2024 Inductee

Marlene Hore

Creative Leader

In the dynamic (though too-often dogmatic) world of advertising, Marlene Hore stands as a pioneer and trailblazer who fearlessly challenged conventions and did more than her share to reshape the industry. From her humble beginnings in the continuity department of a Montreal radio and television station in the 1960s to becoming the first female creative director in Canada a decade later, Hore’s journey is a testament to perseverance, innovation and the power of fearlessness.

While busy writing commercials and kids’ shows for radio, Hore observed that the ad men (and they were all men at the time) often got extra perks – they could take longer lunches and leave the office early. “I thought, ‘That’s for me.’ So I spent the next four years trying to get into the ad business. I knew nothing about advertising.”

But her determination led her to an entry-level copywriting position at Vickers and Benson (V&B) in Montreal, where she found a mentor in creative director Jack Bush. He gave her the advice that would make her career: never play it safe. “If you don’t break the rules, you’ll never be good,” she recalls of his instruction. “I took it to heart. I always broke the rules.”

For her first assignment, Bush told her to go home and write copy for a client who was flogging an automatic button sewing machine (it was the ’60s, after all). She spent the weekend grinding away, and came in Monday with copy for an ad, which Bush hated.

“He said: ‘What else did you do?’ So, I took stuff out of my garbage can and he went through it all. I had [come up with an idea where a] boss was leaning over [his secretary’s] desk and she noticed that he was missing the button on his button-down shirt. The secretary looked at the button and the ad said: ‘Does the new girl in the office think your husband’s single?’ You could never do that today, but he loved it. He said, ‘Now that’s a good idea.’” Lesson learned. Don’t play it safe.

In 1969, Hore left V&B to join JWT Montreal. “There was J. Walter Thompson and then there was everybody else, and they had the best of the best – really bright people and it was exciting. I used to get up in the morning and go ‘I can’t believe I’m so lucky to be working here.’” Beyond her guts, Hore is quick to credit luck for a lot of the success she’s had over the years. Case in point: she landed at JWT just as three senior staff quit. “I had to do everything until they hired other people,” she recalls of the opportunity. “I got thrown into the deep end and I had to tread water.”

Hore thrived under the pressure, proving her mettle and earning accolades for her work on accounts like Red Rose, Pepsi and Kraft. One of her most celebrated creations, Red Rose’s “Only in Canada, you say?” campaign, cemented her reputation as a creative powerhouse and
earned her numerous awards. Not surprisingly, she was soon promoted to Montreal creative director in 1976 (the first female CD in Canada), then to vice chair, national CD in Toronto. She would leave JWT in 1993 as national CD, EVP of the Canadian company and an EVP of the global parent (again, the first woman to break into those particular boardrooms). Under her leadership, JWT Toronto was twice named strategy’s Agency of the Year.

What was it that pushed her so hard? For Hore, the answer is simple. “I enjoy grinding,” she says. “I enjoy solving problems. That’s what I like to do. I like to find a different way to solve a
problem. That was the most fun. “I was probably most effective as a creative director because I wanted my people to break rules – and I hired people who were willing to break rules. I was good as a creative because I defended my people, I fought for them and I didn’t accept shit.”

Hore continued to push boundaries after JWT, co-founding The Ongoing Partnership with Gray Abraham, Susan Lenard and Jeff Butler. After eight years there, she and creative partner/art director John Speakman joined with Dennis Edell at Partners+Edell, while Hore took a lead
roleas ECD and partner.

Throughout her career, she has been known as a strong defender and mentor of emerging talent, and that was very much an intentional choice. “I always wanted to work with people who I thought were better than me,” she says. “So I always hired up. I never hired somebody who I thought was not as good as me. I always looked for people who did unusual things.”

Throughout the years, Hore also dedicated her time and energy to champion initiatives like the White Ribbon Campaign (which works to end violence against women), sitting on the
non-profit’s board of directors. Reflecting on her journey, Hore’s philosophy remains unwavering even five decades later: rules are meant to be broken and true innovation requires you to push beyond your comfort zone. For her, creativity lies in the willingness to challenge norms,
take risks and defy expectations.

“If it doesn’t scare you, it’s not an idea,” she still asserts. “Whatever you do should scare
yourself a little, and it should scare your client.”