Why Experiential Marketing Still Wins

About this episode

Corey Evans discusses the success of the WestJet Christmas Miracle and the importance of audience experience in experiential marketing.

Recorded live at SocialEast 2025 at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, this episode of the Marketing News Canada podcast features guest host Odum Idika , Host of Unconventional Mindset and Founder of Piixel Studio , in conversation with Corey Evans , Director of Brand and Advertising at ATCO and former marketing leader at WestJet . Corey shares a behind-the-scenes look at one of Canada’s most iconic marketing moments, the WestJet Christmas Miracle , and what it took to execute a high-risk experiential campaign that generated over 35 million organic views. From stepping in as Santa to navigating real-time uncertainty during a live activation, he explains why putting the audience experience first, and the brand second, was key to its success. The conversation explores what experiential marketing really means today, why authentic human moments outperform polished ads, and how marketers of any size can create meaningful connections by deeply understanding their audience. Corey also reflects on the rise of creator-led marketing, real-time brand participation, and the importance of adaptability in an increasingly noisy content landscape. This episode was recorded live on-site at…

People in this episode

Host: Odum Idika

Guest: Corey Evans

Topics covered

• experiential marketing
• audience experience
• creator-led marketing
• real-time brand participation
• marketing strategies

Keywords

• experiential marketing
• WestJet Christmas Miracle
• audience engagement
• real-time marketing
• creator-led marketing
• brand adaptability
• marketing insights

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ATCO, WestJet

Places: Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel

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