Labatt Breweries of Canada took Best of Show at the 9th annual Sponsorship Marketing Awards (SMAs), winning for a fan-based sponsorship program involving Budweiser and the Winnipeg Jets that exceeded business objectives. The SMAs, presented April 25th at the Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada’s annual conference in Toronto, recognize companies that maximize their investments in sponsorship marketing by developing innovative strategies that drive results. Other big winners were BMO and Scotiabank, which each won two awards. Click here for the media release.

The ACA’s latest Marketer’s Pulse survey suggests Canadian marketers are feeling more optimistic than they were last fall about their business prospects and their consumers’ confidence levels. The findings are based on a survey conducted January 7 – 31 among a panel of 56 senior marketers representing a cross section of industry sectors and MarCom spending. Click here for the Marketer’s Pulse media release.

Canadian marketers have moderated their expectations for near-term sales and revenue growth, according to the ACA’s most recent Marketer’s Pulse report. A majority of those polled now expect business growth will be stable over the next six months, in contrast to a more optimistic view held by marketers in a May survey. (more…)

The second installment of the ACA’s Marketer’s Pulse finds that a majority of the Canadian marketers polled are responding to the challenges of today’s rapidly shifting landscape by changing their marketing organization structures. Overall, the report — based on a survey of 54 senior marketers — found that 60% of respondent marketing organizations are making changes. (more…)

The debut issue of Marketer’s Pulse, the ACA’s new research initiative probing what marketers are thinking, planning and experiencing in their workplaces, and with their suppliers, partners and consumers, has been released.  (more…)