Each year, Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends recognizes the contributions of extraordinary marketers whose work has shaped the industry. This year, Globe Media Group sat down with 2026 inductee John Doig, who was formally inducted into Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends at the 2026 Awards Gala on May 28, to discuss the pivotal risks, defining partnerships, and consumer-first thinking that have shaped his career.
Over two decades and multiple senior leadership roles at Scotiabank, John helped shape some of the bank’s most enduring marketing platforms, from “You’re Richer Than You Think” to Scene+ and the NHL partnership.
A Hall of Legends honour, shared with his team
John Doig’s first thought when he got the call that he’d be inducted into the Marketing Hall of Legends was, “Am I getting punked here?”
His second thought was to the people who helped him get to this point. “This is a team sport,” he said, “and I was gifted with a fantastic team.”
Bold bets that changed the business
John’s career was built on challenging convention in favour of bold moves. But he was never interested in chasing novelty for its own sake. The reason his outside-the-box ideas worked was that they paired risk with a clear understanding of the end consumer and business objectives.
When he first proposed Scotiabank partnering with the NHL, he had his fair share of naysayers. Twenty years later, the partnership lives on, with Scotiabank now the Official Partner of the NHL, MLSE, Calgary and Winnipeg.
Yet at the time, it wasn’t always obvious what a success the program would be. John recalled speaking to a colleague who had remarked that, “In some twisted way, this is how marketing guys get fired.”
Ultimately, the bet paid off and helped to define how a financial brand could show up in cultural spaces.
Scaling the unconventional
Taking the unexpected shot evolved into a playbook that would come to define John’s career. In 2006, after securing the NHL partnership, he launched Scene points. It was yet another once-in-a-career moment.
As was often the case when pushing for something new, it was also accompanied by a healthy dose of skepticism from senior executives who didn’t fully understand the vision. John recalled how the CEO at the time questioned the move: “You want $28 million to start a program about movies? The last movie I saw was Tootsie!”
Still, John didn’t doubt his instincts. He knew his consumer and that this would speak directly to them. In other words, yes to the movies. The program was a game-changer for the loyalty industry and hasn’t stopped growing, with over 16 million Scene+ members today.
Looking back, he remarked: “Seeing these things stronger today than they were five, six, seven, eight, or ten years ago, is a proud moment.”
Earning the right to play in culture
The distinction between showing up in culture and earning your place in it has become one of John’s clearest lessons for marketers.
“The definition of what works is on the consumer’s end,” he emphasized. “If you shoot a hockey commercial and no one remembers it was Scotiabank, and no one remembers why Scotiabank has earned the right to play in the hockey space, you fail.”
Consumers need to connect the ad to the brand and actually understand why it belongs there.
This is where marketers can lose the plot. He’s seen his fair share of advertisements that could win creative awards, with beautiful aesthetics and cinematography that even rival some movies. But if the ad doesn’t land with your audience, none of this matters.
As John puts it, “It’s not a beauty contest. If it’s not resonating, it’s not resonating.”
Even great creative needs a neutral read
“Testing” is a word that can frighten marketers. John sympathizes with the instinct. After all, when he first had his work tested by Scotiabank’s dedicated insights team, he was wary of the process.
But it didn’t take long for him to see the value of having a “Switzerland” to bounce work off of. “They’re that independent, completely non-denominational group who basically just give you the facts of what the consumer is thinking,” he said.
These are the insights and data behind the scenes that drive the work. While it can be painful to witness a piece of creative you truly love get changed, marketers should never forget that they’re driving toward a required outcome.
It’s his biggest advice to young creatives: don’t get precious with your work.
Leadership as stewardship
That willingness to let your work be challenged has also shaped John’s approach to leadership. Great marketing, in his view, depends on people who can push an idea, while never losing sight of the end game.
Every major win he’s had was made possible because of multiple people working together. This extends beyond his internal teams to include critical partnerships as well.
It’s a key reason why Scene was as successful as it was: the partnership among Empire, Scotiabank, and Cineplex. A tri-party agreement amongst three very different companies was never guaranteed to work. What’s made it last, John said, was trust.
“We have never had to go back to the agreement to settle a dispute or issues or questions,” he said, adding that it’s a “fantastic testament to true partners.”
The future belongs to marketers who can adapt
The rapid rise of AI is forcing the industry to confront a new kind of disruption. As marketers enter this uncertain period, John’s been surprised by how people are still underestimating what AI can do and where it could go. From opening the marketplace for smaller companies to compete with multinationals to enabling automation at a scale never before seen, it’s clear to John that “we’re in interesting times.”
It’s often said that humans cannot be replaced. John keeps returning to the question, “What kinds of humans, and doing what?” Finding that balance between what the tool can accomplish and where human judgment still matters is, for John, one of the industry’s defining questions.
But if you asked him today? “I’d still want a Jack Bensimon by my side from a creative perspective.”
Still in the game
If there’s a throughline in John’s career, it’s that lasting marketing is created through a deep understanding and appreciation for the consumer. If you get that part right, everything else flows from it: confidence in your work, the courage to take risks, and the humility to know when to change course.
While his Scotiabank chapter may be over, he isn’t slowing down. With board positions, advisory roles, and mentoring ahead, he’s clear about one thing: “I’m definitely not staying idle.”
