JOANNE BJARNASON
Joanne Bjarnason is vice-president of marketing with Corby Distilleries in Toronto.
A native of Vancouver, Bjarnason began working for the L’Oréal Group in 1984, and spent 12 years with the company, before moving to Revlon Canada as director of marketing in 1996. She left Revlon the following year to start her own consulting firm. She joined Corby in January of this year.
Favourite advertising:
1. Kellogg Canada, ‘We the Children’ tv spot, by Leo Burnett.
2. Zellers, ‘Victor’ tv spot, by Ogilvy & Mather.
3. Pillsbury Canada, ‘Baby’ tv spot, by Leo Burnett.
General comments:
‘Overall, I would say that 1998 is a ‘Grand Cru’ for advertising in Canada. There has truly been some outstanding work.
‘In a period of tight budgets on the advertiser side, overwhelming clutter on the media side and very savvy consumers, advertising has to become smarter. There’s no room for ‘creative for creative’s sake.’ Agencies need to be looking for strategic insight into the category, the brand and the target consumer. They need to delve into the essence of the brand and find that emotional hook that will grab hold of consumers and capture their attention. More than ever, the message needs to be relevant, motivating and brilliantly executed in a clear, simple breakthrough manner.
‘I found many examples of this kind of advertising in this year’s submissions. The choice was a hard one.’
JANET EASTWOOD
Janet Eastwood is vice-president of marketing and communications with Showcase and History Television in Toronto.
Since joining Alliance Broadcasting in March 1997, Eastwood has been responsible for the successful launch of History Television, and this fall’s new image campaign for Showcase.
She has also overseen the Canadian launch of the prison drama series Oz, and Showcase’s uncut broadcast of Pulp Fiction – which set a new record for viewership on specialty television.
Prior to coming to Alliance, Eastwood spent eight years at the CTV Television Network.
In addition to her work in marketing, Eastwood has produced a number of projects for television, including two music videos and a one-hour prime-time special for ctv.
Favourite advertising:
1. Canadian Mental Health Association, ‘Father’ tv spot, by Cossette Communication-Marketing.
2. Covenant House, print and tv campaign, by TAXI Advertising & Design.
3. Kellogg Canada, ‘We the Children’ tv spot, by Leo Burnett.
General Comments:
‘Ranking these submissions was more challenging than I had anticipated. There was a lot of great thinking – and some truly brilliant executions.’
FRANÇOIS LANGIS
François Langis is marketing director with Les Rotisseries St-Hubert in Laval, Que.
Langis has more than 12 years of experience in the restaurant business, with chains such as McDonald’s, Tim Hortons and Poulet Frit Kentucky.
Les Rotisseries St-Hubert, which has been serving Quebecers since 1951, has some 90 restaurants across the province.
Favourite Advertising:
1. Compaq Canada, ‘Subway’ tv spot, by Ammirati Puris Lintas.
2. Richmond Savings Credit Union, ‘Folkie Goodbye’ radio spot, by Palmer Jarvis DDB.
3. 7Up, ‘On the Beach’ tv spot, by BBDO Canada.
General Comments:
‘I was happy to see some ads that weren’t using images and/or music from the ’70s – ‘nostalgia advertising’ has been overused. It is also interesting to see concepts with appeal to a younger crowd giving ads a new tone.’
BOB MCKEACHIE
Bob McKeachie has been vice-president, marketing with earls Restaurants in Vancouver for the past four years.
Prior to joining earls, he spent 14 years with Labatt Breweries of Canada, working both in this country and in the u.k.
A privately-held company, earls operates 60 restaurants in Western Canada, as well as one location in Scottsdale, Ariz. A second u.s. location is currently under construction in Denver, Colo.
Favourite advertising:
1. Sara Lee Hosiery, Wonderbra ‘Surprisingly Strong Pantyhose’ tv spot, by TAXI Advertising & Design.
2. Federal Express Canada, ‘Wild West’ tv spot, by BBDO Canada.
3. Visa Canada, Visa Gold tv campaign, by Leo Burnett.
General comments:
‘I found it interesting that…
-Zellers wasn’t talking about price, and Mercedes-Benz was.
-Big brands like Midas were trying to look smaller, while smaller brands like Turtles were trying to look big.
– FedEx and Durex had very similar positioning strategies – both focused on reliability.
-Eaton’s set out to remind women that they no longer belong in the kitchen, while Robin Hood and Campbell’s presented new products and recipe ideas that said there is still some fun to be had in the kitchen (for both sexes).
-The National Post pre-sold a newspaper that promised to be entertaining and get straight to the point on important issues, while TV12 sold entertaining shows about meaningless issues with no point.
-Campbell’s and Robin Hood reminded young consumers that they’re the brands mom and dad trusted, while Eaton’s and Labatt spent big money trying to make them forget.’
RICHARD VIGER
Richard Viger is director, marketing for Montreal-based Vidéotron, a position he assumed in April 1998. Previously, he was general manager of the SuperClub Vidéotron outlets.
Viger has more than 15 years of experience in key marketing positions with the likes of Sports Experts, the Forzani Group and La Brasserie Labatt.
Favourite advertising:
1. ‘Sperm’ tv spot, by MacLaren McCann
2. Healthwatch, ‘Asthma’ tv spot, by TBWA Chiat/Day.
3. Chrysler Canada, ‘Family’ tv spot, by BBDO Canada.
General comments:
‘The work was very focused on original ideas and clear messages.’
CHERYL YOUNG
Cheryl Young is vice-president, mbanx marketing, responsible for all aspects of marketing for the virtual-banking subsidiary of the Bank of Montreal.
Previously, Young was senior vice-president, marketing for Scudder Canada Investor Services, a u.s.-based mutual fund company that launched into the Canadian marketplace in 1995. Her primary challenge – and opportunity – was to build the Scudder brand from scratch in Canada.
Prior to her experience at Scudder, she spent 10 years at American Express Canada, in a variety of senior marketing positions.
Young holds a ba from Queen’s University and an mba from University of Toronto, where she has taught marketing in the commerce program.
Among her extracurricular activities, she is the incoming chairman of the board for the Canadian Direct Marketing Association.
Favourite advertising:
1. Federal Express Canada tv spots, by BBDO Canada.
2. Dominion campaign, by Palmer Jarvis DDB.
3. Salon Selectives, ‘Customized Boyfriend’ tv spot, by TAXI Advertising & Design.
General comments:
‘Fully integrated campaigns seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Humour seems to be the predominant device for attempting to build a brand with the consumer – and a lot of it does work.’
Also in this report:
– Roche Macaulay claims Strategy’s Agency of the Year title p.B4
– Roche Macaulay: It was a very good year: With the turmoil following the Lowe merger well behind now, the agency has spent the past 12 months focusing on what it does best – great advertising p.B24
– BBDO comes up smelling like roses: Despite some rocky moments in 1998, the agency is on a roll, with choice new accounts and new chief creative officer p.B31
– Palmer Jarvis keeps it humble: Canada’s top creative shop spreads the credit around
– From Billy Graham to Durex condoms: The contenders summarize the campaigns they submitted p.B32
– The Creative Judges p.B47
– The Process p.B50
– Breakdown by Panel p.B50
– Previous Winners p.B51
