What does it take to futureproof an entire profession? On this episode of Canned, Ben van Rooy and Stephanie Quantrill sit down with John Miles, CEO of the New Zealand Marketing Association, to unpack how NZMA has evolved from its direct mail roots into a national engine room for marketing capability. John shares how COVID forced a fast pivot to digital learning, why leadership pathways matter more than ever, and the importance of a professional body in a profession that doesn't require one. If you care about lifting standards in NZ marketing, this episode is for you.What You’ll Learn in This Episode•Why professional bodies must evolve from events hosts to true capability builders•How marketing leadership pathways shape the future of the industry•What real membership value looks like in 2026 and beyond•Why modern marketers need breadth of thinking not just channel expertise•How community and mentoring create long term industry advantageBonus Nuggets•Steph and Ben unpack the Super Bowl ad landscape and what real cut through looks like•A nostalgic McDonald’s Friends collab sparks a debate on audience relevance•A reminder that marketing is as much about community as it is about campaignsCall to actionIf you’re serious about growing your career and raising the bar for marketing in New Zealand and Australia, this conversation will challenge how you think about professional development.Resources mentioned:•New Zealand Marketing Association (NZMA) https://marketing.org.nz•Advanced Marketing Leadership Programme https://marketing.org.nz/training•NZ Marketing Awards https://marketing.org.nz/marketing-awards•System1 https://system1group.comConnect with the creators, and hosts mentioned:•John Miles https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-m-129a0521/•Ben van Rooy https://www.linkedin.com/in/benvanrooy/•Stephanie Quantrill https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-quantrill/Explore more from Canned:•Canned the Marketing Podcast www.cannedmarketing.com•Cue Marketing www.cuemarketing.co.nz•Human Digital www.humandigital.comHelp improve our podcastTimestamps00:00 Welcome and why this episode matters for NZ marketers04:20 Super Bowl ads and the battle for attention12:30 Meet John Miles and the role of NZMA16:30 COVID pivots and digital transformation20:00 Membership explained and what value really means29:30 Building talent pathways and emerging marketer programmes33:45 Events scale and capability building at pace44:20 Creativity, ROI pressure and the future of marketing47:15 Wrap and what’s nextwww.cannedmarketing.com Stephanie Quantrill - Linkedin Ben Van Rooy - Linkedin