It is a peculiar thing to gather 20 of the world’s most seasoned agency search consultants in a single city, especially when that city is Toronto.
We’re a reality-checking, div erse and opinionated bunch, hailing from the UK, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, France and elsewhere. We have navigated boardrooms from London to Melbourne, seen every “disruptive” tagline imaginable, and sat through enough agency credentials presentations to qualify for a specialized form of witness protection.
Yet, last week, we descended upon the 6ix for the AdForum Worldwide Summit, organized alongside the ICA, with a singular, laudable theme: “We need more Canada.”
There is something inherently heartwarming about watching our nation’s advertising industry try to define itself. We kicked things off at the Hockey Hall of Fame, a venue that practically drips with the kind of grit and teamwork that Canadian agencies often pride themselves on.
Standing amongst the relics of legends, it was a reminder that the best stories aren’t told through data points, but through heart and historical consistency. In a world obsessed with the “new,” there is profound power and comfort in the enduring.
The efficiency trap
We saw it all. Data-driven shops trying to prove they could predict a consumer’s mood before the consumer even woke up, and the digital-first experts who seemed to suggest brands would achieve a state of nirvana.
As we settled into the meat of the summit, meeting a dozen agencies ranging from scrappy independents to behemoth holding companies, several key themes emerged that mirror the global anxiety of our industry:
- Transformation vs. Stasis: Everyone is changing, or at least they’re drafting the credentials deck that says they are.
- The Ghost in the Machine: AI was the specter in every room. We heard about efficiencies, lower costs, and better outcomes.
- Speed as a Strategy: There is a frantic client obsession with speed, a “need it yesterday” mentality that often comes at the expense of meaning or results.
- The Precision of Data: Agencies are swimming in numbers, trying to prove they can predict the future with math rather than intuition.
Some nailed it. But at times it was as soul soul-stirring as a microwave dinner.
The eight-minute revelation
If there was one universal takeaway, it’s that credentials are simply too long. We sat through hours of presentations that sometimes felt like marathon sessions of self-congratulation.
Then, there was the outlier. One agency delivered their entire message in a quick eight-minute PechaKucha-style presentation. There is perhaps a specific kind of madness that occurs when a creative agency condenses its entire catalogue of work into an eight-minute window. It’s the advertising equivalent of trying to explain the plot of Inception during a sneeze. But this was fast, focused, and it went over well. Very well.
The lesson was clear. Get in. Deliver your message. Get out. It is a strange irony that agencies spend their lives telling succinct stories for clients, yet when the spotlight turns on them, they lose the ability to find the stop-button on their own narrative.
The intoxicating secret sauce
But here is the thing about us cynical, battle-hardened consultants: We still have a “tell.” When an agency stops reciting the gospel of AI and starts talking about a problem they actually solved for a living, breathing person, the room changes. The eye twitches stop. The witness protection vibe fades.
While the presentations were (predictably) Canadian-focused, I believe some agencies missed the point of showcasing why Canada is a great solution for international assignments. But the biggest miss—the one that leaves me with a lingering ache—is the lack of soul.
Soul is the (really) good stuff. Soul is intoxicating. We tell stories to evoke emotion, trigger reaction and generate action.
The summit was a bruising but beautiful reminder that while AI can provide efficiency, it’s a terrible dinner companion. It can’t provide the secret sauce—that messy, illogical, wonderful spark that makes a person trust a brand.
Everyone came to Toronto looking for “more Canada,” but perhaps what we were really looking for was the human spirit behind the work.
As we head back to our respective corners of the globe, the challenge remains. In a world obsessed with the “new,” the real winners won’t just be the brave. They’ll be the ones smart enough to master the tools without being mastered by them, creative enough to find the story in the data, and human enough to keep the soul of the work alive.
Because at the end of the day, you can’t automate a heartbeat—no matter how good your credentials deck looks.
With thanks to AdForum and the ICA for organizing the summit here in Toronto. This article first appeared in Campaign Canada on May 19, 2026
Stephan Argent
Stephan Argent is Founder and Principal at Listenmore Inc, Canada’s leading confidential advisory consultancy that specializes in Agency Search Management. Read more like this on our blog Marketing Unscrewed / follow me @StephanArgent