To mark the retirement of Vince Carter’s jersey, with Weber Shandwick PR support Air Canada revealed a special aircraft bearing his silhouette, signature, and number – paying tribute to the man once nicknamed “Air Canada.”
Greg Power doesn’t talk about PR the way most agency heads do. The Weber Shandwick Canada president and CEO talks about the importance of sociology and the impacts of the “orthodoxy” of corporate worldviews. He brings up the flywheel theory of organizational momentum, except that his engine is people, not profit or performance metrics.
And by all measures, Weber Shandwick Canada is thriving. Revenue rose 22% last year, outpacing industry growth and making Canada one of the global network’s top-performing regions. Staff grew by 23% to 111 full-time employees in 2024, including 34 new hires.
Power credits three practices for all the success: “We collaborate across the agency as one P&L. We prioritize growing the clients we already have. And we stay plugged into culture, always asking: what’s next, and how do we meet it with meaning?”
Air Canada ran a “Fly the Flag” contest encouraging fans to cheer on Lu Dort by commenting “Go Canada, Go!” under Air Canada’s social media posts on Instagram, X, Facebook and TikTok for a chance to win prizes.
Behind the revenue figures and awards lies a deeper strategy – one that fuses bold creativity, cultural insight and cutting-edge technology. It’s what enables longevity in client relationships – McDonald’s Canada has been a partner for 36 years, GM, Bayer and RBC for 14 – and drives constant adaptation to shifts in media, technology and culture.
For Power, successful PR starts with understanding the public – how they show up in culture and how brands can meet them there. “Our work is ultimately about influencing someone to think or act differently,” he says. “To do that well, we need to be deeply embedded in culture.”
Weber Shandwick supported Ronald McDonald House Charities with PR efforts to raise awareness around the launch of RMHC Canada Family Cookbook; Recipes of hope from our families to yours to help raise funds for families suffering from food insecurity, in partnership with RBC.
That philosophy drives the agency’s focus on what Power calls “brave work.” In a climate where political polarization and brand risk can stifle innovation, Weber Shandwick takes a different stance. “We believe there’s a return on inclusion,” says Power. “A sustainable, future-facing brand is one that includes everyone – and that’s just smart business.”
A major edge comes from the agency’s investment in AI and analytics. Weber I/O, launched in 2024, builds on five years of investment in AI and innovation, the agency has pioneered machine-readable newsrooms, predictive scenario planning and disinformation detection, ushering in a new era of narrative intelligence. “What excites me most is how these tools help us make sense of the world,” says Power. “They reveal the narratives shaping public perception, who’s driving them and how they spread. It helps brands escape the orthodoxy of their own worldview and see what else is out there.”
Weber Shandwick’s interactive AI workshops give clients immersive exposure to these tools, allowing them to see how real-time scenarios might unfold across digital networks. It’s a modern version of the agency’s crisis simulation workshops, designed to prepare brands not just for what might happen, but how to respond with agility and integrity.
To celebrate small businesses, Weber Shandwick created a holiday storybook called Canberry & Crumm, and supporting installations which featured eight local employers in Fort Langley that have been key to building the community.
To help clients navigate this complexity, Weber Shandwick’s Creative Intelligence Partners program works within integrated agency teams and directly with creative agencies, using real-time data tools and synthetic audience testing to help clients assess creative ideas before they go to market, gauging risk, identifying potential backlash and refining messaging. “Great creative needs to be provocative,” says Power. “We want to give agencies and clients the confidence to go there – but with clarity.”
Social impact and sustainability are also central to Weber Shandwick’s evolution. In response to Canada’s aggressive anti-greenwashing legislation (Bill C-59), the agency developed a bot that scans clients’ ESG messaging through the lens of the law, flagging potential issues before they become liabilities. “We want to help clients make meaningful progress while protecting their reputations. It’s not either-or, it’s both. Sustainability, inclusion, social impact – they’re not add-ons anymore,” he says. “They’re expectations.”
Weber Shandwick supported the OLG Lotto Max “Thrift Drop Collection,” building hype around the launch and pop-up activation at The Well via an integrated influencer and media campaign.
In today’s media environment, attention and trust are decentralized. “You have to engage with creators, influencers, podcasts, meme accounts – whatever networks your audience lives in, says Power. This evolution has changed how Weber Shandwick crafts campaigns. Legacy partnerships still matter – especially in sectors like finance – but reaching younger, more diverse or underrepresented audiences requires an ecosystem mindset.
“There’s so much innovation happening,” he says. “And we have the tools, the people and the cultural fluency to help clients lead, not just react, using an IP like the Media Network Effect and Cultural Choreography.
To kick off Movember, and raise funds and awareness for men’s health with comms support from Weber Shandwick, Olympian and Amazing Race Canada host Jon Montgomery shaved his moustache and sent it into orbit on a plaque carried by a high-altitude balloon.
For Weber Shandwick Canada, the future isn’t something to fear. It’s something to engineer. And with a team driven by curiosity, conviction and care, the agency is proving that bold, culturally attuned creativity isn’t just possible in this era – it’s essential.
“We’re helping shape the future. And we get to do that with some of the smartest, most curious, most fearless people around.” Power pauses, then adds, “Human insight is the part you can’t automate.”
CONTACT:
Greg Power
President and CEO
gpower@webershandwick.com
The 2025 A-Listers:
Zulu Alpha Kilo: Connecting creativity and impact
Mosaic: An era where anything’s possible
Agnostic: Rewriting narratives in service of the work
VML: Creating something entirely new
Dentsu: Humanity in the age of algorithms
Lifelong Crush: Sparking long-term devotion
C&B Advertising: Leading with emotion
PHD Canada: An intelligent transformation
The Hive: Doubling down on beating boring
