Citing his refusal to ‘compromise’ in the face of a recent reorganization at The Toronto Star, Jeffrey Shearer says he decided to leave the country’s largest daily newspaper and look for ‘another mountain to climb’.
As VP marketing, a post he’d held since 1996, Shearer was responsible for the newspaper’s own advertising and marketing efforts, as well as circulation, business development and market research.
‘They wanted me to continue in the marketing post, but it would not have had advertising reporting to me,’ Shearer says, describing the organizational changes that precipitated his departure. ‘I saw that as a change in my job and decided that I wouldn’t (stay on) with those revisions.’
Shearer, who was previously publisher of Saturday Night magazine and, before that, president of Telemedia Publishing, says he plans to stay in the media business.
Wayne Clifton will take over as the Star’s vice-president of advertising.
Strategy is on the ground in Cannes, bringing you the latest news, wins and conference highlights all week long. Catch all the coverage here.
Thursday’s batch of Silver and Bronze winners included the Creative Business Transformation, Creative Effectiveness, Creative Strategy, Luxury Lions, Brand Experience & Activation, Innovation and Creative Commerce Lions categories. Canadians were recognized with three Lions today: a Silver in Brand Experience & Activation, a Bronze in Creative Commerce and a Bronze in Creative Effectiveness. Rethink was awarded twice on Day 4, while Weber Shandwick rounded out the Canadian agency wins with one Lion. Below is a look at the work. Catch the Gold winners later this afternoon when they’re revealed at the gala in Cannes.
Creative Commerce (1 Silver)
1 SILVER: “U Up?” by Rethink for IKEA
IKEA’s “U Up?” campaign has legs, it turns out. The campaign is getting major love at Cannes. The IKEA work, created in collaboration with Rethink Toronto, added to its Cannes Lions tally with a Silver medal in Creative Commerce. That now makes five total Lions for the work, including two Golds on Wednesday night, for Direct and Socal & Creator. The campaign has been lauded by jurors for its dexterity, contextual timing and humour.
Creative Effectiveness (1 Bronze)
1 BRONZE: “Heinz Ketchup & Seemingly Ranch” by Rethink for Kraft Heinz
Both Rethink and Kraft Heinz picked up another Lion, this one a Bronze in Creative Effectiveness for their collaboration on “Heinz Ketchup & Seemingly Ranch.” Not only did the work capture a culture moment spurred by Taylor Swift, but it also created a new product, “in under 24 hours,” to match. The latest two Lions makes 10 total wins for Rethink. Kraft Heinz and Rethink also picked up a rare Gold Lion for Media a day earlier.
Brand Experience & Activation (1 Bronze)
1 BRONZE: “Airbnb Icons” by Weber Shandwick for Airbnb
The Weber Shandwick work, “Airbnb Icons,” won Bronze on Thursday in Brand Experience & Activation after claiming a Bronze in Media Wednesday. Airbnb turned media brands into a destination, partnering with the likes of Marvel and Disney to offer travellers experiences like drifting off in the Up house or crashing at an X-Men mansion. The first 11 experiences rolled out mid-2024, and most of the experiences were free or under $100, with over 4,000 tickets sold by the end of the season.
