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Canada’s First AI-Powered Holiday Season Starts Now
Inside: The 2025 Holiday Playbook, Pinterest insights, and what’s ahead for SocialNext in 2026.
In partnership with
Hey friend,
The holiday countdown is officially on! And this year, Canadian marketers are navigating new territory. Success isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing what matters earlier, sharper, and with heart.
That’s why this week’s feature is all about strategy, timing, and authenticity. We’ve crafted the ultimate Holiday 2025 Playbook for Canadian Marketers, your guide to winning the country’s first AI-powered holiday season.
Coming Up
Sneak Peek: Our Holiday 2025 Playbook for Canadian Marketers
The holiday season is here and it’s smarter, faster, and more Canadian than ever.
According to Google Canada, 2025 will be our country’s first AI-powered holiday season; one where algorithms, authenticity, and timing determine success. Budgets are tighter, timelines shorter, and expectations higher. But with the right strategy, this can be your most efficient and impactful quarter yet.
Our Holiday 2025 Playbook breaks down ten actionable moves for Canadian marketers:
Plan early, think Q5: Extend your strategy into January for loyalty and redemption.
Bridge online and in-store: Connect digital discovery to real-world conversion.
Win discovery on social: Build shoppable, keyworded content across TikTok, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Personalize with warmth: Blend AI-driven insights with human empathy.
Reflect real Canada: Highlight regional stories, diverse creators, and local makers.
Each section is grounded in data and real-world examples, from CBC’s community-led campaigns to Pinterest Canada’s insights on early holiday planning.
Community Spotlight: How Our Community Is Thinking Differently This Holiday Season
We’re revisiting a standout SocialNext Marketing Alliance session with Pinterest Canada’s Alex Green, who joined us to explore how marketers can approach the holidays with more creativity and intention.
The conversation challenged traditional campaign thinking, urging brands to lead with positivity, planning, and purpose. As Alex Green shared, “It’s time to diversify your media plan, act early, and bring the joy back to shopping.”
Across our community, one idea stood out: Pinterest might be one of the most underrated platforms this season, where inspiration turns into action and performance grows out of positivity. Marketers are rediscovering how creative, intentional content can drive results without adding noise.
Catch the replay in the SNMA Webinar Archive to see why Pinterest might just be the holiday advantage you’re overlooking.
SocialEast 2025, photo by Mat Higgins-Savidant
SNMA Webinar Calendar
Wednesday, October 22 | 10 AM MST/12PM EST
Bon Marketer, Bad Marketer: Why Responsible Marketing is Good for Business
What separates smart growth from short-sighted hustle? Cyberimpact’s Nihal Mandanna CP breaks down how marketers can build trust without sacrificing performance and why responsibility, compliance, and consent are becoming competitive advantages.
SocialPacific has officially SOLD OUT! But that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. Due to high demand, a new afternoon of pre-conference workshops presented by MiQ is happening on Wednesday, October 29 from 1–4 PM. This hands-on, bite-sized version of SocialPacific can be purchased as a standalone ticket for only $99, you don’t need to be attending the full conference to join.
SocialPacific 2024, photo by Neil Zeller
SocialNext: Nonprofit & Public Sector: Designed for the unique needs of nonprofit and public sector marketers, this event focuses on practical strategies, digital storytelling, and community engagement that drive real-world impact. There are limited Pre-Sale tickets left at $399!
SocialNext: Toronto: Canada’s leading marketing minds come together in the heart of the city for a fast-paced, insight-packed event built for agencies, brands, and content leaders shaping what’s next in digital marketing. Save $200 with the Pre-Sale pricing!
SocialWest: Celebrate a decade of Canada’s largest digital marketing conference. Pre-Sale tickets sold out almost immediately and we are expecting the same for the Early Access sale.
Canadian Marketing & Business Weekly Brief
Lyft Expands Tech Hub in Toronto — Lyft is opening a new technology hub in downtown Toronto, marking its largest Canadian investment to date. The company plans to grow its engineering and product teams north of the border as it builds innovation capacity outside the U.S. A strong signal of tech-sector confidence returning to Canada.
Canada Launches Financial Crime Agency — Ottawa has unveiled a new federal agency to combat fraud and money laundering. The move aims to strengthen Canada’s financial integrity ahead of a global anti–money-laundering review, and could reshape compliance standards for the financial and marketing sectors alike.
Bank of Canada Flags Growing Economic Risks — Ahead of its late-October rate decision, the Bank of Canada says it’s placing greater weight on downside risks and household debt levels. Economists see this as a signal that policymakers may pause further tightening.
CyberImpact × Axeptio Partnership — Two Canadian martech leaders are joining forces to help marketers balance privacy and performance. Their partnership integrates consent management directly into campaigns, helping brands navigate Québec’s Law 25 and PIPEDA while maintaining strong results.
$5M AI Accelerator Launches for Canadian SMBs and Nonprofits — Agentiiv, in partnership with the CMA, Ownr, Staples Canada, and CCNDR, has announced a $5 million program to help small businesses and nonprofits adopt AI. With only 12% of Canadian companies currently using AI, the program highlights how quickly digital transformation is becoming a competitive must.
Trends & Insights
Canadian Entrepreneurs Adapt to Rapid Change — Four Canadian business leaders share how they’re thriving amid market shifts by embracing agility, digital tools, and new growth models. Their stories highlight how adaptability is becoming the key differentiator in an uncertain economy.
Cross-Border Messaging Gets Political — Ontario’s new anti-tariff ad, aimed directly at U.S. voters, borrows tactics from brand marketing to make a geopolitical point. The spot is sparking debate about where public policy ends and persuasion begins.
Why More Canadian SMBs Are Betting on AI — From content creation to customer engagement, small businesses are using AI to do more with less — and it’s working. See how early adopters are finding real ROI through automation and smarter personalization.
Find your customers on Roku this Black Friday
As with any digital ad campaign, the important thing is to reach streaming audiences who will convert. To that end, Roku’s self-service Ads Manager stands ready with powerful segmentation and targeting options. After all, you know your customers, and we know our streaming audience.
Worried it’s too late to spin up new Black Friday creative? With Roku Ads Manager, you can easily import and augment existing creative assets from your social channels. We also have AI-assisted upscaling, so every ad is primed for CTV.
Once you’ve done this, then you can easily set up A/B tests to flight different creative variants and Black Friday offers. If you’re a Shopify brand, you can even run shoppable ads directly on-screen so viewers can purchase with just a click of their Roku remote.
Bonus: we’re gifting you $5K in ad credits when you spend your first $5K on Roku Ads Manager. Just sign up and use code GET5K. Terms apply.
Featured Remote Job Postings
Growth Marketing Specialist — Cyberimpact (Remote, Canada)
Join a fast-growing marketing team helping Canadian businesses connect better through automation, analytics, and creativity. You’ll work across channels, from SEO and email to paid and lifecycle marketing, testing bold ideas and driving measurable growth alongside the Director of Growth.
Social Media Content & Distribution Specialist — Pero SEO Inc. (Remote, Canada)
If you’re obsessed with how audiences discover brands online, this role is for you. Pero SEO’s team, trusted by clients like Southwest Airlines and VIZIO, is looking for someone who can blend storytelling, SEO, and social strategy to create content that gets noticed everywhere from TikTok to Reddit.
Have a great story or big news to share?
We’re always looking for fresh campaigns, smart strategies, and standout wins from Canada’s marketing community. Send us your news at [email protected] and you could be featured in an upcoming edition.
Thanks for reading and being a part of the MNC community!
We’re so happy you’re here.
Marketing News Canada
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