IAN DAVID MACKENZIE
Chief Creative Officer at McCann Worldgroup Canada & Global AI Creative Lead for McCann Worldgroup
WHAT I DO FOR WORK:
Ian is a platform-oriented creative leader with a passion for pushing big creative ideas into complex technological ecosystems. Across +15 years in the business, his network approach to ideas has helped clients build long tail creative platforms that continue to return value to their brands years after inception. Along the way, his work has earned more than 500 awards for creativity and effectiveness, including Effies, D&AD, Clios, Webby, 40 One Show Pencils and 31 Cannes Lions. In 2014, he was ranked #1 Copywriter in Canada in Strategy Magazine’s Creative Report Card. Ian was also co-creator and writer of the influential “Our Food. Your Questions.” radical transparency platform for McDonald’s – which led to a direct improvement in both brand trust and food quality perception scores for McDonald’s around the world. As creative leader of the creative data agency FCB/SIX, Ian helmed the LGBTQ+ travel utility “Destination Pride” for PFLAG, which became one of the most awarded campaigns at the 2018 Cannes Lions. In 2019, Ian helmed “Go Back To Africa” for Black & Abroad – which led to an increase in interest to travel to Africa among our target, and a measurable, positive shift in sentiment and usage of a phrase previously and primarily used as a racial slur. That project also won the Grand Prix in Creative Data at Cannes, a D&AD Black Pencil and the Global Grand Effie in Positive Change. Recent work includes “Publicly Traded” for LifeStyles Healthcare, Australia, which won the Grand Prix in Creative e-Commerce at Spikes Asia. Under Ian’s creative leadership, FCB/SIX was the #1 ranked Canadian agency at Cannes in both 2018 and 2019 and became Ad Age’s first ever Data & Analytics Agency of the Year. In 2021, Ian was on the founding team of a new multinational creative data network within IPG: Performance Art. Major clients have included Honda, AB/InBev, Cadbury, Johnson & Johnson, Taco Bell, McDonald’s and BMW.
BEFORE:
Chief Creative Officer at Performance Art
Chief Creative Officer at FCB/SIX
Executive Creative Director at FCB/SIX
Executive Creative Director at KBS Toronto
Creative Director at KBS Toronto
Associate Creative Director at Tribal DDB – Toronto
Senior Copywriter at Tribal DDB – Toronto
Copywriter at Grip Limited – Toronto
WHERE I WENT TO SCHOOL:
Honours BA from the University of Toronto.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION:
I love the competition of award shows and see value in benchmarking our work against the best in the world. Over the years, my work has received more than 500 awards for creativity and effectiveness, including Effies, D&AD, Clios, Webby, 40 One Show Pencils and 31 Cannes Lions.
CANADIAN CAMPAIGN RANKING AT CANNES LIONS:
#1 – “Black Elevation Map” – Black & Abroad – 2022
#1 – “Publicly Traded” – LifeStyles Healthcare – 2021/2020
#4 – “Act Too” – Me Too Movement – 2021/2020
#1 – “Go Back To Africa” – Black & Abroad – 2019
#2 – “Destination Pride” – PFLAG – 2018
#1 – “Our Food. Your Questions.” – McDonald’s – 2013
Please find a full list of Ian’s awards here.
MEMBERSHIPS & ASSOCIATIONS:
The 519 Leadership Council – 2020-2021
AGO Fellow – 2020-2021
TIFF Patron’s Circle – 2020-2021
TEACHING:
“Storytelling” – Miami Ad School, Toronto, Fall 2019 session
(Thankful for the opportunity, the school and the incredible students.)
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
“Engineering Emotion” – Medium
“Simple is bad” – Medium & Mumbrella Asia
“Overcome creative complexity with these six powerful mindsets” – Medium
“Show up. Be nice. Be persistent.” – Communication Arts
“The art of branded storytelling” – Applied Arts
“Owning ownability“ – Applied Arts
SELECTED SPEAKING:
“A narrative approach to technology” – BrandFestival, Hungary
“How to build a big idea” – Most Contagious, London & NY
“Ideas about ideas” – DStv Seminar of Creativity – Durban, South Africa
“Weaving analytics and creativity together seamlessly” – Cannes Live
”Artificial humanity” – Advertising Week panel – NY
“Our Food. Your Questions.” – ADCC Created podcast
JURIES:
Cannes Lions – Social & Influencer Awarding Jury
Cannes Lions – Mobile Awarding Jury
One Show – Creative Use of Data Jury
Loeries – Africa, Middle East – Jury President
Effie – Global Best of the Best
ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards
Webby Awards – Associate Member since 2017
YouTube Works Awards – Grand Jury
AToMiC Awards – Co-Chair
Young Lions
Marketing
ECHO Awards
NAA
CMA
AICE
Applied Arts Interactive
VOLUNTEER:
Corporate representative at Rotman Commerce Marketing Association
Director of Marketing at The Room
Director of Marketing at Praxis Theatre (previously)
THINGS NOT RELATED TO ADVERTISING:
Hiked Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit in 17 days.
Finished the 2006 Mississauga Marathon in 4:25:57.5.
Interviewed 78 theatre artists over 2.5 years, at my (retired) theatre blog, Theatre is Territory.
Adopted two shelter cats, Tobey in 2006 and Petunia in 2009.
Music.