Jerry Goodis

Jerry Goodis

 Jerry Goodis, marketer/advertising agent (born at Toronto 25 June 1929, died at Chilliwack BC 8 Nov 2002). Goodis has been called "Canada's foremost marketer" and his campaigns and slogans have become part of Canadian popular culture. Goodis was a founding member of the Canadian folk-singing group THE TRAVELLERS, whose signature song was the Canadian version of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land." While the group became something of a Canadian cultural institution, Goodis's true impact on Canadian society came in the field of advertising. In March 1956, Goodis joined with Samuel L. Goldberg and Albert Soren to form a full-service advertising agency. Within 27 months the company's billing reached $30 million and was Canada's fastest growing firm.

Over the years, the slogans produced by Goodis' firm have become Canadian catch-phrases. Examples include "We care about the shape you're in" (WonderBra), "Never so good for so little" (Swiss Chalet), and "Harvey's makes your hamburger a beautiful thing" (Harvey's). Marketing Magazine , in selecting the ten best campaigns of the preceding 25 years, chose four produced by Goodis's firm of Goodis, Goldberg and Soren: Hush Puppies, Speedy Muffler King, London Life and Borden's of Canada.

Politically active, Goodis worked on three federal election campaigns for the Liberal Party of Canada. For 19 years Goodis served as tactical advisor, speech writer, communications counsellor and policy consultant for Pierre ElliottTRUDEAU, and was appointed Special Emissary to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, U Thant, for Canada. He has served on a number of government committees, including the CANADIAN ADVISORY COUNCIL ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN, the Special Senate Committee on Mass Media, and as a special witness to the Anti-Smoking Branch of Canada Health and Welfare. Goodis has steadfastly refused to advertise or promote three categories of products: tobacco, war toys or games, and shoddily designed or manufactured goods.

Goodis has written Have I Ever Lied To You Before? (1972) and GOOD!S: Shaking the Canadian Advertising Tree (1991). He has also penned an autobiography, Battles of a Marketing Warrior (1991). He has won innumerable awards in his field. In the world of education he founded "The Jerry Goodis Business Education Group" and appeared at universities and community colleges.

In 2001 Goodis moved to BC in his retirement.