The third edition of the Sommet des chefs du marketing, organized by creative production studio m&h and media agency DAC in partnership with the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA), took place on November 5 at Place Ville-Marie’s Espace Flex. The event brought together more than 140 marketing leaders representing over 100 companies for inspiring talks and strategic exchanges.
Thanks to the funds raised through ticket sales, $10,000 was donated to the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation in support of its mission of excellence to provide the children and mothers of today and tomorrow with one of the highest levels of healthcare in the world.
The goal of the Sommet is to inform and equip marketing leaders in a context of rapid industry transformation. Attendees gain insights into industry trends, issues and prospects through three key conferences: the C-suite panel, the CMO panel and the “The authentic human experience!” panel, each offering exclusive, important content to anticipate future challenges and support organizational growth.
Here is an overview of the highlights from each panel:
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C-Suite panel
This panel with Annick Guérard, president and CEO of Air Transat, Robert Dumas, president and CEO of Sun Life in Quebec, and Mélissa Gilbert, executive vice-president and head of financial affairs at Beneva, highlighted the importance of strong alignment between marketing teams and senior management.
Discussions focused on the need, before any creative, technological or strategic initiative, to have a clear understanding of the company’s organizational priorities and drivers of growth. The panellists reminded us that a lack of alignment can quickly undermine team motivation and adversely affect business results. This conversation offered valuable insight into the vision of executives, revealing how constant dialogue between CEOs, CFOs and CMOs is essential to building lasting and effective collaboration.
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CMO panel
Led by Marc Dicko, chief marketing and digital officer of L’Oréal Canada, Catherine Laporte, chief marketing and digital officer of RONA, and Imen Zitouni, senior vice-president and chief marketing officer of Intact, this panel highlighted the importance of the relationship between CEOs and CMOs in transforming marketing into an engine of growth.
Discussions focused on the fact that success is measured not just in click-through rates, but in sales, traffic and transactions. CMOs stressed the need to educate their peers on the strategic role of marketing, and to continue to champion change and innovation. They shared the importance of surprising and innovating with data while trusting their creative teams. Artificial intelligence was presented as a tool for designing, adjusting and validating campaigns to help combine boldness and performance.
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“The authentic human experience!” panel
This panel with Marie Pier Germain, co-president of Groupe Germain, and Diane J. Brisebois, former president and CEO of the Retail Council of Canada, discussed creating authentic, human interactions with clients. A concrete example is Germain Hôtels, which stands out from its international competitors for its ability to welcome every guest with generosity, boldness and loyalty. These values transform every experience into a memorable, human moment.
Christian Quenneville President of m&hTo see so many marketing leaders gathered shows just how strategic this event has become for the industry. For us, it’s an opportunity to observe emerging trends, talk directly with leaders and get closer to our clients. The discussions were inspiring, and we look forward to continuing to develop the Sommet so that it remains a must-attend event for marketing leaders.
Mario Lemieux Partner and senior vice-president of business development at DACWhat impressed us most about the Sommet was the diversity of perspectives and the energy of the participants. The panels highlighted approaches and strategies and demonstrated that today’s marketing must be both agile and human-oriented. For DAC, it was a pleasure to be a co-organizer with m&h in collaboration with the ACA for the first time, and to contribute to an event that stimulates strategic thinking and offers leaders ideas for evolving their marketing practices.
Patrick Hotte Vice-president, Quebec, of the Association of Canadian AdvertisersAs an association, our role is to promote knowledge sharing and excellence in marketing in Quebec. The Sommet provides a platform to do just that. We witnessed exchanges on current challenges, analyses of best practices and reflections on the future of marketing. It’s an event that strengthens collaboration between professionals.
