Toronto, November 21, 2021: Volkswagen Canada, in partnership with TYPE1 (TAXI + Wunderman Thompson), and YWCA Metro Vancouver, in partnership with Rethink, are among the top winners at the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) Virtual Awards Ceremony this evening. In a demonstration of the strength of the marketing sector, award entries were up by well over 50% compared to 2020.
The quality and increased number of entries this year show that marketers are agile and innovative, finding ways to reach their customers even amidst the challenges of the past 18 months,” said John Wiltshire, president and CEO, CMA. “Their creativity and resilience deserve to be recognized, as they strive to meet the needs and wishes of consumers.”
The CMA Awards honours the best in Canadian marketing at an immersive online experience built exclusively for the event. Attendees connect with hundreds of marketers across Canada through a chat feature and explore an online platform featuring Flair Bartenders, performances from Canadian icon Jully Black and music artist Kubla, a photo booth, giveaways and more. The evening also includes a giveaway from Pure AV valued at $11,000 CAD.
The show’s master of ceremonies for the 4th consecutive year is TV and radio personality Rick Campanelli.
Winners of the premiere awards are:
The 2021 Best of the Best is awarded to Volkswagen Canada for their campaign entitled “The Carbon-Neutral Net,” developed in partnership with TYPE1 (TAXI + Wunderman Thompson).
The 2021 Top Cause is awarded to YWCA Metro Vancouver for their Wall for Women campaign, in partnership with Rethink.
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The 2021 Marketer of the Year, presented by IGM Financial, is Susan Irving, CMO, Kruger Products L.P.
The 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Kaiser & Partners, is Bryan Pearson, former President and CEO of LoyaltyOne.
The winner of the new Meta Business Equality Award is MADE |NOUS Canada Media Fund for their SEEK More | Découvrons-NOUS campaign, developed in partnership with agencies 123w, Torque Strategies and Bensimon Byrne. This award recognizes better representation of people in online ads, to inspire and demonstrate more inclusive and authentic advertising content and recognize the positive impact of inclusive portrayal — for people and businesses. SEEK MORE launched across Canada with six ambassadors reflecting the diversity of our country, its people and creative talent. From Simu Liu, star of Marvel’s upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, to Mélissa Bédard, star of Quebec fan-favourite, M’entends-tu?, SEEK MORE proved the desire to see oneself reflected onscreen is universal.
Throughout the evening, a series of awards were presented across six disciplines: brand building, business impact, customer experience, engagement, innovative media and martech. Within each discipline, entries compete in one of nine categories (automotive, business, consumer products, consumer services, financial, food & beverage, health care, retail and social causes). The Top Cause and Best of the Best winners are chosen from the highest-ranking entries across their respective disciplines and categories.
A full list of CMA Award winners can be found at our awards page.
The event also marks the end of National Marketing Week. To celebrate this year’s theme of Authenticity in marketing: Making the world a better place, the CMA shared insights from some of our leading thought leaders on our social channels throughout the week.
This year’s awards were reviewed by a record number of judges from across Canada, through a three-round virtual process. The judging committee was co-chaired by Jennifer Carli, Head of Brand, Social and Content at BMO Financial Group and Shelley Smit, CEO at UM Canada.
All CMA Award finalists qualify to enter the 2022 Marketing Agencies Association GLOBES, an international celebration of the best campaigns from marketers around the world.
About the Canadian Marketing Association
The Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) strengthens marketers’ significant impact on business in Canada. We provide opportunities for our members from coast to coast to develop professionally, to contribute to marketing thought leadership, to build strong networks across all economic sectors, and to shape positions advocated by the CMA to strengthen the regulatory climate for business success. Our Chartered Marketer (CM) designation signifies that recipients are highly qualified and up to date with best practices, as reflected in the Canadian Marketing Code of Ethics and Standards.
