July 2023 President’s Note
The summer is off to a terrific and busy start at the CMA. We had the pleasure of hosting more than 1,000 members and marketers from across the country at our events in June. It was great to see so many of you. A highlight was our inaugural CMAfutureproof and, based on the rave reviews, this will now become a signature annual event.
We also wrapped up a successful CMA Council year with an in-person celebration. Each council shared their great thought leadership, and we announced our new Council Chairs for the 2023-24 season.
We’re now recruiting for Council members for the new term, which starts in September. Councils are a terrific way to be part of a thriving and inclusive community, to debate and learn together, and to share thought leadership. We’re committed to having a CMA Council community that’s as diverse and engaging as the profession we represent and I encourage you to apply.
Canada’s record-setting performance in Cannes bodes extremely well for our profession. It was inspiring to see our country’s strong performance with 13 agencies winning 56 Lions, and our Canadian team bringing home the first-ever Canadian Gold in the Young Marketers competition. Susan Irving, the CMO for Krueger Products and Jury Chair for the Globe & Mail Young Lions, was one of our talented Canadian marketers on Cannes juries this year. I spoke to her about her Cannes experience for the new season of our podcast, CMA Connect, which goes live early next week.
In keeping with the awards theme, our CMA Awards entries are arriving every day and have surpassed last year’s end-of-June numbers. I’ve introduced two new elements this year – Public Relations as a discipline and the CMA AIM Award, which celebrates the next generation of Canadian marketers. We recently announced our 12 Senior Judges for 2023 and judging starts at the end of the month. The final deadline for your creative submissions is July 21.
Advocating on behalf of the marketing profession is a top priority for the CMA. Our efforts to advance new privacy legislation, influence the changes to Canada’s Competition Act and strive to ensure improve Quebec’s consent guidance are top priorities.
With the tectonic shifts underway for the marketing profession, staying on top of new technologies and the evolving market dynamics is both challenging and core to success. We’ve launched a new AI training program and published more AI thought leadership.
CMA’s Chartered Marketer designation is a powerful way to ensure marketers continue to thrive. We kicked off July by introducing new benefits for our growing community of Chartered Marketers, including a quarterly CM + CEO Chat to discuss industry hot topics.
I hope to see you at our Summer Social event in Toronto on July 20. It’s a terrific way to reconnect with friends, meet new peers and celebrate our profession in person.
Warm regards,
Alison Simpson
President & CEO
