The past 20 years have gone by in a blur. When I first arrived from the U.S. I saw an industry that took a fairly myopic view; some of the best agencies didn’t seem to care what was going on beyond our borders. A big idea then was a moving or funny TV spot. Today a big idea from an ad agency might not be an ad at all – it’s whatever solves the problem, maybe a coat or a play. Old rules are flying out the window and creativity is booming. Recent years have seen Canada at podiums around the world.

I was pleased to be asked to identify a list of top ad moments as strategy marks its 20th. I will no doubt do the head slap later (“How could I forget THAT?”), so I’m sorry in advance. But what fun to look back all the way to 1989.

Made you look: Weather Network, 1999

Could the best print of the last two decades be in the outdoor space?

My favourite print breaks its physical boundaries and acknowledges its surroundings. Back in 1992 it took just one word on a billboard to tell Canada McDonald’s was going beyond burgers for the first time. “Pizza” (with two golden arches flipped 90 degrees for zeds) is an all-time classic. The Weather Network’s breakthrough OOH campaign made the sky the medium. Billboards pointed up, next to lines like “Told you so” and “Written, directed and produced by God.” Ultimately, two boards across the street from each other formed quotation marks on the iconic Weather Network yellow, framing the sky.
Ten years later, the heavily awarded James Ready outdoor used the medium in another whiplash-inducing way, selling off the majority of the billboard to keep their beer cheap.

Integration schooling: ‘Bud Light Institute,’ 2001

Television dominates the best-of list, and picking a single best is nearly impossible. Vim’s “Prisoner,” Canadian Tire’s “Bike Story,” Carling Black Label’s “The Legend is Black,” Special K’s “Resolution,” A&P Canada’s “Fresh Obsessed,” Molson Canadian’s “Rant,” Eaton’s “Aubergine,” Familiprix’s “A-ha!,”  Viagra’s “Bleep” and the Breast Cancer Society of Canada’s “Cam’s Breast Exam” – all world-class, as great today as the day they ran. But for sheer comedic brilliance and PR- and awards-worthy 360 executions, the “Bud Light Institute” gets top billing.

Launched with classified ads for the position of CEO and Head Ferret Trainer, the TV campaign was always augmented with extras (day-after-Valentine’s cards, CDs, etc.), and we all looked forward to seeing the next insane round. The zenith: “History” explained that the Institute invented the Tupperware party, shoe sales, feminism and 24-hour online shopping to free up time for the guys to have a cold refreshing Bud Light.

Canada’s digital Rorschach test: Mini’s ‘Inkblot,’ 2004