The induction of Canadian sport business legend Chris Lang into the Sponsorship Marketing Awards (SMAs) Hall of Fame on April 4, 2019, capped off a night of honours for top-tier properties, brands and agencies that are positively shifting the sponsorship marketing landscape.
Chairman of the Lang Marketing Network, and widely recognized as one of the pioneers of the business of sponsorship in Canada during his 50-year career, Lang has been involved in every Olympic Games since 1968, and is among the founders of Hockey Canada, Participaction and the Coaching Association of Canada.
Lang’s vision and leadership has led to the evolution of sponsorship to multi-faceted partnership programs that create value to the consumer, corporation and the property. He has worked with major brands such as Coca-Cola, Samsung, Kodak, Bank of America, IBM, Bell Canada, Royal Bank, Canadian Pacific, Petro-Canada, Canada Post, Purolator, Weston Foods, Labatt, Rogers and CIBC.
In 2017, Lang founded the Sport at the Service of Humanity Foundation to continue to grow the movement that champions the concept of values-driven sport.
The 2019 SMAs, presented by the Sponsorship Marketing Council Canada, recognized best-in-class work by Canada’s top properties, brands and agencies. A judging committee of 21 sponsorship industry experts chose the following winners:
ARTS & CULTURE
Gold:
Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival
BEST NEW INITIATIVE
Gold: Hellmann’s x MLSE Real Food Rescue
Award
of Distinction: Special Olympics Day of Inclusion at Tim Hortons
BEST NEW INNOVATION
Gold: WJC FanCam, Hockey Canada’s Robotic Fan-Controlled Cameras
Award
of Distinction: Sun Life Financial | Parcours Simplement Brillant
CAUSE
Gold:
WE Are Social Entrepreneurs
EVENTS & FESTIVALS
Gold: Hot Wheels 50th Anniversary
Award of Distinction: RBC at TIFF
MEDIA
Gold: BMO Celebrating Women: She’s Newsworthy Media Partnership with Post Media
Award of Distinction: Scotiabank Arena Launch
SPORTS
Gold: Toronto Raptors x Google – Home Mini Launch
Award
of Distinction: Next Generation Game Presented by Scotiabank
SUSTAINED SUCCESS
Gold: RBC Golf
Gold:
Tim Hortons – NHL Fall 2018 Hockey Campaign
2018 PYEONGCHANG OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC GAMES
Gold: Air Canada Olympic Campaign – Our Time
Gold:
Canadian Tire Retail’s “We All Play for Canada”
PROPERTY OF THE YEAR
Team
Canada (Canadian Olympic Committee)
AGENCY OF THE YEAR
Wasserman
BEST IN SHOW
Hot
Wheels 50th Anniversary
2019 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Scotiabank Giller Prize
Toronto Raptors/Go Daddy – Itty Bitty Ballers
HALL OF FAME, INDIVIDUAL
Chris Lang, Chairman
Lang
Marketing Network
