Things that make you a better human and a sharper marketer.
Rise of the Humans: How the Robots are Making Your Creativity More Valuable
AI can now write, design, compose, and edit. It can do it quickly, accurately and best of all, cheaply. So, if a machine can spit out content in seconds, what does that mean for you and me?
Here's the thing: Yes, AI raises the floor. But it does not raise the CEILING. As always, the upper bounds of human creativity are limitless. This means that in a world of cookie-cutter content, your choices, judgment, taste, risks, and decisions matter more than ever. They are more valuable than ever. But only if we continue to push ourselves -- and our clients -- to be more human.
This session explores how creative value is shifting away from volume and toward discernment — deciding what is worth saying, what is true, and what will move people. Using examples from politics, marketing, communications, arts, and culture, the session reflects the real pressures people face right now and offers practical ways to protect and unlock our creative confidence in day-to-day work. Drawing on experience working behind the scenes with people like Mark Carney and others, Lloyd talks about what can happen when we take creativity seriously again. You'll leave re-energized, more sure of your value, and excited to make braver, more intentional creative choices.
The Visible Leader: How Marketing & Agency Leaders Build Presence Without Being Everywhere
In marketing, advertising, and communications, visibility matters. Not just for brands, but for the people leading them. Today’s senior leaders are increasingly expected to have a point of view, a presence, and a voice that extends beyond internal meetings and client calls. But many are still asking the same questions: What should I be known for? Where should I show up? How much does my online presence actually matter? And how do I do this without turning it into another full-time job?In this session, Daniel Francavilla shares a practical framework for how leaders in marketing, advertising, PR, and agency environments can build a clearer presence both online and offline. The session will explore how thought leadership supports trust, reputation, business development, recruiting, and industry relevance — while helping leaders decide where to focus, what to say, and how to show up in a way that feels strategic and sustainable. Attendees will leave with a clearer sense of how to position themselves, how leader visibility connects to brand and business outcomes, and how to build presence without trying to be everywhere at once.
Truth Isn’t Trending: Disinformation, Misinformation, and the Fight for Trust
Speakers: Julia Oosterman and Ashalea Stone
In an era defined by algorithmic amplification, generative AI, and declining trust, misinformation and disinformation are no longer fringe risks — they are core business, reputational, and ethical challenges. This session explores how false and deliberately misleading information spreads, why it works so well, and what it means for brands, marketers, and communicators who now operate at the centre of the information ecosystem.
Drawing on global research and real‑world case studies — from public health and elections to corporate reputation and brand adjacency — this talk unpacks the difference between misinformation and disinformation, examines their growing prevalence, and highlights the tangible consequences for organizations that underestimate their impact. Attendees will learn how market incentives, digital advertising systems, and social platforms can unintentionally reward harmful content, and why traditional “fast response” communications models are no longer sufficient.
Most importantly, this session makes the case that ethical marketing is no longer optional. It is a strategic and moral imperative. Participants will leave with practical insights on how marketers can slow the spread of falsehoods, build internal resilience, make more responsible media and messaging decisions, and protect trust — not just in their brands, but in the broader public discourse they help shape.
Hosted by the City of Toronto’s Julia Oosterman – Chief Communications Officer and Ashalea Stone, Senior Digital Content Advisor.
Rebrand, Refresh, Reinforce: A practical framework for brand transformation
Every brand eventually reaches a crossroad: a clear sense of purpose and an agreed-upon vision for the organization act as North Stars for decision-making. When your brand’s core essence, the authentic truth of what you stand for, meets a well-defined future-state vision, you can more confidently decide whether to evolve, overhaul, or double down on what’s already working.
In this session, you’ll explore the decision-making framework behind rebranding, refreshing, versus reinforcing your existing brand, guided by your brand’s essence and organizational vision. Learn how to translate vision into brand strategy, so you can chart your next move with conviction and clarity.
• You’ll gain tools to assess what your brand truly needs, and to distinguish where visual branding decisions help accelerate growth from where they may hold you back, always anchored in your core purpose and strategic direction.
You’ll walk away with:
A practical framework for deciding if it’s time to rebrand, refresh, or refine—rooted in your brand’s essence and organizational vision
Real examples of what successful brand evolution can look like (without burning everything down)
Key signals that your brand might be misaligned with your audience or market—and how to realign with your core purpose.
This is Culturally (In) Appropriate: Black Influence in Advertising
From visual aesthetics to the language of cool, Black culture has shaped global advertising in profound ways—building billion-dollar brand identities while often being systematically erased from the narrative. This talk examines that paradox. We'll trace pivotal moments in advertising history where Black creativity led innovation, analyze iconic campaigns, and engage in critical discussions around representation, ownership, and equity. Designed for creatives, strategists, and industry professionals committed to moving the conversation and industry forward with authenticity, accountability, and action.
Get to the “Why”: Social Values + Empathy Mapping for Smarter Marketing
Speakers: Michele Cunningham and Susan Seto
What if you could better understand your audience by seeing the world the way they do? In this interactive session, Michele Cunningham will lead a hands on empathy mapping exercise powered by Social Values, helping you step into the shoes of your audiences and get to the why behind their choices. Together, we’ll bring audiences to life by surfacing what motivates them, what holds them back, and where unmet needs show up. This mini workshop is ideal for marketers who want to move beyond demographics, uncover new opportunities, and spark more humancentric thinking. Think less “target audience” and more “actual humans.”
The Art & Science of Persuasion
Speakers: Ben Wise and Darren Chiu
What if you could understand the hidden triggers that drive human decision-making? In this talk, we'll decode the science behind persuasion, revealing the subtle tactics that influence our choices. We scour the research on psychology, behavioral economics, and influence to bring you the most actionable way to increase your impact. Learn to apply these insights to achieve your goals, whether in marketing, sales, or everyday life.
The Great Trends Debate
Speakers: Carley Stastny and Raph Alejo
Come one, come all as we discuss the industry's hottest topics. Our hosts lead a curated debate on topics like AI, ethics, sustainability, digital age developments and the implications these things have on our marketing and comms landscape.
Bring your opinions and open minds as we engage in rich and valuable discussion.
Building Niche Canadian Brands
Everyone wants to build a brand. Few want to do the unglamorous work it actually takes. In this session, Anthony Kowalczyk:CEO of Plain Language Media, CMO of the den, and co-founder of Saunder Sauna Tents, pulls back the curtain on what it really looks like to build niche Canadian brands from the inside. No buzzwords, no vanity metrics. Just honest conversation about audience development, performance infrastructure, the role of ad tech and monetization in brand sustainability, and why niche isn't a limitation, it's a competitive advantage.
The Pitch Competition
Judges: Amanda Fraser and Eric Plaskacz
The beauty of marketing is that good ideas can come from anywhere. So no matter your area of expertise, this session gives you the opportunity to flex your creative problem-solving and presentation muscles. Sign up and get ready to pitch ideas to a panel of judges! The winning team will receive a prize pack worth $2,000.
The State of Media Buying: What's Actually Changed
Speakers: Mo Dezyanian, Rahul Sethi, Indresh Kohli and Ira Kates
"Media buying isn't what it was five years ago and the old playbook doesn't work anymore.
Join a candid, unscripted conversation with leaders spanning brand, agency, and insights as they debate what's really reshaping the industry: the rise of lean, tech-enabled independent agencies challenging legacy holding companies; a new generation of clients who no longer tolerate ""a click is a click"" thinking; the fracturing of audiences along cultural and interest lines that makes one-size-fits-all reach strategies obsolete; and where AI genuinely fits into media planning versus where it still falls short on cultural nuance.
Expect real tension, differing points of view, and hard questions about what it actually takes to win with audiences today: reach vs. relevance, consolidation vs. independence, and data vs. intuition."
The Innovation Illusion: Why the Future of Influencer Marketing is Still Human
Speakers: Manar El Mugammar and Amy Pearson
Every brand and agency exec is looking for ways to scale, but is replacing human creators with AI actually driving ROI? While virtual influencers grab headlines, the reality is that the creator economy is built on a currency AI can’t replicate: earned trust. Join Manar El Mugammar (COO) and Amy Pearson (Head of Talent) from Shine Talent Group for a candid, hype-free session that cuts through the tech noise. They will map out a realistic, balanced approach to AI, highlighting where it serves as a powerful operational backend tool, and where its front-facing use fails to convert.
What you’ll walk away with:
- The ""Real Use"" Paradox: Why an AI can’t show a genuine before-and-after, try a product, or build the peer-to-peer trust that actually drives sales.
- The Accountability & Legal Gap: The hidden risks of virtual creators, from disclosure issues to brand-safety.
- Practical strategies for using AI where it actually belongs, streamlining workflows, refining pitches,
and supporting human creators rather than trying to replace them.
- Why AI is Retrospective: Why an algorithm trained on the past can never replace the forward-looking innovation of a human creator.
From Followers to Fans: Building Direct Fan Relationships in a Post-Algorithm World. Why the future of fan engagement isn't reach, it's relationship.
Brands have spent a decade optimizing for reach on platforms they don't own, and the math has never worked: 1,000 true fans beat a million followers. Drawing on experience with Netflix, Pedigree/Whiskas, Four Seasons, Audi, Winners and advising Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace) on Fandrop, this panel makes the case for direct, one-to-one relationships with fans over social algorithms and explores how AI now makes that kind of personalization faster and more cost-effective than ever before. It's a lesson that applies as much to brands, sports teams and artists as it does to sponsors trying to measure the true effectiveness of their investment in major live events, showing how making fans feel seen, not targeted, builds loyalty (and revenue) that no platform change can take away.
Leadership Is Not Bestowed. It’s Built. Lessons from 17 years of Marketing Mentorship
Speaker: Nicole Gradilone (Hrinco) and Steve Krull
Marketers get promoted for the work, then are quietly expected to know how to manage and lead. Most never are taught: roughly 60% of new managers receive no leadership, much less management, training at all.
The evidence says mentorship is one of the few interventions that reliably closes the gap. Mentored professionals are promoted more often, paid more, and, most consistently across the research, are measurably more satisfied with their careers.
One widely cited corporate study found mentees promoted five times more often than their peers. And the same research shows mentors gain as much. They are promoted more and report higher career satisfaction, because mentoring someone is itself leadership training.
The catch is that most people never get a mentor. Informal mentorship, the kind you used to stumble into at the office, has become rare, and the pandemic did us no favours. That is what formal programs are for.
This session covers what separates mentorships that change careers from ones that fizzle, how to find a mentor or group, and why good matching beats chemistry, and how to find, or become, a mentor.
ROLL FOR ALIGNMENT: Navigate Media Dungeons and Defeat Creative Dragons
Every great marketing campaign is an epic quest, but complex media plans can feel like a dungeon trap—draining your party’s budget mana, diluting your creative magic, and forcing your team into impossible trade-offs. In this interactive workshop, we’ll dive into how media constraints both empower and endanger creative efficacy. Following a short briefing on the friction points between media strategy, budget allocation, and creative execution, you’ll join a party to tackle tabletop campaign scenarios. Roll for strategy, navigate real-world constraints, and learn how Media and Creative can slay campaign chaos together.