Recorded live at SocialWest 2025 in Calgary, this special episode of the Marketing News Canada podcast features a conversation with Joshua Counsil, Co-Founder of Good Robot Brewing and guest host Meredith McKeough.

Joshua shares candid lessons from building a multi-dimensional hospitality and beverage business spanning beer, non-alcoholic drinks, events, and co-packing for major retailers like Costco. The conversation explores why guest experience is one of the most powerful marketing tools available, how storytelling influences customers, employees, and even lenders, and why scrappy, generous marketing often outperforms big-budget campaigns.

From navigating PR crises to designing small moments that create outsized word-of-mouth, this episode is packed with practical insights for marketers, founders, and brand leaders looking to build trust, loyalty, and long-term growth.

Recorded live at SocialWest 2025 at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre, this episode features a conversation with Neil Patel, New York Times bestselling author and co-founder of NP Digital, hosted by Meredith McKeough. 

Neil unpacks how search has shifted in 2025 from traditional Google-first SEO to what he calls “search everywhere optimization,” where brands need to show up across platforms and AI tools alike. He shares practical advice on staying visible today, why content needs to be more conversational, and what marketers should prioritize as the landscape keeps changing. 

They also touch on how NP Digital expanded by listening closely to customer needs, what Neil is betting on next in an AI-first world, and wrap with a quick set of rapid-fire questions, including his favourite thing about Canada and what’s still on his travel bucket list. 

Recorded live at SocialWest 2025, this episode features Andrew Turnbull, Managing Director of UX and Product at Evans Hunt, in conversation with guest host Meredith McKeough. Together, they explore the growing problem of “hostile user design” and how large platforms are enshittification experiences in the name of growth.

Andrew shares insights from over 15 years in UX, using the Sonos redesign as a cautionary tale of business decisions eroding user trust. The conversation moves from platform-level design trends to what smaller businesses can learn, and avoid. They dig into the systems thinking required to scale responsibly, how to balance growth with respect for your users, and why customer feedback is still your most powerful strategic asset.

This episode captures the mood shift in 2025 toward more ethical, user-first digital strategies, and how marketers and designers alike can push back on enshittification by prioritizing clarity, consent, and long-term value.

In this live conversation from SocialWest 2025, Caley Dimmock, Founder and CEO of Dimik Creative Group, shares how her approach to paid media has evolved alongside the platforms themselves.

She and guest host Meredith McKeough dig into what’s changed with Meta’s Advantage+ targeting, why creative is now the most powerful lever in campaign performance, and how marketers can scale their work, without scaling their stress.

This conversation captures the mindset shift many are making in 2025: giving platforms room to do their job while focusing on message clarity, 
audience signals, and systems that run even when you’re not online.

Recorded live at the Telus Convention Centre during SocialWest 2025, Canada’s largest marketing conference, welcoming over 900 professionals from across the country.

The Alchemy of Effectiveness Report has just been released, making this the perfect time to visit Paul Tedesco's live conversation from  SocialWest 2025.

Recorded just weeks before Effie judging began, Paul, Head of Effectiveness at the ICA, shares the thinking that would go on to shape the 2025 awards. He and host Meredith McKeough dig into why marketers often confuse effectiveness with efficiency, how clear objectives drive stronger outcomes, and what really separates a cool campaign from an impactful one.

This conversation now reads like a preview of what the data would later confirm: the most effective marketing doesn’t just look good, it works.

In this live SocialNext Toronto 2025 conversation, guest host Maddie Alvarez sits down with Nithya Ramachandran, President and CSO at T1, a full-stack sponsorship and experience agency. Together, they unpack why modern sponsorships are more than logo slaps and check-writing, they’re strategic growth levers built on trust, collaboration, and meaningful activation.

Nithya breaks down how brands can use partnerships to reach audiences in ways media alone can’t, why asking “why” is a marketer’s most powerful tool, and how the best campaigns are built on shared values, not just shared budgets.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make sponsorships actually work (and prove their ROI), this conversation is a masterclass in modern partnership marketing.

In this live SocialNext Toronto 2025 conversation, guest host Maddie Alvarez sits down with Lana Rogers, founder of Gentle Lion Communications, for a candid and tactical talk on media scarcity, creative burnout, and why PR isn't just about landing one big headline.

Lana breaks down how the media landscape is shifting in real time and what brands and agencies can do to stay relevant, thoughtful, and audience-centered. From earned media realities to owned channel strategy, she outlines a smarter approach to storytelling, trust-building, and campaign planning in a noisy and fragmented landscape.

If you're a marketer, comms lead, or founder still chasing the golden press hit, this episode will reset your thinking. Spoiler: that Globe and Mail article might not move the needle the way you think.

In this live SocialNext Toronto 2025 conversation, guest host Maddie Alvarez sits down with Joe Teo, founder and CEO of HeyOrca!, the Canadian-built social media platform helping thousands of agencies and teams simplify their content workflows.

From dad jokes to dashboards, Joe shares why the point of social media isn’t virality—it’s community. He unpacks how HeyOrca’s product philosophy puts collaboration first, what social media managers actually need in 2025, and how AI can support (not replace) the humans behind the posts.

You’ll hear Joe’s take on why strong communities require intentional moderation, how brands can create digital “gardens,” and why the best social spaces are both safe and self-sustaining.

In this episode of Marketing News Canada, content strategist and guest host, Maddie Alvarez sits down with Geoffrey Blanc, General Manager at Cyberimpact, live from SocialNext Toronto 2025. With over 18 years of experience in digital transformation and email marketing, Jeff shares his expert insights on what makes email still one of the most powerful — and misunderstood — tools in a marketer’s toolkit.

From personalization and automation to privacy laws and deliverability, Geoffrey breaks down the essentials for building an effective, compliant, and high-performing email strategy. He offers practical advice for keeping lists clean, respecting consent, and creating campaigns that truly connect with audiences.

Whether you’re refining your CRM strategy or struggling to cut through crowded inboxes, this episode delivers actionable tips on personalization, automation, compliance, and creative best practices, all rooted in Geoffrey’s experience helping Canadian businesses grow through smarter marketing.

In this live SocialNext: Toronto 2025 conversation, guest host Maddie Alvarez sits down with Charlie Grinnell, digital leader turned co-CEO of research startup Right Metric (ex-Red Bull, Aritzia, adidas Terrex). Buckle up for sharp, candid takes on why language matters more than ever, how to separate opinions from evidence, and why the most effective strategies are often about reduction, not expansion. 

From buzzword bingo to AI’s real role in decision-making, Charlie breaks down how to turn messy metrics into clear choices, without needing a stats degree.

Opinions are the guest’s own.

Trying to break into a Marketing career is tough. It’s a mix of awkward networking circles, unnoticed LinkedIn requests, and a sea of stereotypes (no, marketing is not just advertising!).To get a real look into the world of Marketing and the people who are shaping it - listen to 4Ps in a Pod. In every episode, Jeevs & JP (two CPG marketers) have a chat with a Canadian marketer from a different industry, company, and point in their career.

Together, we’ll hear their coming-of-age story, get an unfiltered look at what they do, and gain valuable advice on how to carve out a successful Marketing career. This podcast is a must-listen for students looking for their first Marketing gig, seasoned vets looking for a change, and everyone in between.

4Ps in a Pod - Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

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Thanks to our sponsor Jelly Academy. Jelly Academy has been helping professionals, students and teams across Canada acquire the skills, knowledge and micro certifications they need to jump into a new digital marketing role, get that promotion, and amplify their current marketing roles. Learn more about Jelly Academy's 6 Week online bootcamp here: https://jellyacademy.ca/digital-marketing-6-week-program

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