Beyond the Primer

• How to connect the dots between the business objectives and strategies and the creative task at hand
• What goes into a Creative Brief and why; and what doesn’t go in a Creative Brief
• How to develop and write the most important parts of the Creative Brief
• How to conduct a useful and productive Creative Briefing meeting
• How to evaluate the resulting creative “product” and how to give and receive feedback
• How to apply the ‘soft skills’ you need to make the Creative Briefing process, the end product and the relationship between the issue and the receiver of the brief even better

• Applying a new creative brief template that’s easy to use and easy to combine with what you may already be using.
• Understanding the role of the creative brief and the relationship between the issuer of the brief (‘the client’) and the receiver of the brief within the context of the larger business challenge or opportunity to be addressed.
• Building skill in the use of better questions to give further context to the problem/opportunity, leading to better conversations about the brief and the business issue to be solved.
• Learning how to help clients get unstuck and recognize their opportunities within the outcomes they and their stakeholders are trying to achieve.
• Supporting your clients to seek better input from their internal stakeholders.

• Brand and marketing managers
• Client side and agency/marketing services organizations
• B2B and B2B
• Brand and marketing communications specialists
• Mid-senior level managers

We recommend enrolling and completing the Marketing Planning Primer: Developing Marketing Objectives, Strategies & Tactics training prior to this session. The content in this session builds on the theory, examples, and tactics discussed in the Marketing Planning Primer session.  

Joanne Pawlicki, MBA, CM
Marketing Executive | CMA Instructor

Joanne Pawlicki is a senior marketing leader who has built her career across leading global organizations, including Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and Kellogg, with international experience across Canada, the UK, and Australia, before moving into enterprise-scale leadership roles at Cineplex Entertainment and Compass Group.

Her foundation in blue-chip CPG shaped a disciplined, insight-driven approach to brand and growth. She has since applied that expertise in complex, multi-unit and high-growth environments, where marketing must directly drive business outcomes. This has defined her approach: combining rigour with agility and applying a whole-business lens.

Joanne has led large-scale marketing mandates and transformations, including driving double-digit growth in multi-unit environments, leading a $1.7B division marketing scope, and restoring a $200M portfolio to 20%+ growth and category leadership. She is known for connecting strategy to execution and aligning cross-functional teams to deliver measurable commercial impact.

In addition to her corporate leadership experience, Joanne has worked in advisory and facilitation capacities, partnering with organizations to align leadership teams, strengthen commercial acumen, and unlock growth through more effective marketing. As a CMA instructor, she teaches budgeting, P&L management, and strategic marketing planning, and is recognized for delivering practical, engaging learning experiences.

Joanne is passionate about business and the role marketing can play in helping organizations grow and perform at their best.

Areas of Expertise

• Brand Strategy, Positioning and Architecture
• Strategic Planning and Market Analysis
• Go-to-Market Strategy and Digital Ecosystems
• Integrated Marketing Strategy and Campaign Development
• Customer Segmentation, Target Definition and Customer Insights
• Loyalty Strategy and Program Development
• Mission, Vision and Values Development
• Marketing and Organizational Alignment
• Strategic Partnerships and Growth Initiatives
• Executive Leadership, Team Development and Marketing Investment Planning

Cancellation or transfer of registration must be received by e-mail to learning@thecma.ca no later than ten (10) business days prior to the date of the training to receive a full refund. No refunds will be given for cancellations made less than ten (10) business days prior to the training date. If you registered for a training but are unable to attend, substitutions* are welcome any time prior to the original registration training date at no extra cost.

*Substitutions refer to the transfer of a registration from one individual to a colleague