Globe Media Group in partnership with Ipsos, Canadian Marketing Association and Publicis brought together marketing, brand, and insights professionals at The Globe and Mail Centre in Toronto for the announcement of the highly-anticipated Ipsos’ Most Influential Brands of 2025 study. The annual study examines the brands that live at the heart of Canadian culture. Hundreds attended from across the country, both in-person and virtually, to learn the results.
This was the study’s fifteenth year, and for the first time, the new dimension of “True North” was added, a nod to the special context of the past year that saw a surge in Canadian patriotism. In total, the study identified eight dimensions that contributed to influence: Engagement, Presence, Leading Edge, Corporate Citizenship, Trustworthiness, Utility, Empathy, and, finally, True North.
The Ipsos study examined 137 brands across 20 categories, with polling conducted among 6,700 Canadians intended to be representative of the country’s adult population and a healthy slice of Gen Z, in the context of a market worth an estimated $20 billion in advertising spend.
Steve Levy, the author of the Most Influential Brands study, grounded the discussion by reiterating the importance of influence as a measure of a brand’s standing. “Influential brands are worth more: a lot more and consistently so.” Thankfully, he explained, influence is an input variable, meaning that “it’s something you can work with, something you can change.”
Against this backdrop, this year’s study revealed stability among the top five most influential brands, but also notable shifts among those ranked six to ten. Two brands made particularly noteworthy gains. Costco jumped by five points, over-indexing on trustworthiness and utility as dimensions that contribute to its influence, while Tim Hortons made the top ten for the first time since 2018, with the True North dimension contributing much to the brand’s influence in 2025.
Innovative brands were also at the forefront of influence this year. ChatGPT skyrocketed from 41 to 17, headway made in no small part by its growing weekly user base and its positioning as a leading-edge brand. Other brands that didn’t make it to the top ten but made significant gains were Scotiabank, from 68th to 49th, Sobeys, which went from 98th to 80th, and Sephora, which jumped from 107th to 89th.
The top 10 most influential brands in Canada in 2025:
- Google (-)
- Amazon (-)
- Youtube (-)
- Apple (-)
- Facebook (-)
- Costco (+5)
- Walmart (-1)
- Visa (+1)
- Netflix (-2)
- Tim Hortons (+2)
For another year, Google remained at the top of the influence rankings, though Amazon was a very close second. Both brands over-index on being leading edge and trustworthy, but Google maintained the upper hand. No wonder: when your brand becomes a verb, it’s a sign that you have become truly ingrained within the life of your consumers. This year, Google invested in AI with Gemini 3 and integrated AI into search. Simultaneously, they invested in programs to aid research and fuel educational programs in the tech sector.
Steve Levy’s presentation was filled with valuable insights on which brands have the capacity to inform and influence, and why. Among his conclusions was that brands must combine their values with a sense of value for the consumer, and that the best work always seems to emerge when brand marketers are having fun.
The key takeaways from 2025 were:
- AI has become a necessity, but incorrect use of the technology can result in much dreaded generic marketing campaigns.
- There is power in leaning into Canadian heritage, but it’s not impactful if the value ends there.
- Partnerships play a crucial role in building influence.
- Cross-generational appeal can strengthen a brand’s influence; however, not every brand can touch all generations. Brands should pursue this strategy only when it aligns authentically with their positioning.
- Brands should never forget the context in which they live.
To read the complete results from the Ipsos study and how they decided which brands would make the list, visit https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/most-influential-brands-canada-2025-pov.
Following the study results, Brent Nelsen, Chief Strategy Officer formally of Edelman and Publicis moderated a panel exploring the risks brands face in the current geopolitical climate. The panel brought together top marketing executives from across the industry: Jonelle Ricketts, Head of Marketing at IKEA Canada; Alain Tadros, Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, and Digital Strategy at Metro Inc.; Nicole Tapscott, Chief Commercial Officer at Knix; and Steve Levy, from Ipsos Canada.
Steve lamented that brands have become more risk-averse in recent years, while Brent challenged marketers to push against this instinct: “The biggest risk is in taking no risk.”
The panel also explored how brands can balance speaking up on an issue or playing it safe and staying silent. Jonelle’s decision often comes down to whether it reflects IKEA’s brand values: will people care to hear your brand’s point of view?
“If it challenges the mission of the business, then there is an obligation to say something,” Nicole explained, adding that you may receive backlash, but if your approach aligns internally, then it’s a good sign. Finally, Alain spoke about the importance of delivering on the bread-and-butter of your organization’s mission, emphasizing that sometimes it’s more powerful to act than to speak.
The panel discussed the evolution of DEI, how to balance global and local marketing efforts, and the impossibility of pleasing everyone, with key takeaways being:
- Values are only worth something when it costs you something.
- In-person shopping isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s an experience in and of itself, and one that offers multiple opportunities for marketers to get their message across.
- Brands should find a problem they know they can solve and have credibility in solving.
- To work, DEI efforts must be embedded throughout an organization and go beyond words on paper.
The event concluded with a keynote address by Diana Frost, Global Chief Growth Officer at The Kraft Heinz Company. She discussed the challenge the Buy Canadian movement posed for The Kraft Heinz Company, since many consumers didn’t realize Heinz Ketchup is still made in Canada. As a result, they ended up on numerous boycott lists. Yet, this cultural moment also provided the perfect opportunity to set the record straight with its own “Made in Canada” campaign – and a Super Bowl ad created and aired within 72 hours.
Stressing the importance of principles, she stated, “Volatility is temporary. Values and value are permanent.”
Diana shared five core principles marketers follow at Kraft Heinz to help shape consumer behavior. She spoke about the importance of HEINZ embracing its roots authentically, leaning into the “irrational love” consumers across borders feel for the brand, about brands owning their message by being proactive and going on the offensive with boldness, and to be distinctive, reinforcing superior product quality with a unique point of view.
During the Q&A, she argued that AI presents an opportunity for marketers to differentiate themselves, with critical thinking, creativity, and innovation as uniquely human inputs they can lean into. She also spoke about the unique competitive edge Canadian marketing talent has over global counterparts because of their ability to “see the forest through the trees” and think holistically about driving business impact.
Explore how the most influential brands are able to become part of Canadian’s everyday lives. Watch the full recording below.
Most Influential Brands of 2025 (Feb 11 2026) Event
