A Year on the Road with Canadian Marketers

In partnership with

Hey friend,

Thanks so much for reading our newsletter in 2025. We’ve loved sharing marketing stories from across Canada with you. Since it’s Christmas Eve, we’ll keep this one short and sweet. A quick year-end reflection on what we learned from marketers across the country, plus a look at what’s ahead in 2026.

A Year on the Road with Canadian Marketers

As we look back on the past year, one thing stands out. Wherever SocialNext went, marketers were having remarkably similar conversations.

In 2025, SocialNext brought learning, connection, and community to marketers across the country through conferences and events in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Halifax, and Vancouver. More than 3,000 marketers joined those conversations, and over 1,000 shared deeper insights that helped shape a series of national research reports.

That research, conducted in partnership with the Digital Marketing Sector Council (DMSC), offers a rare, coast-to-coast look at what marketing work in Canada really feels like right now.

And while each city brought its own context, the themes were strikingly consistent.

Across the country, marketers described small teams carrying big mandates, rising expectations, and growing pressure to adopt AI and automation faster than time, training, or headcount allows. Many teams are experimenting, adapting, and pushing forward, even as capacity remains tight.

Rather than frustration, what stood out most was resilience.

Canadian marketers are curious, motivated, and eager to learn. They want clearer strategy, better alignment, and practical ways to make new tools actually work in the real world.

We pulled those insights together into a year-end feature that captures what we heard, city by city, and what it means heading into 2026.

Looking ahead: Montréal, here we come

Big news! SocialNext Montréal tickets are now on sale for June 10–11, 2026.

Launching tickets in December might feel early, but there’s a reason. This is a new city for SocialNext. French is the dominant language, and while the conference will be fully bilingual, getting the language and cultural context right matters.

Because of that, we’re starting with a soft launch and a special early ticket tier to say thanks to the folks who want to be part of the very first Montréal event.

And genuinely, if you spot anything in the Montréal rollout that feels off or needs adjusting, we want to hear about it. This one is important to get right.

We’d love to see you there.

If Montréal isn’t the right fit, SocialNext will be back on the road in 2026. Hopefully we’ll cross paths in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Halifax, or Vancouver.

Catch up on the Marketing News Canada podcast

This year, we took the Marketing News Canada podcast on the road with us to SocialNext conferences across Canada. Episodes from SocialWest and SocialNext: Toronto are now live, wherever you listen to podcasts.

And there’s more to come. In 2026, we’ll be sharing vault episodes from SocialEast and SocialPacific, with even more conversations from marketers across the country.

Plus, you can now watch the all the SocialWest 2025 vault episodes live on YouTube!

Introducing the SocialNext Book Club

If you’re looking for something thoughtful to start the new year, the SocialNext Book Club is currently reading Brand Is a Verb by Chad Hason. It’s a low-pressure way to slow down, reflect, and connect with other marketers beyond the day-to-day. We will connect in February for a fun, light virtual discussion to takeaway some learnings and make some connections.

Banish bad ads for good

Your site, your ad choices.

Don’t let intrusive ads ruin the experience for the audience you've worked hard to build.

With Google AdSense, you can ensure only the ads you want appear on your site, making it the strongest and most compelling option.

Don’t just take our word for it. DIY Eule, one of Germany’s largest sewing content creators says, “With Google AdSense, I can customize the placement, amount, and layout of ads on my site.”

Google AdSense gives you full control to customize exactly where you want ads—and where you don't. Use the powerful controls to designate ad-free zones, ensuring a positive user experience.

Take control of your ads

Coast-to-Coast Featured Listings

• Marketing Manager — Pedesting (Calgary, AB)

• Marketing Generalist/Growth Marketing Specialist — Flockler (Remote, Canada)

• Marketing All Rounder — Arima (Remote, Canada)

Thank you for being along for the ride

In 2025, Marketing News Canada returned with a new look and fresh voices, but the same mission: to spotlight the people, ideas, and work shaping marketing across the country.

Thanks for reading, sharing, and showing up with us this year. We can’t wait to bring you even more marketing stories from across Canada in 2026.

Wishing you a great holiday break and a strong start to the new year.

With love,

Marketing News Canada