Editorial

A call for more inclusion
In her latest editorial, editor Emily Wexler pontificates on what “normal” in advertising should really be.
Upfront

Home Depot keeps it close to home
For over a year, the retailer has been quietly working to end youth homelessness. Here’s a look inside its CSR strategy.

Cause engagement by the numbers
Do cause campaigns drive purchase intent? We break down the numbers.

Future do-good innovations
We imagine a few new products that could change the world (and build brand affinity).

Brands get STEM-sational
Energizer and Cisco are among the brands that are encouraging careers in math and science through new programs.

Making sexual violence everyone’s problem
A look inside the Ontario government’s campaign to stop sexual violence.

TD involves the masses
The bank’s strategy behind getting consumers to dish out its charitable funds, plus other brands giving power to the people.

Future do-good innovations
Time to get inspired! We’ve dreamt up some ideas that marry function and social value.
Cause + Action

Cause + Actions Awards 2015
Bell rides away with the top prize in this year’s awards that celebrate the best cause campaigns in the country.

Cause + Action overall winner: Bell’s big ride for mental health
This year, Bell took its “Let’s Talk” initiative across the country with spokesperson Clara Hughes.

Cause + Action: Kashi’s green thumb creates (real) impact
The brand encourages consumers to “Plant it Forward” to bring the focus back on its “real food” message.

Cause + Action: Canadian Tire levels the hockey playing field
Through “The Big Play,” the retailer’s Jumpstart program ensures disadvantaged kids can play hockey.

Cause + Action: CIBC runs in someone else’s shoes
The bank evolves its “Run for the Cure” with an emotional video from the perspective of a cancer patient.

Cause + Action: Samsung looks autism in the eye
The electronics co created an app that helps kids with autism learn interpersonal skills, and launched it in Canada.

Cause + Action: Jury
Check out the industry experts who helped determine this year’s winners.
Forum

Why marketers need to tell better stories
Swim’s Janet Kestin provides a formula for much-needed storytelling.

Stop telling me to be good
Public’s Phil Haid on why awareness isn’t enough and why when it comes to CSR, you have to engage.
Back Page

Back page: And we shall know them by their hats!
From our April issue, check out Rain43′s guide to decoding the elusive millennial.
Features

The old bait and switch
Can a deceptive cause campaign shock offenders into changing their ways, or will it just alienate them further?

Weekend reading: Normalizing today’s normal
We examine how a recent marcom diversity onslaught is helping to usher in a new era of normalization in mainstream advertising.

Canada Dry Mott’s new product love affair
Product innovation tends to fail. So why is the beverage co banking on new product launches? The simple answer: it’s working.

Sun Life: 150 years of making life brighter
How the financial company with humble Canadian roots has become an international powerhouse.
Publisher's Note

Content 360: everything is a story
A whimsical tale about dragonfruit, perhaps? Publisher Mary Maddever asserts the value of storytelling in our April issue.