Will Novosedlik

As Canadian brands tap into national pride amid trade tensions, do flag-waving ads risk crossing into anti-American sentiment? This story was originally published in the Summer 2025 issue of strategy magazine. By Will Novosedlik About a week before the Canadian federal election this past spring, CNN ran a segment featuring host Laura Coates and guest Kevin O’Leary. Coates asked O’Leary if he thought Trump’s tariffs and his insistence on calling Canada the “51st State” would hurt America’s brand.

By Will Novosedlik Over the years, brand and market researchers have asked the question, “When you hear the word ‘Canada’, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?” The response is usually ‘ice’ or ‘cold’ or ‘hockey’. Indeed, the true north strong and free is a cold, unforgiving place with a long, dark winter, so we had to invent a pastime that leveraged the weather. Hockey fit the bill. It’s almost as old as we are.

This piece was originally published in the Summer 2024 issue of strategy magazine By Will Novosedlik To get teams up to speed on all things AI, Mastercard’s global CMO Raja Rajamannar recommends creating a committee to oversee initiatives and ensure safety and compliance; introduce AI training classes for all marketing staff, covering everything from the basics to advanced applications; as well as identifying tech-savvy early adopters on the team and sharing a newsletter to keep everyone...