Blog

Creator. Designer. Entrepreneur. Flag-waver. Mentor. Pioneer. These words just begin to describe Paul Lavoie. Perhaps that’s fitting for a man who has been doing business to the mantra “Doubt the conventional” throughout his more than 30-year advertising career. For Lavoie’s many achievements, not least of which includes building Taxi – the agency he co-founded in 1992 with his partner Jane Hope – into a global powerhouse, Lavoie was recognized with the 2015 ACA Gold Medal Award. It’s an award to honour an individual whose has had a measurable, distinctive impact on the practice of marketing communications in Canada. No doubt Lavoie fits the bill, and you get the feeling from this Q&A that he’s not planning to take his foot off the gas anytime soon.




ACA: You have won “achievement” awards before, but given that the ACA represents client marketers, specifically, and is focused on driving ROI, does it hold special meaning for you?

Lavoie: Driving ROI is everyone’s focus – clients and agencies alike. The ACA has demonstrated through past recipients that the Gold Medal Award celebrates that, but more as well. If you look at those who have won, you’ll see achievements like building innovative enterprises and brands, a commitment to the future and health of marketing in Canada, and of course their individual careers that have influenced many. For me to be named among those change agents is the real honour.

ACA: What is your vision for your future?

Lavoie: My job description describes it best: “Open Minds. Open Doors.”
It’s about inspiring clients, collaborators, and the community – and it’s about delivering opportunity.

ACA: What is your vision for Taxi? In today’s climate, with clients examining every cost, what do you think is required from the modern agency?

Lavoie: It’s all in the mix: Increasing speed to market without compromising quality; meaningful senior management involvement while fostering new talent; bringing a rich storytelling tradition to a total grasp of the evolving content landscape. And, ultimately, it’s about producing original and engaging work that delivers results. We launched TAXI in 1992 with that specific purpose in mind and we haven’t stopped perfecting the mix.

ACA: Do you have any advice for marketers on the client side of the table?

Lavoie: The best clients get their money’s worth. There’s only one way to do that: bring clarity and transparency to their business ambitions and an open mind to achieving them. It leaves room for the agency to feel valued – and to deliver value. It feels like magic but what it really is, is trust.

ACA: You recently resumed CCO duties at Taxi. Is it a different experience for you now than before? Do you benefit from your past experience?

Lavoie: Let’s face it, even as chairman, I never let TAXI’s product out of my sight. Taking back the CCO reins just makes that clearer to everyone, and it allows me to work more closely with our extremely talented ECDs to create the conditions for their success, in whatever form that may take. It’s also fun to work closer with my partner and TAXI CEO, Rob Guenette.

ACA: If you could go back and talk to yourself in 1992, what advice would today’s Paul Lavoie have for Paul Lavoie then?

Lavoie: Our credo at TAXI has always been “Doubt the conventional. Create the exceptional.” So we always think: What can we do better? At the beginning we questioned everything. We created a new agency model based on small teams dedicated to getting to solutions faster. We started bringing the best and brightest from different disciplines – beyond advertising alone – together to collaborate on holistic brand solutions. We risked successful careers to start TAXI during a recession. We made too many mistakes to list, fixed them, and then made some more. At times we joked that our credo should be “Doubt the conventional. Create the F*** up!” We’re still having fun because everything keeps changing, so the truth is that change is the only thing I wouldn’t change.