Celebrating Cossette’s 50th anniversary with Claude Lessard

Our 50th anniversary celebrations continued in Quebec City (where it all started!) and our team was joined by a very special guest. Claude Lessard, one of Cossette’s founding members and its CEO for over 40 years, came by to reminisce about the company’s beginnings in 1972 and shared defining moments throughout his career. 

Louis Duchesne, President, Quebec and East, and Pierre Delagrave, another founding member, were also there to talk about the agency’s growth in Canada. 

During his visit, Mr. Lessard spoke about significant moments in Cossette’s history and shared precious memories of his time here. His talk made an impact on the hearts and minds of our employees. They learned how the agency was able to reinvent itself over the years by staying ahead of the curve and setting the trends instead of following them. 

50 years of creativity and entrepreneurship, as told by Mr. Lessard 

Mr. Lessard transported us back in time, like Marty McFly in Back to the Future. He spoke about the early days of Cossette, from its founding to the opening of our offices in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, not to mention our expansion to the US and European markets. This was all made possible by brand campaigns that shaped local culture, such as the legendary “Monsieur B” character for Bell Mobility, our first billboards for Club Med and our work with Renault, back when the little Renault 5 was the most popular car in Quebec! Finally, he reflected on the early days of our collaboration with an industry giant, McDonald’s Canada. An incredible journey that began in Quebec City and allowed us to spread our wings throughout Canada and beyond. This is still a strong and an ongoing partnership for the last 40 years.  

A leader who knew how to be bold 

Mr. Lessard often stayed up all night, his mind racing with ideas—ones that would plant the seeds of our success. He helped us grow through acquisitions, the creation of new business units and, most of all, his understanding of the intersection of marketing and communications. He oversaw our expansion into the rest of the country, as well as our entry in the American and European stock markets in 1999. Under his leadership, Cossette was named Agency of the Year by Marketing Magazine in 1991, a top honour that embodied our cultural impact on the country at large. 

His contributions to the growth of our industry were recognized time and time again. He’s considered to be one of the most influential minds of the past 50 years when it comes to creative communications in Canada, and we’re grateful to count him as one of our founders.

Once again, happy 50th birthday to us… And thank you, Mr. Lessard!