Rob Guenette

CEO - TAXI 

He is known throughout the canadian advertising world for his passion and energy, and Rob Guenette has worked on both the client and agency sides of the business. While on the client side, he was at Unilever for 14 years before moving to Molson in 2000 as Vice President and Global Advertising Director. Switching over to the agency side, Rob has been president and CEO of TAXI Toronto since 2004.

Rob combines his passion for advertising, design, culture and the arts with what he calls a "blue collar" management style that is close to people, close to truth, and very “no- nonsense.” Rob built his career as an agency client with a reputation for buying the best work the industry could produce. At TAXI, he uses that ability to inspire greatness and shape client relationships that are built on shared goals and standards. A recent profile in Strategy Magazine described him as “the most outspoken and successful evangelist for making advertising that has attitude.”

Before joining that little ad shop called Taxi in 2004, Rob Guenette had already earned a reputation as a marketing powerhouse, shaking things up client side by making fresh, engaging creative a top priority while at Unilever, where he stayed for 14 years working on brands such as Lipton and Chesebrough Ponds.

"I'm sorry to say he seems to be one of a kind," said Nancy Vonk, CCO at Ogilvy & Mather Toronto back in August 2004 when strategy put Guenette on the cover of its first magazine issue. "I wish there were many thousands of Rob Guenettes. As a client he really got on board with the whole belief system that you've got to get noticed first and foremost. He really demanded a high calibre of work." In 1999, he was on to Molson where he became VP/global director, marketing before moving to the agency side, running now defunct Flavour. After Flavour came Taxi, and the rest, as they say, is history.

"Rob really is one of the few people I know who has had practical experience client side prior to becoming president of an advertising agency. As a client, he demonstrated his ability to totally motivate our agencies' staff to want to create the best work possible. During his stay at Flavour, Rob started to make his presence known as a real player in this field."

"Simply put, Rob is a self starter. He has the ability to see a bigger picture and the courage to act on making it happen. It's called vision and leadership. He sets the course and pace and because of his commitment, he's able to get his people to trust him because of his beliefs, values and business traits. He gains respect through his actions."

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Not all CEOs in Canada are feeling the credit pinch

John Sleeman, CEO of Guelph, Ont.-based Sleeman Breweries Ltd. expects a solid year. The beer industry is often seen as recession-proof, he notes, because consumers are always willing to treat themselves to a brew even if they can't afford a new car, dishwasher or vacation.

Even though sales to bars and restaurants are slipping, Mr. Sleeman said, the loss has been balanced by increasing take-home purchases.

Mr. Sleeman is also one of few respondents who said the credit crunch is not affecting his borrowing ability. In the brewery's case, that's because it has long-established relationships with Canadian banks, and its parent - Sapporo Breweries Ltd. of Japan - has similar links with large Japanese banks.

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John Sleeman and Mill St. Brewery feud over distillery

The Distillery District in Toronto is a great spot. Lot's of shops, places to eat, places to drink, and overall, and really cool part of town. It's also a popular tourist spot for those visiting Toronto, and so it's no wonder that Sleeman Breweries Ltd., now a wholly-owned sub of Japan's mega-producer Sapporo since 2006, has set it's sights on the area.

Mill Street Brewery co-founder Steve Abrams says the area used to be friendly between businesses, but has since lost that neighbourhood feel. What sparked the initial friction between John Sleeman and his Guelph-Ontario brewery and the locals of Mill St. was a huge Sleeman banner promoting Summerfest, that the landlords of the distillery district, Cityscape Development Corp, had hung over the Mill St. Patio. Summerfest is an event that hosts the largest patio in Canada, and has sold exclusivity to Sleeman for the event. More on the dust up between Mill St. and Sleeman.

In a separate matter, Sleeman has also filed a lawsuit against Mill St., alleging that they poached a sales director who subsequently leaked 'Sleeman Secrets'.


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Nancy Cardinal

Vice President, Marketing & Customer Insights - LCBO

Nancy Cardinal is responsible for developing the corporate marketing strategy and communicating the LCBO brand to consumers, both in stores and in publications, including FOOD & DRINK. Marketing and Customer Insights ensures that all points of contact between the LCBO and its customers are consistent and express the LCBO brand. She joined the LCBO in 1989 and was appointed Vice President in 2000.

With a focus on creating the ultimate consumer experience, innovative retailer LCBO topped up its performance in 2007. Thank Nancy Cardinal

Complacent? Not this government agency.

Last year, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) delivered a record high $3.9 billion in net sales (up from $3.66 billion in 2006). Its Food & Drink magazine reached 2.2 million readers, the highest readership levels ever. And in-store promotions - which highlight a country or region, category or entertaining theme - hit home run after home run, sparking respective sales increases of anywhere from 44% to 100%.

A decade has passed since the Toronto-based LCBO opted to shed its stodgy, bureaucratic image with the aim of becoming a modern, innovative, world-class retail brand. Since 2000, when she was promoted to the position of VP marketing and customer insights, Nancy Cardinal and her team (now numbering 63) have ensured it stays that way.

"We benchmark ourselves against the best in the world," says Cardinal. "When we sit down to plan, we spend most of our time in the research phase, finding out what our customers are looking for from us. Then we turn our gaze globally, to find out who is best-in-class in their area, who's connecting with customers and how we can learn from them and incorporate that into what we do. It's the mindset of the company and it permeates everywhere, not just marketing."

Responsible for everything from the overall brand vision to customer insight research, store design and signage, Cardinal is credited with helping to bring the new-style LCBO to life.

"All the things she's doing currently build on successes that she created before, basically from scratch," says Alan Gee of GJP, the LCBO's AOR. "Every single touchpoint Nancy's involved in, she sweats the details. That's her hallmark."

Cardinal and her team operate on a 13-month cycle that has pushed out a new promotion every four weeks since 2003. Last year's promotions built on previously established successes like the annual October whisky promotion, which this year debuted a consumer photo contest that resulted in 20,250 online entries, twice the anticipated number. To support the campaign there were also more than 1,000 tastings in all 602 LCBO locations and an Ultimate Whisky Bar Chef Challenge, which took place at Toronto's Metro Convention Centre.

Last year also saw new initiatives like podcasts, including one for the summer Hot City Cocktails promotion that became the most-visited podcast in the Entertaining section of iTunes for two straight weeks. And the Latin Fever promo in the spring combined in-store displays, radio, print FSIs and special events, increasing sales of featured Central and South American wines by 100%.

Another success story was the overhaul of the Vintages circular to attract a broader consumer base. "In the past it had been designed to appeal to customers who had a very solid understanding of the world of wine," says Cardinal. "We felt there were so many newcomers who wanted to step into the Vintages [area of the stores], but we had to put out the welcome mat for them and get the kind of content and look and feel that wasn't intimidating." The result contributed to double-digit growth for wines sold under the Vintages brand.

Up next? A new five-year strategy focusing on discovery and learning is rolling out. "A lot of what we're trying to do through our promotions and marketing is to demystify beverage alcohol and get customers feeling comfortable with it," says Cardinal. That will mean a multi-channel approach, including a major redesign of lcbo.com to include more podcasts and new streaming-video tutorials on topics such as wine etiquette.

The LCBO will also venture into e-commerce for the first time with Vintagesshoponline.com, where oenophiles can order bottles from smaller batches that don't make it to stores.

The store planning department brought Nella Fiorino of Toronto-based Fiorino Design, the award-winning designer of the Summerhill LCBO location, on board to develop the retail experience. Enhanced fixtures and lighting will turn aisles into "fashion runways" to make featured products easier to find. And expanded tasting centres called "discovery bars," where experts will present short lessons and samples to larger groups, will be piloted in two stores in Toronto and Oakville in the fall.

"There's been a consistency in the marketing efforts of the LCBO for the past few years," says Steve Mykolyn, ECD at Taxi in Toronto, one of the 15-odd agencies in the LCBO's design pool. "Nancy has a real vision, and there's a high bar set to meet that vision. You're always working towards something."

Team size: 63

Years at LCBO: 18

Previous post: Marketing manager, Marks & Spencer, Toronto

Professional highlight of the year: "We've aligned the entire organization to a new customer promise of 'inspire, guide and delight.'"

Marketing style in three words: "Nothing is impossible."

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John Sleeman

Chief Executive Officer - Sleeman Breweries Ltd.

In 1984, 51 years after they had closed their doors, and exactly 150 years after John H. Sleeman's arrival in Canada, John W. Sleeman, his great, great grandson, was given George's original brewery recipe book. John W. seems to have had no doubts about what he was going to do with the family recipe book. Especially since the fresh spring water from Guelph's deep wells was still running pure and waiting for John to turn it into something better.


In 1985 John W. Sleeman re-incorporated the Sleeman Brewing and Malting Company Limited and by August of 1988 Sleeman Cream Ale was once again flowing, using the very same recipes and techniques that his great, great grandfather had devised and his great grandfather had recorded for him. John even purchased special small batch brewing vessels from Europe, in order to simulate, as closely as possible, the equipment used by his ancestors. It isn't surprising that this tried and true, premium ale, re-introduced to the public a short 14 years ago, quickly re-established itself with the beer loving public.

When you pop the cap on a bottle of Cream Ale, you will find the number 64 stamped on the inside. It signifies page 64 of his great grandfather, George's leather bound, recipe book for Sleeman's Cream Ale.

Within three years (1991) Sleeman's had captured 1% of the Ontario beer market and Sleeman Cream Ale had won the Gold medal at the International Monde Selection in Belgium, while their Silver Creek Lager won the prestigious Grand Gold medal at the same event.

The Sleeman Original Dark went on to win the Grand Gold in Belgium in 1994 and Sleeman Premium Light took the Grand Gold the following year.

The magnitude of Sleeman's product growth, recognition and success, in such a short period of time, is unprecedented. It also speaks volumes about the quality of their products and the success that a well managed company can achieve, when they remain true to their roots and focused on their core business.

When I finally managed to snag a case of Cream Ale for myself, a few years after it's inaugural release, it was considered liquid gold, the yuppy beer of choice and the only beer to serve or to order when you were trying to impress someone. The nice thing about Sleeman's Cream Ale, is that its appeal was not and is not all based on marketing hype. It really is a good smooth tasting, livelier, cream ale.

As for the present day John W. Sleeman, he has stayed true to his heritage, closely following the recipes handed down to him, as well as, the processes that make them special.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Sleeman Breweries Ltd. operates in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The company has been brewing beer since August 17, 1988, but the history of Sleeman beer goes back to 1834 when John H. Sleeman established himself as a brewer and malter, but the company ceased operations by 1933.

In 2006, Sapporo Breweries of Japan announced they would be acquiring No. 3 Canadian brewer Sleeman in a $400-million all-cash deal. The company's current products are based on the family's original recipes.


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