🏒🏆 In this episode, we had an absolute blast chatting with Nicole Lee -the Senior Director of Integrated Marketing at the NHL.

The league has been around for over 100 years & has gone through so many eras in that time. By all accounts - they’re in the midst of another golden era. Their revenue is at an all-time high which has been fueled by their captivating stars, intriguing storylines & new partnerships. Nicole's team works alongside their sponsors to help them mutually grow their businesses & the love for the sport. She joined 16 years ago & has helped the NHL grow the scale/impact of those partnerships.

Prior to that - she has a fascinating story of growing within the US (completing her Masters in Ohio, working at Disney in Orlando & Anheuser-Busch in Virginia).

Amongst other things - we chatted with her about the NHL’s record-shattering year, what winning partnerships look like, the importance of taking the long-view, the lost art of the handwritten note & whether the Leafs are finally going to win this year 🍾🤞.

More specifically, Nicole shared her thoughts on the following questions:

• How would you describe what you do to a complete stranger? (10:12)
• What's the benefit of Partnership Marketing for the NHL? (10:49)
• What was your "Marketing Moment"? (12:08)
• As you've progressed through your career, has there been a north star that has driven your decision making? (16:28)
• How did you think about the trade-offs between career choices? (17:18)
• Can you walk us through your 16-year career at NHL? (21:07)
• How has your view of sponsorship marketing evolved over time? (23:46)
• How does it feel to have been part of the growth of the NHL through your role in partnership marketing? (28:55)
• How do you cultivate strong relationships with your partners? (33:25)
• Can you walk us through an example of one of your partnerships and how that has come to life? (35:08)
• How is your team evaluated for success? (40:10)
• How is the marketing team set up at the NHL? (42:04)
• Do you have any cautionary advice for anyone who wants to enter a Sports Marketing career? (45:07)
• We put Nicole in the hot seat! (47:12)

🎃 👻 In the sixth episode of our mini-series “The Cheat Sheet”, we tackle a scary subject… the interview process (gasps!). Whether you’re in the thick of recruiting season or just thinking ahead - we’re sharing some of our top tricks (and treats) on how to make the most of an interview and how to leave a lasting impression! The goal (ghoul?) is for you to be an eerie-sistible candidate😅!

As a quick reminder - in addition to long-form interviews with our incredible guests, we're releasing short-form content that will answer the most burning questions that we receive from students/new grads. Have any topics in mind? Send us a message: 4pspod@gmail.com

In this episode - we had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Kate Torrance who is the VP, Head of Brand, Content & Comms at SickKids.

SickKids opened their doors almost 150 years ago with a commitment to improving health outcomes for children. Since then - they’ve helped countless families across the country & have been recognized as a global leader in this space. In order to fuel their life-changing research & care - they launched the largest healthcare campaign in Canadian history in 2016. This was driven by a platform that they created called SickKids VS. It’s a platform that has been awarded some of the industry’s highest honours, inspired others in the industry to follow suit - won over the hearts of donors.

Kate actually joined at the beginning of what she calls their brand transformation journey about 10 years ago & has continued to steward the brand. Her team is far from finished - they’re one the cusp of another monumental fundraise & just formed some new agency partnerships to help reach it. Prior to SickKids - she had an illustrious career in advertising, having worked at the likes of Zulu & BBDO.

Amongst other things - we chatted with her about why she was destined for a career in advertising, her experience as one of the creators of SickKids VS, how she hopes to reframe charitable giving, what she believes makes (or breaks) creative & the cautionary tale of the piñata (and no - it wasn’t just filled with candy 🤔) .

More specifically, Kate shared her thoughts on the following questions:

• How would you describe what you do to a stranger? (8:30)
• What was your "marketing moment"? (10:18)
• Walk us through your career journey before SickKids (14:24)
• How could someone differentiate between agencies to help them make a decision on which one to join? (21:35)
• What are some universal truths of marketing across industries and companies? (26:25)
• How did you navigate the career transition from agency side to client side?(29:23)
• Tell us more about your role at SickKids and your experience in the brand transformation journey (36:35)
• What kind of resistance did you face in the early stages of the development of "SickKids VS"? (43:38)
• How is your team thinking about what's next? How are you staying true to "SickKids VS" while keeping it fresh? (48:24)
• What does the Marketing team look like at SickKids? (59:59)
• We put Kate in the Hot Seat! (1:04:27)

🙌 We had an incredible time chatting with Lisa Mack who is the VP of Brand at Telus!

You know & love Telus as one of Canada’s largest telcos. What you might not know is that their ambitions span well beyond that into areas such as health, agriculture & sustainability. They’re on a mission to make the future friendly & have worked tirelessly over the past few decades to bring that mission to life. They’ve contributed $1.7 billion, including 2.2 million days of charities & community organizations since 2000 - more than any company in the world. 🤯

Amongst other things, Lisa helps to infuse their social purpose across consumer touchpoints & has spent the past 10 years helping to build Telus into a beloved brand. Prior to that - she proudly spent time in advertising & graduated from Waterloo with a degree in Arts/Psychology/HR.

In this episode - hear Lisa tell us (sorry, had to) about: how her team is continuing to evolve Telus’ brand platform (with the help from some cute critters 🦜🦁), the power of purpose, why she likens marketing to an ocean, her top career planning tips & the corporate buzzword that makes her cringe😅.

More specifically, Lisa shared her thoughts on the following questions:

• How would you describe what you do to a stranger? (7:15)
• What was your marketing moment? (10:19)
• What do you think you gleaned from agency experience to set you up in this current role? (16:00)
• Can you walk us through that important decision to transition to Telus? (19:15)
• Can you share more context about Telus’ mission? (21:07)
• How do you inject that purpose into your communications? (25:43)
• How do you strike the balance between purpose & price value? (30:02)
• Can you share the story behind the Telus Critters? (33:23)
• How is your team structured & qualities do you seek in marketers? (40:55)
• We put her in the hot seat! 🔥(45:59)

PS: Apologies for any audio issues on this one!

👋 We’re back with your regularly scheduled programming! A bit more tanned, confused (as to where the summer went) & here with a new mini episode! We chatted with Isabel Ng-Lai who is a Sr. Product Marketing Manager at the rapidly growing fintech - KOHO. More specifically, we heard Isabel’s story & tips on how she’s navigated major career moves. Whether it was a literal move to the UK or her recent move into a new role at a scale-up.

As a quick reminder - in addition to long-form interviews with our incredible guests, we’re releasing short-form content that will answer the most burning questions that we receive from students/new grads. Have any topics in mind? Send us a message: 4pspod@gmail.com.

🎙️👏 A few weeks ago we hosted our first LIVE podcast with the Queen’s Marketing Association! We debunked marketing myths, answered students’ most burning questions & had an absolute blast while doing it! We unpacked topics such as networking, career planning & everything in between. A big thank you to the QMA, our incredible panelists, and to the students that came out to listen! We had a blast.

Stay tuned - we may be coming to a school near you for another live event... 👀

📌 We had an absolute blast chatting with Azadeh Attar who is the Director of CPG Partnerships at Pinterest.

Pinterest has cemented itself as one of the go-to platforms to turn inspiration into action. Whether it’s searching for travel ideas, planning out a home reno, discovering a new recipe, shopping for a new outfit for anything in between. They’ve recently reached over half a billion monthly active users & continue to cultivate a positive space for users/brands.

There, Azadeh actually joined as one of their first employees in Canada and since then, she has helped to dramatically scale their advertising presence in this market. Prior to Pinterest - she spent 8 years at Google Canada & began her career in CPG at General Mills.

In this episode - we chatted with her about her love for building from the ground floor, how she’s managed major career jumps, the biggest myths about marketing/sales, what is fueling Pinterest’s massive momentum, head-scratching “Gen Z” trends & what’s on her vision board. 🔮

More specifically, Azadeh shared her thoughts on the following questions:

• How would you describe what you do to a stranger? (8:27)
• What was your “marketing moment”? (11:12)
• How did you cultivate your passion for marketing at an early age? (13:55)
• Can you walk us through your career journey? (15:47)
• How have you managed major career jumps? (21:00)
• Why are you so passionate about Pinterest’s mission/ethos? (33:21)
• Do you have some recent examples of how brands have activated on the platform? (35:57)
• How has your team managed through a time of rapid acceleration in terms of the number of ad products you’re launching? (37:48)
• What are the types of opportunities available at Pinterest Canada? (45:24)
• We put her in the hot seat! (51:38) 🔥

🥵 In the fourth episode of our mini-series “The Cheat Sheet”, we share tips for all of the university students out there on how to how to keep your cool in the summer. We get it, the summer can get pretty heated. You might be trying to make a strong first impression at your internship, feeling the pressure of not having one or just feeling the upcoming school year looming over you. We’re here to share some tips on how to cool down, make the most of your summer & take the long view.

As a quick reminder - in addition to long-form interviews with our incredible guests, we're releasing short-form content that will answer the most burning questions that we receive from students/new grads. Have any topics in mind? Send us a message: 4pspod@gmail.com