December 2024 President's Note
Happy December.
It was great seeing so many of you at the CMA Awards. Bringing nearly 1,000 talented Canadian marketing professionals together – with lots to celebrate – made for a very fun and inspiring evening!
Congratulations to all our 2024 award winners. You are proof that our country punches well above its weight when it comes to creativity, innovation and developing marketing that drives business growth.
I’m writing to you from the UK this week, where I’m attending the Global Data and Marketing Alliance (GDMA) annual conference with CEOs from marketing and data associations around the world. Our GDMA membership gives us access to global insights, learning, research and a robust global marketing community.
It also reinforces CMA’s unique role compared to other global and Canadian associations. Our Association is the only place where the full marketing ecosystem comes together to network, learn and work on important and complex topics that impact all of us.
The CMA is committed to futureproofing you and your teams so you can thrive. In November, I shared five new initiatives we’re introducing in 2025 to deliver on this. The new CMA Mentorship program is one example. It’s exclusive to – and complimentary for – members. We’re also planning a CMA Roadshow so members across the country can come together in person.
Today, I am excited to share three more new benefits and innovations that we are introducing to further strengthen the value of membership:
- The opportunity to participate on CMA Councils and Committees is one of our most highly valued member benefits. So, we’re expanding and introducing new Councils in 2025, bringing together members to share thought leadership on Public Relations, Product Marketing and other key areas.
- Learning is key to futureproofing your career and also ranks as a top priority for members. Yet, finding budget for learning can be challenging. So, we’re introducing significant member-only discounts of 50% off our CMA training programs, Certificate Courses and the Chartered Marketer (CM) program.
- Early career marketers are the future of our profession. To ensure they’re getting the support they need, I’m creating the CMA CEO Youth Advisory Board of rising stars from across the marketing ecosystem. This volunteer Board will work closely with me and advise the CMA and our profession. We’ll be inviting applications early next year.
Advocacy is another important way the CMA is futureproofing the marketing profession and ensuring your organizations can innovate and thrive.
- The CMA has just published a new Guide to Trademarks, which brings us to five new Member-only resources published since June to keep you well-informed across a range of important topics.
- We’ve also made submissions advocating for important issues impacting marketing, including: public policy on TikTok, proposals to create ISO global standards for marketing, and the reintroduction of marketing as a field of study under the Post Graduate Work Permit Program.
- In November, our Digital Sales Tax op-ed was featured in the Globe & Mail and in interviews with Alberta radio stations.
The CMA is making it easier to recruit top talent through our innovative Digital Marketing Skills Canada (DMSC) program. DMSC is creating a diverse talent pipeline for employers that’s easily accessible through our searchable talent database. Plus, employers can benefit from a grant when they hire a DMSC graduate.
These are just some of the ways the CMA is elevating the role of marketing and marketers in Canada. We look forward to continuing to innovate and provide additional resources and benefits in 2025.
Before ending this note, I’d like to ask for three minutes of your time. I promise it will be that quick! We’re accomplishing a lot together at the CMA, but there’s always room for improvement. So, we’re doing a quick check-in survey to gauge our progress. Your voice is critical to ensure the CMA is meeting your needs. Many thanks for participating.
Now more than ever, connecting with our communities and making time for the people we care about is important. So, whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanzaa, I wish you a memory-rich holiday season.
Warm regards, Alison Simpson
P.S. We’ve welcomed 43 new members to the CMA so far this year. It’s rewarding to see the diversity of organizations joining our thriving community. Please join me in welcoming our newest members: Cineplex Media, Peloton, Hubspot, Special Olympics, adviso, Jam Direct, North Island College, AtlanticOnline.ca, AlexU.ca, LP/AD, Wintrip Communications, North York General Hospital Foundation, 5D Digital, University Hospital Foundation, Diner Agency Inc, Innovate Digital, Sault College, Twenty44, WMB Marketing, Sheridan College, Science North, CSA Group, Verified Communications, Acsenda School of Management, and Seedtag Advertising.
