The Marketing Awards are set honour a new group of top creatives and agency builders who stood out among their peers and blazed trails to move the industry forward during their distinguished careers. They are the mega mentors who broke ceilings, gave back, nurtured talent and inspired a culture of creativity while elevating Canada on the world stage.
Such qualities were exemplified by duo Elspeth Lynn and Lorraine Tao and Terry O’Reilly, who are this year’s Hall of Marketing Gold inductees.
The 2025 luminaries were selected by an advisory board of marketing experts led by chair Steve Mykolyn and board members Luc Du Sault, Judy John, Sharifa Khan, Jo-Ann Munro, Will Novosedlik, Helen Pak, Frank Palmer, Jenny Smith, Christina Yu, Nancy Vonk, Mark Rutledge, Janet Kestin and Roehl Sanchez.
Lynn and Tao began working together at Leo Burnett in the mid-90s and broke new ground during a time when such professional partnerships between women were rare in the industry. Lynn’s background in art history and Tao’s expertise in design made them a formidable creative pair with the former’s extroversion serving as an interpersonal counterpoint to Tao’s more introspective approach.
The pair, whose work broke through standards of male approval and idealized feminine imagery, co-founded Zig with business partner Andy Macaulay in 1999.
On the back of Lynn and Tao’s genre-defying output for brands such as Vim, IKEA and Unilever, Zig’s staff grew to 135-people at offices in Toronto and Chicago. In 2002, it was named Marketing’s Agency of the Year and drew acclaim from Cannes, The One Show, D&AD and the Clios.
Terry O’Reilly’s marketing style is based on a strong connection to the everyday Canadian. From beer to banking, symphonies to insulation, the native of Sudbury, Ont., has worked across nearly every category and helped create some of the most iconic ads in the country’s history.
The co-creator of Pirate Radio & Television has also built a distinguished career in broadcasting and has been on the air as the host of Under the Influence – formerly Age of Persuasion – at CBC Radio for 20 years.
O’Reilly extended his passion for storytelling further with his 2017 book, This I Know: Marketing Lessons from Under the Influence, which offers small- and medium-sized business insights accrued over his 40-year-plus career.
This year’s inductees will be recognized at the Marketing Awards gala on June 3 at Rebel in Toronto. Attendance info can be found on the Marketing Awards website.
With files from Sheima Benembarek
