APG Sideways
About our guest: Michael McDonald-Beraskow
Hi – I am a Group Strategy Director at Ogilvy with 15+ years of experience. According to Strategy's 2025 Strategic Planner list, I’m ranked #118 in Canada. Based on a population of 40 million this puts me in the top 0.002% nationally. Pretty impressive stuff.
My experiences have spanned PR to social media to B2B. But the bulk of my time has been advertising where I feel blessed to have a job I enjoy so much.
At home, I'm a dad to three young kids who keep me busy. And no one at Ogilvy calls me Michael; everyone calls me Donnie.
Brilliant Weird Best
Planners are curious folks so we asked Michael to tell us the most brilliant, weirdest and best things he’s come across recently.
BRILLIANT: Heineken Trust Bars
Solving a real problem for soccer fans in South Korea is a solid approach to winning their hearts. But finding something uniquely Korean to unlock the solution is what makes this memorable.
WEIRD: The Extra Chewie Pencil
This is spec work I saw online the other day from a young creative team, and I love it. It’s quirky but with a PR-able story about young students and stress management, too. If I worked on Extra and was presented this, I would be jazzed. Saw someone write recently that nobody pays attention or shares ‘usual’ these days - I think this is the right type of unusual for the terminally online mind of today.
BEST: Windex Windows of Opportunity
When windows feel important, it makes them feel worthy of the Cadillac of glass cleaners. What I liked so much about this was that they found a meaningful cause with an obvious role for the product. Very easy to get lost in the sauce when you’re pursuing a purpose-driven strategy; people have to intuitively make the connection to your brand.
Top Guilty Pleasures
Not all of our consumption habits can be academic. That's why we asked Michael to give us the sources to his creativity.
Nathan Fielder’s commitment to the bit is unmatched. This man goes to such great lengths to understand the awkward social dynamics between pilots that it’s equal parts hilarious as it is insightful. The finale is too good to spoil here, but the journey to get there is well worthwhile. Embrace the cringe!
I really enjoy watching old movies. Recently took in The Swimmer, based on the John Cheever short story, and was completely mesmerized. When a book or movie stays with you, it will leave fingerprints on your work. I try to get my head out of the marketing bubble as much as I can because at the end of the day, the goal is novelty. I figure this is a novel source of inspiration.
This month on Slack
Been MIA on the APG's Slack Channel? No worries! Catch up on all the buzz with our latest and greatest links right here!
Don’t Blame the Strategist, Blame the System
Contributors – Michelle Lee, Mihir Maloria, Cameron Flemming, Spencer MacEachern, PK Lawton, & more.
In response to a contentious Campaign Asia article, our Slack community debated the value of the Strategist. Cameron Flemming likened the discourse to the “blame the client” and “blame the creative” eras, with Strategists as the new target. Spencer MacEachern agreed that it's not the critique that’s the problem; it's the target. Mihir Maloria shared a Substack article that defended the “people trying to evolve [the role of Strategy] from the inside, often without the permission, power, or platform to do it properly.” Join the discussion here.
I saw the best ad minds destroyed...
Contributor – Jon Crowley
Jon Crowley flexes his English Literature background to write an impressive parody of Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, with strategists as the tragic subject. In Crowley’s remake, the “best minds” that Ginsberg mourns become “the best ad minds,” and the new forces of their destruction include AI, mergers, and doomscrolling.
Contributor – PK Lawton
As Co-Founder and CSO of cannabis marketing agency Sister Merci, PK Lawton has a Facebook account dedicated to observing weed Facebook groups. Naturally, he stumbles upon some pretty interesting characters. This month he shared the posts of one particularly inspirational stoner who likes to create self-help memes. It’s the realest thing you’ll see all month.
Cracking the Canadian Freelance Market
Contributor – June Findlay
When a non-Canadian asked for advice on breaking into Canada’s freelance strategy scene, June Findlay offered a candid take: connections are everything. Findlay explained that the market is saturated after years of layoffs, and competition is high. Her advice? Double down on making offline connections. And most importantly, define “your thing”—the unique perspective or specialty that sets you and your practice apart. In a crowded market, that’s what makes people take notice.