Canada’s Newest Growth Hack Isn’t What You Think

Not founders. Not freelancers. Think younger.

July 30, 2025

Hey friend,

A lot of us are thinking about how to do more with less: less time, smaller teams, tighter budgets. But sometimes the breakthrough isn’t a new tool or agency. It’s a shift in who you bring in.

There is a rising wave of student-powered innovation in Canadian marketing. It's sharper than an internship, smarter than a side hustle, and it might just be your next unfair advantage.

Coming Up

Canada’s Smartest Growth Strategy? Student-Powered Innovation

Growth today isn’t about big budgets, it’s about smart talent. And increasingly, that talent is coming from places we’ve overlooked.

Forget the dusty intern model. Today’s students are digital-native, strategy-minded, and ready to plug into real work: campaign builds, research, AI tests, and beyond.

Programs like Riipen FuturePath make it easy, fast, and cost-effective. With a co-investment model and short-term structure, teams get sharp thinking without long hiring cycles.

Why Marketers Should Pay Attention

For small or mid-sized marketing teams, student support has become a strategic edge. Teams are using it to:

  • Develop campaign content

  • Conduct research and data analysis

  • Expand into new customer segments

  • Audit SEO and digital presence

  • Test growth and acquisition tactics

Programs like Riipen FuturePath and Venture for Canada’s Internship and Intrapreneurship Programs aren’t just boosting capacity; they’re shaping future marketing leaders and building mentorship skills within your teams.

See It Live: SNMA Summer School (Wednesday, July 31)

Join us this morning for a tactical session on how Riipen FuturePath is helping marketers scale smarter with student collaborators.

Session: Igniting Marketing Magic: How Micro-Internships Power Innovation
Speaker: Sarah Blackmore, VP, Riipen
When: July 31 at 10 AM MST / 12 PM EST
Where: SNMA Circle space
Cost: Free for SNMA members
Save your spot and learn more

Level Up with Growclass: Real Skills, Real Funding

If you’re rethinking how to build smarter teams and sharper marketers, here’s another resource worth bookmarking.

Growclass is offering fully funded access to its 6-week Growth Marketing course (valued at $9,000 per person) through Upskill Canada. You’ll cover AI tools, analytics, SEO, copywriting, and more, built for busy professionals and emerging leaders alike.

Eligible sectors include cleantech, food and ag, advanced manufacturing, and more.

Next cohort starts August 12. Apply by August 1.

Apply Now

Community Spotlight: Maya Smith on Interning with Purpose

As a PR student at Mount Royal University, Maya Smith interned remotely with Indigenous Services Canada during COVID-19, a time marked by public health efforts and national conversations around residential schools.

“It was eye-opening,” she says. “We weren’t just doing comms, we were helping educate and influence real change.”

Maya supported internal communications, helped launch a revamped internal newsletter, and co-created an onboarding package for future interns. Her presence brought fresh thinking to a long-standing team.

“I took on work from overextended colleagues and offered a different perspective, which made a difference.”

Now a Customer Service and Marketing Associate at Feisty Media, Maya says the experience shaped both her confidence and her clarity:

“I learned not just what I wanted to do, but what I didn’t. That’s just as valuable.”

Connect with Maya in the SocialNext Marketing Alliance and on LinkedIn! 

SocialNext: The Rundown

Free weekly webinars that cut through the noise. Join top marketers and founders every Wednesday for 30-minute sessions designed to sharpen your thinking and stretch your strategy. Whether you’re building campaigns, fixing broken funnels, or navigating a rebrand, you’ll leave with something you can use that same day.

Here’s what’s coming up:.

August 6 - Branding & Storytelling 
Will Yang, Founder & CEO, Differo
Let’s talk about storytelling that sticks. Will Yang brings insights (and humour) from his work with Tourism Nova Scotia and Discover Halifax to help you master short-form brand storytelling.

August 13 – Bad Data Is Worse Than No Data: Common Tracking Mistakes That Quietly Kill Sales
Ally Anderson, Data-Backed Marketing Consultant
Think you're making data-informed decisions? Think again. You’ll learn how to build a system that supports actual revenue (not just vanity metrics) and make decisions you can trust.

August 20 - The Undying Importance of Understanding the Customer Journey
Talitha McCloskey, Program Lead, Growclass
Dive into the evolving customer journey as Talitha shares data-driven insights, real-world examples, and tools you can actually use to shape smarter, more human marketing strategies.

  • Free for all SNMA members

  • Hosted live in the SNMA Circle space at 10 AM MST/12 PM EST

  • Bring your coffee. Leave with fresh ideas.

SocialNext Events Roundup

Expect full rooms, fresh perspectives, and a marketing community that shows up ready to learn at SocialEast. From nonprofit leaders to tech founders, attendees leave equipped with tactical insights and a clearer sense of what’s next.

SocialPacific is a single-day sprint packed with performance marketers, digital creators, and brand leaders shaping what’s next. From demand gen to brand strategy, it’s built for marketers who want insights they can act on, fast.

Canadian Marketing & Business Weekly Brief

Algorithmic Colonialism? Canada’s New Digital Vulnerability — A new op-ed warns Canada is outsourcing key digital infrastructure to foreign platforms, raising sovereignty and security concerns.

The Office Isn't Dead, It Just Got an Upgrade — Premium office demand is rising as employers rethink space, culture, and brand.

Marketers Double Down on EDI Despite Rising Division — Despite cultural tensions, 66% of marketers are doubling down on equity and inclusion.

Bell and Cohere Team Up to Build Sovereign AI for Canada — A new national partnership aims to keep Canadian AI data local, secure, and compliant.

Maple Leaf Foods is rewriting the rules of meat marketing with a bold, values-driven approach. It’s a fresh look at brand positioning in a changing food landscape.

Marketing News Canada’s latest roundup spotlights Nutella’s mood-reactive packaging, a clever Specsavers PR win, and a ninja-themed ice cream stunt.

Bloom’s latest breakdown explores how a Levi’s campaign quietly echoed eugenic language and why it’s a case study in the need for DEI training in creative teams.

BLG’s influencer marketing guide is a must-read for brands, agencies, and creators navigating Canada’s evolving disclosure rules.

Modernize your marketing with AdQuick

AdQuick unlocks the benefits of Out Of Home (OOH) advertising in a way no one else has. Approaching the problem with eyes to performance, created for marketers with the engineering excellence you’ve come to expect for the internet.

Marketers agree OOH is one of the best ways for building brand awareness, reaching new customers, and reinforcing your brand message. It’s just been difficult to scale. But with AdQuick, you can easily plan, deploy and measure campaigns just as easily as digital ads, making them a no-brainer to add to your team’s toolbox.

Coast-to-Coast Careers

Growth Marketing Manager, WaitWell

WaitWell is hiring a Growth Marketing Manager to lead healthcare sector growth across North America. This full-time hybrid role blends ABM, content strategy, field marketing, and lead generation to drive revenue and influence product direction. You’ll work across Sales, Product, and Customer Success to expand WaitWell’s presence in urgent care, diagnostics, imaging, and telehealth.

Location: Hybrid (Calgary, AB)
Salary: CA$75,000–85,000 annually
Sector: SaaS, Healthcare, B2B Marketing
Contact: Shannon at WaitWell
Email: [email protected]

Other opportunities this week:

Want to see your job featured here next week?
Upload your role to the SocialNext Job Board and get it in front of thousands of Canadian marketers.

Thanks for reading,

Marketing News Canada

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