Report on Marketing

Founded by Brazilian-born Paulo Salomao ten years ago, independent agency King Ursa has built a strong reputation. Now it’s investing in people and a structure that blends media and AI with its creative offering. Salomao talks about how the agency is at the ‘sweet spot’ of media and creative integration, and the need for faster innovation in the agency landscape.

Hi, Paulo. What’s your own background and what’s happening at your agency King Ursa?

I’m an art director by trade but curiosity has led me to build deep knowledge in content production, storytelling, brand strategy, new tech and media. I strongly believe these experiences have been the foundations that led King Ursa to be a performance driven creative agency.

Because of the evolution of tech and communications, we have carried a sense of accountability which drove us to evolve our services and open up to data science, driven by analytics and the discovery and development of new products.

Can you talk a little about King Ursa client work you’re proud of?

We’re agency-of-record for Timberland Canada, and have broken records of digital sales and efficiency – our analysis of creative and media have direct impact on sales. It’s a client we’ve been with for over five years now, and we’re very close to retail sales performance. For us, as a creative advertising agency, the capability of truly impacting sales has led to an amazing relationship.

On another note, we’re extremely proud of our relationship with Bimbo Canada. Early in 2024 we started the execution of a five-year plan that considered achieving short-term commitments, while supporting a long-term plan. We’re working in sync with their marketing team to strike the right balance between long term brand targets while providing solutions to meet more immediate sales needs.

You’ve spoken recently about the importance of bringing together creativity and media. Why do you think it’s needed?

Put simply: “Creative without smart media placement is lifeless, and media without great creative is empty”.

With the proliferation of digital content and advertising, it’s crucial to create hard-working content that engages consumers and drives media placement, rather than the other way around. An integrated approach ensures that the creative message is compelling and effectively delivered through the right media channels to reach the target audience. In the optimization phase, measurement models must include qualitative and quantitative.

In this overcrowded and limited media space, we’ve been able to help our clients outsmart their competition by relying equally on both disciplines.

What have you changed to support this move and your ambition to embed AI and media in what you do? Christopher Law, an experienced media operator, has joined as Partner and Co-CEO, and Helen Lazar promoted to Managing Director. What does this mean for the agency?

We started to offer digital media buying three years ago and today we have our entire organization’s culture immersed in performance driven advertising. I made the commitment to change then so we would be prepared for what we are seeing today, which is the need for the integration of new tools and the augmentation of the media offering.

Christopher, who has been my mentor on the media side and a big influence and support of that vision is bringing a 25-year-long track record of success in the media innovation industry. Together we are leading and influencing both spectrums equally balancing our media and creative offering.

Helena Lazar joins us as our EVP, Managing Director to focus on integration, strengthening operations, and standardizing procedures, which are Helena’s core strengths.

How did you come to recognize the importance of media as someone with such a strong background as a creative person?

Since my early days in advertising, I was always very curious about the impact my work had on the people I was trying to reach and the companies I was representing. Unable to get the answers, I started early on looking to better understand the world around me so I could get the information I wanted faster.

As my role and responsibilities grew, so did my sense of accountability. Add an extreme competitive nature to the mix and you’ll understand why I landed in understanding the importance media had in creative advertising!

And how will King Ursa’s new focus help brands, your clients, to achieve great things?

The performance focus has been with us from the get-go but the process has evolved. We’re now able to make a greater positive impact with our full media offering and greater advancement in our service and operations with AI tools.

With the two disciplines truly integrated under a single and proprietary process and tools, we are getting to solutions more efficiently than ever, providing results and optimization no other competitor in our category can.

I believe there is a lot of potential to create connections to unearth opportunities that the client perhaps didn’t even know existed or didn’t know it was possible to fund from savings to their investments.

What will this look like on a day-to-day basis?

Our day-to-day has been equipped with new players bringing leading edge thinking to our process. Internally and externally everyone is feeling the excitement in the air.

Finally, what are your plans? You’re looking beyond Canada to a launch in Miami, for example. Is that part of a gradual international expansion or are you very focused on Canada still?

We are already exercising our expansion plans in Canada and going back to US clients. Our integrated offering is head-to-head with top agencies in North America and we’re not shying away from it.

US clients bring different challenges and scale which we have experienced and are more prepared for than ever while we continue to influence and service our Canadian industry.

King Ursa is a member of the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA). Report on Marketing is where leading Canadian agencies showcase their insights, cutting-edge research and client successes. The Report on Marketing provides a valuable source of thought leadership for Canadian marketers to draw inspiration from. Find more articles like this at the Report on Marketing.

Darian Kovacs, Partner at Jelly Digital Marketing & PR, makes the business case for harnessing agency knowledge and representation.

Canada’s Indigenous Peoples—First Nations, Métis, and Inuit—bring distinct histories, cultures, and worldviews that are vital to the country’s identity. For organizations seeking to authentically engage with Indigenous communities, understanding these perspectives is not just an ethical obligation but a strategic advantage.

Ideally, marketers should look to engage with representation from all three Indigenous groups, and with a geographically diverse presence. It’s here that agency partners – where they have diverse perspectives and people – can not only bridge knowledge gaps but build relationships, foster trust, and deliver campaigns that make an impact across Canada’s vast and varied Indigenous population.

Distinct voices, united goals

This process starts with an appreciation that First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives reflect their unique histories, territories, and cultural traditions.

First Nations communities span the country, with distinct languages, traditions, and governance structures shaped by their connection to specific lands and histories.

Métis culture, born from a blending of Indigenous and European ancestry, is rooted in adaptability and the ability to bridge worldviews—qualities that are invaluable in communications.

Inuit, living primarily in Canada’s Arctic, have perspectives deeply informed by their connection to the land, ice, and sea, offering insights shaped by resilience and ingenuity in the face of environmental challenges.

In an ideal scenario, working with an agency that has a leadership and team members from all three groups ensures campaigns reflect these diverse perspectives while avoiding generalized or stereotypical narratives.

Geography: a key to authenticity

Indigenous Peoples’ experiences and priorities are deeply tied to geography. An Inuit community in Nunavut faces different realities than a First Nations community in the Okanagan Valley or a Métis community in Manitoba. A marketing strategy that resonates in one region may not translate to another without considering these nuances.

A geographically diverse perspective brings local knowledge to national campaigns. With team members embedded in different territories, an agency partner that is truly diverse can tailor messaging to reflect the specific needs and values of communities while maintaining a cohesive brand voice. This is less about logistics than ensuring the stories a brand tells honours the people they represent.

Why representation in agencies matters

Authenticity in marketing begins with representation. When Indigenous professionals are part of the creative and strategic process, their lived experiences shape the narratives being told. This ensures campaigns are not only culturally respectful but also resonate on a deeper level with Indigenous audiences.

In this scenario, agency people aren’t only marketers but translators, bridging the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous worlds.

The business case for inclusivity

That ability to connect people is important in today’s market not just because it’s the right thing to do but it also embraces consumer demand for authenticity and social responsibility from brands. Partnering with an agency that incorporates First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives offers businesses the opportunity to engage with Indigenous audiences in a meaningful way while enhancing their overall brand reputation.

Moreover, campaigns built on collaboration with Indigenous communities foster trust and long-term relationships, positioning businesses as allies in reconciliation and cultural respect.

Marketing’s future with indigenous leadership

An agency rooted in Indigenous leadership isn’t just about filling a gap—it’s about setting a new standard. By uniting First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives and ensuring a geographic presence that reflects Canada’s vastness, such an agency provides unmatched expertise.

These agencies are not only shaping the future of marketing and communications—they’re fostering understanding, amplifying Indigenous voices, and creating campaigns that drive real change.

Questions to ask your agency partners

If you’re considering working with an Indigenous-led marketing agency, it’s essential to ask the right questions to ensure the potential partner aligns with your goals and values.

First, does the agency have team members representing all three major groups – First Nations, Métis, and Inuit? And, second, is the team geographically spread out to reflect Canada’s diverse Indigenous communities?

Above all, in common with the approach of Indigenous agencies, think of the engagement as  a ‘Request for Partnership’ rather than a Request for Proposal. Embrace the process, have fun, and see this as an opportunity to collaborate, learn, and build a meaningful relationship. With the right partner, you’re not just launching a campaign—you’re contributing to a movement for inclusion and respect.

Jelly Digital Marketing & PR is a member of the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA). Report on Marketing is where leading Canadian agencies showcase their insights, cutting-edge research and client successes. The Report on Marketing provides a valuable source of thought leadership for Canadian marketers to draw inspiration from. Find more articles like this at the Report on Marketing.

Rodrigo Coelho, SVP and Managing Director at Momentum Canada, says that marketers can do more to maximize the impact of sponsorship.

We all believe that sponsorships present a unique opportunity for brands to get in front of passionate audiences and be part of important life moments. In meaningful ways we can truly engage specific audiences with any type of brand.

With sponsorship, there’s an incredible value exchange that comes with well executed creative alongside clever media placement, delivering significantly enhanced reach. Global sponsorship deals create endless opportunities and can be enhanced significantly when localized with authentically relevant creative.

It’s never been more important that we recognize this potential because ahead of us is a massive sporting moment. Global events will be held here in Canada with the FIFA World Cup 2026 and LA28. The rise of women’s sport viewership is unprecedented, female national leagues are starting in 2025 and the WNBA having a Canadian team in 2026.

But to maximize the impact of these partnerships, we need to work harder to close the gap on sponsorship being mere media placement to seeing viewing them as creative canvasses for driving success.  It is vital that we evaluate the opportunities for creative ideas to live with all sponsorships before pressing play.

Change your metrics for success

That’s because we’ve entered a vicious cycle where ROI is superficial, where effectiveness is measured using traditional media metrics to justify spend. For example, impressions, leads, awareness and so on, none of which truly measure how fans feel, how sponsorship attribution changed consideration, how it impacted sales, how it changed the organizational culture for employees, or how it created opportunities to establish lasting legacies.

I’m not claiming traditional metrics don’t give us directional pointers, I’m simply saying it’s a limited view that sets brands up for comparison against advertising, which is usually created to meet top-of-the-funnel objectives while sponsorships can impact the full funnel.

Truly effective sponsorships are win-win-win relationships between brands, rights holders and people (including fans, participants, athletes, communities, and employees). When done well they become company-wide platforms.

Be creative across all audiences

Beyond this, I believe that sponsorships must be multi-dimensional, an opportunity to use powerful creative chops to develop original locally relevant work that will connect with brands entire ecosystem of audiences, from factory workers to sales folk, from consumers to retailers, from grass to mass, from press to Government relations, from viewers to participants, and for collaborations with other sponsors and their employees.

In terms of taking action, here’s where I’d start:

1. Identify a credible/ownable brand role that can make a difference and keep it consistent.
2. Deliver creative for the platform by making it relevant for fans versus trying to force fit functional product attributes.
3. Explore the full ecosystem of opportunities by making it a company-wide rally.

Right now, there’s a problem because decisions to buy into sponsorships are taken based on defining metric successes before identifying how they will work for brands and how best to deliver them successfully.  Asset negotiations are being held without even having the creative or the brand roles identified. A brand should explore partnerships with a clear vision of what to do with it.

For example, ask the question, is it best that sponsors should explore a more custom consultive approach to negotiations? Is it the creative agencies that should be the neutral party that focus on understanding business problems and audiences to connect the dots?

With those big global events about to arrive in Canada, the marketing industry has the opportunity to change the game at a massive scale. Are we ready?

Momentum Canada is a member of the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA). Report on Marketing is where leading Canadian agencies showcase their insights, cutting-edge research and client successes. The Report on Marketing provides a valuable source of thought leadership for Canadian marketers to draw inspiration from. Find more articles like this at the Report on Marketing. 

Paulo Salomao, founder and CEO of Toronto-based agency King Ursa, says the marketing industry faces a massive problem and has a three-step plan to solve it.

Growing up in Brazil – where my grandpa was a chief of police, my uncles and aunts lawyers, and my mother a criminal lawyer and a detective in narcotics – I learned an important lesson. That to be a silent witness of injustice makes you complicit.

For the good of a society or community, you have a duty to speak up when you know something is not right, and that’s true of the marketing industry today. For the past few years, I’ve witnessed an immense transformation that is unleashing new and questionable practices. I believe there’s a widespread delusion among marketers that the attention they are buying is truly captured and turned into meaningful engagement.

I’ve been in creative advertising for 20 years and know it’s always been our business to get people’s attention. But advancements in technology have multiplied our work, billions of dollars and millions of people’s hours are spent trying to get attention today. All that investment is based on one unqualified assumption: when someone sees an ad it’s certain that they’re paying attention.

I believe that couldn’t be further from the truth. Attention itself has become a resource like gold and oil, subject to market trends and the global economy.
And, just like mining for gold or drilling for oil, the better you understand the attention economy, the more savvy you will be and the richer you will become.

In fact, attention has become the most valuable of all resources in human history (just look at the valuations of major tech companies such as Alphabet and Meta). However, the difference between attention and oil and gold is that the former is subjective and the resource you’re looking for is constantly moving.

The attention gold rush

And, like any rich and starved resource, attention is suffering from a gold rush effect promoting a rampant dark side to it. Digital ad fraud is predicted to be a $150 billion business by 2025, which would make it the largest criminal enterprise after the drug trade.

Marketers are the ones that suffer from this ad fraud. Yet, more trust not less, is being placed on automation in both media and creative to increase efficiency.

Today, 90% of digital advertising in North America is bought by algorithms. Global programmatic ad spend reached an estimated $595 billion this year, with spending set to hit almost $800 billion by 2028. The agency model was not designed for this growth, which has contributed to major disruption in the media and advertising industry.

The unmatched reach of media and its ingenuity has been crushed by a percentage fee race to the bottom, resulting in little time to assess creative effectiveness, unintentionally deprioritizing creative at the cost of efficiency. I’ve heard from media buyers who admit to not even knowing what creative will run when they’re planning and buying media.

As a result, the inspiring and influential power of creative advertising is being lost. Agencies, desperate for credibility, use awards to validate their presence and this becomes their focus as they invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in a quest for recognition.

It’s time to poke the bear, to change the way we’re doing things, and push for the re-integration of creative and media buying. And I have three ways to help make this change a reality.

1. Embrace full-funnel accountability versus passing the baton

At King Ursa we make brand strategy, creative and media equally accountable for full-funnel marketing success. This is not about a quick win, but finding authentic ways to create more meaningful relationships with our audience for a long-term impact.

Instead of optimizing solely for short-term visibility, focus on delivering real value to your audience. Creating quality and relevant content that resonates with consumers’ needs or emotions will lead to more lasting engagement. And create authentic connections because brands that build genuine, relatable content based on consumers’ experiences and values can build more loyal relationships than those that only seek to go viral.

2. Make an impression and don’t count on impressions

Impressions don’t drive sales—engagement does. Focus on metrics that matter: are people interacting, sharing, converting, or returning?  We replaced “impressions” with “quality engagement” (interacting, sharing, converting, or returning) because we believe a reaction is a better sign for getting someone’s attention.

3. Remember that content is your king and media is your cavalry

There’s a Brazilian saying that’s relevant here: “Don’t wait until the water reaches the butt to start swimming.”

If you want to get real value for the attention you’re buying, then start today by requesting more from your creative and media partners, because it’s clear that media without great creativity is empty. And creative without great media placement is lifeless.

It’s time for marketers to make a stand – pay attention to what you’re paying for. and don’t accept anything else.

King Ursa is a member of the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA). Report on Marketing is where leading Canadian agencies showcase their insights, cutting-edge research and client successes. The Report on Marketing provides a valuable source of thought leadership for Canadian marketers to draw inspiration from. Find more articles like this at the Report on Marketing.

Darian Kovacs, Partner at Jelly Digital Marketing & PR, highlights the skills and diversity benefits that digital learning programs bring to Canada’s marketing and technology sectors.

In today’s digital world, with the availability of online learning programs, education has become more accessible than ever before. However, significant barriers still exist for many marginalized communities, preventing them from fully accessing the benefits of digital learning and online programs.

Providers such as North Vancouver’s First Nations Technology Council (FNTC), Calgary-based Plato Tech Training, and Toronto’s Palette Skills and Growclass are at the forefront of breaking down these barriers for underserved communities including gender minorities and Indigenous Peoples, as well as supporting Canadian Armed Forces Members in their transition to civilian careers.

These organizations are implementing innovative solutions, such as targeted scholarships, community partnerships, and flexible learning schedules, to ensure everyone can benefit from digital education regardless of background or circumstances.

Online learning programs offer a unique solution to accessibility problems by eliminating the need for a physical presence, allowing students to complete work anytime, anywhere. This learning style provides freedom and flexibility for many, such as students from remote areas far from institutions, or primary caregivers who would otherwise need to arrange day-care.

Additionally, digital learning is often structured into self-paced modules with pre-recorded lectures, reducing costs compared to live classroom sessions and making education more accessible for those who might otherwise be unable to afford it or travel to a classroom.

Boosting diversity in marketing

Vancouver’s Jelly Academy, along with Growclass, is a delivery partner of Digital Marketing Skills Canada (DMSC), a Government of Canada-funded initiative, led by the Canadian Marketing Association.

The program aims to help those seeking a career shift into marketing or to upgrade their existing knowledge and skills to further their current employment position, and benefits the marketing community through the addition of knowledgeable, skilled digital marketers to the workforce, and is another opportunity for underserved individuals to access digital learning education programs.

Jacqueline Parakin, a Jelly Academy graduate, says: “I was fortunate to be generously awarded the Gender Equity Scholarship, without which I wouldn’t have been able to attend this course. As a woman in a small business competing against large corporations, it is difficult, and with such a small budget for marketing, it has been daunting and unrealistic to tackle myself. This course allowed me to learn how to use my very limited budget, understand advertising, and market myself effectively for my small business.”

Palette Skills is another program making significant strides in enhancing accessibility for underserved groups, particularly Canadian Armed Forces members. Many active service members and veterans face barriers to accessing education and career opportunities due to frequent relocations, extended deployments, and the challenge of translating military experience into civilian job skills.

In partnership with the Government of Canada, Palette Skills offers financial aid, scholarships, and specialized programs designed to help veterans and active service members transition to new careers in the civilian workforce. This support helps veterans gain valuable new skills, empowering them to embark on successful career journeys post-service.

Connecting Indigenous peoples with tech training

Meanwhile the First Nations Technology Council (FNTC) is an Indigenous-led non-profit that provides programs to advance digital literacy, improve internet connectivity, and offers guidance on data and digital technology for all 204 First Nations peoples across British Columbia. The FNTC is working to weave Indigenous knowledge, culture, and ways of being into technology through offering 18 different, fully funded Indigenous-designed technology training courses.

“Because of the lack of jobs in my village, I was forced to move away. I then discovered the First Nations Technology Council and was introduced to a career path,” says FNTC alumni Leonard Samuel Cody Moore. “The structure of the curriculum made a lot of sense to me, and they brought in First Nations professionals who talked about the importance of having representation in technology to preserve our cultures. I have since been able to move home and am helping connect the Nisga’a Nation to fibre optic.”

By addressing the barriers that exist in traditional education and offering a way to combat time, location, and cost restraints, programs including Jelly Academy, Growclass, Palette Skills, and FNTC provide underserved communities with the tools they need to succeed and to further achieve education equity.

However, there is still much work to be done. Supporting and expanding these initiatives is essential in ensuring that every individual can benefit from digital education and learning regardless of their background or situation. Investing in technology, providing flexible learning options, and fostering partnerships can create a future where education is accessible to all.

To get started with digital learning programs prospective students can visit their respective websites to explore course offerings, financial aid opportunities and application requirements. This is a real opportunity to invest in your future, while contributing to a more inclusive and equitable workforce.

Jelly Digital Marketing & PR is a member of the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA). Report on Marketing is where leading Canadian agencies showcase their insights, cutting-edge research and client successes. The Report on Marketing provides a valuable source of thought leadership for Canadian marketers to draw inspiration from. Find more articles like this at the Report on Marketing.

After working in creative leadership positions at agencies in the United States, Adam Reeves recently returned to his native Toronto as the chief creative officer at Juniper Park\TBWA and DDB Canada. He was also announced as the co-chair of the Effie Canada awards program. 

Adam, hi. First off, can you describe the attraction of your new role in Toronto?

I think Toronto is a very creative market and creative place. I’m excited to help push that creativity from my little corner of the ad world. We do such a great job hitting above our weight in Hollywood and in music, and I think just recently Canadian agencies have come on in the market and are really showing well. I’m excited to be part of that and there’s a good energy here. I’m from here but I’ve never been part of the ad community so it’s cool to check it out.

How much of the decision was down to the specific opportunity at Juniper Park\TBWA and DDB? 

It was a great chance to be part of a great organization. I’m a big fan of TBWA, I love the disruption and the attitude. Leading that brand in a market where there’s a chance to grow it is a big opportunity with our clients like Nissan and Apple and other work we do. DDB has a great culture of creativity. I’m excited to join the team.

And how have you found it so far, what are the strengths and values of Canadian creativity as you see them?

We’re really good at the comedy, the humour. And there’s that Canadian openness and togetherness. I’m curious to push on the humour and also the diversity of Canada and I hope to celebrate that and lean into it a little bit.

The new manifesto from the Institute of Canadian Agencies is ambitious in terms of pushing the country’s creativity further on the world stage. How much do you buy into that vision?

I think agencies and people here are making great work but we should be making a little more noise. You can go to Hollywood and look at all the great Canadian comedians and we’re just now getting to the point where people are saying “look at all those great Canadian agencies.”  It’s not my first ambition to help Canada on the global stage but I think that the ICA has carved out a really singular perspective to help and I don’t know of any other body that can do that.

You’ve taken on the position of co-chair of the Effie Canada program. What was the attraction here?

It’s a cool way to be connected to people. And I’m curious, I feel that Canadian advertising is a little quieter than it needs to be. So I’m excited to look at the work as a whole and see how it’s going. And I believe in big scale advertising and work for bigger clients. This was a great opportunity to get into the creative scene a little more even though it’s not the most obvious angle for a creative because it’s the effectiveness awards.

I learned in New York that while people are chasing Cannes Lions and working on pro bono stuff, the best agencies treat the main stage work and effectiveness as important as winning the Lions or being the most creative.

What are your ambitions for the creative work at the agencies?

I’ve been in listening and learning mode for the first few months. The tone is really where I hope personally that our work can make a big difference. I notice a lot of ads feel like ads whereas the best work I’ve been a part of doesn’t feel like ads. That’s where we’re trying to push – how can we speak non-traditionally in channels that help grab people’s attention?

Finally Adam, how experimental and innovative would you say the Canadian market is?

There’s a lot of innovation and I see room for improvement in a lot of the film work. Yes, we want to make innovative, new experimental things that keep people interested but I’ve always been excited about violating the media, innovating within the media. Why does a TV spot have to look like a TV spot? So I think that’s where the big opportunity is. More about taking advantage of the out-of-home vibe, television and online film and treating them with a little less respect.

Jeff Goodby (founder and co-chair of ad agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners) who I worked for talked about ‘creative vandalism’ and I like to look at it in terms of the work of the vandal turning something into something else.

Adam Reeves is Chief Creative Officer of creative agency brands Juniper Park\TBWA and DDB Canada, and co-chair of the Effie Canada steering committee. Report on Marketing is where leading Canadian agencies showcase their insights, cutting-edge research and client successes. The Report on Marketing provides a valuable source of thought leadership for Canadian marketers to draw inspiration from. Find more articles like this at the Report on Marketing.

Global tech platforms are passing on the cost of the new levy to advertisers. But, argues Devon MacDonald, this is a great chance for brands to work with their agencies on advertising strategies that look beyond the digital behemoths.

New taxes are rarely popular so nobody should be surprised at the significant backlash to the introduction of the Digital Services Tax Act by Canada’s government.

The Act imposes a 3% tax on digital services revenue (including advertising) that exceeds $20 million for businesses with global revenue of €750 million or more. In practical terms this amounts to a targeted levy on a handful of major international platforms such as Amazon, Google and Meta.

Other markets including the UK and Italy have implemented similar taxes. The UK’s 2% charge came into effect in 2020 and Italy’s 3% charge in the same year.

However, the United States has no similar tax at the federal level, and the US ambassador to Canada has warned of a trade war with Washington having “no choice but to take retaliatory measures” in the shape of tariffs on Canadian businesses. Meanwhile, streaming companies including Netflix and Spotify are making legal challenges to the tax.

The Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA) and Canadian Chamber of Commerce have criticized the tax in strong terms. The ACA is calling for a rethink to “reduce the potential damage to the Canadian economy” while the Chamber calls it “a retroactive discriminatory digital services tax” that will “make life more expensive for Canadian families, businesses and workers.”

These critics have a point given that some of the digital giants impacted, such as Google, intend to pass on the cost as a surcharge to advertisers. Others like Roku and Snap will not. But stamping our feet in frustration isn’t the only valid response – we should also see the new tax as an opportunity for Canada’s advertisers to rethink their media investment strategies.

Take a proactive stance

The ACA says of costs being passed onto advertisers: “This could diminish the ability of marketers to cost effectively reach their target audiences, potentially disproportionately impacting smaller advertisers and emerging businesses that rely heavily on digital advertising.”

It’s true that this tax does put pressure on advertisers who use the likes of Google. Digital media is layered already with multiple tech fees, and this will be another one. It will result in diminished working dollars invested into those platforms by advertisers.

But my feeling is that advertisers who take a proactive stance can recover these efficiency losses by looking to Canadian-owned media or other platforms like Snap that are absorbing the tax. Now is the time for advertisers to vote with their dollars and support local and diverse options. And it’s here that advertisers can lean into their agencies for council and direction, taking the introduction of the tax as a prompt to explore all avenues to deliver the most effective media campaigns.

That’s an approach encouraged by the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA) and its PRIME manifesto. Standing for “Purpose and Responsibility in Media Economics”, PRIME was established in 2021 to motivate action, create community, and empower authentic local and diverse media through workshops and roundtables focused on key themes in the media industry.

Its launch was stimulated by an underinvestment in local, trusted media sources. Alongside PRIME, we’ve also seen initiatives such as the Canadian Media Manifesto from the Canadian Media Directors’ Council, which has the goal of encouraging the country’s advertisers to commit 25% of digital media investment (or $380 million) to Canadian media by 2025.

It’s time to “think local”

These initiatives are so important because it’s essential for advertisers to advance their understanding of diverse audiences by investing more in local media, as well as in media by, and for, communities including LGBTQ+, Black, Asian and South-Asian.

The evidence exists that this “think local” approach works for brands. For example, Cheekbone Beauty, the Indigenous-owned beauty brand, worked with agency Sid Lee on a bold campaign based on Canada’s own media platforms, including $1 million of media space donated by Bell Media. At my own agency, Cairns Oneil, we’ve worked with advertisers including Reddit on community-based campaigns using Canadian-owned media such as out-of-home and TV alongside digital. There is a plethora of platforms with great display and video opportunities available to advertisers that must be reconsidered by brands and agencies.

It’s clear that the 3% digital tax isn’t great news for advertisers that continue to plow millions into multinational digital platforms. And in some cases it’s hard to replace the impact that this media investment achieves. But it’s my strong belief that the outlook is much better for those that innovate and invest in Canada’s own vibrant media scene. And strive to work with their agencies on making their campaigns more successful by understanding what individual media channels offer, how they behave, and how they’re funded.

Devon MacDonald is President of full-service media agency Cairns Oneil, and a board member of the Institute of Canadian Agencies. Report on Marketing is where leading Canadian agencies showcase their insights, cutting-edge research and client successes. The Report on Marketing provides a valuable source of thought leadership for Canadian marketers to draw inspiration from. Find more articles like this at the Report on Marketing.

With the Paris Olympic Games opening this week, the marketing engines behind some of the world’s biggest brands are ramping up. We sat down with Dustin Rideout, Chief Strategy Officer and Partner at Toronto-based creative agency The Hive, to discuss how sport offers unexpected ways for brands to connect with communities.

Rideout shares his experience on how to build connections through emotion, shared experiences, and the social identity that sport cultivates.

Why is sport such a powerful avenue for brands to connect with consumers through?

Well, the first and most obvious reason is it’s truly the only live tune-in connection we can tap into at scale anymore. From youth to amateur to the pros, it’s literally the only media – if you were to call it that – where appointment viewing still means anything. But beyond the practical audience aspect, it is also in my opinion the only experience where all facets of the human condition are put on display. Sport reflects not only our physical abilities and limitations, but also, it’s a canvas for which we display our humanity.

That’s interesting, so what does your second point mean for how marketers should think of leveraging any given sport investment?

I always say to our teams that we must get the sport tropes out of our system before we will arrive at something interesting. Look, there are a lot of tropes in sport marketing that usually have something to do with sweating, performing, winning or coming back from a loss. The athleticism, which is always somewhat part of the opportunity, isn’t in my view the important thing brands should try to leverage. The bigger opportunity is how can you create human connection through the athlete or team that’s relatable to form a bond with your audience.

Can you give an example of what you mean?

Sure. When we rebranded the Toronto Raptors – which really started with an ask for a new logo and uniform design – we started with what could we do to create a greater sense of belonging among fans. What we did was build a strategy centered on not what we loved or admired about the team, but rather what could we all identify with. At the time that something was we all felt like outsiders – the team, the players, the city of Toronto, Canada, and young millennials that made up the core fan base. Instead of using that as a crutch or weakness, we said f*ck it, that’s our strength. The strategy of Outsiders Playing Our Own Game is what turned into a ‘We The North’ movement that continues to pay brand dividends today.

Another marketing example, for a business that I’m sure many others admire, is Procter & Gamble’s ‘Thank You Mom’ for Rio 2016. What a brilliant strategy to connect to all sports in a meaningful way, through an idea that could also have meaning beyond sport. That’s a human connection strategy, using the scale of sport as the canvas.

What are the main themes you expect or hope to see from brands for these upcoming Olympic Games?

I think first a return to bigness. Seeing big brands doing big things make us feel connected to one another globally in what’s been a tough time for globality. I want Coke to wrap hugs around cans and make us feel we can all for a moment share in the human condition. Second is using the Olympic moment’s bigness to create opportunities for new brands and categories to participate. I love what LVMH-owned brand Sephora is doing as an example sponsoring the torch relays, showing the world that its category has an equal right to play alongside a sport drink, bank or apparel brand.

And focusing on Team Canada, can you share how you applied your own advice to the campaign?

Absolutely, it is by far our proudest moment as Canadians. Our campaign is decidedly different than other nations’ Olympics campaigns of the past as it has nothing to do with winning at the sport that any one athlete is competing in at the Paris Games. In fact, the competition in this case is ourselves, the sport is life, and the triumph is standing on the other side of it.

The goal of our ‘Brave Is Unbeatable’ work is to connect with every single Canadian through our athletes in a way that they not only see themselves but love our athletes for who they are as humans even more than we already do. If we have achieved that, showing up and cheering for them when it’s showtime should be natural…and boy oh boy will we.

Any closing thoughts or advice for marketers?

Lean into and support all your sport federations beyond this Olympic period. They need your support, and they actually reach more people than the pros. Support Canada Basketball, Tennis Canada, Soccer Canada, Rugby Canada, Alpine Canada, anything sport (insert your country). They are responsible not just for helping put that team or athlete on the Olympic stage, but every single young child or athlete to find sport, stay in sport, and excel in sport. Second is women’s sport, period.

We all know women’s pro sports is having a wonderful moment, which helps. However, we also know that so many young women drop out of sport at an alarmingly higher rate than boys. We know the reasons and know what we can do to stem it. Support organization like Canadian Women & Sport as they know what to do – they just need brands to put their money where their mouth is.

The Hive is a member of the Institute of Canadian Agencies. Report on Marketing is where leading Canadian agencies showcase their insights, cutting-edge research and client successes. The Report on Marketing provides a valuable source of thought leadership for Canadian marketers to draw inspiration from. Find more articles like this at the Report on Marketing.

David Rusli, chief strategy & data officer at Publicis Media Canada, describes new ways for marketers to define and activate audiences across digital platforms.

Data-driven marketing isn’t easy. While mastering Canada’s stringent privacy regulations, businesses must also function in an ecosystem where the majority of data is owned and controlled by platforms such as Google and Meta.

The lack of integration of data sources within this ecosystem makes it more difficult to track consumer behaviour. As does the erosion of third-party cookies, which is prompting marketers in Canada to invest in alternatives.

David Rusli, chief strategy & data officer at Publicis Media Canada, says: “As it stands, for every single ecosystem, planners, buyers, and clients have to create their desired activation audience five to seven times using different definitions. And that creates ineffectiveness as well as inefficiencies.”

To help marketers address this issue, Publicis Media Canada is launching two solutions – Publicis ID and Growth OS. Publicis says that Publicis ID, which aims to improve the performance of campaigns, is a cookie-less data solution designed exclusively for the Canadian market. Meanwhile, Growth OS is an end-to-end platform focused on reducing audience translation issues and inefficiencies arising from the current need to manage multiple media buying and planning tools.

A Canadian solution

But why the need for specific solutions for Canada? Canada’s stringent new privacy regulations, including the Consumer Privacy Protection Act, the Personal Information and Data Protection Tribunal Act and the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act, mean that securing access to some customer data is harder than in markets such as the US.

“We have to make sure our data solution is able to perform really well in Canada,” says Rusli. “For example, it’s very easy to get sales results down to the product level in the US. But in Canada, unless you’re a retailer, or a brand that has direct-to-consumer brand or activation, it’s very rare for you to get access to product data.”

In response to these challenges, Publicis Media has developed solutions that don’t rely on “buying in” lists of third-party information but enable brands to build data on audiences from the ground up.

For example, Publicis ID doesn’t store or process individual personal data such as names and email addresses but combines proprietary datasets with partnerships to create a unique audience data graph, reaching over 70% of Canadians.

Rusli says that early tests have delivered significant improvements in click-through-rates, video completion rates, and in extended reach for campaigns.

Making a creative impact

Marketers are also looking for improvements in the performance of creative assets. With this in mind, Publicis has sought to provide brand planners with the ability to access deeper insights on consumer behaviour rather than relying on research panels.

“Instead of just one big audience group, you can actually build a couple of different sub segments and kind of see if there is a certain insight and a certain behavior that each of these different sub group would exhibit,” says Rusli. “And therefore, the type of creative experiences you would create for the different sub groups. Then it’s not just one experience that you’re creating, you can actually get insights that are specific to the different sub segments.”

Publicis’ Growth OS product then streamlines reporting to provide data to creative teams throughout the campaign rather than when it’s finished. Marketers already have sophisticated dashboards in place to provide this analysis but Rusli argues that the difference is the single view across all platforms, simplifying the process of optimization: “When they exist in different places, then you can’t see the correlations as easily. When you have one home that you can use to pull in all these different audiences, and see all the results, it makes things easier.”

But it’s also vital that marketers focus on the needs of the consumer when investing in their data-driven strategy. This essentially requires an approach to personalization that delivers value for customers while safeguarding their privacy at all times.

Rusli concludes: “We’re actually able to create experiences that really matter to different consumers. Canadians are aware in terms of the type of access to their data that companies have. We’re doing it in a responsible way that will give consumers the benefit of more engaged experiences.”

Publicis Media is a member of the Institute of Canadian Agencies. Report on Marketing is where leading Canadian agencies showcase their insights, cutting-edge research and client successes. The Report on Marketing provides a valuable source of thought leadership for Canadian marketers to draw inspiration from. Find more articles like this at the Report on Marketing.