What better time to inaugurate an archive of ad legends than on the eve of the Marketing Awards own big birthday bash?

As the 100-year-old program looks back on its time in Canadian advertising, it will recognize creatives and agency builders revered by their peers for galvanizing the industry forward. They are the mega mentors who broke ceilings, gave back, nurtured talent, inspired a culture of creativity, and elevated Canada on the world stage.

All of these qualities and contributions were easily recognized in ad giant Jerry Goodis, and creative mentors Janet Kestin and Nancy Vonk – which is why they were selected to be this year’s inaugural “Hall of Marketing Gold” inductees.

The three luminaries were chosen by an advisory board of (legendary in their own right) ad vets Gavin Barrett, Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, Luc Du Sault, Judy John, Carlos Moreno, Zak Mroueh, Jo Munro, Steve Mykolyn, Frank Palmer, Jenny Smith and Christina Yu.

Advertiser, entrepreneur and author Goodis – who was born in Toronto in 1929 and died in British Columbia in 2002 – was chosen for many reasons, one of which being how his campaigns (for the likes of Wonderbra, Speedy, Harveys, London Life and others) became part of Canadian popular culture.

As one of the country’s original creative pioneers, Goodis spawned many of Canada’s iconic agencies from Harrod & Mirlin to Millers Myers Bruce to Ambrose Carr Linton. The charismatic and mercurial legend has been described as “Canada’s foremost marketer.” Many a documentary and podcast have been made over the years to tell the story of his life in the biz (and in a band).

Famous for campaigns for Dove, Shreddies, Laura Secord and Timex, Kestin and Vonk were selected as a powerhouse duo for their thought leadership and contributions to championing diversity and inclusion in a notoriously male-dominated industry.

Described as “trailblazers” by the advisory board, both Kestin and Vonk gave back not only through a host of creatively brilliant campaigns – including Dove’s “Evolution” – but also in mentorship books and their highly successful SWIM leadership training business.

All three inductees will be recognized at the 100th Marketing Awards gala, which will return to a live stage for the first time since 2019. The lifetime achievement awards will be presented among some of the best creative ideas to come out of Canada over the last year, with the show taking place in Toronto at the Wychwood Barns on June 15.

For more info and tickets for the event, visit the program’s website here.