Grow Op: Recent Episodes
APG Canada
In the advertising business, you never stop growing - even if you’re a seasoned strategist or aspiring to be one.
Grow Op gives strategic thinkers and creative tinkerers opportunities to grow.
Each week, Michelle Lee will talk to planners, creatives, researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry legends on everything from working with creatives, to overcoming imposter syndrome, to staying curious, to winning pitches, to being a better client whisperer, to becoming a CSO, to storytelling, to cult brands, to purpose brands and much much more.
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 Park\TBWA. 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 toLindsay 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 withJessica 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.
More and more folks in our industry are thinking about freelance. But whether you’re thinking about fully going out on your own or just moonlighting, before you dive in, it’s worth understanding the ins and outs including who it’s for, who it’s not, what to look out for, etc. On this episode, we caught up with OG freelance strategists Darla Miazdyck and Alison Savage on how to thrive as a freelancer.
Failure is not something I naturally associate with Janet Kestin and Nancy Vonk but when two advertising powerhouses approach you with a topic, who am I to argue?
If you don’t know Nancy and Janet, let me school you. Ever heard of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty? For 13 years, Jancy were at the creative helm of Ogilvy Canada and led the agency through some of its most glorious days - not just on Dove but many, many other famous campaigns. Diamond Shreddies, ring a bell?
Since then, Janet and Nancy have been named Ad Age’s 100 Most Influential Women in Advertising and most recently were inducted into the One Show Hall of Fame.
So yeah, back to failure. Not something I’d ever associate with these two. But after talking to them for an hour, I realized that part of what has made them so successful is their downright acceptance of falling flat on your face, picking yourself back up again, and coming back even stronger.
Enjoy listening to this episode because I sure enjoyed recording it!
A lot has been written about the importance of the relationship between strategist and creative, but I think there is something really special about the relationship between strategy and design. My exposure to some stellar designers has allowed me to appreciate just how much they have in common with strategists.
The best are hugely thoughtful, massively curious and whip smart at making connections between seemingly incongruent things. This description could be no less true of Barry Quinn, founder and Chief Creative at Quake. So take a listen to this episode to find out how strategy can get the most out of their design partners.
Jeff Dack has been in the industry for more than 20 years and in that time he has been a copywriter, a strategist, a client and now CEO. Given the number of hats Jeff has worn, I could think of no one better to share his top 5 tips on how to shift from strategist to CEO.
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our strategy toolkit series, we spoke to Viviana Lapcheria on how to elevate brand building
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our strategy toolkit series, we spoke to Joanne Turner on how to thrive no matter what
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our strategy toolkit series, we spoke to Viviana Lapcheria on how to elevate brand building
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our strategy toolkit series, we spoke to Warren Berger on how to ask beautiful questions
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on culture, we spoke to Emily Squirrel on How to Leverage a Psychedelic Experience (even if you haven't had one yourself).
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on culture, we spoke to Jon Crowley, How to Being a Sneakerhead has Made Me a Better Strategist
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on culture, we spoke to Colleen Berg, How to build cult brands,
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on culture, we spoke to Chuck Welch, How to build culturally iconic brands
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on how to thrive in your strategy career, we spoke to Justine Feron, How to work in the US
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on how to thrive in your strategy career, we spoke to Andrew Moschuk, How to be a great leader
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on how to thrive in your strategy career, we spoke to Jason Last, How to start your own agency
Chantaie is the Founder & Chief Storyteller of Ramsay & Co Consulting. Several years ago Chantaie experienced severe burnout and since then she has developed content and coaching material to help others through that. So today we’re going to get a small taster of this. We have gathered 4 participants, Angela Harvey, Fanny Rabinovitch-Kuzmicki, Michael Brathwaite, and Leila Siddiq, to give us a bit of a teaser of one of her workshops.
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our Strategy Masterclass, we spoke to Mark Earls on How to Leverage the Herd.
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our Strategy Masterclass, we spoke to Paul Feldwick on How to be a Better Storyteller
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our Strategy Masterclass, we spoke to Andy Nairn on How to Make Luck Happen
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our Strategy Masterclass, we spoke to John Griffiths on How to be Interesting
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our Strategy Toolkit, we spoke to Esme Rottschaffer on how to leverage system thinking
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our Strategy Toolkit, we spoke to Robert van Ossenbruggen, who shared his top 5 tips for decision makers on metrics and models.
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our Strategy Toolkit, we spoke to Laura Warren on how to tell stories with data.
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our Strategy Toolkit, we spoke to Michael Ash on how to build a comms strategy.
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on research, we spoke to Ian Pierpoint, How to build Day 5 brands
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on research, we spoke to Sarah Johnson, How to sell in semiotics to clients
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on research, we spoke to Lindsay Zaltman, How to leverage metaphor analysis
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on research, we spoke to Andrea Goldman, How to think like a semiotician
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on research, we spoke to Paul Lawton, How to do research on a tiny budget
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on storytelling, we spoke to Mike Monello, how to master storytelling (from the guy who produced The Blair Witch Project).
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on storytelling, we spoke to Oscar Trimboli, how to be a better listener.
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on storytelling, we spoke to Jonah Lehrer, how to leverage mystery.
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on storytelling, we spoke to Carl Honore, how to slow down.
This week, on APG Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on storytelling, we spoke to Ryan Lynch, on how to find quiet.
This week on APG Grow Op's Summer School, as part of our Strategy Toolkit series, we spoke to Jason Cassidy on How to Brand a Start Up.
This week on APG Grow Op's Summer School, as part of our Strategy Toolkit series, we spoke to Wiemer Snijders on How to Eat Your Greens
This week on APG Grow Op's Summer School, as part of our Strategy Toolkit series, we spoke to Christine Berg on How to Polish your Presentation Skills.
This week on APG Grow Op's Summer School, as part of our Strategy Toolkit series, we spoke to Sarah Stapley on How to Hire During the Great Resignation.
This week on APG Grow Op's Summer School, as part of our Strategy Toolkit series, we spoke to Nikolas Badminton on How to Think Like a Futurist.
This week, for the launch of Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on Career Advice, we spoke to Zach Lieberman, How to Thrive No Matter What.
This week, for the launch of Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on Career Advice, we spoke to Zach Klein, How to Thrive at an Independent Agency
This week, for the launch of Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on Career Advice, we spoke to Cameron Fleming, How to Build a Strategy Portfolio.
This week, for the launch of Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on Career Advice, we spoke to Fahim Khan, How to Break into the Industry as an Expat.
This week, for the launch of Grow Op Summer School, as part of our series on Career Advice, we spoke to Gunel Sadigova, on How to Break into Advertising as an Outsider.
There are lots of different kinds of leaders but the best ones I’ve had the fortune of working with have a compelling vision and actually follow it through. On this week’s episode of GrowOp we’re talking to Jon Wilkins, Managing Director of the newly formed Accenture Song.
Back in 2000, co-founded industry maverick, Naked Communications. From there he joined Karmarama, one of the UK’s most progressive agencies, as Chairman. And in 2016, he oversaw the sale of Karmarama to Accenture. At every juncture, Jon has rallied against convention and re-imagined what is possible so on this episode, Jon shares his top 5 tips on how to be a visionary leader.
While nudge theory has guided much thinking in behavioural science, sludge, those hidden frictions that impede behavioural change, is an equally important concept.
As Canada’s Research Chair in Behavioural Science and Economics at the Rotman School of Management, Dilip Soman, is one of Canada’s most prominent speakers in the field. So refine your understanding of nudge and harness your ability to leverage sludge in this week’s episode.
Ever since I did Karen Ward’s Curiosity Camp, I’ve wanted to have Marsha Shandur, storytelling coach and speaker, on the show.
In this episode, which is a nice build on the conversation I had with Cat Wiles on How to Stay Sane in Advertising, Marsha shares her top 5 tips on how to tame your inner beast - that voice in your head that constantly reminds you that you are not good enough, you will never be enough, and that you should give up trying to be awesome.
Faris and Rosie Yakob, founders of Genius Steals & the School of Stolen Genius, have been living on the road for almost 10 years now. And along the way, they’ve picked up a thing or two on creativity. So today’s show is entitled, top 5 tips to enhance creativity from a nomad (even if you’re not one yourself)
Some have hailed behavioural science as a panacea for solving everything from global poverty to financial literacy. Within advertising, it has been applied to, arguably, less urgent but still important business problems from selling more toothpaste to acquiring more credit card holders.
One of the most prominent voices on behavioural science within marketing is none other than Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman at Ogilvy UK, chief architect behind Ogilvy’s behavioral science nudge unit, OgilvyChange. So this week, we sat down to talk to get Rory’s top 5 tips on how to inject even more BS into advertising.
Andy Macaulay has been associated with some of Canada’s most successful agencies including Rethink, Zig, CPB Canada and more recently, The Garden. And some of that success, I believe, must at least in part be due to culture. You can’t do good work without good people. So today we’re talking about culture and how you build one post, or arguably even still during a global pandemic.
No matter how junior or seasoned you are as a strategist, it seems we all suffer from imposter syndrome. So perhaps it’s no surprise that when I suggested it as a topic, I didn’t get just one person raise their hand to talk about it, I got four. Being cast as the smartest person in the room can be a lot to live up to apparently.
So this week, we’re catching up with Sarah Thompson, Julien Coulter, Fanny Chabot and Helen Androlia on imposter syndrome.
Just as a good dynamic between strategist and creative can be a predictor of stand out work, so too can a strong relationship between strategist and researcher. So this week, we sat down with Shane Skillen, CEO at Hotspex, who shared his Top 5 tips on how to be a great planner.
If you’ve ever watched speakers on the TedTalk stage, you know they often are the best storytellers. But they don’t always start out that way.
Andrea Sampson, CEO and Executive Speaker Coach, has worked with some of the most highly accomplished scientists, entrepreneurs, and dreamers in the world. She helps them find and tell the why in what they do.
On this week’s episode, Andrea shares her top 5 tips on how to tell the story of me.
The temptation to go out on your own is a feeling that many of us have had at some point or another. But having the bravery to do it can be hard.
In this week’s episode of Grow Op, we spoke to Ute Preusse, co-founder of Will, who shared her top 5 tips for starting your own agency.
There are few agencies that have been as successful as Rethink and while Rethink’s creative reputation is well known, a massive part of their secret sauce actually lies in their client management. It’s not hard to have great ideas but selling them in is entirely another thing.
In this episode, we spoke to Caleb Goodman, Rethink’s National Managing Partner and COO, about how to be a better client whisperer.
Empathy, compassion, and vulnerability. These are increasingly sought after skills in leaders. And contrary to being seen as a weakness or sign of submission, these qualities are recognized as powerful demonstrations of confidence, courage, and authenticity.
In this week’s episode of GrowOp, we sat down with Lisa Kimmel, Global Managing Director, Chair & CEO of Canada & Latin America and Global Women's Equality Network Chair at Edelman to share her top 5 tips on being a more inspiring leader.
Freelance has been an enticing proposition for many, for years. And for some, COVID seemed to turn its appeal into overdrive. The opportunity for remote work and the strong need for on-demand talent have been at least two key reasons for its growth amongst not only industry veterans as has been the norm within strategy, but amongst more junior to mid-weight talent as well.
In this week’s episode of GrowOp, we sat down with Trent Fulton, Chief Collaboration Officer at Yes&, a business which connects clients and agencies in need of project based strategic planning with the most experienced battle tested freelance talent in the country, to find out whether freelance is the future of strategy.
For years we’ve been lamenting the death of the traditional agency model. Yet for all our complaining, there are few agencies that have actually tried to do something different. Then along came Oliver. Oliver is the world's first and only company to exclusively design, build, and run bespoke in-house agencies and marketing ecosystems for brands. It has an enviable client list including Unilever, Google, Adidas, and many more. In 2021, they were named Adweek's fastest growing large agency for the second consecutive year. With 183% growth, their success is pretty hard to argue with.
What’s really interesting about Oliver isn’t that they’ve just disrupted the agency model but that they are continuing to reinvent themselves. Whereas most agencies have barely changed in 50 years, their model is still evolving. Find out what Dave thinks is next for the industry, why clients and employees can’t get enough of the model, and where Oliver will go next.
Sometimes having great ideas is not the hardest part. It’s selling them in. And while it’s easy for agencies to blame clients for not buying brave work, don’t agencies have a responsibility in making the work buyable? Lori Davison, CMO at the Royal Ontario Museum, was one of the key architects behind Sick Kids Vs, one of Canada’s most awarded campaigns. And prior to Sick Kids, Lori spent the majority of her career agency side. We couldn’t think of anyone better to provide a perspective on how to sell brave work to conservative clients.
Advertising is not an easy profession: long hours and weekend work are all too common. No wonder so many of us get completely burnt out. But the narrative is changing. Many of us are no longer willing to accept these conditions but part of that needs to start with ourselves. Cat Wiles, CSO at Cossette, has achieved the upper echelons of our industry but not without learning how to prioritize her own mental wellness along the way. Get her top 5 tips for how to stay sane in advertising.
Some teams like Jay Chaney and Carlos Moreno of Broken Heart Love Affair, seem to have a partnership that allows them to hit it out of the park time and time again. So what’s their secret? How do they do it? Find out from the best what makes for a great strategy and creative partnership work and what doesn't.
You can connect with Jay Chaney on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-chaney-44924241/
You can connect with Carlos Moreno on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-moreno-4835977/
When research is done well, it really has a life of its own. Listen to the inaugural episode of our new podcast show, Grow Op, where we give strategic thinkers and creative tinkerers opportunities to grow. In this episode, Daniel Berkal of The Palmerston Group shares his Top 5 Tips on Creating Research that Doesn't Suck.