Matt McGowan’s Post

Canadian Men’s National Soccer Team and Leadership in Canada: A Beacon of Resilience First and foremost, I know many of us are rooting for Team Canada Soccer in tomorrow’s semi-finals against Argentina in the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024! The team's journey so far has been a testament to leadership, resilience, and innovation - qualities that are also thriving in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) here in Canada. You’ve got this, Team Canada! Good luck and play your best! The City of Toronto, a burgeoning hub for technology and innovation, mirrors the dynamic spirit of our national soccer team. This city’s vibrant ecosystem, enriched by its diverse workforce - over 50% of residents are born outside of Canada - drives creativity and global competitiveness. Why Toronto and the GTA? => Economic Powerhouse: Toronto contributes approximately 20% to Canada's GDP and hosts over 40% of the nation's business headquarters! => Tech Growth: As North America's fastest - growing tech market, Toronto’s tech employment has surged by 54% in the past five years! => Start-up Ecosystem: Ranked among the Top 10 global start-up cities (!!!) Toronto supports over 4,100 active start-ups. => Investment: In 2022, Toronto attracted over $3.6 billion in venture capital. While there is a lot we can do to improve the ecosystem here, we also have a lot to be thankful for. => Global Talent: Top 15 in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index highlights the GTA's ability to attract and retain top talent. Couple that with some of the best schools on the planet including University of Toronto and University of Waterloo and you have a winning formula. => Toronto-Waterloo-Kitchener Tech Corridor: Known as "Silicon Valley North," this region is home to 1,500+ tech companies alone and boasts the second-highest startup density globally! Leadership and Diversity: On and Off the Field. The Canadian Men’s National Soccer Team’s success in the Copa América is not just about winning games but also about showcasing strength in diversity. With players hailing from over 20 different ethnic backgrounds, the team embodies Canada’s multicultural spirit and inclusivity. Notable players like Alphonso Davies, born to Liberian parents in a Ghanaian refugee camp, and Jonathan David, born in Brooklyn to Haitian parents, highlight this diversity. Toronto’s business leaders, much like our national soccer team, understand the power of diversity. They embrace different perspectives, drive innovation, and foster an inclusive environment. This approach has been particularly evident during the pandemic, where 60% of start-ups accelerated their digital transformation. As we support our national soccer team, we also celebrate the leadership in Toronto and the GTA, where embracing diversity, fostering innovation, and remaining adaptable are key to sustainable growth and success. Here's to you Canada 🇨🇦 ! #Leadership #Toronto #Canada #Innovation #CopaAmerica2024 #CanadaMNT

Online safety is paramount! Snapchat, home to the world's largest and most active GenZ and early Millennial audience, was designed with privacy at its core — a stark contrast to traditional social media — and as of yesterday, we've elevated our commitment to privacy and safety to unprecedented heights. Media in Canada 🇨🇦: "As part of the new updates, [Snapchat] will also send all users periodic reminders to review their account security and privacy settings, and they will only be able to share their location with friends. It is also allowing teens to control who of their friends can view their location. Additionally, it’s improving its blocking tools – blocking a person will now prevent new friend requests from other accounts made on the same device." More here: https://lnkd.in/gycn32FA CNN exclusive 🌎: "Snap Inc. announced a set of new safety features, including expanded warning pop-ups that appear when a teen receives a message from someone they don’t share mutual friends with or have in their contacts. Now, teens will also receive a warning message if they receive a chat from a user who has been blocked or reported by others or who is from a region where the teen’s other contacts aren’t located." "Snapchat will now prevent the delivery of friend requests for teens to or from an account that they don’t share mutual friends with that is also located in regions often associated with scammers." More here: https://lnkd.in/gnPiCY3F Protecting our community, the fastest growing community online, is paramount. It's truly what we are all about. A huge thank you to Jacqueline Beauchere, Global Head of Platform Safety, and Rachel Hochhauser, Global Head of Safety Operations Outreach, and their teams for their leadership here 🙏 #Snapchat #OnlineSafety Snap for Business | Snap AR

Hello from Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity! ✨ While the festival celebrates the best and most inspiring creative, it’ also a fantastic time to connect with peers, colleagues, and friends from around the world in one of the most impressive places on the planet. Inspiration is everywhere, and even though it’s only Monday afternoon, certain themes are already rising to the top. Here at Snapchat, we couldn’t be more excited to discuss them: 1. Artificial Intelligence: at Snapchat we continue to leverage AI to enhance both our ad offerings and create engaging, personalized content for our community of over 800M people around the world. Our AI-driven Augmented Reality lenses (5 year old me is the most recent viral phenomenon) are prime examples of how AI can enhance user interaction and creativity; especially on our platform where hundreds of millions of people use AR everyday https://ar.snap.com/ 2. CSR: at Snapchat we think about various vectors here. We emphasize ethical practices by implementing strict community guidelines and promoting positive online behavior. Content on Snapchat goes through the most rigorous vetting process anywhere. We've launched numerous initiatives to support mental health and well-being among our user base. Climate change is also top of mind and with our recent partnership with Scope3 it’s become clear ads on Snapchat carry the lowest carbon footprint within our peer set https://lnkd.in/dsv2Sffy 3. DEI: as a team we are committed here which is evident to those who use our products, like our Camera and Bitmoji, and engage with our partner content. Moreover, we areintentional about building teams that reflect the communities within which they operate. More on this in the most recent Snap Citizen report https://citizen.snap.com/ 4. Talent and Culture: we’ve built a positive creative culture by ensuring our organization is relatively flat, educating our teams on Servant Leadership while focusing on our values: Kind, Smart and Creative. We continue to look for talent in Canada and abroad, check out our job board for specifics https://lnkd.in/g-CCQk_7 5. The Creator Economy: we continue to enhance our support for the creator economy through our Snap Star program, Snap School, Collab Studio and various monetization features. Creators on Snapchat have a unique relationship with our larger audience due to a unique user behavior and intent. Snapchatters are leaned-in engaging with their friends and family versus endlessly scrolling https://creators.snap.com/ 6. Creative Excellence: we push boundaries with innovative ad formats and immersive experiences like AR. These tools enable brands to engage users in unique and memorable ways. Check out our new brand campaign Less Social Media. More Snapchat https://lnkd.in/g3GZ28E2 See you on the croisette! Please don’t hesitate to say hi. #CannesLions #moreSnapchat Snap Inc.

Last week was phenomenal! In just 2 business days, we engaged in 3 major events and connected with thousands through carefully curated touch points. At the CMAcx Summit, I had the privilege of sharing insights on world-class customer experiences drawn from decades of global expertise. It was my first time speaking at a Canadian Marketing Association event, and the audience and setup were exceptional. A huge thank you to our hosts and panelists Vivianne Gauci, Alison Cox, Marina Ramic Baric and Daniel Francavilla. We hosted a private breakfast for about 30 marketing and agency leaders. Colleen DeCourcy, our Chief Creative Officer, and I delved into our new brand campaign: Less Social Media. More Snapchat. Snapchat is designed to be the antidote to traditional social media. When you explore why people use Snapchat and the intentionality behind our consumer products, this distinction becomes clear. During our Holiday Festival (yes, many of our advertising partners are already planning for the holidays), Colleen, Ty Ahmad-Taylor, Alanna (Glicksman) Handelman, Adam Gizzie, Kelli Prince, Genevieve Gennings, the broader team, and I discussed how brands can leverage our revamped ad platform and products to better surprise and delight, retain and convert potential customers on Snapchat. We also launched our new consumer "5 year old AI lens" and attended the SickKids Foundation | The Hospital for Sick Children "Scrubs In the City" Gala of course (thanks for taking me Lisa Kisber!). What a week! It's clear the #MoreSnapchat campaign continues to strike a chord. With so much change happening, on our phones but also in the world around us, how brands connect with their customers is more crucial than ever. #Snapchat #Advertising #Marketing Snap Inc. | Snap for Business | Snap AR