Media Evolution 2026 - Sponsored by Loblaw Advance

reator marketing is growing rapidly, but many brands still struggle to answer a fundamental question: is it actually working?

As investment continues to shift toward creators, marketers are being asked to demonstrate business value beyond likes, views, shares and other platform-reported metrics. The challenge is that engagement alone often provides an incomplete picture of effectiveness and can lead to overconfidence in content that isn't driving meaningful brand outcomes.

In this session, Brandon Kirk, VP Media and Creative at Kantar Canada, draws on Kantar's global creator effectiveness research to explore what makes creator content work. He will examine the relationship between engagement and brand impact, highlight the characteristics associated with stronger-performing creator content and discuss how marketers can apply a more effective measurement lens to creator investments. Attendees will leave with practical ideas for evaluating creator marketing through the lens of brand growth and business results.

Brandon Kirk
VP Media and Creative, Kantar Canada

Brandon Kirk is VP Media and Creative at Kantar Canada, where he works with advertizers, agencies, publishers and media partners to better understand the relationship between media investment, creative effectiveness and business outcomes.

Over the course of his career, Brandon has worked across Canada's evolving media landscape, spanning traditional and digital advertising, streaming, social media, DOOH, audio, connected TV and emerging marketing channels. At Kantar, he helps organizations navigate a rapidly changing marketing environment through measurement, analytics and effectiveness-focused research.

His work is focused on helping marketers move beyond surface-level metrics and make more informed decisions about how media and creative investments contribute to brand growth.

Global advertising technology leader, The Trade Desk™ is redefining how brands and agencies reach audiences with precision and impact. The Trade Desk's platform powers programmatic digital campaigns across devices to enable an omnichannel strategy; supporting quality journalism and premium content, driving open internet growth and objective value for all. 

JJ Dobrovolski
Senior Director, Business Development
The Trade Desk

JJ Dobrovolski is the Senior Director of Business Development at The Trade Desk Canada, where he oversees strategic partnerships with key clients to help deliver insightful and impactful advertising solutions. With expertise spanning high-growth startups and Fortune 500 companies, JJ drives results across diverse industries including advertising, technology, consumer packaged goods, retail, finance and market research.

Before joining The Trade Desk, JJ held leadership roles including Head of Beauty and Health at Amazon Ads Canada. He has also played pivotal roles at Kraft Heinz and Nielsen. A graduate of the University of Toronto, JJ combines strategic vision with hands-on expertise, empowering brands to build meaningful connections with their audiences.

Discover the latest Ad Nation findings as Ipsos reveals where advertising professionals' assumptions about Canadians' media habits and attitudes align, and where they miss the mark. This eye-opening session challenges industry biases and offers fresh insights to help you better understand and connect with the audiences you serve.

Steve Levy
Ipsos Canada

Early in his career, Steve spent time in Sales at Xerox and Marketing at Mars foods in the UK. Since the late 80’s, Steve worked with several research organizations in Asia and Canada before merging with Ipsos where he has had several leading roles both domestic and internationally. He is the author of (among other things) the Most Influential Brand Study (Globally). He is a Canadian Marketing Association lifetime achievement award recipient, a Fellow of CRIC (Canadian Research and Insights Council), a Young Lions Jury member and a frequent public speaker/commentator. Steve is also a very active board member of the Earth Rangers charity and the St. Mike's Foundation. Passionate about the world of public speaking, he frequently runs workshops on the subject for a broad range of organizations. His bio would not be complete without saying that he takes his eyewear very seriously.

Devorah Lithwick
Senior Vice President and Chief Brand Officer, Bell; and

Devorah Lithwick is the Chief Brand Officer at Bell. She has driven Bell's brand strategy forward since her appointment in 2021, leading Bell to be recognized as one of Canada's most valuable brands.

With over 25 years of leadership in communications, marketing, digital and branding, Lithwick first joined Bell in 2006 as Vice President, Marketing. Today, she shapes the brand vision across Bell and its subsidiaries, including the 2025 modernization of the company's visual identity and new brand platform, "Connection is everything." Her bold leadership has delivered some of

Canada's most recognized initiatives: Bell Let's Talk, the country's largest corporate commitment to mental health; the creation of Lucky Mobile; the repositioning of Virgin Plus; and the launch of Ateko, a Bell Canada company.

She also oversees the marketing for Bell Media's powerhouse brands, including Crave, TSN and RDS.

Named Strategy Magazine's Marketer of the Year in 2023, Lithwick served on the board of the Canadian Marketing Association and the Toronto International Film Festival. A graduate of the University of Toronto, she is an alumna of the Rotman School of Management's Judy Project and the International Women's Forum Fellows Program with Harvard Business School and INSEAD.

Matt McGowan
 SVP, Business Solutions 

Matt McGowan is a growth-focused enterprise leader with a twenty-year track record of building both global and regional businesses in the media & entertainment, technology, and advertising sectors. As Senior Vice President, Business Solutions, Matt oversees advertising, account management, and sales operations for Canada's premier media and entertainment company. 

Before joining Bell Media, Matt was the General Manager of Snapchat Canada, where he spearheaded the platform’s audience growth and commercial expansion. His prior roles include leadership positions at Google, Incisive Media, acquired by Blenheim Chalcot, and the marketing automation and SaaS company Adestra, acquired by Upland Software, where he developed and scaled global go-to-market strategies while navigating complex, evolving marketplaces. 

A recognized business and community leader, Matt has shared insights on digital transformation, brand storytelling, leadership, and organizational behavior. Beyond his corporate work, he is active in advisory roles with many early stage companies and the venture capital ecosystem that supports them. He further serves on the Board of Directors for Kids Help Phone, StrawberryFrog, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), and Techstars Toronto, reflecting his commitment to community, creativity, and mentorship. 

Matt holds an MBA from the University of Oxford and a BA from Lafayette College. Originally from New York and now based in Toronto,he brings a global perspective informed by a career spanning continents, categories, and cultures. He is known for building resilient organizations, unlocking growth through innovation, and inspiring teams to perform with clarity, purpose, and ambition. 

The mid-funnel on TikTok is a lot like that first spark, where watching turns into wanting, curiosity flirts with consideration and interest grows into affection. Discover how your brand can win the Heart of the Funnel on TikTok, turning discovery into connection, consideration and action.

Zack Grossman
Vertical Director, Global Business Solutions
TikTok Canada;

This keynote explores the evolving creator landscape as “Made with AI” content proliferates and why X is uniquely positioned to help brands grow authentic influence at scale. This session will detail how X has evolved its platform for an AI-native world by embedding safety by design, open transparency and creator compliance and incentives into the product core. Hear highlights of X’s unprecedented innovation across user safety and brand safety, showing how these capabilities enable high-trust partnerships between brands and real creators in a rapidly changing media environment.