The Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) Awards serve as a beacon for excellence in marketing, honoring the most innovative, strategic, and impactful campaigns in the country. The 2024 edition of the CMA Awards did not disappoint. With a selection of transformative campaigns and remarkable brand initiatives, this year’s ceremony provided not only a celebration of achievement but a vision of where Canadian marketing is headed next.
On April 18, 2024, the CMA Awards Gala brought together top agencies, marketers, and brand leaders at Toronto’s historic Carlu event space. Winners were recognized across multiple categories, from data-driven direct marketing to experiential brand campaigns. The 2024 awards underscored the pivotal role that creativity, inclusivity, and technology play in shaping the future of marketing.
Highlights from the 2024 CMA Awards Winners
The 2024 CMA Awards saw entries from more than 120 leading agencies and organizations, competing in over 30 categories. This year’s Grand Prix and Best of the Best winners exemplified not just marketing ingenuity, but also a balance of social responsibility and business effectiveness.
- Best of the Best Award – Rethink for IKEA Canada
Rethink’s campaign for IKEA’s circular furniture initiative earned top honors. Leveraging storytelling and immersive content, the campaign highlighted IKEA’s commitment to sustainability and resonated strongly with younger audiences focused on environmental ethics. - Multicultural Marketing – Ethnicity Matters for TD Bank
This category saw TD Bank win for its Embrace Every Voice campaign, which celebrated cultural diversity during Asian Heritage Month. It used culturally sensitive content tailored to Chinese, South Asian, and Filipino communities. - Customer Experience – Cossette for McDonald’s Canada
Cossette earned accolades for its mobile ordering revamp. By integrating CX data and redesigning the app interface, they boosted order volume and improved customer retention figures. - Data Marketing – Publicis Sapient for Air Canada
The winning entry here focused on real-time personalization strategies, offering tailored promotions and services based on previous flight and travel data—enhancing engagement and conversion rates.
These award-winning campaigns reaffirm that creativity must go hand-in-hand with strategic insight, data fluency, and societal relevance.
Key Shortlist Contenders: Innovation Driving Impact
The shortlist represented a wide spectrum of industries, from tech and finance to food and non-profit sectors. While not all emerged as winners, their placement on the shortlist demonstrated new heights of innovation and execution.
- Sid Lee – Sports Experts: “Move Your Story Forward”
A campaign blending brand narrative with powerful user-generated content. It was praised for its emotional resonance and social amplification. - Zulu Alpha Kilo – Interac: “Trust Builds Transactions”
By demystifying digital payment security across generations, this initiative strengthened consumer trust and digital adoption. - Juniper Park\TBWA – Canadian Women’s Foundation: “Unlearn”
A bold, visually arresting campaign that aimed to break societal misconceptions related to gender norms.
These contenders provided valuable insight into how marketers in 2024 are navigating evolving audience expectations, economic uncertainties, and urgent global conversations.
Emerging Trends Reflected in the 2024 CMA Awards
This year’s entries served as a barometer for seismic shifts occurring in the Canadian marketing landscape. Analysts and professionals noted several repeating themes across the most successful campaigns. Below are some of the most prominent trends shaping Canadian marketing in 2024.
1. Ethical and Purpose-Driven Brand Messaging
In 2024, brand ethics have become more than just a selling point—they’ve become a necessity. The winning campaigns consistently addressed issues such as sustainability, diversity, and mental health with authenticity and actionable impact.
IKEA Canada’s Grand Prix-winning campaign is a prime illustration. Rather than focusing solely on product benefits, it told stories of community impact and consumer empowerment through sustainable choices.
2. Deep Integration of Data and Personalization
Nearly all shortlisted campaigns showed a mastery of consumer data. Advanced analytics fueled not just media management but creative development as well—resulting in personalized messaging that felt both relevant and timely.
Air Canada’s use of traveler behavior and real-time telemetry to enhance segmentation and trigger precise offerings was a gold standard for what performance marketing can achieve today.
3. Short-Form and Immersive Content Formats
The popularity of short-form video and immersive digital interfaces has completely redefined campaign scalability. Several entries, such as the Sports Experts campaign by Sid Lee, embraced user engagement through TikTok, Instagram Reels, and interactive mobile experiences.
Short, emotionally resonant videos proved especially persuasive in reaching Gen Z and millennial segments—two of the most coveted and complex audiences in current market trends.
4. AI-Powered Creative Tools in Campaign Execution
Artificial intelligence was no longer a novelty but rather a standard tool in modern marketing arsenals. AI was prominently featured in campaign optimization, media buying, and even content generation.
According to CMA Chair Karen Howe, “This year clearly marked the turning point where AI moved from the experimental phase into the foundation of our strategic toolkit. The most successful entrants were those who treated AI as a collaborator, not just a cost-cutter.”
Award Ceremony: A New Vision for Canadian Marketing
Beyond the trophies and celebrations, the 2024 CMA Awards served a larger purpose: redefining marketing’s role in Canadian society and global business. During her opening speech, CMA President and CEO Alison Simpson called on the marketing community “to be the architects of both commerce and culture.”
Events throughout the day included panel discussions on AI ethics, Indigenous representation in advertising, and greenwashing risks. A standout session titled “Brands With Conscience: Not Just a Trend” featured speakers from Patagonia Canada, Unilever, and Bensimon Byrne discussing how marketers can deliver both performance and principles.
Sponsors such as Deloitte, Meta, and Telus also announced investments in upcoming training programs for marketing students and startups—reflecting a broader commitment toward inclusive talent development across the industry.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Canadian Marketing
As the digital world becomes more decentralized and consumer expectations continue to evolve, the roadmap forward is being written by forward-thinking Canadian marketers. The 2024 Canadian Marketing Association Awards have offered a compelling glimpse into what marketing excellence looks like in the era of accountability, intelligence, and impact.
Agencies and brands that can effectively straddle performance metrics with cultural contribution will dominate the next evolutionary phase of the industry. Marketing is no longer just about consumer attention—it’s also about trust, identity, and transformation.
Whether you’re an emerging startup or a seasoned enterprise, understanding where the top campaigns of 2024 succeeded can offer both inspiration and strategic guidance. The bar has officially been raised, and Canadian marketers are not just rising to the occasion—they’re leading.