August 2024 President's Note

Happy August,

I hope you had a terrific long weekend and enjoyed cheering on Team Canada. The amazing performances of our Canadian Olympians are inspiring, and I’m excited to watch more great athlete stories right through to the closing ceremony. I’m also looking forward to tuning into the Paralympics at the end of the month.

It was wonderful to raise a toast with so many members of our talented marketing community at the CMA Summer Social in July. The event sold out quickly, and I’m sorry if you couldn’t join us. I heard lots of requests for more CMA socials, so we’ll be expanding our offering in the coming months.

Our next opportunity to come together is at CMA Media Evolution on September 24th. We’ll explore how media is becoming even more important in marketing, and we’ll hear from leaders about innovative media, research and adtech. The event will wrap with a cocktail reception.

Summer is a busy time with preparations for the 2024 CMA Awards well underway. Many thanks to our 456 judges who are evaluating the record number of entries we received this year. 

You still have this week left to enter our Special Awards, including our new CMA Global Creative Award, which celebrates the best campaigns from around the world that were built in Canada. 

You can also submit nominees until September 10th for our Premiere Awards, including our 2024 Marketer of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award and AIM Award.

It is free for members to submit nominations for our CMA Special and Premiere Awards.

With the tectonic shifts happening in marketing, embracing learning and building new skills are crucial for marketers at every level. It’s also challenging, given how busy our workdays are. That’s why the CMA has evolved our approach to make it easier for you to learn on your schedule and at your pace. 

• Our Chartered Marketer (CM) program, which is Canada’s only professional marketing designation, is now available on-demand. So, you can build your CM journey your way, with the flexibility to adapt to your unique needs and marketing career goals.

• We’ve introduced a new Gen AI Certificate program and more Gen AI Training programs to help you stay on top of this key area and build crucial new skills. We offer on-demand and virtual options. Not surprisingly, they’re very popular and fill up quickly.

• We continue to offer CMA scholarships for our innovative Digital Marketing Skills Canada program. It’s enabling marketers in transition and those from underrepresented groups to gain the skills they need to excel in today’s highly competitive environment. If someone you know would benefit from a full scholarship to complete the CM designation, you can apply here.

• Our innovative Digital Marketing Skills Canada program is creating an outstanding and highly diverse talent pipeline for employers. I encourage anyone looking for top talent to make use of our searchable talent database. It covers a broad range of marketing levels and experience. Employers can also benefit from a grant when they hire a DMSC graduate.

Another way the CMA is futureproofing the profession is by ensuring members have the guidance on key laws and regulations that you need to thrive. To that end, we have issued a new Member-only guide on Contests in Canada and a revised CASL guide, along with new blogs on Copyright for AI and Changes to the Competition Act. 

Speaking of new offerings, I’m excited to announce two major CMA initiatives to support newcomers to Canada. 

• This month, we are launching a Newcomer Mentoring Program. Follow us on social or visit our mentorship website in the coming days to apply to be a mentor or mentee.

• We’ve also designed special one-year CMA memberships to help newcomers build their network and benefit from our wide range of guidance and thought leadership. Stay tuned for details.

Newcomers play an important role in Canada’s economy, yet even with strong marketing experience, it can be challenging to break into the Canadian profession. We believe our mentorship and membership initiatives will help newcomers transition to a successful life in Canada.

Connecting with our members and community is my favourite part of leading the CMA, so don’t hesitate to reach out any time you would like to chat. 

Warm regards,  
Alison Simpson 
President & CEO 

P.S. Please join me in welcoming our newest CMA Members: LifeLabs, Pizza Pizza, Yorkville University, The Brand Marketer, Le moment social and Call2Recycle