The future of Canada’s marketing industry will be shaped by its youngest talent—the super-worldly, plugged-in, brilliant and creative youth who are already making a name for themselves. Marketing put out the call to the industry to find the top 30 standouts under the age of 30 who have already made their mark on the industry.
From PR to advertising to media and beyond, our 30 Under 30 showcases the smartest, bravest and most creative ones to watch in the business.
Tyler Calder, 28
Director, Enterprise Paid Search and Social Media departments, Search Engine People
When Tyler Calder’s classmates saw his hand go up, they knew what was coming.
As a student at Wilfrid Laurier University, Calder was obsessed with business objectives. Clever, good-looking ads weren’t enough. When students presented projects on successful campaigns, he’d always ask what they did for revenue. He wanted to know why they were good advertisements.
Calder, now the director of enterprise paid search and social media at Search Engine People, asks the same type of questions each time he meets with a client. He says it’s important to link paid search to specific objectives, even if it only occupies a small portion of the client’s overall marketing budget.
“Without asking ‘why?’ you can’t figure out what the objective is,” Calder says. “If we don’t figure out why we’re doing something from the start, we’re going to end up spinning our wheels through the rest of the engagement.”
Calder, who transitioned quickly from an entry pay per click specialist into senior roles as a manager, and now director, has helped Search Engine People land over 200 clients
His success with brands like Purolator, ScotiaBank and Harry Rosen has led to a string of speaking engagements for the Canadian Marketing Association, the Search Marketing Expo, the Interactive Advertising Bureau and Marketing’s Search Engine Tune Up conference.
These talks are a chance for Calder to get in front of marketers and educate them on search optimization’s value. “Most marketers recognize it should be part of their media plan,” Calder says, “But many don’t know what you can get out of it.”
He’s also developed a course on search marketing for the University of Toronto, and next year he’ll travel across Ontario as part of Canada’s Next Top Ad Executive’s university tour.
In addition to his contributions to the web marketing community, Calder volunteers his time to Joanne’s House, a Durham Region youth shelter, helping the organization with its fundraising and marketing.
For lots more of the 30 Under 30, pick up the the Sept. 10 issue of Marketing magazine.
Photo: Mike Ford
