Spotlight

AI can generate 50 ad variations in an hour. But is it producing better work, or just more of it?On this episode of CMA Spotlight, Derek Hovinga and Marc Binkley sit down with Pradeep Balasubramanian, who works in Gen AI and performance automation at ATB Financial. Pradeep works where creative judgment, AI-enabled workflows, and full-funnel measurement meet, and he makes the case for slowing down so AI builds quality instead of volume.We get into why "accuracy before speed" should be every team's first gate, what platforms like Meta Andromeda can and can't see about your business outcomes, and why the creative brief may matter more now than ever. Pradeep also shares how he gets AI to "interview him like a reporter" before generating anything, why compliance is a feature rather than the final boss, and why the same creative should never run on every platform.Follow Pradeep's newsletter: No Easy Answers

https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/no-easy-answers-7463297449139331072/

Is video actually worth the investment... or is it just another line item that's hard to justify? In this episode of Spotlight, we sit down with Adam Mercier from Studio Spero to break down what real, measurable ROI on video looks like.We dig into:- How brands should actually be measuring video performance- Common mistakes companies make when budgeting for video- What separates video that converts from video that just looks nice- Practical advice for marketers trying to make the case for video internally

Here's a podcast description for the episode:

Fractional vs. Full-Time: Rethinking How You Hire Marketing Talent, with Rosalind Toews

Hiring for marketing is rarely as simple as "post the job and wait." Do you bring on a full-time employee? Sign an agency retainer? Hire a freelancer? Or go fractional? In this episode, Derek Hovinga and Marc Binkley speak with Rosalind Toews from Outspoke about how to actually make that call and why the fractional model is reshaping how growing businesses think about marketing leadership.

They dig into where full-time hires can leave companies stretched too thin, why agency retainers sometimes miss the mark on strategy, the limits of hiring freelancers for one-off tasks, and what it really looks like to have a fractional expert embedded in your business week to week. Rosalind shares a grounded, practical take on the signals that tell you which model is right for where your business is right now.

Whether you're a founder facing a hiring decision or a marketer curious about the fractional path, this conversation offers a clear-eyed framework for making that choice.

B2B marketers love to talk about impressions and clicks. Partners love to talk about revenue. This episode is about closing that gap.

Morgan Melnyk from MNP joins CMA Spotlight to unpack how a firm known for relationships, not funnels, builds a research-backed marketing strategy that doesn't just look good on a dashboard.

We cover the MarTech spend nobody questions until it's too late, why "vanity metrics" and "leading indicators" get confused constantly, and how the Consumer Debt Index turned proprietary research into real commercial traction. Plus: what to do tomorrow if you're stuck proving marketing's worth to people who only speak P&L.

A conversation for anyone trying to earn credibility in the boardroom, not just clicks in the dashboard.

Marc just got back from Cannes Lions (by way of the Stampede, because apparently that's a normal transition) and he's bringing back more than just a hangover. On this episode of the CMA Spotlight podcast, Derek sits down with Marc to unpack what actually happens at advertising's biggest stage — beyond the beach clubs and the free Rosé.

In this episode:

• Why "going to see the work" in the Palais basement is the real Cannes experience — and what those case study boards reveal that award reels never show
• Columbia Sportswear's flat-earther stunt and why it had the room laughing
• KitKat's "Take a Break" brief — the same idea for 70 years, and why that's a feature, not a bug
• The research behind it: the average campaign lasts just 38 days, and what that says about why so much advertising doesn't stick
• Rethink's big win on the world stage and what makes their creative process repeatable
• The CRAFTS framework for building a genuinely good creative idea
• A packed house for Mark Ritson and Byron Sharp — mental availability, the "rule of two," and why B2B buyers already have their shortlist before you show up
• Mercado Libre's Grand Prix-winning stunt that turned a soccer field into a barcode (and generated €1.5M in sales)

If you're in marketing, brand, or just curious what $10K+ in flights and hotel rooms buys you in the south of France, this one's worth the watch.

Thanks to System1 for sponsoring Marc's trip to Cannes this year.

Have insights or work you want to share on a future episode? The CMA Spotlight podcast records live every Tuesday at 10:30am — reach out if you're a Calgary Marketing Association member interested in joining.

Every platform has AI creative tools now — Meta, Google, TikTok, all built-in, all free, all one click away. You can generate a video ad from a text prompt, animate a product shot in seconds, spin up 50 headline variations without touching a keyboard.

And most brands are still producing ads that don't work.

That's not a tool problem. That's a strategy problem, and no AI is going to fix it for you.

In this video, we break down why access to AI creative tools stopped being a competitive advantage the moment everyone got the same access — and why production volume isn't the scarce resource anymore. Strategic thinking is.

Motion's 2025 research across 380+ DTC marketers found a clear divide: a small group of super performers use AI with deliberate strategic intent, while everyone else is just generating volume without direction.

What you'll learn:
→ Why AI can generate but can't strategize — it won't define your creative angle, find the right message for your audience, or tell you why an ad actually worked
→ Why the brands pulling ahead build creative strategy first, then use AI to execute it
→ Why creative strategy is becoming the highest-leverage function in paid media as production and targeting get automated
→ Why you should be auditing your briefs before your output — if the strategy isn't clear upstream, no tool fixes it downstream

If your team has access to every AI tool on the market and your ads still aren't converting, this video explains why.

Sanjeays from Vovia talks about this blog he wrote:

https://vovia.com/blog/ai-can-make-the-ad-it-cant-make-the-strategy/

We just came out of Creativity Week, and we sat in on three different webinars covering AI in branding, B2B marketing psychology, and why most creative briefs are broken. In this episode, Derek and Marc break down the 9 biggest takeaways — 3 from each session — and argue about a few of them along the way.If you're in marketing, brand strategy, or B2B, this one's packed with frameworks and stories you can actually use.WHAT WE COVER:Session 1: Stef Hamerlinck — The Future of Branding is Generative- Why the "sea of sameness" is turning into a "swamp of sameness" as AI floods every channel- The actual definition of AI "slop" (it's not just content you don't like)- Why the AI backlash online is louder than it is representative — and why people often can't tell AI from human-made content anywaySession 2: Why B2B Is Never Just Business- The real reason B2B buyers make "rational" decisions (hint: it's fear, not specs)- Why the feature war is a trap, and what to build instead (the Blackline Safety example is worth the listen alone)- Why playing it safe with creative is actually the riskier moveSession 3: "I'll Know It When I See It"- Why most creative briefs fail before the work even starts- How to replace "I don't like it" feedback with an actual evaluation framework- Why AI is great for getting unstuck but can't generate a genuinely original ideaWhether you were at Creativity Week or missed it entirely, this episode gives you the highlights and the conversation behind them.

In a world that's gone almost fully digital, the strongest brands still have something you can hold. In this episode, we sit down with Rachel from Cober Solutions — a fourth-generation print company with 110 years under its belt — to talk about why physical print isn't a relic of the past, it's a competitive advantage.

We get into why physical and digital work best together, what "emotional resonance" actually means for your brand, and why people will stand in line for hours just to get their name on something printed.

If you've ever written off print as old school, this one might change your mind.

Finance doesn't speak creative so creatives have to speak finance. In this episode of Spotlight, we sit down with Steph to unpack one of the most frustrating challenges in marketing: getting CFOs and finance teams to actually buy into brand and creative work.Steph shares hard-won lessons from years of navigating complex stakeholder environments — including a memorable board meeting that went sideways fast. We dig into why leading with "I love these colors" is a career-limiting move, and what to say instead.In this episode:- Why creatives need to learn the language of CFOs (enterprise value, margin resiliency, risk mitigation)- How to frame brand as both an investment AND an insurance policy- The difference between subjective preference and strategic rationale — and why one gets you tuned out- When and how to bring your agency into finance conversations without stepping on toes- Why board meetings are performances, not presentations (and what happens when you forget that)- The single most important argument to have ready before pitching a big, ambitious campaign- How brand drives EBITDA multipliers — and why that's easier to move than marginWhether you're a creative director, CMO, or agency partner trying to get bold ideas approved, this conversation will change how you walk into your next finance meeting.Spotlight is a podcast exploring the intersection of creativity, strategy, and business.

AI Isn't the Advantage. Better Decisions Are.

(Recorded live from Platform Calgary)

Everyone has AI. So why are some organizations pulling ahead while others are just... busy?

In this episode, we sit down with five leaders for a candid panel discussion on what actually separates AI winners from AI adopters.

• Karl Yeh (Chief AI Officer, 0260.ai),
• Christa Hill (CEO, Tacit Edge),
• John Hetherington (Founder & CEO, We Deliver Your Vision),
• Jim Gunderson (VP Operations, Mint Smartwash),
• Zoe Smith (Market Researcher, Stone-Olafson)

The conversation goes beyond prompts, tools, and productivity hacks. Because here's the uncomfortable truth: most people are using AI to do faster what they were already doing. Writing copy. Summarizing reports. Generating content. Useful? Sure. Transformative? Not even close.

The real unlock is judgment — using AI to think better, question assumptions, reduce bias, and make smarter calls. The organizations building that capability right now are the ones that will be impossible to catch later.

We explore why AI is rapidly becoming a decision-support system, how leaders are building AI-augmented thinking without creating AI dependency, and where marketers and executives keep getting stuck — and how to break through.

If you're feeling pressure to "use AI" but aren't sure how it actually drives better outcomes, this one's for you.

What you'll take away:How to reframe AI's role in your organization, how to ask better questions and pressure-test your thinking with AI, and where it creates real strategic advantage — not just speed.