4Ps in a Pod

🙌In this  mini-episode - we shine a spotlight on the American Marketing Association’s Toronto Chapter! You’ll be pleasantly surprised to hear that the AMA has had roots in Toronto for almost 80 years & since then - have helped countless marketers build their careers. Whether it’s been through hosting events, sharing thought leadership or creating mentorship opportunities. 

One of their flagship programs is the "Career Accelerator" where they thoughtfully pair young marketers with experienced mentors. To help learn more - we chatted with Craig Lund (VP of Leadership Excellence at the AMA) & Maggie Bolt (Program Director at the AMA). We chat through what makes this program special, the myths that exist around mentorship & share some powerful stories of how it can catapult your career. 

We hope you give this a listen, check out their website & apply (it’s live now ⌛)!

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🎉As you work towards your new year's wellness goals (wait, we all still are right?) - who better to hear from than a leader who is shaping the health & wellness space? We had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Maria Acevedo, the Head of Marketing & eCommerce at Greenhouse. 

What started as a local cold-pressed juice start-up has now flourished into a plant-based beverage company that is scaling across Canada & the US. From their game-changing fiery ginger shots to their organic oat milks - they continue to live out their mission of making plant-based nutrition more accessible. Maria stewards everything from product innovation to eCommerce & her team of “passionate builders” are actively writing the next chapter in the company’s remarkable story. 

She has spent the past 2 years at Greenhouse. Prior to that - she’s carved out a dynamic career having worked in industries such as CPG, cannabis & alcohol. 

Amongst other things - we chatted about her constant pursuit of “10xing” her skills, her secrets to thriving in a scale-up, why marketing can be the glue that brings it all together, how Greenhouse continues to be a trailblazer & the fiery product that they call “liquid gold”🔥(yes, we can confirm that it’s amazing). 

More specifically, Maria shared her thoughts on the following: 

• How would you describe what you do to a stranger? (6:50) 
• What was your “Marketing Moment”? (9:02) 
• How did you explore that passion for marketing? (11:04)
• Can you walk us through the major stops along your career journey? (14:25) 
• What is the north star that drives your career decisions? (20:17)
• What’s your advice for someone who’s making a large career leap? (22:41)
• What has your experience at Greenhouse been thus far? (27:40)
• What was the brief to you as the leader of marketing? (31:42)
• What are the marketing levers that you’re focused on pulling? (36:18)
• What are the commonalities or differences between the different industries that you’ve been in? (38:38)
• What’s exciting you about the future of Greenhouse? (41:45)
• How do you stay true to Greenhouse's ethos while striving to make it more accessible? (42:50)
• What sort of mentality does prospective talent need to have? (45:45)
• We put Maria in the hot seat! (47:46) 

In this mini-episode, we shine a spotlight on Canada’s largest marketing case competition! Over the past 17 years - the CML has launched countless careers through their program & this year will be no different. If you’re an undergrad or master’s student in Canada - you won’t want to miss your chance at competing for the ultimate prize of $20K (yes, you read that right 🤯) & CML glory. Not to mention the fact that you’ll make long-lasting connections & have a blast along the way.

To help learn more - we chatted with Navjit Dhillon (former CML winner & Senior ABM at Kraft Heinz) & Jeffrey Yateman (former CML Co-Chair & Direct Sales Manager at GM Energy). You’re going to hear their thoughts on what makes the CML special & their insider tips on how to stand out in the competition. 

We hope you give this a listen, check out their website & get that first round application in (it’s due on January 24th⌛)! 

🙌 In this episode - we had such a great time chatting with Tanbir Grover who is the Chief Marketing & Digital Officer at Pet Valu!

Pet Valu is Canada’s leading retailer of pet food & pet-related supplies with over 800 locations across the country. For the past 50 years - they’ve been bringing joy to devoted pet lovers & their pets alike. 

Tanbir joined at what was a critical inflection point in Pet Valu’s journey. He joined during the midst of the pandemic - when they didn’t sell online, our relationships with pets were fundamentally changing, and the company was on the cusp of going public. Since that defining moment - he has helped them to steward their brand build efforts all the way to their digital capabilities. 

Prior to this role - he has a wealth of experience in the retail industry having worked at Lowe’s, Hudson’s Bay, and Sears. 

Amongst other things - we chatted with him about how Pet Valu continues to stand out in a crowded space, the biggest trends shaping the industry, a fateful call that changed his career trajectory, the value of an outsider's perspective, how you can connect the dots in hindsight & his dog Levi’s awesome Halloween costume (hint:🐕🦸‍♂️). 

More specifically, Tanbir shared his thoughts on the following questions: 

• How would you describe what you do to a stranger? (7:34) 
• What was your “Marketing Moment”? (8:50) 
• What did you take away most from those early experiences? (12:32)
• What is your approach to making career decisions? (14:17) 
• Can you take us back to that defining moment where you decided to start at Pet Valu? (19:23) 
• How did you manage the steep learning curve? (24:16) 
• How was your experience trying to lead a cultural shift within the organization? (27:50) 
• Can you unpack Pet Valu’s priorities & its new brand platform? (30:46) 
• What are the trends that you’re seeing & how is your team capitalizing on them? (38:04) 
• How is your team structured? (42:50) 
• We put Tanbir in the hot seat! (47:47) 

🏒🏆 In this episode, we had an absolute blast chatting with Nicole Lee -the Senior Director of Integrated Marketing at the NHL.

The league has been around for over 100 years & has gone through so many eras in that time. By all accounts - they’re in the midst of another golden era. Their revenue is at an all-time high which has been fueled by their captivating stars, intriguing storylines & new partnerships. Nicole's team works alongside their sponsors to help them mutually grow their businesses & the love for the sport. She joined 16 years ago & has helped the NHL grow the scale/impact of those partnerships.  

Prior to that - she has a fascinating story of growing within the US (completing her Masters in Ohio, working at Disney in Orlando & Anheuser-Busch in Virginia). 

Amongst other things - we chatted with her about the NHL’s record-shattering year, what winning partnerships look like, the importance of taking the long-view, the lost art of the handwritten note & whether the Leafs are finally going to win this year 🍾🤞. 

More specifically, Nicole shared her thoughts on the following questions: 

• How would you describe what you do to a complete stranger? (10:12)
• What's the benefit of Partnership Marketing for the NHL? (10:49)
• What was your "Marketing Moment"? (12:08)
• As you've progressed through your career, has there been a north star that has driven your decision making? (16:28)
• How did you think about the trade-offs between career choices? (17:18)
• Can you walk us through your 16-year career at NHL? (21:07)
• How has your view of sponsorship marketing evolved over time? (23:46)
• How does it feel to have been part of the growth of the NHL through your role in partnership marketing? (28:55)
• How do you cultivate strong relationships with your partners? (33:25)
• Can you walk us through an example of one of your partnerships and how that has come to life? (35:08)
• How is your team evaluated for success? (40:10)
• How is the marketing team set up at the NHL? (42:04)
• Do you have any cautionary advice for anyone who wants to enter a Sports Marketing career? (45:07)
• We put Nicole in the hot seat! (47:12)

🎃 👻 In the sixth episode of our mini-series “The Cheat Sheet”, we tackle a scary subject… the interview process (gasps!). Whether you’re in the thick of recruiting season or just thinking ahead - we’re sharing some of our top tricks (and treats) on how to make the most of an interview and how to leave a lasting impression! The goal (ghoul?) is for you to be an eerie-sistible candidate😅!

As a quick reminder - in addition to long-form interviews with our incredible guests, we're releasing short-form content that will answer the most burning questions that we receive from students/new grads. Have any topics in mind? Send us a message: [email protected]

In this episode - we had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Kate Torrance who is the VP, Head of Brand, Content & Comms at SickKids. 

SickKids opened their doors almost 150 years ago with a commitment to improving health outcomes for children. Since then - they’ve helped countless families across the country & have been recognized as a global leader in this space. In order to fuel their life-changing research & care - they launched the largest healthcare campaign in Canadian history in 2016. This was driven by a platform that they created called SickKids VS. It’s a platform that has been awarded some of the industry’s highest honours, inspired others in the industry to follow suit - won over the hearts of donors. 

Kate actually joined at the beginning of what she calls their brand transformation journey about 10 years ago & has continued to steward the brand. Her team is far from finished - they’re one the cusp of another monumental fundraise & just formed some new agency partnerships to help reach it. Prior to SickKids - she had an illustrious career in advertising, having worked at the likes of Zulu & BBDO. 

Amongst other things - we chatted with her about why she was destined for a career in advertising, her experience as one of the creators of SickKids VS, how she hopes to reframe charitable giving, what she believes makes (or breaks) creative & the cautionary tale of the piñata (and no - it wasn’t just filled with candy 🤔) . 

More specifically, Kate shared her thoughts on the following questions: 

• How would you describe what you do to a stranger? (8:30) 
• What was your "marketing moment"? (10:18)
• Walk us through your career journey before SickKids (14:24)
• How could someone differentiate between agencies to help them make a decision on which one to join? (21:35)
• What are some universal truths of marketing across industries and companies? (26:25)
• How did you navigate the career transition from agency side to client side?(29:23)
• Tell us more about your role at SickKids and your experience in the brand transformation journey (36:35)
• What kind of resistance did you face in the early stages of the development of "SickKids VS"? (43:38)
• How is your team thinking about what's next? How are you staying true to "SickKids VS" while keeping it fresh? (48:24)
• What does the Marketing team look like at SickKids? (59:59)
• We put Kate in the Hot Seat! (1:04:27)

🙌 We had an incredible time chatting with Lisa Mack who is the VP of Brand at Telus! 

You know & love Telus as one of Canada’s largest telcos. What you might not know is that their ambitions span well beyond that into areas such as health, agriculture & sustainability. They’re on a mission to make the future friendly & have worked tirelessly over the past few decades to bring that mission to life. They’ve contributed $1.7 billion, including 2.2 million days of charities & community organizations since 2000 - more than any company in the world. 🤯

Amongst other things, Lisa helps to infuse their social purpose across consumer touchpoints & has spent the past 10 years helping to build Telus into a beloved brand. Prior to that - she proudly spent time in advertising & graduated from Waterloo with a degree in Arts/Psychology/HR. 

In this episode - hear Lisa tell us (sorry, had to) about: how her team is continuing to evolve Telus’ brand platform (with the help from some cute critters 🦜🦁), the power of purpose, why she likens marketing to an ocean, her top career planning tips & the corporate buzzword that makes her cringe😅. 

More specifically, Lisa shared her thoughts on the following questions: 

• How would you describe what you do to a stranger? (7:15)
• What was your marketing moment? (10:19) 
• What do you think you gleaned from agency experience to set you up in this current role? (16:00)
• Can you walk us through that important decision to transition to Telus? (19:15) 
• Can you share more context about Telus’ mission? (21:07) 
• How do you inject that purpose into your communications? (25:43)
• How do you strike the balance between purpose & price value? (30:02)
• Can you share the story behind the Telus Critters? (33:23)
• How is your team structured & qualities do you seek in marketers? (40:55) 
• We put her in the hot seat! 🔥(45:59) 

PS: Apologies for any audio issues on this one!

👋 We’re back with your regularly scheduled programming! A bit more tanned, confused (as to where the summer went) & here with a new mini episode! We chatted with Isabel Ng-Lai who is a Sr. Product Marketing Manager at the rapidly growing fintech - KOHO. More specifically, we heard Isabel’s story & tips on how she’s navigated major career moves. Whether it was a literal move to the UK or her recent move into a new role at a scale-up. 

As a quick reminder - in addition to long-form interviews with our incredible guests, we’re releasing short-form content that will answer the most burning questions that we receive from students/new grads. Have any topics in mind? Send us a message: [email protected]. 

🎙️👏 A few weeks ago we hosted our first LIVE podcast with the Queen’s Marketing Association! We debunked marketing myths, answered students’ most burning questions & had an absolute blast while doing it! We unpacked topics such as networking, career planning & everything in between. A big thank you to the QMA, our incredible panelists, and to the students that came out to listen! We had a blast.

Stay tuned - we may be coming to a school near you for another live event... 👀