TAXI DELIVERS KNOCKOUT PUNCH - Strategy

TH!NK B!G
B!GAWARDSB!GIDEASB!GIMPACT
In the three years since strategy inaugurated
the B!G Awards, the scope of what is
considered “advertising” has widened
considerably. That in turn has raised the bar
for an award that recognizes the work of
agencies above and beyond advertising
– and outside the comfort zone of a TV
or print campaign. This year, the winners
ventured into new, uncharted territories
– from theatre production to brand portfolio
management – with tremendous results.
The B!G Awards celebrate big projects for
big brands: to qualify, clients must have
overall media budgets of more than
$20 million, and the projects must be worth
at least $2 million in revenue for the agency.
The deep-pockets focus indicates that these
players have the wherewithal to outsource
projects to any partner they desire, so
choosing their ad agency
is a, ahem, big vote of confi dence.
We asked our judges to keep these criteria
top-of-mind when selecting the winners.
To fi nd out more, read on…
BY CAREY TOANE
JUDGES
Salah Bachir
President, Cineplex
Media, a division
of Cineplex
Entertainment,
Toronto
Salah oversees
sales and production of on-screen
and in-theatre advertising at Cineplex
Entertainment theatres, including
Cineplex Odeon, Galaxy, Famous
Players, Coliseum, Colossus, SilverCity,
Cinema City, Scotiabank Theatres and
other represented chains, comprising
94% of Canada’s total box offi ce.
Sylvie Bourget
SVP marketing
and eBusiness,
Aeroplan, Montreal
Sylvie leads
Aeroplan’s
customer
relationship management, market
research and brand intelligence teams,
as well as the planning and execution
of all marketing programs and the
development and growth of eBusiness
channels. Before joining Aeroplan, she
was VP marketing for Transat AT and
has held senior marketing positions
with Ultima Foods (Yoplait), Seagram,
Kraft and P&G.
Nancy Cardinal
VP marketing &
customer insights,
LCBO, Toronto
Nancy is
responsible for
the development
and implementation of the LCBO’s
corporate brand and marketing
strategy, ensuring that the brand is
brought to life consistently at every
touch point with the customer.
Together with her team, she developed
and introduced the popular Food &
Drink publication, which is dedicated
to providing entertaining solutions that
make customers a “hero in their home.”
www.strategymag.com
Brent D. Nelsen
Managing partner,
SVP director of
planning, Leo
Burnett Canada,
Toronto
Prior to joining
Leo Burnett Canada, Brent held senior
positions at DDB Chicago, McCann
Erickson World Group in New York and
Cossette Communications. He’s had
the pleasure of working in virtually
every consumer category on both a
global and a North American basis.
Ravi Nookala
SVP marketing,
consumer product
group, Sony of
Canada, Toronto
Ravi is responsible
for the marketing of
consumer electronics and IT products,
which involves product planning,
pricing and channel management. He
is also responsible for all marketing
communications and Sony’s online
sites, sony.ca and sonystyle.ca. He
is a member of the management
committee and a board member of the
Sony Canada Charitable Foundation.
Alvin Wasserman
Writer and
president,
Wasserman
& Partners
Advertising,
Vancouver
Alvin is a creative strategist who moved
his agency to an integrated model
before the term was ubiquitous. Known
for his brand- and visitor-triggering
work with the “Super, Natural British
Columbia” campaign and the Chef’s
campaign for White Spot restaurants,
he has worked in the retail, packaged
goods, destination marketing,
entertainment, communication and
public sectors.
STRATEGY November 2008 67