May 2024 President's Note

Happy May.

Last week, I had the pleasure of hosting a number of our talented Chartered Marketers from across the country in two sessions about our profession. We covered a wide range of topics, and everyone left the discussions inspired and excited about the future of marketing.

There's a lot to be excited about. Marketing is integral to Canada’s prosperity, innovation, business and societal success. We understand people in ways no other profession does. We're driven by the desire to build brands and businesses that engage, inspire and motivate consumers to action. 

Without the marketing profession, brands wouldn’t exist, and businesses would be far less compelling to the people they need to attract and retain in order to succeed. So, the future of marketing is bright. It’s also challenging as we manage through seismic changes. That’s part of what makes it exhilarating to be part of our profession and of the CMA community.

Our inaugural CMA Marketing Week kicks off May 6. With limited spots remaining, I encourage you to register today. The week provides many forums to learn, discuss how to futureproof ourselves and the profession, network and have fun together.

• The week kicks off with a live CMA Connect podcast discussing the future of marketing from three different career stages. The complimentary member-only, in-person event is sold out but you can still join virtually. 

• The May 7 Gen AI training courses we’ve offered for free as an exclusive member benefit filled to capacity in record time, so we’ve added two more courses. We’re also hosting a panel discussion on leveraging AI as a tool for building strategy. You can register and learn more about our AI Day here. 

• The signature event for Marketing Week is CMAfutureproof on May 8. It’s selling out quickly. Our future-focused topics include navigating risk in the marketing landscape, harnessing dynamic AI as a catalyst for growth and innovation, and how the path-to-purchase is changing to name a few.
• Join us at a cocktail reception following CMAfutureproof, where we’ll raise a toast to our community and celebrate together

• We’re rounding out the week with Thought Leadership Thursday when we’ll be hosting two virtual sessions. One is on Future Canadian Consumers, and the other is on The Future of Branding through Women’s Sports. Both sessions are free for members, as another exclusive benefit.

Ensuring our profession is as diverse and inclusive as the consumers we market to is a priority for the CMA. We still have a long way to go, with this year’s CMA DEI research revealing that three out of every four marketers have been impacted at work by the rise of polarizing topics. We’re now compiling the findings and I will have more to share with you in June.

May is also voting time for the CMA, in advance of our Annual General Meeting on May 29. This year, we’re asking the designated Voting Member at each member organization to elect five new Board Directors and to re-elect our outgoing Chair so she can assume the role of Past Chair. Our CMA Board Members are volunteers who play a key role in the association, and if you are a voting member, I encourage you to take five minutes to have your vote counted. You can refer to an email with voting instructions that was sent on Friday, April 26 from tsxtrustproxycontrol@tmx.com. Thank you!

I look forward to seeing you at our CMA Marketing Week next week. I would also be delighted to host you at my CMA Café for senior marketers on May 28. We’ll be debating whether we’re at the beginning of the golden age of marketing.
 
As always, don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or would like to chat.

Warm regards,

Alison Simpson
President & CEO

P.S. A reminder that applications are open for our 2024 CMA Awards judges. Helping to select the year’s top campaigns is an inspiring role and I encourage you to apply.