montreal). That was followed by a two-and-a-half-year stint at Saatchi & Saatchi in Toronto.
In 1998, Wilson returned to Montreal to open the Saatchi network's first Quebec office.

Favourite advertising:
1. Kraft Canada, Kool-Aid campaign, by Young & Rubicam.
2. McDonald's Restaurants of Canada, Breakfast TV campaign, by Palmer Jarvis DDB.
3. Clearnet PCS Phones campaign, by TAXI Advertising & Design.

General comments:
"Once again, the best work comes from great consumer insight. Overall, a good vintage, with quite a few very strong ideas - simple and original. But there are still too many nicely executed campaigns that are trying to pass for concepts or ideas."