Grow Op

Dunc Urquhart has billed themself as "the ultimate diversity hire," and for good reason. They have a Metis and Caribbean background, was raised in a Muslim and Christian household, studied English Lit (w/ a minor in cultural studies) and started a Masters of Divinity at UofT before graduating from Seneca's ad program. Dunc is an outsider wherever they go and that has made them a master at talking and relating to different kinds of people, all while keeping an open mind and chameleon-like adaptability. Find out how they have turned these skills to their advantage as they moves through the advertising industry in our third episode of the series, Outsiders Get In. You can learn more about Dunc and how they seamlessly switch between codes and cultures here. You can also listen to Dunc's own podcast, Cast Without Trace, where they covers another passion of theirs: Dungeons and Dragons as both a game and as a collaborative storytelling method.

On the second episode of our Outsiders Get In series, hear how Rica Cabanog has thrived by routinely pushing herself outside her comfort zone. Prior to joining Per Se Brand Experience as a Creative Intern, she spent 15 years client side marketing at Nestle. And since moving to Canada from the Philippines, she has thrown herself into Canadian way of life by polishing up her camping skills and making friends from all over the world. Rica's adaptability, adventurous spirit, and resilient attitude are what makes her thrive as an outsider in the advertising industry.

Seneca's students come from many different countries and many different walks of life. They bring an outsider's perspective to advertising...and the industry benefits from it. Over the next few weeks, we will be exploring how the outsider status of Seneca's CAB students and recent grads, have made them better at advertising, now that they're on the inside.  Kyrie Jamir's arrival into world was heralded by AC/DC's Thunderstruck so she is definitely ain't no wall flower. Kyrie moved to Canada from the Philippines and before studying at Seneca, she was a stylist, makeup artist, photographer, model, modeling mentor, and event planner. She even launched her own business in fashion. These experiences have allowed her to appreciate many different points of view. She has a kaleidoscope of perspectives that makes her well equipped for the ad world.

For the last few weeks we have been talking to industry thought leaders on how strategic planning in Canada has changed over the last 10 years and what might be in store for the next. In our final episode in this series, we are talking to Emily MacLaurin-King,VP GAD and Josh Hansen, VP Strategy at McCann and Rebeca Stutley, SVP Storytelling and Communications at Kids Help Phone, a mental health support platform for Canadian youth. Get their perspective on how strategic planning has played an integral part in their combined success and partnership and see their work in action.  Feel Out Loud - Hidden Feelings Kids Help Phone is a space where young people can feel safe and secure to free themselves from all the feelings they hold inside.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv0KSwhgCKc   Feel Out Loud - Fine This creative pulls back the curtain and reveals how young people are really feeling when they say that they're “fine.”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0mphDDrMfo KHP Identity Redesign - Help in all Sizes The help KHP provides comes in all sizes. And now, so does their new brand identity.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxtnRaYETO8

Helen Keller once said, “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” Matt Foulk's 9-5 is CSO of Jolly Good but when he's not working, he can be most often found on his bike (or one of several). Matt is the Founder of Ghost Gravel (an adventure cycling company that creates and supports extraordinary adventures 'off the beaten track') and unsurprisingly a huge supporter of adventure. Matt believes adventure is important not just for health and happiness but also for excelling as a strategist. To find out why and how you can inject your life with more adventure, take a listen.

There is rarely a week that goes by where I don't see an article or report or study on effectiveness. And for obvious reasons. Advertising is "commercial art" and so obviously should be expected to deliver. And while there is much more data to show that this commercial art is doing something, understanding what it is doing and the resulting implications is something that the entire agency needs to embrace, not just the strategy dept. So this week we're chatting with Ian Westworth, SVP Head of Planning and Effectiveness at Grey who will share his top tips on how he has managed to build a more results oriented culture through partnership with his Creative, Account and Client colleagues.

"Reading fuels a sense of curiosity about the world, which I think helped drive me forward in my career and in the work that I do now with my foundation." Bill Gates is many things: visionary computer programmer, co-founder of Microsoft,  American billionaire, philanthropist....and also a prolific reader. Gates, who has been known to read 50 books a year, credits some of his biggest ideas to reading. When it comes to reading, there are many books that we as planners are told to read but there are few planners I've seen actually apply what they've read to their work. And that's the magic of Jeff George, who is the Founder and Freelance Strategy Director at The Courage Lab and also, of course, a prolific reader. Listen to this week's GrowOp to find out how you too can use reading to power your planning.

Shortly after I joined TAXI, I remember being asked to fly to Amsterdam to work on the launch of Axe Hair in Europe. I couldn't believe my luck! While there, I worked alongside Ron Smrczek and Chris Andrews who were heading up the TAXI Amsterdam office at the time. Since then, Ron and Chris led had a storied career venturing throughout Europe and the US. And they are currently the Independent Creative Director & Principal at Those Who Wander and President & CEO at BBDO Canada, respectively. Given their varied background, I thought they'd be the perfect pair to answer this question: How is strategic planning in Canada different from the rest of the world and what is the unique contribution that a Canadian style of strategic planning can offer the industry. Listen in to find out what they had to say.

Lucia Thomaz is a brand strategist based in Montreal and originally from Brazil. Several years ago, Lucia was persuaded to leave Sao Paolo, where she worked at agencies such as FCB, DDB and Fabrica, to chase love and has since settled into life in Canada. Given her background, we thought he'd have an interesting perspective on our question: What makes strategic planning in Canada different and what might a Canadian style of strategic planning have to offer the industry.

Graham Lang, CCO at TAXI, has enjoyed a storied career in advertising so far having worked at agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi London and Y&R South Africa, prior to moving to Canada in 2018. Given his background, we thought he'd have an interesting perspective on our question: What makes strategic planning in Canada different and what might a Canadian style of strategic planning have to offer the industry.

Rafik Belmesk is CSO at Dentsu and early in his career, he lived and worked abroad in Singapore at Ogilvy. Get his perspective on what makes strategic planning in Canada different and what a Canadian style of strategic planning may have to offer the industry.

Back in 2017, Erin Brittain, Group Strategy Director at Publicis, moved to London for some adventure. While there, she deepened her brand planning expertise and after a couple years abroad, she came back to Canada. On this week's episode, of GrowOp, we get her take on how strategic planning in Canada is different from the rest of the world and what a Canadian style of strategic planning can offer the industry.

We've almost completed our APG Canada at 10 series. In episode #9, Richard Fofana, EVP Strategy at UM shares his reflections on how strategic planning in Canada has changed over the last 10 years and what might be in store for the next.

Katee was born and raised in Hamilton but early in her career she moved to London. After more than 10 years in the UK with a focus on purpose, social impact and sustainability strategy, she returned to Toronto and is now Senior Director, Client Strategy at Public. Get Katee's perspective on how strategic planning in Canada is different from the rest of the world and what a Canadian style of planning might have to offer the industry.

"What makes strategic planning in Canada different from the rest of the world and what might a Canadian style of strategic planning have to offer the industry." Could the answer be empathy? Have a listen to Daniel Cameron, VP Strategy at Cossette, and get his perspective on why he thinks Canadian strategists are particularly well armed for the craft.

This week, we are taking a short break from our APG Canada at 10 series with the launch of the first episode of our Canada VS series, a continuation of the event we hosted last month at Publicis. Have a listen to our conversation with Tim Hopkins, National Strategy Lead at The & Partnership. Tim came to Canada some 6 years ago from London. In this episode, he reflects on what makes strategic planning in Canada different from the rest of the world and what a Canadian style of strategic planning might have to offer the industry.

This week, we're shifting our gaze (and ears!) to the West coast to hear what Jack Dayan, Partner and Head of Strategy at Full Punch, has to say about the last 10 years of strategic planning in Canada and what might be in store for the next 10.

Umar Ghumman is the Chief Experience Officer at WT. Get his perspective on how strategy in Canada has changed over the last 10 years and what might be in store for the next.

If anyone might have a perspective on how strategic planning has changed in the last 10 years and what might be in store for the next, then surely two of the best headhunters in Canada surely would. This week, have a listen to what Ni Kalman, Founder, and Cheryl Munroe, VP Client Service & Recruitment, at AIP Connect have to say on the topic.

Mark Tomblin arrived in Canada from the UK one cold, snowy evening back in 2010. Since then, he has chaired the APG and headed up strategy departments at TAXI and Juniper ParkTBWA. Get his perspective on how strategic planning has changed in Canada over the last 10 years and what might be in store for the next.

Eight years ago, Shari Walczak and Shane Ogilvie started the Garden, at a time when few agencies were founded by a strategy creative pairing. Over the last 10 years, they've seen a lot change, especially in strategic planning, and they've changed right along with it. Find out what they think about how planning has evolved in Canada over the last 10 years and what might be in store for the next.

To consider how the digital landscape has changed in the last 10 years and then try and predict what might be coming in the next 10 years is undeniably wild, so we thought we'd go there. So this week, find out what Priyanaka Goswami, EVP, Head of Experience + Connections, has to say about how strategic planning has changed in Canada over the last 10 years and what might be in store for the next.

Next up: Elana Gorbatyuk, Global CSO and Partner, at Sid Lee. Find out what Elana has to say about what's changed in planning in Canada over the last 10 years and what might be in store for the next.

This week on the show and actually for the next 10 weeks, we will be celebrating 10 years of the APG. With APG Canada at 10, we will be releasing 10 new episodes to explore how strategy in Canada has changed over the last 10 years and what might be in store for the next. In the series, we will be talking to strategists, creatives, HR, and management to gather their diverse perspectives. In this episode, hear from Sub Nijjar, CSO, Daniel Shearer, President, Ontario and West and Melissa Gordon, SVP, Global Talent Acquisition Lead, Plus Company.

Fake it till you make it has been the winning formula for many a strategist. To do that well you need to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Amanda Jones (AJ), CSO at McCann has lived in the UK, Romania and now Canada so it seems she's gotten pretty used to being not being used to being where she is. Listen in to find out how she uses this to work in her favour.

A few months ago we interviewed Justine Feron, a Canadian strategist who gave us the ins and outs of working as a planner in the US. Today, we're going a bit further afield. Have you ever wondered what it's like to work as a strategist in the UK? Find out from Michael Kates, Senior Strategist at Brave London, who moved to Old Blighty a year ago.

Many of us have gotten or had to give tough love over the course of our career but few of us have managed to turn it into our own business venture. Today we're talking to Lindsay Waugh, James Fisher and Julie Sheldon of the newly formed strategy collective, Tough Love on How Tough Love Fuels Agile Strategy. Enjoy!

Acceptance of psychedelics is growing which can importantly have positive impacts on our industry so this week we've decided to revisit one of our top episodes from last year's GrowOp Summer School, How to Leverage a Psychedelic Experience with Emily Squirrell, VP Head of Strategy at Gene.

If you haven't ever been on a Zoom call with Jon Crowley, I highly recommend it. It's literally like being transported to a sneaker shop and the kicks on display, so I'm told, are only a small glimpse into Jon's entire collection. I find fringe and not so fringe (given sneakers are a $73BN global market) cultures fascinating so this week we're revisiting one of our top episodes from last year's GrowOp Summer School, How to be a Sneakerhead with Jon Crowley.

Coca-Cola. Nike. Apple these are all brands that have massive cultural equity and resonance with consumers. But what is their secret? How do they do it? Do yourself a favour and take a listen to Chuck Welch, Founder and CSO at Rupture Studio on How to Build Culturally Iconic Brands - one of our top episodes from last year's GrowOp Summer School.

While we like to think of ourselves as individuals, rarely influenced by the actions of others, the truth is many of our actions are swayed by the group. No one knows this better than award winning UK strategist and Herdmeister, Mark Earls. This week we've decided to revisit one of our top episodes from last year's GrowOp Summer School so take a listen to Mark's top tips on how to leverage the herd.

Lots of strategists dream of working in bigger markets and often times that means spending some time in New York or further afield in London. It's definitely a worthwhile experience: bigger budgets, bigger teams, etc. So this week, we are fortunate enough to get some tips on getting your foot in the US market and what it's really like to work there from strategist extraordinaire, Justine Feron, Head of Brand Strategy at Grey. Check out one of our top episodes from last year's GrowOp Summer School.

While it was only 6 weeks ago that we had a well deserved winter break, I'm sure at this point, it feels like a distant memory. So this week we've decided to revisit an important episode from last year's GrowOp Summer School. Take a listen to Chantaie Allick's top tips on how to overcome burnout.

Canada is set to bring in 1.5M immigrants by 2025. And already, about one in four Canadians have come here as an immigrant. This is promising news for our industry as we continue to work towards greater diversity and inclusion including increased understanding of the culturally diverse consumers we seek to connect with. That said, breaking into the Canadian ad scene from another country is not always easy. So this week, we're re-running one of our top episodes from last year's GrowOp Summer School so you can get some tips on how to do just that. Whether you're trying to get your foot in the door or one of those making the hiring decisions there are some terrific tips here from Fahim Khan. Take a listen.

To wrap up our deep dive into storytelling, this week, we've decided to re-run one of our top episodes from last year's GrowOp Summer School. Polish your skills in mastering this art form by listening to our interview with author of Mystery: A Seduction, a Strategy, a Solution with Jonah Lehrer.

Last week, we explored the importance of storytelling. This week, we thought we'd continue this theme but from the perspective of yet another masterful storyteller. If you haven't yet had a chance to listen to one of our top episodes from last year's GrowOp Summer School, then take the time today to get a masterclass from legendary planner and author, Paul Feldwick.

If you're anything like me, you spent a good chunk of your winter holiday binging on Netflix shows. We are blessed with a constant onslaught of truly immersive and downright addictive storytelling and since we work in a media that most would much rather avoid, being really good at telling stories (even just to sell your strategy into a client) is a vital skill. So this week, listen and then re-listen to one of our top episodes from last year's GrowOp Summer School. Mike Monello is the Co-founder and Creative Director at Campfire, an agency which creates groundbreaking participatory stories and experiences for TV shows such as The Walking Dead to Game of Thrones to Ted Lasso to Westworld to Handmaid's Tale.

Doesn't everyone want to be thought of as interesting? Afterall, it is interesting that often sparks our best ideas and so for many strategists chasing what's interesting is a much loved pastime. So take some time to listen to one of our top episodes from last year's GrowOp Summer School and find out from John Griffiths, one of the world's most interesting planners, how to add more zest to your life.

It's the start of a new year so it feels like we should be talking about how to make luck happen. Luckily enough, we have the perfect person to tell us just how to do that. Take a listen to one of our top episodes from last year's GrowOp Summer School and find out how to make 2023 work in your favour.

Just in time for the holidays, this week we're re-running one of our top episodes from GrowOp Summer School: How to Slow Down with Carl Honore.

This week, we're re-running one of our top episodes from GrowOp Summer School. Find out from one of the best in the industry how thrive at an independent agency.

This week, we're re-running one of our top episodes from GrowOp Summer School. Find out from one of the best in the industry how to venture out on your own.

It's no secret that as branding professionals we are shockingly bad at branding ourselves. So this week on the show, I decided to talk to Henry Wong, author of Telling Your Story, Building Your Brand, to share his 5 tips on Personal Branding.

Pitching is the lifeblood of our industry. And there are certainly some agencies that seem to have it more dialed in than others. So I decided to tap one of the best in the business to share his top 5 tips on how to pitch. Tom Kenny, is the newly appointed CSO at Courage and in this conversation he shared some of his trade secrets on converting the all important pitch.

Many advertisers and agencies have made important progress when it comes to diversity and inclusion, yet there is still more that can be done. Specifically, ensuring that the conversation doesn't start downstream during casting but rather much further upstream during the strategy phase is just one example. So this week on APG's GrowOp, we're catching up with Jessica Borges, VP Business Lead at Koo, a division of Cossette, to share her 5 tips on how to ensure diversity is at the heart of every brief.

The concept of challenger brands is one that many strategists refer to time and time again. It's a concept rich with tension and white space - all the good things we love. But so, interestingly enough, are constraints.. Constraints can in fact be beautiful, according to Mark Barden, partner at Eat the Big Fish. So this week on the show, we're exploring Mark's top 5 tips on overcoming beautiful constraints.

Sometimes, when you're just starting out as a strategist, it's hard to figure out what your style is going to be and as much as our job is to undercover a brand's superpower, it can be hard to locate our own - especially the ones that will make us stand out from what other strategists do. So today on the show we're catching up with Elliott Altilla, Head of Strategy at Mint, on how to uncover your strategic superpower.

Breaking glass ceilings and advocating for things to better add up in advertising has been an important focus for this week's guest: Becky McOwen Banks, former ECD at Vayner London and contributing author of Eat your Greens. And yet, while there may be more women in leadership positions in marketing, especially vs other industries, it's not just about representation but the actual workplace environment and experience. According to a study conducted by the CMA in 2021, women in marketing are less likely than their male counterparts (69% vs 82%) to say that their workplace makes employees feel included. Moreover, 45% of women marketers say they are not engaged due to either institutional, interpersonal, structural or internalized systems of discrimination. What marketers are experiencing in Canada is unsurprisingly not that different from what they're experiencing across the pond in the UK. But enough talking about the problem, if you're interested in applying some solutions, have a listen!

Gareth Kay, CMO at Twill, is a well known name in strategy circles. Over the years, he's led planning at a number of the best agencies in the world from Goodby Silverstein to Modernista. He is a highly sought after speaker and one of the most refreshing voices in marketing. Having recently made the shift from agency side to client side, he's here to share his top 5 tips on making the switch.

I've never come across a single agency that doesn't say they're collaborative. Of course they're collaborative, who isn't? So we all know it's important but how easy is it to collaborate these days, especially when more often than not now we're not even in the same room as those we are working with? Well if there is one relationship for which collaboration is an essential ingredient to success, it's the one between Planners and Creatives. So today, we're talking to Mo Bofill Partner and Creative Director, and Colin Carroll, Group Strategy Director, at 123 West on adopting a collaborative mindset.

It's very easy to point out all the things that need re-imagination in our industry but it's much harder to actually step out on a limb and enact real change. Mat Baxter, Global CEO of Huge, is someone I've always associated with bravery. He does what most people only ever dream about doing. But that's why I believe, at least in part, he's been so successful. I first met Mat when I was working at Naked in Australia where he was Founding Partner & CEO, Asia-Pacific. Back then, Naked was a brand that shook reasonable fear into other agencies. It was bold. It was ambitious. It definitely wasn't trying to do what other agencies were doing. And a lot of that was a result of Mat's fearlessness to take on the previously unquestioned way of doing things. So today on the show we caught up with Mat on how to be brave in an industry that can eat you alive.