Publicis Toronto Hires Max Valiquette as New Head of Strategic Planning

Publicis Toronto has announced that Max Valiquette has joined the agency as its Vice President of Strategic Planning.

Duncan Bruce, President of Publicis Canada, said: “When we set out to fill this role we were looking for a partner that could help us shape a planning model for the future. In a world where we cannot fall upon the conventions of traditional interruption-based communications, it is critical that we marry an intimate understanding of the cultural context with behavioural analysis in order to identify opportunities for our clients to connect in authentic and meaningful ways. Max is here to do exactly that.”

Max is not new to Publicis, as they have a relationship that extends back many years.

Says Publicis Toronto President Bryan Kane: “We have long known Max and his capability and pedigree. We first worked with him as the co-founder of Youthography and were always impressed with the way he attacked an opportunity. His focus on understanding culture, and the way he immerses himself in the lives of consumers in order to identify opportunities for our clients, makes him one of a kind.”

Says Kane, “As we’ve been meeting with Max, it is clear that he has transferred that passionate, insight driven approach that led to his success at Youthography to more holistic problem solving needs of a business and its brand(s).”

As Max himself states, his goal is to “make sure the agency is at the forefront of thought leadership in brand strategy, consumer insight, and the application of digital technology to marketing and communications planning.”

“It’s a pretty awesome opportunity, frankly: to elevate strategic focus across the holistic customer experience was a definite draw. But to work with a leadership team comprised of industry leaders in CRM, social, mobile and content production is incredibly exciting.”

Additionally, Max brings with him a strong presence in the marketing industry as a prominent industry speaker, an author who has been published in our industry’s most prominent trade journals, and on TV and radio as a cultural commentator. He is incredibly active in social media, even live-tweeting last year’s Super Bowl commercials for The Wall Street Journal.

Max is yet another notable addition this year to the leadership team at Publicis following on the heels of Scott Pinkney, who is the ECD of the agency’s CRM practice, and Michael Murray, who was brought in to lead the creative on Rogers.