The 2008 Cassies were given out last night at galas held in Toronto and Montreal, with Kraft Canada and John St. emerging as the big winners.
Grand Prix accolades went to Kraft for its Diamond Shreddies tongue-in-cheek campaign which touted a “new” product concept for the well-established Canadian cereal brand by turning its square-shaped pieces at a 45-degree angle to produce a “diamond-shaped” Shreddie.
The campaign was created by Kraft’s agency partner Ogilvy & Mather, and also won gold in the Packaged Goods Food and Best Integrated category.
The biggest agency winner of the evening was Toronto’s John St., which took home six awards for five campaigns. Its Camp Okutta initiative for War Child Canada won golds in the Not For Profit and Small Budget categories. Its ongoing work for the Cashmere bathroom tissue brand won gold in Sustained Success, and its pharmaceutical category campaign for AstraZenica’s Nexium heartburn pill took gold in Prescription Pharma. After adding two silvers before the end of the night, John St. has now won 19 medals at the Cassies since 2003.
Presented by the Institute of Communication Agencies, the Association des agences de Publicité du Québec, and Association des professionnels de la communication et du marketing, the Cassies are awarded based on the review of case studies that show the impact advertising and marketing have on business results. This year, the event was made a part of the ICA’s inaugural Advertising Week, which concludes today. Ninety-two unique cases were submitted in multiple award categories, for a total of 132 entries, with 46 awards handed out to 31 unique cases—13 golds, 24 silvers, and eight bronzes, plus the Grand Prix.
Dentsu Canada went home with an arm-full of hardware thanks to its work for Toyota Canada. In addition to four silvers and one bronze, it won gold in the Auto and DIY category for marketing the Tundra. Those six awards also made Toyota the single most-awarded client of the evening.
Other big agency winners included JWT with five trophies, and Cossette with four.
“This year, with advertising investment under greater scrutiny, the Cassies’ mandate to ‘prove by rigorous case study that advertising is a prudent commercial investment’ resonates more than ever before in its 15-year history,” said Mark Childs, Cassies chair of judging and vice-president, marketing of Campbell Company of Canada, in a statement. “The 2008 Cassies submissions did not disappoint and are a reminder of the great work happening here in Canada. The winning cases provided clear proof that fresh insights, a big idea and great advertising can indeed reward those who have the courage to bring them forward; and equally, to stand behind them.”
