Sponsorship Success Propels CMA Award Winners

By Mark Harrison

The criteria for nominating an individual for the Canadian Marketing Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award specify that the winner should have elevated the profession and consistently demonstrated the reach for excellence in marketing over the last 20+ years. Nominees have also made volunteer contributions to the industry and shown success in mentoring and coaching the next generation of marketers.

Similarly, the criteria for the CMA Marketer of the Year Award are an individual who demonstrates outstanding creativity and strategic acumen that advances business goals and delivers powerful results, future forward-thinking, an innovative approach, and leadership over the last year. They also demonstrate a commitment to the marketing profession through active involvement and advocacy.

On Friday night, the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) Awards recognized two of the most impactful figures in marketing: Mary DePaoli, RBC’s Chief Marketing Officer, received the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Jacquie Ryan, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Foundation and Chief Brand & Commercial Officer for the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), was named Marketer of the Year. 

Their accomplishments are immense. RBC is the number one brand in Canada. The COC 2024 campaign Brave is Unbeatable was narrated by Céline Dion and Michael J. Fox, two Canadian luminaries who truly know the meaning of those words.

Leveraging sponsorship campaigns and partnerships has been a significant part of these winners' success.

Under DePaoli, RBC has an innovative portfolio, including the RBC Canadian Open, a significant partnership with TIFF, RBCxMusic, and the Canadian Olympic Committee. From the RBC Training Ground program to leveraging the Eras Tour for RBC Avion, every partnership under her domain is activated and amplified robustly, integrating grassroots cross-pollination across properties and providing incredible customer value. 

Watching her nomination video makes for a sponsorship marketing highlight reel:

As the brand custodian for a massive property, Ryan has her own COC brand to manage and has to create a canvas for some of Canada’s leading marketers, such as Canadian Tire, Lululemon, Sobey’s and RBC, to create. In addition, their efforts serve the athletes who don the maple lead and represent our country. This puts her in a unique position as a marketer and sponsorship partner.

The fact that sponsorship marketing is such a significant component of these two award-winning marketers' success reinforces the discipline's importance to all marketers. I couldn’t help but notice that the video tributes for their victories did not mention digital marketing, social media, or even AI. As these two winners made their acceptance speeches and thanked their teams, families, and mentors, the unspoken credit to the power of sponsorship marketing was sharing the podium. 

Mark Harrison, Founder, SponsorshipX, [email protected]

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