CM Townhall - Building your Brand's Story

1. Welcome + Common Branding Myths (0–5 min)
2. What a Brand really is (5–10 min)
3. Why Brand Clarity Matters: Marketing Without it Becomes Noise (10–20 min)
4. Build your Brand Foundation: Purpose, Audience, Positioning, and Benefits (20–30 min)
5. Turn Strategy into Storytelling: Using a Message Matrix (30–35 min)
6. Examples: What It Looks Like When Brands Activate These Tools (35–43 min)

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Define what a brand is and why it’s fundamentally about perception and trust.
• Build a clear brand foundation - purpose, audience, positioning, and benefits.
• Translate your foundation into messaging using a simple framework you can apply across channels and teams.
• Strengthen storytelling consistency to drive clearer marketing and stronger alignment internally.

Participants will leave with a shared understanding of what “brand” really means, plus practical frameworks they can use right away to define their brand and shape their stories.

Emily Rabe

Emily Rabe is a Toronto-based marketing leader and currently Director of Marketing and Communications at The Bishop Strachan School. She is a strategic, results-driven marketer known for building alignment across teams and translating insight into high-impact campaigns that drive enrolment, engagement, and brand growth.

With experience spanning education, retail, and agency environments, Emily has led integrated marketing strategies for organizations including Party City, Jackman, and Bath & Body Works. Her work blends data, storytelling, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver measurable results—from record-breaking application growth to multi-channel campaigns that increase sales and customer engagement.

Emily holds an MBA from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University. She is an active member of the Canadian Marketing Association Brand Council.

The Chartered Marketer (CM) designation is the only recognized marketing designation in Canada, highlighting professionals who meet the highest standards of knowledge, experience, and ongoing professional development. The program provides resources, learning opportunities, and exclusive events to help marketers advance their careers and stay at the forefront of the profession.

To learn more about the CM program, how it can benefit your career and how to apply, download the brochure here.