Last night’s 2011 Marketing Hall of Legends gala, held at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, drew the elite of Canada’s marketing industry.
Inductees were welcomed to the organization’s ranks in one of four categories: Visionary (for entrepreneurs who have launched companies and built iconic Canadian brands); Builder (for marketers who have helped their company thrive by enhancing the brand); Enabler (those in the marketing realm who’ve lent their brand-building skills to one or more big brand) or Mentor (for those who inspire and teach others to reach new heights in Canadian marketing).
The 2011 inductees are:
Visionary
•
Frank Buckley, former spokesperson and president of W.K. Buckley Limited
• Paul Rowan, vice-president of design and founding partner of Umbra
• Les Mandelbaum, president and co-founder of Umbra
• Louis Garneau, president and founder of Louis Garneau Sports
Enabler
• Nancy Vonk, co-chief creative officer, Ogilvy Toronto
• Janet Kestin, co-chief creative officer, Ogilvy Toronto
Mentor
•
Jim Barnes, professor emeritus at Memorial University, now principal at BMAI Strategy
Builder
• David Bloom, former president and CEO, Shoppers Drug Mart
The evening was punctuated by several stand-out moments. The audience gave 90-year-old Buckley a warm standing ovation when, after approaching the stage in a wheelchair, he walked to the podium to accept his award. Rowan, at the end of his thank-you speech, turned to the on-stage band, said, “It’s in the key of A,” then brought out his own harmonica for an unexpected blues number. And, after delivering a speech about his long career at the helm of Shoppers Drug Mart, Bloom parted with this advice: “You have to know when it’s time to retire and smell the roses.”
With such inspiration in the air, Marketing asked attendees to share who they considered their personal or professional legends. Here’s what they had to say:
“My legend was Pierre Trudeau. His love of Canada combined with his charisma and fortitude put our country on a world stage, not as a satellite of the British Empire or a lap dog to the USA, but as Canada.” – Tony Chapman, CEO, Capital C
“Undoubtedly, Frank Buckley is a marketing legend. How he grew a small product into a category leader by staying true to the brand and taking a chance with kitschy one-liners is certainly an inspiration. That being said, I wouldn’t be a true marketer if I didn’t mention that you can avoid that awful tasting stuff by taking Cold-FX to prevent your cold altogether!” – Catherine Rocher, senior marketing manager, Cold-Fx
“Paul McGuinness [founder of Principle Management Ltd, and manager of the Irish rock band U2]. I’ve known him for years. He’s a genius. He’s had his successes and his failures and he’s the first to admit when something goes wrong from a business perspective, which I’ve always loved. He has truly built an empire with U2 from a pub in Ireland and turned it into properties around the world, theatrical ventures, he’s ventured into fashion and retail. And I know he’s made mistakes, because he’s told me. What I admire in him is his ability to admit his mistakes.” – Susan Willemsen, president, The Siren Group
“The guy who I admire so much is Issy Sharp, founder and chairman of the Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts. He was the son of immigrant parents. I’m sure he had a shovel in his hand when he built his first hotel, and literally built the Four Seasons company from the ground up. What’s amazing about him… you have this feeling you’re the only person in the room when he’s talking to you. And his motto in terms of how he built the business is ‘treat everyone the way you wish to be treated.’ He is the driving force behind the Terry Fox Run. He was the one that got behind Terry Fox when nobody was paying attention. He was the first person who stepped forward and said I will give you $1 for every mile you run and you can stay in my hotels and eat in my hotels in any city you go to. He took out a full-page newspaper ad and challenged other companies in Canada to make the same pledge [$10,000] he had. He’s a legend as a marketer but also as a business person.” – Sharon MacLeod, brand director, Dove Canada
“David Bloom spent 18 years at the helm of Shopper’s Drug Mart and took it through an incredible growth period and now he’s a very trusted advisor of ours. He’s become a very good friend over a number of years and we have a huge amount of respect for him. What makes him a legend is his sensitivity and his understanding of people’s needs, and he understands the CPG industry very well.” – Steve D. McKerrell, executive chairman, Swiss Herbal Remedies Ltd.
“My dad. I’ve watched this man [a construction worker] get up at 5 a.m. every morning and he’s got cuts on his hands that will never heal again and he never complains. I complain about paper cuts and bad WiFi connections, and he’s 67 years old and never complains. I can’t get my head around what inspires him. I would actually love to know. I’ve never asked him.” – Pat Lore, creative director, Immersion Media
“I was in journalism for a long time and then I moved into marketing. There’s a woman by the name of Tiina Tulikorpi, she’s our VP of corporate relations and I guess she’s the one that pushed me into the direction of marketing. She would be the person who inspired me the most. I’m continually blown away by how much she’s able to grow and to learn and the tasks that she’s able to take on.” – Shayne Stephens, manager of business marketing and media relations, Nygard International
