APG Sideways
About our guest: Nadia Makarov
I’m Nadia Makarov, a Senior Strategist working at TBWA, formerly FCB Toronto. I’m a behavioral science nerd by training, with a background spanning military profiling, mental health, and recruitment - experiences that now shape how I approach culture, creativity, and human decision-making in advertising.
I’ve worked across agencies including WPP, Cossette, and Hotspex Media, and currently partner with brands like SickKids, Home Depot, Air Canada, and Kimberly-Clark. Outside of work, I’m driven by curiosity, obscure rabbit holes, fun facts, and my dog.
Brilliant Weird Best
Strategists are curious folks, so we asked Nadia to tell us the most brilliant, weirdest and best things she’s come across recently.
BRILLIANT: Kendall Jenner’s Super Bowl ad
Kendall Jenner’s Super Bowl ad for a gambling brand leans into the cultural trope that Kardashian-Jenner women “devour” men, in particular athletes, and reframes it with confidence and control. It says it without saying it: we’re powerful, we take up space, we’re bosses, divas, entitled to our success. And if someone can’t handle it? That’s not their responsibility. They own it without apologizing, enjoy the fruits of that labor, and move on. It’s self-aware and deeply intentional.
WEIRD: Instacart's Superbowl Commercial
I love this because it understands the power of joy. In a cluttered category that often leans functional, Instacart chose entertainment - silly, physical, unapologetic fun - to make the brand feel human. It grabs attention, makes you smile, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The “going bananas” insight is simple but profound, transformed into something comforting, edgy, and memorable. Ben Stiller and Benson Boone work as an unexpected but perfectly balanced duo, each leaning into a heightened version of reality. It’s a reminder that feeling good is still a competitive advantage, as you’d expect from Spike Jonze.
BEST: The Count by SickKids
The best for me is SickKids Foundation’s Fight for Every Birthday. This campaign still gets me emotional every time I watch it. Beyond the work itself, the organization - and the people across the foundation and hospital - truly embody the cause of saving children, not just in Canada but around the world. This spot captures the courage, determination, and sheer badassery of kids fighting for their lives and the energy they bring into the world. Cinematic, poetic, and deeply moving, it brings the essence of SickKids to life in an honest, powerful way.
Top Guilty Pleasures
Not all of our consumption habits can be academic. That's why we asked Nadia to give us the sources to her creativity.
Swimming away the outside noise
It’s part of my routine, and whenever I’m in the water, everything else drops away. It’s grounding and centering. like a shower on steroids, It’s a space where I can tune out everything outside of my own mind. Swimming gives me clarity, helps me polish my thoughts, and think more deliberately about things I usually take for granted.
Comedians
I’ve always found inspiration in comedians. Since I was a kid, comedy has lived in a very clever space for me, not just being “haha funny” but sharp, intentional, and observant. People like Josh Johnson, Anthony Jeselnik, Nikki Glaser, Bo Burnham, Dave Chappelle, and forever George Carlin are a constant source of reflection, hyper-fixated curiosity, and human insight, where even the darkest subjects still make you smile, simply because they’re too clever not to.
This month on Slack
Over on our Slack, strategists are supporting, debating, and shitposting. Click on a link to see the full convo.
Someone Made Up a Sneaker Study About Creatives, and Then We All Felt Attacked
Contributor: Cameron Fleming
A fake academic study landed in the channel claiming sneakers function as "informal markers of taste, belonging and creative legitimacy" in agencies, and honestly, it hit too close to home. The satirical "research" from the non-existent Global Institute of Sneaker Behaviour suggested that footwear choice correlates more with perceived creative confidence than actual output. Judging by the thread reactions, we all recognized the quiet truth: creative industries have dress codes too, they're just wearing New Balances.
This Month in Good Ideas: The Heinz Fry Box
Contributor: Spencer MacEachern
Heinz's French fry box design made the rounds on the channel this week, and people loved it. The conversation then shifted to how Rethink actually brings ideas like this to life. Spencer shared insights from an Aaron Starkman talk at Cannes about their "start with the post" philosophy: if it works as a post, carousel, or reel, you can use that traction as proof of interest to make it real. It's the same approach behind Seemingly Ranch and the Ronaldo IKEA water bottle: social posts first, actual products once they prove people care.
The Rogers Screen Break Program Sparked a Debate About Corporate Hypocrisy
Contributor: Jasjiv Singh
Rogers announced a $50 million Screen Break program to help kids reduce phone use, and the channel's reaction was immediate skepticism. Multiple people compared it to Shell's environmental campaigns or BP inventing the carbon footprint to shift blame from industry to individuals. The core critique: a telecom company whose revenue depends on connectivity lecturing parents about screen time feels like performative responsibility. Sasha Zaprudska asked the group directly: if Rogers were your client, would you lean into this territory or avoid it entirely to dodge a Shell-style credibility problem? No clear consensus, but plenty of doubt about whether anyone's buying it.