For maximum efficiency, the Diesel table should have been situated on the Cassies stage. The Montreal ad agency won a third of the 18 awards handed out yesterday at Canada’s advertising effectiveness awards show held in Toronto and Montreal. Among its six awards was a gold for Best Launch with its campaign for Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity show. Of the coup, Diesel ceo/senior partner Jean-François Bouchard says the showing by Quebec agencies (which won half the awards) ‘destroys the myth that planning is a discipline practiced better in Toronto.’ Mario D’Amico, VP marketing for Cirque, attributes the ROI success 67% above sales objectives, and over double the database acquisition targets to the relationship between the marketing partners.
The other gold awarded at this well-attended event, which is the hallmark of celebrating effective measures, went to John St. and Astral Media in the services category, for a Family Channel campaign.
PHD Canada chairman David Harrison graciously emceed the awards luncheon, which featured a keynote on the topic of effectiveness by U.K.-based Tim Broadbent, director of brand consultancy BrandCon and a two-time Grand Prix winner of the IPA Effectiveness Awards. Titled ‘Are We Celebrating Hard Enough?’, Broadbent’s witty speech referred to the need to globally celebrate effectiveness in a more concerted manner (rather than a comment on the enthusiasm of the attendees), and discussed the conundrum of placing a dollar value on ideas, which he praised the Cassies case study authors for achieving.
In Toronto, cochairs Philip Donne, president of Campbell Co. of Canada and BBDO president/ceo Gerry Frascione spoke on the importance of true partnership, and how that can also contribute in a very tangible way to results. In Montreal, Quebec Dairy Farmers director of marketing Nicole Dube and BBDO president Gregor Angus co-chaired, who won a certificate of excellence for their ‘Deux c’est mieux’ campaign. The event is put on by the ICA, AAPQ and Le Publicite Club de Montreal.
For full results, winning case studies are on the Cassies web site at http://www.cassies.ca
