Given the strong response to last year’s Ad Agency panel (a sold-out crowd of 250+ and rave reviews) BCAMA is once again pulling together Vancouver’s top agencies. This year DDB and Rethink as well as Taxi and Wasserman, will share their thoughts on the top advertising trends for 2012.

Each agency panelist will speak for 10-15 minutes and a spirited Q&A discussion will follow. Bring your questions with you!

Panelists

Marty Yaskowich
Managing Director, Digital
DDB Canada / Tribal DDB Vancouver

Marty is an experienced digital marketer and strategist with a strong 18 year track record. He stays close to new trends in digital innovation as the lead digital strategist for major clients such as Canadian Tourism Commission, Tourism Kelowna, Vancouver Convention Centre and the BC Lions. Now entering his fifth year with DDB Vancouver, Marty has also led integrated strategies for Telus Business Solutions and the BC Dairy Foundation as well as the development of some of Tribal’s largest web development projects: canada.travel (twice), thebigwild.org (social conservation network), connectionsforlife.com and vancouverconventioncentre.com.

Marty is an experienced digital marketer and strategist with a strong 18 year track record. He stays close to new trends in digital innovation as the lead digital strategist for major clients such as Canadian Tourism Commission, Tourism Kelowna, Vancouver Convention Centre and the BC Lions. Now entering his fifth year with DDB Vancouver, Marty has also led integrated strategies for Telus Business Solutions and the BC Dairy Foundation as well as the development of some of Tribal’s largest web development projects: canada.travel (twice), thebigwild.org (social conservation network), connectionsforlife.com and vancouverconventioncentre.com.

Marty is a graduate of the UBC Internet Marketing program, is a Certified Internet Marketing strategist and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Regina. He is member of the International Interactive Marketing Association, the BC Chapter of the American Marketing Association and the Vancouver Board of Trade. This fall Marty will teach a social media governance course in UBC’s Continuing Studies program.

Tom Shepansky
National Managing Director, Partner
Rethink

Tom Shepansky is one of the three founding partners of Rethink Communications and is National Managing Director. For Rethink clients, Tom contributes to strategy and works to ensure the agencies ideas help deliver business results. At Rethink, Tom has overall responsibility for managing the business side of the agency.

Tom grew up in Edmonton and studied marketing at NAIT and The University of Alberta. Prior to Rethink, he worked at a number of creatively driven agencies on a range of retail, financial, entertainment and packaged goods brands.

In his spare time, Tom likes to travel with his family, hangout on Salt Spring Island, ride his bike, cook with his friends and share a glass of wine with his wife Roxanne. Tom is a board member of the St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, which just happens to be the same hospital where his two children Nolan and Julia were born.

Jack Dayan
Strategic Planning Director
TAXI West

As a planner Jack’s got a natural inquisitiveness for human motivation. He has a unique ability to identify the connection between human and brand truths and inspire creative teams to bring those truths to life.

Although Jack is a Vancouverite, he spent 13 years living in the US and has applied his strategic knowhow across a number of brand categories and for leading agencies. He spent 4 years with Mullen in Boston and 7 years with Arnold in Washington DC working on a range of accounts including: Amtrak, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Four Seasons, Choice Hotels, Brown-Forman – Jack Daniels, Monster.com and Project Safe Neighborhood. At TAXI, Jack is the lead strategist across accounts, including: TELUS, BCLC, The Vancouver Aquarium, and Rocky Mountain Dealerships.

Jack holds a Master’s degree from Boston University’s School of Communication, where he taught a graduate course in Brand Planning.

Alvin Wasserman
President
Wasserman and Partners

Alvin founded Wasserman + Partners Advertising about 16 years ago with a desire to give clients located here a B.C. focused alternative to the multinationals. Wasserman + Partners is the largest locally owned, ego-free, creatively strategic, strategically creative, high-energy, low-drama, no-silo, digitally savvy, media-neutral, consumer-connected, full-service independent agency in B.C. Alvin’s early adoption of platform neutral media and vision for focusing on solving client business problems has helped shape an agency that delivers brand relevant and strategic solutions across all media. Under his leadership, the work from his agency has helped drive the ongoing success of some of the most well known brands in the marketplace such as Vancity, ICBC, Whistler Blackcomb, FortisBC, Granville Island Brewery, The Community against Preventable Injuries, WorkSafeBC, Encorp’s Return it, Tourism Whistler, Gold Seal, Central 1 Credit Union, Port Metro Vancouver and London Drugs.

Moderator:

Claire Booth
President
Lux Insights

Claire is the owner of Lux Insights, a full-service market research firm. With over a dozen years of experience, Claire is an expert in both qualitative and quantitative research. She has moderated hundreds of focus groups across Canada and the US.

Prior to starting Lux, Claire was a Senior Vice President at Ipsos-Reid, responsible for developing and running their business in Seattle.

Throughout her career, Claire has been a strong supporter of the AMA. She is the current VP of Programming at BCAMA, was the 2010 Vision Conference Chair and is past-President of the Seattle Chapter. Claire has an MA from Carleton University and teaches a marketing course at Capilano University.

In 2008, Claire took a break from business to climb, hike and dive her way around the world for 16 months with her partner Chris. She moved back to North Vancouver in 2009 to launch Lux.