Agency of the Year 2003

STRATEGIC PANEL

Creative Judges Strategic Judges

Selena McLachlan,
program marketing manager, VanCity Credit Union Vancouver, B.C.

Selena McLachlan has been a driving force behind VanCity Credit Union's advertising for close to four years. During that time she has enjoyed seeing the credit union, Canada's largest, take some very bold steps and grow to be a major advertiser in the financial services sector - despite stiff competition from an extremely cluttered market. Her proudest moment at VanCity was the launch of its gay and lesbian strategy, one of the institution's boldest steps yet. McLachlan has been described by others as a "way" out of the box thinker, always striving to challenge the status quo.

Favourite advertising

John St., Viewers Choice, See the Real Thing, "Beaver"
Palmer Jarvis DDB, Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, Bait Cars, "Smile"
Bos, Familiprix, Ah! Ha! "Bedroom"

Impressions of the work
Two words pretty much sum up the majority of all the creative submitted - clever and witty! Bos' use of pole posters for the Henri Vézina campaign was especially clever: simple, yet effective and well-timed. They couldn't have done a better job of taking advantage of a short window of opportunity.

Another great example of clever simplicity is John St.'s Viewers Choice campaign - I couldn't wipe the smile off my face after seeing the "Beaver" execution. And on a more serious note, Palmer Jarvis' Bait Car spots for ICBC were so authentic, they had me looking around for police lights.

Dale Hooper,
VP brand marketing, Frito Lay Canada Mississauga, Ont.

Dale Hooper has more than 12 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods industry with Frito Lay and Cadbury Chocolate Canada. Along with the Frito Lay portfolio of brands, Hooper has marketed such brands as Crispy Crunch and Caramilk. Products, marketing programs and advertising campaigns that he helped develop have been adapted in six countries around the world. His experience in partnership marketing spans many brands and properties including: the NFL, CFL, MLB, 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios, the Juno Awards and channels such as CTV, TSN, YTV and Teletoon. Hooper is a graduate of Laurentian University's Bachelor of Commerce in Sports Administration program. Frito Lay Canada is Canada's largest manufacturer and marketer of snack foods, with brands such as Lays, Ruffles, Cheetos, Doritos and Tostitos.

Favourite advertising

Downtown Partners DDB, Bud Light, "History"
Palmer Jarvis DDB, Canadian Hockey Association, It's Just a Game, "Golf" and "Shopping Carts"
Rethink, BC Lions, You belong in the stands, "Tickets"

Impressions of the work
It's refreshing to see such great Canadian ads and copy from this group of agencies. And importantly for the top two, which I thought were Rethink and Downtown Partners DDB, is the consistency with which they drove home the message while creating an entertaining and memorable ad. Each one of these agencies had one or two fantastic campaigns, but these two consistently delivered the strategic benefits of the brand in an entertaining and memorable way.

David Strickland,
SVP marketing, Zellers, Mississauga, Ont.

Strickland joined Zellers in October 2000 from Enbridge Services, where he served as VP business development and marketing. Strickland's diverse resumé includes stints as VP marketing and franchising for Pizza Hut Canada, director of consumer products for the Toronto Raptors, director of marketing at CTV Television, national marketing manager at Labatt Breweries of Canada, and brand manager at Warner Lambert Canada. Strickland graduated from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario in 1984.

Favourite advertising

Palmer Jarvis DDB, Canadian Hockey Association, It's Just a Game
Palmer Jarvis DDB, Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, Bait Cars
John St., Scottowels, Big Messes

Impressions of the work
Overall, I was impressed with the focus on results: in general I find that effective and persuasive selling often seems to take a back seat to the desire to be creative or shocking.

In my evaluation, I put significantly more weight on new strategic creative solutions and executions. I was surprised at the number of creative pieces that were pool outs of existing campaigns. In my opinion, the 2003 Agency of the Year should not be won based on 2001 or 2002 ideas.

In addition, I think it is much harder to do truly creative work for larger clients. In that vein, as a single campaign, the Scottowels work needs to be applauded the most. It's simple, engaging and clear, and I am sure it had many hands, eyes, ears and critics to pass by before it got produced.

Micki Rivers,
marketing manager, Reebok Canada Mississauga, Ont.

After holding a variety of roles at Reebok over the last eight years, Rivers has overseen Reebok's brand marketing in Canada for the past three. Those years have seen the company gain market share with cutting edge footwear and apparel. Whether it's marketing Reebok's street-worthy RBK line, the fashion forward Classics line, or the Performance Vector product, Rivers continues to emphasize the connection between music and sports. Three key licensing deals with the NFL, NBA and most recently the CFL have served to strengthen the brand's market position and authenticate the product. Next is Athens 2004 and the Olympics as Rivers takes Canada's fastest man, Nicolas Macrozonaris, to new levels of recognition for the Premier line of running footwear.

Favourite advertising

Taxi, Covenant House, Street Kid Survival
Taxi, Mini campaign
John St., Scottowels, Big Messes

Impressions of the work
Call me simple, but I like creative that is straightforward and makes a call to action. Kudos to John St. for keeping the message simple for Scottowels and getting all those paper towels into magazines - a targeted campaign for sure.

As for the Taxi campaigns for Mini and Covenant House: I think I want a new car... and I'll give it to Covenant House!

Stephen Plunkett,
VP marketing, Boston Pizza Vancouver, B.C.

Stephen Plunkett joined Boston Pizza International in 1997 as national marketing manager and was promoted to his current position in 1999. Prior to joining BPI, Plunkett's career included 15 years of extensive marketing and advertising experience with international home goods retailer Ikea and packaged goods brand development with Andres Wines.

As VP he has overall responsibility for the strategic direction of marketing for Boston Pizza International, ensuring that the company and Boston Pizza system maintains a leadership position in consumer, brand and loyalty marketing.

Favourite advertising

Palmer Jarvis DDB, BC Dairy Foundation, Don't take your body for granted
Taxi, Mini, "Safety"
Downtown Partners DDB, Bud Light

Impressions of the work
While some of the work undoubtedly benefited from significant budgets there was a refreshing lack of message-crushing overproduction in the television spots. However several campaigns seemed to run out of steam after the TV and radio ads were completed.

Congratulations to the work that was able to break out into other media and maintain a consistent message: Labatt's Bud Light, Bell Solo, BC Dairy Foundation, The Movie Network and Mini. And kudos to Bos and Henri Vézina for taking advantage of the Quebec provincial election with a smile (and gaining a lot of PR attention at the same time).

Dylan Doherty,
director of advertising and agency management, Diageo USA, Stamford, Conn.

Dylan Doherty currently manages advertising procurement for Diageo in North America, insuring the highest levels of quality, execution and production on a variety of brands such as Smirnoff and Captain Morgan. Prior to joining Diageo, Doherty served as Seagram's global director of advertising/agency management. Before that, Doherty worked at some of New York's finest agencies, including Grey, BBDO, and Ogilvy & Mather. He has served as an account person for such companies as American Express, Delta Airlines, Campbell's Soup, MCI, 3M and others.

Favourite advertising

Taxi, Covenant House, Street Kid Survival
Downtown Partners DDB, Gatorade, "TV Store"
John St., A Marca Bavaria, "The best of Brazil since 1877"

Impressions of the work
Much of the work is very good. But when the creative pursues a quick laugh or tries to make light of something, often the situation seems too unreal or improbable - so it doesn't get me to laugh at the premise, but rather the sophomoric approach to capture viewers.

The spots for Covenant House, on the other hand, rise to the top of the pile. They are direct, not gratuitous, and leave me thinking about the presentation - well thought out and well executed. More agencies should sell based on a strategy versus a joke.

Creative Judges Strategic Judges