Craig Bahner, general manager, Northeast Asia, fabrics and housecare, Procter & Gamble

‘We awarded our North American brands, Cheer and Gain, to the Toronto office based on sound business reasons and the quality of their expertise and resources. The Toronto office has some of the best young creatives I’ve ever seen. They are very talented and hungry.’

David Strickland, senior vice-president, marketing, Zellers, Toronto

‘Zellers is a 70-year-old company, so there’s a sense of comfort knowing our agency partner has strong experience and loyalty. Yet despite their strong heritage, I see Leo Burnett as being able to change with the times. They are open to listening and understanding our needs. It doesn’t always get nailed the first time, but they are always open to feedback.

‘Many agencies are driven by creative egos. Other agencies are driven by business philosophies. If that is soundly rooted in meeting the client’s needs and their business goals, then that’s appealing to me. Leo Burnett shows a genuine desire to please their clients and work with them. They don’t focus solely on the product, but on delivering on the promises of the advertising. It’s not a question of, ‘This is the way we do things here.’

‘Great organizations have something inspiring to look back on to guide them forward. The clarity and strength of their history and the culture can be an effective rallying point. Everyone needs it. But it’s not so strong that they are not open to change and evolution. They know how to position and speak to the voice of the brand in a consistent way.’

Trish McLean, marketing manager, Woodbine Entertainment Group, Toronto

‘We were really impressed with Leo Burnett’s point of view in their pitch in 2000. They were prepared to take a different, fresh approach on pitch day. They talked to potential and existing customers and put together a series of ripomatics cut to a music track. It was clear they really wanted a retail Toronto sports client. They all wore eccentric clothes that had brought them luck in the past. David Moore wore an old hockey jersey from his teenage years. It was a truly engaging and responsive pitch – which was not true of the other agencies.’

‘They understood where we wanted to go strategically before we even talked to them in depth. They showed a lot of competence and enthusiasm. They saw the future and they were prepared to move quickly. Their interactive and direct components appealed to us; they were not siloed, but worked as crossover disciplines.’

Brenda Woods, VP, consumer products marketing, VISA Canada, Toronto

‘Some agencies focus on client needs, but Leo Burnett draws upon unique consumer insights. Our relationship has lasted for over 20 years because we consider them our partners. People pay lip service to that idea, but we really do have an open relationship. We feel that long-term partnerships really do produce the best work.

‘Leo Burnett is involved in everything we do internally, and as a result they really understand the complexities of our business. Because we work with various member banks, we are almost like an agency ourselves, so that helps us working with an agency like Leo Burnett. The account people understand our business and the creative people keep coming up with fresh ideas.

‘The ‘Monkey’ commercial produced in 1997 (showing a monkey in a zoo returning a man’s wallet, but keeping the VISA card) continues to score off the charts for us. Whenever we get excited about new work, we always say, ‘That could be a monkey’.’

Kate Pearce, vice-president, marketing, AOL Canada, Toronto

‘I’m a big fan of Leo Burnett. In our two-year partnership, they have been able to help us in all parts of our business. They are all on the same page working in the same direction. And they have strong creative talent.

‘They did a tremendous amount of work helping us define and validate our strategy across all media – TV, radio, print, direct mail, on-line. That speaks well of their integrative capacities. I also like the fact that they can draw on a strong head office in Chicago if need be. Recently they delivered a very important piece of research for us that was extremely well done. That’s an important part of what they deliver.’

Vince Timpano, president and CEO, Minute Maid, Toronto

‘I’m impressed with Leo Burnett’s ability not only to retain people, but retain quality people. Jim McKenzie is a soft-spoken yet extremely strategic guy. He’s closely involved with the business, yet doesn’t make the decisions for the people managing the account. He balances his role well. He makes sure they have the resources and empowers them to make their own decisions. That, in turn, helps him to retain good people.

‘Minute Maid didn’t do much marketing or brand building during the 1990s. Since our relationship began with Leo Burnett in 1997, brands have become the life blood of our organization. We’ve done 15 commercials in the past two years, as many as we did in the previous five years. This year we have launched a new brand, Bibo, and given Minute Maid Cocktails a new, contemporary positioning. We have successfully revitalized a sleepy brand, 5-Alive. And for Fruitopia, I was impressed that they respected the power of the existing ‘Kaleidoscope’ ads. The creatives settled for minor adaptations, not letting their pride or egos get in the way.

‘I give Leo Burnett high marks – they are a really good group.’