This Week in Canadian Marketing – November 7, 2025

From sold-out events to app-powered innovation, Canadian marketers are proving that creativity, connection, and community still drive the industry forward. Here are the five stories shaping this week’s marketing conversation.

1. SocialPacific Sells Out and Reminds Us Why Fun Still Works

Though this was technically last week, SocialPacific 2025 officially sold out, bringing hundreds of marketers together on the West Coast for two days of ideas, inspiration, and connection.

The spirit of the event was clear: marketing is at its best when creativity and joy lead the way. Conversations about emerging tech, storytelling, and strategy all pointed back to one truth, great work happens when marketers enjoy the process.

As Terry O’Reilly put it, “When you have fun, your creative gets undeniably better.” SocialPacific proved that bringing fun into the process doesn’t just make the work better, it makes it memorable.

SocialPacific also marked the final SocialNext event of 2025, closing out a year of coast-to-coast gatherings that celebrated creativity, connection, and community. And with three 2026 events already on sale and three more on the way, next year’s calendar is shaping up to be SocialNext’s biggest yet.

If you missed it, our full SocialPacific recap explores the key themes, standout sessions, and lessons shaping Canada’s marketing community.

Terry O’Reilly and Mike Morrison on Stage at SocialPacific 2025 - Photo by Neil Zeller

2. TD Insurance Turns Everyday Chaos into Creative CX

Speaking of bringing the fun back into marketing and advertising,TD Insurance took the idea literally this week with a Toronto-based stunt campaign featuring crushed cars, giant donuts, and runaway shopping carts.

The playful chaos wasn’t just for laughs. It spotlighted how the brand is modernizing car insurance through its mobile app, turning a traditionally frustrating experience into one that’s fast, digital, and simple.

According to a new TD Insurance survey, 63% of Canadians have dealt with car damage, and nearly 70% say it wasn’t caused by an accident at all. Yet, more than one in four Canadians find submitting a claim difficult or time-consuming. TD’s self-serve app aims to fix that: no paperwork, no phone queues, just photos and progress.

“This move positions TD Insurance among insurers rethinking customer experience through practical, app-based solutions,” said Alan Wen, VP of Marketing, TD Insurance.

3. BCAMA Marketer of the Year: Celebrating the People Who Power Our Industry

As theBCAMA Marketer of the Year Awardsapproach, there’s no better moment to celebrate the talent, creativity, and collaboration that make Canadian marketing thrive.

In a world obsessed with metrics and algorithms, this event puts the spotlight back where it belongs, on the people behind the campaigns. Recognizing their work isn’t just tradition; it’s how we attract talent, foster mentorship, and raise the standards of our craft.

From agency teams to brand leaders, the night brings together those shaping the marketing landscape in B.C.

Tickets are still available! Get yours here and help celebrate the people who make our industry great.

4. ICA’s Alchemy of Effectiveness Report: What Actually Drives Growth

The Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA)has officially released The Alchemy of Effectiveness: Marketing Investment that Impacts Commercial Results 2025, authored by Paul Tedesco, the ICA’s Head of Effectiveness.

If the title sounds familiar, it’s because Tedesco teased this very report earlier this year at both SocialNext: Toronto andSocialWest, offering early insights into how six years of Effie Awards Canada data reveal what truly drives marketing success in Canada.

Now available for purchase, the report dives deep into creativity, strategy, and consistency and how those elements fuel measurable business growth.

Key Insights:

• Mental availability outperformed brand building as the top driver of effectiveness in 2025.
• Campaigns that ran longer and across multiple channels delivered stronger commercial results.
• Canadian creative work outperformed global benchmarks in neuroscience testing.

“There are still widespread misconceptions about marketing effectiveness,” said Tedesco. “This report puts those in context by showcasing some of the most effective campaigns in Canada.”

As ICA President Scott Knox added: “Canada is a powerhouse of work that works.”

Learn more and purchase the full report at theica.ca.

5. SocialNext Has Acquired… Well, Us!

Our big news is official — SocialNext has acquired Marketing News Canada! 🎉

We’ve officially joined the SocialNext family, and we couldn’t be more thrilled.

This partnership feels like a natural next step. We’ve been collaborating for years across content, conferences, and community, and now we get to grow together, amplifying stories from across Canada’s marketing landscape under one connected platform.

“Selling Marketing News Canada to Mike Morrison at SocialNext was one of the easiest — and most important — decisions we could make,” said Darian Kovacs, Partner at Jelly Digital Marketing & PR. “Mike has built a reputation for keeping things authentically Canadian and amplifying voices that too often go unheard.”

Marketing News Canada will continue to produce its podcast and editorial content, now supported by SocialNext’s national conference network, media partnerships, and community initiatives.

P.S. You can stream new episodes of the Marketing News Canada podcast live from the SocialNext: Toronto Vault NOW!

What does that mean for you?

• More stories highlighting Canadian campaigns, people, and ideas.
• More events where our community can meet, learn, and collaborate.
• More opportunities through the SocialNext Marketing Alliance (SNMA).

We’re excited to keep bringing you the same great insights and coverage, just with a little more horsepower behind us.

Stay tuned for what’s next!

What This Week Signals

From sold-out rooms to playful campaigns and strategic insights, this week’s stories share one message: Canadian marketing is alive, ambitious, and deeply human.

We’re learning, celebrating, and growing together, and that’s something worth writing about.

Got a campaign, launch, or trend we should cover next week? Send us your news at news@socialnext.ca!