Leaders in the B2B sector gathered for an invitation-only breakfast at Toronto’s Ritz-Carlton. The full-house event was attended by B2B marketers and business leaders who came together for an insightful panel discussion on the state of the industry.
The morning’s insights kicked off with Penny Hicks, Managing Director, Client Partnerships at The Globe and Mail, who grounded the discussion by referring to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Davos speech, reminding business leaders that the rupture at the global scale is also being felt at the business level.
Kieran Miles, Chief Growth Officer at WPP Media emphasized that times of uncertainty also offer “opportunity and change”, drawing historical comparisons between AI innovation and major disruptions like the dotcom bubble.
The panel was moderated by Dawn Calleja, Editor of Report on Business magazine at The Globe and Mail. She was joined by business leaders from across the sector. Sean Stanleigh, Director of Globe Content Studio at The Globe and Mail, Lauren Mostowyk, Head of Corporate Affairs & Partnerships at Interac, and Amina Mattern, Head of Marketing at Indeed Canada.
The conversation centred on how businesses have leveraged the Canada-first mentality, strategies for stability in a volatile market, the current state of AI, and the increasingly important role of trust.
Canada-first: leveraging the moment
For a long time, Canadian companies chose not to define their identity as Canadian. This “Canadian underdog” mentality, Lauren remarked, has been upended. From the ‘elbows up’ movement to the success of uniquely Canadian shows like Heated Rivalry, the Canadian brand identity is at an all-time high.
Canadians have long been stereotyped as risk-averse but the current geopolitical climate is already changing that. Diversifying portfolios outside U.S. markets has become both a political and a business imperative.
Canadiana burnout: keeping a balanced message
Amina noted that data suggests that brands that have adopted the Buy Canadian movement have outperformed those that haven’t.
To safeguard against loss of interest in the message, Sean suggested brands return to the basics: Buy Canadian is essentially a marketing message. Brands that treat the message as they would treat their brand can convey it with nuance.
Predictability is out; the age of change has arrived
Brand is more important than ever for businesses that hope to thrive (or even just survive) a volatile market. Keeping your brand alive, showing up in more than one way, and doubling down on the trust you’ve cultivated with your audience are key strategies for weathering the current climate.
AI: efficiency, ethics, and trust
While businesses race to adopt artificial intelligence technology, audiences are paying attention to which companies shift away from human talent toward AI tools. From Duolingo to Pinterest to Amazon, companies that invest heavily in AI at the expense of people face massive backlash.
Entry-level jobs are particularly at risk of being lost, Amina noted. She expressed concern about the future of business when youth are unable to develop the skills necessary to advance in their careers. Thankfully, it’s not all bad news, as Indeed’s data is not yet showing massive layoffs due to AI.
A tale as old as time: humans are natural storytellers
For marketers, the answer isn’t avoiding AI, but re-framing how we use it, Lauren argued. AI should be doing the grunt work, not telling the story.
Sean stressed that AI doesn’t produce anything new. It simply recycles information. This is a huge marketing problem as it means everyone sounds the same. Brands that retain their uniqueness amid the slop retain a huge advantage.
The AI trust dilemma
Human involvement should never be an afterthought. That’s why Sean’s philosophy is grounded in trust and transparency: be open with clients and your audience about how and when you’ve used AI.
Further complicating the issue is that AI is notorious for making mistakes. A recent study by the TOW Center for Digital Journalism, which asked chatbots to retrieve information from news articles, yielded incorrect answers for 60% of queries.
Dawn reflected on how this is a growing problem that will inevitably result in false information falling through the cracks. It’s why, in The Globe and Mail newsroom, reporters undergo a rigorous fact-checking process conducted by humans.
Advice for what’s next
The panelists offered advice to marketers navigating the years ahead. They suggested that B2B marketers rethink their business models and supply chains to remove unnecessary risk, including reliance on the United States. Lauren noted that one place that often gets overlooked is small- and medium-sized Canadian businesses, whose growth would directly contribute to the Canadian economy, thereby benefiting short- and long-term goals.
Key takeaways from the event:
- Emphasis on Canada is still a good marketing strategy, but businesses should be aware of audience burnout
- Trust and transparency can’t be sacrificed at the altar of innovation
- Human storytelling is more valuable than ever before
Inside B2B was an insightful exploration of the geopolitical challenges facing Canadian businesses, offering strategies for navigating brand trust and long-term competitiveness. The event was presented by Globe Media Group and sponsored by WPP Media.
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