With a weekend of costume parties upon us and more horror flicks on TV than you can shake a half-devoured candy at, we got into the Halloween spirit and polled a handful of industry players to ask what scares them most about the advertising, marketing and media scene in Canada.
Mandy Gilbert, CEO, Creative Niche
“It’s the lack of senior creative talent who possess both traditional skills related to advertising, marketing and media, as well as Web 2.0 know-how–particularly on the social media front.”
Joe Conforzi, senior buyer, broadcast investments, UM Canada
“In recent years the amount of Canadian-produced content being broadcast in Canada has been drastically lowered due to American programming surpassing in popularity. This poses a battle for Canadian content to be taken seriously, even within our own country.”
Eric Brouillet, president, Vibrant Ideation & Marketing
“Client brand management teams losing autonomy and decision-making capabilities to their U.S. counterparts. Becoming a country of ‘adaptation’ versus a creative force.”
Simon Jennings, president, Olive Media
“The only thing that scares me is the fear that Canadian companies will defer to the global behemoths as having ‘won’ certain spaces, without challenging their dominance in our own unique market. If there’s one thing that my experience at Olive has taught me, it’s that a Canadian company can be better than the U.S. alternative.”
Gillian Graham, CEO, Institute of Communication Agencies
“I’m not scared. In a world that is increasingly communications-driven, our industry has extraordinary opportunities to provide leadership and insights, to build businesses and brands.”
There’s more! For more replies, check out “Who me, scared? in Marketing’s Oct. 24 issue, and subscribe today.
You’ve heard what some others have said—now tell us what scares you about Canada’s advertising, marketing and media industry. Post your thoughts below in our comments section.
