Opinionnation

A popular Cannes presentation by three of the industry’s best known effectiveness experts got Kevin Keane thinking about some suggestions of his own.

Creating a successful pitch deck requires thinking like a magician. The trick is to create a compelling story, says Trevor Thomas.

The best purpose-led campaigns—like those from Dove, Wendy’s and most recently Fiat—start with a clear brand conviction, says Trevor Thomas. Otherwise it’s like a punchline without a set up.

Creativity and the best ideas have little to do with timesheets, or time of day for that matter. Joanna Track says it’s time for the ad industry to think differently.

Cannes judges shouldn’t only award tear-jerking work that wants to save the world, says Angus Tucker. “Fun and laughter and are as much a part of the human condition as love and hope.”

The NHL’s Pride Nights send a message to LGBTQ+ youth that hockey is for them, says Sam Archibald. The pressure is on teams and sponsors to make sure they move forward and not backward

ChatGPT and other AI tools are transforming the way the industry works, but that includes how it works with interns, says One Twenty Three West’s Colin Carroll.

TV is awash with flawed characters audiences cheer for. VMLY&R’s Trevor Thomas wonders if marketers should try a similar approach.

Aside from being unethical, not compensating people for their work perpetuates inequality by taking opportunities away from those who can’t afford to work for free, says Swerve’s Andrew Wagar.

Finding Nemo is much more than a fish story, says VMLY&R’s Trevor Thomas. It demonstrates the power of finding a true human insight.

Local media is often ignored by media planners because of gaps in the data that ignore smaller communities and marginalized groups, says Sarah Thompson

The new normal flexible work arrangements are great, but the best way to learn is by watching colleagues do the job you want to do one day, says Angus Tucker

Eric Blais reflects on the late, great Per Pedersen’s observation that the industry suffers because it has to put up with “shit from people that don’t love creativity.”

Directing more ad spend to local media can be the most meaningful social cause in Canada, says dentsu’s Sarah Thompson. It connects the big issues we care so much about—the environment, our society, and democracy.

CIBC’s new ad campaign is based on an imagined scenario of therapy dogs helping people relax when talking personal finances. But Eric Blais wonders if the scenario might be too believable.

After two Januaries darkened by the dread of COVID, Fuse Create’s Stephen Brown is ready for a new year that feels more like the good old days, when the biggest challenge was fighting for great ideas, not fighting the pandemic.

French advertisers are increasingly relying on “Frenglish” because of its “cool, trendy impact,” but Quebec needs to safeguard against its rise, says Eric Blais.

It may be that the Simons “All is Beauty” campaign was always going to face backlash, but Eric Blais has a few suggestions for what the retailer could have done differently.

BDC has always been the bank of entrepreneurs, but now it wants to be about ambition. Eric Blais wonders what will happen if another ambitious bank has a problem with that.