Being Resilient

In one of my first notes, I shared that my wife and one daughter were health professionals, working on the front lines. (Since then, my other daughter has joined in as well.) I received some nice notes of gratitude and support at the time. As we are now in the middle of the second wave, I continue to worry about the well-being of my family, while being immensely proud of them – and all other health professionals – for their tremendous service.

To make matters worse, we are now starting to see the economic fallout from the necessary but costly measures that our governments are taking to keep as much of society as healthy as possible. This impact will be long-lasting and will reshape the way that society works. We have not even begun to understand how this will shape the character and outlook of today’s young generations. All of this while the potential devastating impact of climate change remains by and large unaddressed. And in the midst of the pandemic, we faced the hard reality of viewing ourselves through a different mirror, shedding light on the racial inequity that exists in society.

It was more than enough to sap all our strength.

And yet, the marketing community has rallied. The resilience and response of our community, and the broader business community, has been nothing short of breathtaking. New product development, new campaigns, new advertising, new partnerships…so much innovation has occurred. Mostly from our homes. In sweats.

The CMA has done its part, providing a complete range of professional support and services to our members throughout this ordeal. Staff have been steadfast and determined to serve the needs of the community.

And the numbers suggest that we have struck the right cord:

• Thought leadership content by Councils, members and staff that we have published since March is almost 70% higher than over the same period last year.
• Our followership on LinkedIn has grown by 45% in 12 months, to more than 30,000 people, and engagement has increased 144% from January to September, compared to the same period last year.
• Our first 12 sessions of Marketing Connected LIVE – my live webinar with marketing leaders – have been viewed more than 1,800 times.
• Our other events have seen an average of 100+ live attendees, with 95% indicating that the experience met or exceeded their expectations.
• Our seminars and courses have also been popular, with the majority exceeding attendance targets.
• Attendance at our Council and Committee meetings has never been higher than during the pandemic, when it was frequently in the 90% range.

The bottom line: we are here for you. Please reach out to me or any member of our leadership team if we can help. [You need to be logged in to MyCMA to click on team emails.]

Stay safe,

John Wiltshire
President and CEO