WS, a full-service marketing practice headquartered in Calgary, Alberta recently hired new top talent to realize the demands of outcome marketing and insights-driven business intelligence.
The company recently acquired new team members to help clients prepare for the changing business landscape in 2021 – and while finding growth opportunities could prove difficult for some during the COVID-19 pandemic, WS actually shifted its hiring strategy in a positive direction as a result of it.
“One positive side of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it spurred a change in the geography of the workplace concept. Forward-thinking businesses now recognize that allowing people to work remotely has greatly broadened the talent pool and global expertise,” says Susan Groeneveld, co-founder of WS.
Recognizing the benefits of remote work allowed WS to select intelligence from across Canada in its most recent round of hiring. New staff live and work in cities across the country—Canmore, Victoria, Winnipeg and Toronto.
“Instead of bringing staff to a central office, we’re now selecting talented people, and helping them do great work by allowing them to work from the place where they work best,” Groeneveld says.
WS is pleased to welcome VP, Accounts Diane Bures, along with Art Director Brianna Schretlen, as well as announce the promotion of Mazen Tannir to Media Director. Located in Canmore, AB, Bures has over 23 years of experience building global brands, leading teams for both international and independent agencies. Schretlen has developed creative art and graphic designs for agencies in Calgary, AB for the past 20 years.
Working in Toronto, ON, Tannir brings over a quarter century of experience aligning media strategy with a specialization in digital to client business goals. After serving as Media Planner & Buyer for 6 years, Tannir has been promoted to Media Director. Tannir is also appointed as chair of the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, bringing a deeper awareness of inclusion and diversity to support the WS globally inclusive business model.
“A core element of our business approach continues to be hiring people who are passionate about problem-solving in ag. All of our new hires reflect that,” says Groeneveld. “Agriculture is one of the primary pillars for growth in North America, and it’s a highly competitive industry. We need the people with the deepest insights.”
The evolution in hiring style at WS mirrors a strategic shift toward data-driven outcome marketing. “Tech strategy and analysis is part of the new thought process, so when hiring new talent, we had a different kind of expertise in mind—engaged, creative people with business and marketing intelligence who bring deeper insights on measurement and digital,” Groeneveld says.
Outcome marketing focuses on planning the most cost-effective strategy to hit business goals, using the most effective triggers to make the sale, and capturing key behavioural data to better understand farmers. Driven by meaningful data, it “puts the farmer in the centre of decision making for forward thinking companies,” says Groeneveld.
The strategic shift to outcome-focused planning increases market agility and optimizes data-use to achieve results. Continued refinement of their team will continue in the coming months. “With these new staff on-board, and more hiring planned, WS is well positioned to help our clients weather this pandemic and flourish in the shifting economy we are encountering,” Groeneveld concludes.
WS is a full-service outcome marketing practice with offices in Calgary and Toronto. WS delivers insights-driven business intelligence and marketing services that helps clients achieve measurable outcomes that align with key business goals. Their audience-first approach ensures that people, not products, are at the heart of every marketing strategy, ensuring lifetime customer loyalty and measurable return on investment. WS Also Grows More Good by giving back to agriculture and food related organizations to help support this vital industry.
