John Foss, an outspoken advocate for commercial free speech and head of the Association of Canadian Advertisers for well over a decade, died Feb. 28 from complications from pneumonia while on vacation in Ecuador with his wife Pat. He was 74.

A native Norwegian, Foss moved to Canada in 1957 and made an indelible contribution to the advertising industry during a long career that began at Canadian Canners, where he became director of advertising.

He chaired the Association of Canadian Advertisers for the 1973-74 term and later became the association’s president and CEO, a post he held for 14 years (from 1979 to 1993).

In 1996, Foss was awarded the ACA’s Gold Medal for his contributions to the advancement of advertising. Specifically, he was cited for his role in the establishment of the ACA’s educational initiatives, in the formation of the Canadian Congress of Advertising and its Cassies Awards Program, and his strong support of the principle of commercial free speech.

During the 1970s, Foss was a forceful opponent of proposed federal legislation that would have placed severe restrictions on advertising creative.

Foss was also involved with a number of other industry organizations, including the World Federation of Advertisers, the Canadian Advertising Foundation (now Advertising Standards Canada), the Canadian Advertising Research Foundation and the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

By Karen Howe

I’m attending Cannes from the glory of my dining room table. There’s not a palm tree in sight, yet inspiration and intel are present in abundance.

Cannes Lions is a global cultural pulse check. The social course correction in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and BLM has delivered far greater diversity in the judging panels as well as the work. And we are all better for it.

I’m proud to say that creativity defeated COVID, which speaks to its power. Great work and big ideas flourished, despite unimaginable odds.

The work from the past two years spans a vast emotional range. From the profundity of Dove’s “Courage is Beautiful” to the hyper exuberance of Burberry’s “Festive,” they are opposite ends of the spectrum, but each answered a need in us.

Take note, the ascendency of gaming cannot be understated. Smart brands have embraced the channel. It makes sense, because gamers participate to meet others around the world, not just to play. And they represent a huge and powerful community. That’s why QSR Wendy’s gamified their iconic gal in RPG’s Feast of Legends.

Burger King sponsored the unknown Stevenage Football Club, transforming the team into online heroes and vaulting BK into the fray at the same time. Once again, the brand embedded itself in culture.

The birth of gaming tourism arrived when Xbox snuggled up to travel guides and created a brilliant baby: a travel guide for gaming worlds. It, too, embedded itself in culture.

From the standpoint of social good, Reporter Without Borders showed how it worked with Mindcraft for its “Uncensored Library” to bypass press censorship, with Minecraft providing a loophole to a space where young people could be educated. It provided youth with a powerful tool to fight oppression: truth.

COVID changed us in unexpected ways. We learned how to pay attention again and there was a notable lack of 30-second commercials. Instead, longer format content thrived. Apple’s WFH was seven minutes long. Entertainment reigned king, so we find ourselves returning to our advertising roots.

Seeing competitive brands form partnerships was one of this year’s other great surprises. The brilliantly simple “Beer Cap Project” by Aguila to reduce binge-drinking saw the brand reach out to competitive beers to join in. Aguila put incentivizing (keyword: free) reminders to drink water, eat food and get home safely on its bottle caps from all sorts of fast food chains, ride-share co’s and H2O brands.

On a personal level, I’m so proud of Canada again this year. Given that it was two years of work from all over the world being judged, even making the Cannes shortlist was an accomplishment. Canada is herding in the Lions in tremendous numbers – and it’s not even over. Fingers are crossed.

Karen Howe is a Canadian Cannes Advisory Board Member and founder of The Township Group