The Canadian Marketing Association has opened up its online learning and development platform CMA NXT to more marketers looking for help during the pandemic.
The platform was first announced a year ago, and launched in beta last fall to help post-secondary students prepare for a career in marketing. The content has been expanded and will be free to anyone looking for professional marketing development or learning—services that will be important to the many marketers negatively impacted by the global coronavirus pandemic.
“COVID-19 changed our plans. We have broadened the platform to support not only university students and graduates, but also professionals in the early stages of their careers,” said CMA president and CEO John Wiltshire. “It will also benefit experienced marketers who are looking to recharge their careers because of the pandemic.”
As with the original CMX NXT, the new expanded version will be available for free with the support of RBC.
Content includes videos and blog posts from marketers, business leaders and hiring managers, and is organized around three categories: marketing yourself, which is focused on personal brand development; roles in marketing, which looks at the wider marketing landscape; and NXT exclusives, which features content from the CMAs regular events, panels and keynotes.
“The platform will continue to evolve in the coming months with additional content and new features,” said Sheldon Rodrigues, the CMA’s associate vice-president, initiatives and strategy, who is spearheading this particular project.
The expansion of CMA NXT is the latest in a steady stream of initiatives from The CMA since the pandemic gripped Canada and shut down much of the economy two months ago.
One of its first steps was the creation of Marketing Connected, a special platform to host free content and information on a wide range of topics related to the impact of the pandemic, from the evolving nature of work, to government support for businesses, and the mental health and well-being of people working from home.
That was followed by Marketing Connected Live, a webinar series in which Wiltshire talks to leaders in Canada’s marketing community about preparing for recovery.
In mid-April, it launched Marketing Responds to showcase the ways marketers are helping to make a positive impact during the pandemic. “Our goal is to demonstrate the important role that marketers play in supporting our communities, and to inspire those who are in a position of strength to support those in need,” said Wiltshire when the program debuted.
Last week saw the introduction of CMA Helps, a series of offerings to people who have been laid off during the pandemic including discounted rates for all programs and free access to some events.
