Ian Pierpoint

Some campaigns don’t just win awards. They celebrate the brand. On this week’s Bright Lights Podcast, Idan Driman, VP Marketing at Pet Valu, shares the story behind Love Lives Here, an award-winning campaign. It started as a single campaign, but it resonated so deeply with customers, pet lovers, and even their own team that it became an evergreen brand platform. The secret? People and process. Surround yourself with purpose-driven talent, partner with agencies that understand your brand, and always start with why before diving into execution. Most importantly, tell a story that’s true - not just a story you want to tell. Did you find this post useful? Drop a comment - I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Kantar Canada is pleased to launch our new Canadian Identity Score (CIS) solution developed by our Dx Analytics team. This study aims to help brands maintain their connection with Canadian consumers by providing real-time guidance for marketing decisions. The CIS measures the degree to which consumers associate a brand as authentically Canadian. This score is calculated using a custom-trained AI model that reads and interprets digital consumer conversations about brands. Additionally, this solution includes the Net Sentiment Score (NSS), which measures overall brand sentiment. This score also leverages a custom-trained AI model to classify brand-specific sentiment. As a syndicated product, we will require a small minimum number of clients to sign up to make it quite affordable for all. For more information contact our VP Measurement Solutions Paulette Moir or any member of our Kantar Canada team. #tariffs #AI #CanadianBrands #Kantar

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Canada's fastest-rising brands are rewriting the rules of growth. While headlines focus on challenges, our #KantarBrandZ 2025 Most Valuable Canadian Brands report reveals an inspiring story: brands that dare to be different are thriving. Aritzia leads the charge with exceptional 55% brand value growth, transforming from boutique brand to inclusive luxury powerhouse. By expanding strategically into the US and strengthening ecommerce, they've built a $2.1B brand that currently ranks number 25 in for brand value in Canada. What unites this year's fastest risers? Being Meaningfully Different to more people. Whether it's Dollarama expanding its value retail, Loblaw Companies Limited's Maxi broadening its reach in urban environments, or financial services brands building deeper consumer connections, growth follows distinctiveness. Ready to discover what sets Canada's most valuable brands apart? Read the full report from Kantar to find out: https://lnkd.in/geNwycYs

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Kantar Canada's new Canadian Identity Score (CIS) Syndicated Study will answer burning questions like: Is my brand perceived as Canadian or Foreign? Does this apply to some or all the brands in my portfolio? Is it an issue or an opportunity? Are these opinions changing? Leveraging Search and Social signals with AI facilitating analysis, this is a turnkey behaviour-based tool for Canadian Brands and Multinationals. #tariffs #CanadianBrands #Kantar

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🍁 Explore how Canada’s top-performing brands are building resilience and relevance in 2025's Kantar BrandZ Report 🏆 RBC leads the ranking for the 7th year, powered by digital innovation, global impact and a commitment to community 🎖️TD holds strong at No.2, with lululemon rounding out the top three 👚 Aritzia leads in growth, with a 55% surge, the highest among all brands in 2025 🛍️ Value-focused retailers like Dollarama (+42%) and Maxi (+46%) are thriving 🌱 Kruger Products | Produits Kruger Bonterra is named Canada’s most sustainable brand Download the full report: https://lnkd.in/g29NB8z4 #KantarBrandZ #CanadianBrands #BrandGrowth #MarketingStrategy #ConsumerTrends #Innovation #Sustainability

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As Managing Director and Communications & Campaigns Practice Lead, Danielle (Kotras) Donadio is focused on the opportunities the new partnership with Fengate creates, bringing deeper insights, stronger tools, and innovative technology to enhance results for Sussex and its clients. Leading a team of exceptional communicators and digital strategists, Danielle helps organizations navigate complex challenges, drive engagement, and advance their business and policy objectives. Supporting clients across health care, energy, infrastructure, mining, finance, technology, and First Nations partners, the team’s work demonstrates how thoughtful communications and digital influence can shape real-world outcomes. As Sussex enters its next phase of growth, Danielle remains focused on strengthening the firm’s communications and digital capabilities, helping clients build trust, shape meaningful narratives, and engage audiences across increasingly complex policy and media landscapes. 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/etpa6QfV

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Cowbell Brewing Co. is one of the largest breweries in Ontario. ⁠ ⁠ They reached out to CODO Design for an initial Brand Strategy engagement that quickly grew into a full identity refresh, sweeping packaging system, merch and an upcoming website update.⁠ ⁠ This deep-dive case study walks you through every step of the process — from positioning, messaging and Brand Strategy all the way to identity and package design, including concepts that didn’t make the cut. ⁠ ⁠ If your brewery is considering a rebrand or refresh this year, this case study shows what it actually takes to do it right.⁠ ⁠ Read the case study here: https://lnkd.in/gCPKWYJT Ontario Craft Brewers (OCB) Natasha Fritzley

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Are CMOs set up to fail? 🤔 In episode 107 of the CIM Marketing Podcast, we discuss the challenges marketing leaders face today. Hear from Ben Walker, Kamila Miller, Sandrine Desbarbieux-Lloyd and Robert Stevens as they share insights on how CMOs can overcome hurdles and drive meaningful business impact. Tune in now and join the conversation: https://bit.ly/3GYnS5d #CIMpodcast #MarketingPodcast #CMOs

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We've observed promotional spending in Great Britain trending upwards in recent years, though still below the historical 30%+ we once consistently saw. In December, promotional levels surpassed the 30% threshold once again, though this aligns with typical seasonal patterns (see my previous analysis for context). Are we witnessing the beginning of a sustained increase in promotional investment, or will we see stabilisation or even decline in the coming quarters? For the latest #grocerymarketshare update with the accompanying industry trends visit 👉 https://lnkd.in/e3_PcdVQ Worldpanel by Kantar #RetailAnalytics #PromotionalStrategy #MarketTrends

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Let's be honest about lookalike targeting. 👇 While most DSPs offer this capability, they lock you in their own ecosystems. You're essentially building different audiences across different platforms with no true consistency. With intelligentVIEW's approach to lookalike targeting, we start with actual Canadian households, not just digital profiles. This audience-first strategy is a game-changer that lets you: ✔️ Discover genuine lookalike prospects modelled directly from your best existing customers.  ✔️ Visualize potential matches and zero in on top-performing segments.  ✔️ Activate the EXACT SAME audience across ALL channels simultaneously. No more fragmented targeting. My favourite part? You can literally see it on a map—the actual households where your advertising dollars are working. Where are your next best customers hiding? Let's find them together: https://lnkd.in/gz-QqHkR #CustomerAcquisition #DataDrivenMarketing #Martech

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We don’t have a startup problem in Canada. We have a scale-up problem — especially for women. In the last episode of The Brand is Female | Femmes de marque for the season, I sit down with Julie Dimitri, National Manager, Women in Enterprise at TD, to unpack what’s really holding women entrepreneurs back from growth: access to capital, confidence gaps, relationship-based banking, and why too many women wait too long to ask for funding. These insights are based on recent research led by Julie and her team with Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub | Portail de connaissances pour les femmes entrepreneuriat. This conversation is practical, honest, and long overdue. 🎧 Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eb5ACbiD This season of The Brand is Female podcast is presented by TD Women in Enterprise. TD Diverse Customer Segments Canada Komal Jafri Mano Malu, CFA Nelofar Maleqazghar Nicolle Grant #TheBrandIsFemale #WomenEntrepreneurs #ScaleUp #WomenInBusiness #Capital

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The Law of unintended consequences It’s been just over a month since Quebec’s Bill 96 started requiring retailers with non-French trademarks to ensure the predominance of French on their signage. Specifically, French text—descriptors and/or slogans—must now occupy twice the size of the non-French trademark. We’re already seeing the effects. And in my humble opinion, it’s not doing much to elevate French. What it is doing is adding visual clutter, logistical headaches, and unnecessary costs.

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The battle for consumer attention is more competitive than ever. #DOOH campaigns that incorporate motion, immersive 3D visuals and dynamic, contextually relevant messaging that stand out and create lasting impact. Brands that master these strategies will lead the way in 2025. Our latest blog highlights @Campaign Canada’s Expert Report and dives into three ways to capture attention with DOOH. Don’t let your ads blend in, discover how to make them impossible to ignore 👉 https://hubs.la/Q039xdbQ0

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