Podcast Summary: The Strategy Behind Canva’s B2B Growth with Emma Robinson and Kristine Segrist
Podcast: The Dave Gerhardt Show (Exit Five)
Host: Dave Gerhardt
Guests: Emma Robinson (Head of B2B Marketing, Canva), Kristine Segrist (VP of Consumer Marketing, Canva)
Date: February 12, 2026
Overview
This episode dives deep into the marketing strategies powering Canva’s explosive B2B and B2C (consumer) growth. Host Dave Gerhardt talks with Canva’s Emma Robinson and Kristine Segrist—two marketing leaders who bring complementary perspectives on scaling a beloved tech brand. The conversation covers:
- The unique structure of Canva’s marketing organization
- How consumer and B2B sides collaborate
- Attribution, measurement, and the role of data science
- Big campaigns like “Love Your Work”
- Creative risks and lessons from careers at Google and Meta
- The fluidity between user personas and the importance of brand-led growth
Canva’s Marketing Org: Fluidity, Collaboration, and Structure
[03:38 - 08:13]
Organizational Philosophy: Beyond B2C/B2B Silos
- Kristine and Emma explain Canva eschews strict B2B/B2C divides, reflecting how people fluidly use Canva across personal and work contexts.
- Kristine [04:13]: “We really kind of think about fluidity... that people are constantly moving between different spheres of their life...when we're building programs or we're planning things together... it's all about just not having those boundaries.”
- The org is structured around three business units: B2C, B2B, and International, with “centers of excellence” for channels (e.g., performance, brand, experiential).
Matrixed Teaming and Scrappy Culture
- Zach Kitschke is CMO, reporting directly to Canva’s founders.
- Canva prizes a flat hierarchy to keep teams nimble and empower experimentation.
- Kristine [07:01]: “We still try to work in a really scrappy way...flat...we're really intentional about that...our best or most interesting ideas come from all over the place.”
- “Swift boat pods” tackle high-impact opportunities with low friction, avoiding bureaucracy.
Collaborating Across Teams and Markets
[08:13 - 10:25]
- Small “sprint” groups test ideas quickly. Wins are scaled globally.
- Practical Example – Japan Market:
- The Japanese team transformed the logged-out homepage with localized creator content. Success there prompted adaptation for other markets.
- Kristine [09:19]: “Are we thinking about how to make this the most visually stunning, fun, inviting entry point?...We took some of those learnings and pulled them into other...markets and found ways to scale that.”
- Canva is obsessed with continual improvement—constantly “trying to beat yourself” even with high-performing assets.
Attribution, Measurement & the Role of Data Science
[10:25 - 14:52]
Attribution Challenges with Broad Product & Personas
- With a wide range of use cases/personas, measuring marketing ROI is complex.
- Canva aligns on top-level founder-driven goals (awareness, revenue, retention).
- Measures at each funnel stage (signups, ARR, product adoption).
- B2B attribution uses weighted touchpoint algorithms, developed in alignment with Sales.
- Emma [12:01]: “We actually have a very tight agreement with sales that we're pretty much driving sort of 50/50 across the attribution funnel...So we need to have that narrative created for our exec, CFO and our finance teams.”
- The approach reduces “finger-pointing” between Sales and Marketing.
Notable Quote [14:52]:
“Emma, that was much more eloquent. I was gonna say we just arm wrestle for whose MQL it is.”
— Kristine, joking about the usual attribution turf wars
Product-Led Growth (PLG) and Upsell Motions
[15:02 - 17:40]
-
Consumer-led “bottoms up” growth remains core (huge free user base, self-serve motions).
-
Product signals (e.g., need for more AI credits, team use) prompt tailored upsells or team/enterprise plans.
- Kristine [15:45]: “We do get a ton of signal in product...maybe test something that feels a little wild and just make space for it.”
-
In 95% of Fortune 500 companies, people are already using Canva, creating opportunity for enterprise expansion via usage data.
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Enterprise Needs:
- Brand governance, granular controls, security (SSO), and streamlined brand kit rollouts are critical.
- Different segments receive value-driven messaging based on actual user behavior.
- Emma [17:40]: “For the enterprise specifically, their requirements are a lot more complicated...So what we offer on the enterprise side is a lot more rigor, granular controls, and brand kits.”
Data Science as a Growth Engine
[19:07 - 22:02]
- Data science is both cross-functional and deeply embedded, focusing on research, measurement, and campaign optimization.
- Supports “next best action” models to surface features and drive deeper product adoption.
- Kristine [20:01]: “This idea of the next best action...what’s the next best thing for us to share with them to help unlock more value from Canva?”
- Allows marketers to focus on strategy/creativity, not data-wrangling.
- Dave [21:09]: “Emma and Christine aren’t spending 90% of their day trying to like, comb through data to make decisions, but you have a partner that can help...”
- Data should empower action, not limit creativity.
Big Swings: Creativity, Brand, and the Canva Create Event
[22:02 - 28:08]
- Canva is unafraid to swing big in brand experience and creativity.
- Example: Canva Create, an “in-person brand festival” in LA with 5,000+ attendees, musical numbers, community activities.
- Strategic investments like this are justified with conviction—not every initiative can be fully “proven” in spreadsheets.
- Kristine [22:49]: “There are things in this investment...does it math, will it make sense? But we have a lot of conviction around the power...”
- Major brand investments are ultimately seen as fueling both present and future growth.
- Emma [26:24]: “There’s a higher purpose brand piece that is around really building long term brand equity for Canva...”
- Kristine [27:56]: “We believe our investment in brand is an investment in growth.”
- “The best possible model is you have to balance the both [brand and demand].”
— Emma [27:57]
Campaign Deep Dive: "Love Your Work"
[28:08 - 42:21]
Campaign Philosophy and Measurement
-
“Love Your Work” is a massive U.S. awareness campaign, aiming to deepen the perception of Canva as a work/enterprise tool—not just for personal/creative use.
- Based on insights that while Canva is widely known, many users have “shallow” product understanding.
- Kristine [29:57]: “The US Problem we’re trying to solve is that Canva is well known, well loved, but sometimes the knowledge of Canva can be shallow...”
- Based on insights that while Canva is widely known, many users have “shallow” product understanding.
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Creative leverages humor (Lorraine Bracco as a “presentation therapist”) and focuses on relatable work situations (presentation trauma).
- Kristine [30:59]: “We just did a piece of research. 92% of employers expect their teams to be reasonably adept at being able to communicate visually...”
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Measurement blends brand lift (perception, health tracking) with hard metrics (MAU, incremental revenue), using media mix modeling, experiments, conversion lifts, and attribution.
- Kristine [33:39]: “We would work with brand tracking...in a substantial way and then we would connect through behaviors. So, is the perception shifting and then is the behavior shifting...”
Creative Development & Buy-In
- Campaigns are centrally planned across B2C, B2B, and International—creative processes involve early-stage input from all.
- Emma [35:32]: “You start this process together and you work through it together in more of those sprint teams...Props to the creative team, they run these things incredibly tightly...”
- Out-of-home activations matter for enterprise credibility and memorability (think: airport billboards).
- Dave [38:19]: “If you’re an enterprise customer...there’s a massive billboard at JFK for Canva, you’re like, oh, that company’s not going to go out of business tomorrow.”
- Emma [39:11]: “The purpose is to really...create awareness around that perception change...But it’s more about mapping to the journey that they go on...”
Human-Centric, Memorable Brand Creative
- Out-of-home and digital campaigns are designed to “cut through” noise, be memorable, and humanize the brand—even for enterprise audiences.
- Kristine [42:21]: “What is that kind of like ding, ding, ding moment for a decision maker...I care because this is going to reduce time for my team...it's going to drive efficiency.”
- Emma [42:21]: “One of them is definitely to sort of give you a little bit of a smile and a flirt on your drive...people will have to connect into the Canva magic...”
Influencer, Creator & Experiential Marketing
[43:32 - 45:02]
- Canva experiments with unconventional creator partnerships (e.g., NYC beatmaker @AriAtHome, who made a beat with Canva Sheets), not just traditional media buys.
- Dave [43:42]: “Finding these kind of more niche creators and doing stuff on the street is great.”
Lessons From Google & Meta: Timeless Marketing Truths
[45:02 - 49:17]
Emma (Google):
- Simplicity and Product Focus: Always connect user need to product magic.
- Emma [45:02]: “Know your product, know the magic of the product, connect it to the user and that’s the marketing lesson...”
- Enterprise motions take time: Repositioning takes patience—a “marathon not a sprint.”
Kristine (Meta):
- Community as North Star: The best products and campaigns are rooted in community observation (“Facebook Marketplace emerged from organic user behavior”).
- Kristine [46:53]: “Being very anchored in your community and who you’re serving...will never steer you wrong.”
- Creativity as Superpower: Don’t underestimate creative risks (e.g., live rap product launches) for B2B and B2C—it’s all about delighting people.
- Kristine [48:23]: “You have to be absolutely unapologetically yourself...taking things to market in an unconventional way that has credibility but also playfulness is very true to who we are.”
Notable Quotes
-
On B2C/B2B Boundaries:
“We are two parts of a whole actually in our working life...it’s all about just not having those boundaries, knowing that people are experiencing our brand in the world...”— Kristine [04:13] -
On Attribution Models:
“We actually have a very tight agreement with sales that we’re pretty much driving sort of 50/50 across the attribution funnel...”— Emma [12:01] -
On Brand v. Measurement:
“I think it’s important that marketing is seen as a driver of the business, not a cost center...using the data as a way to make you smarter, not a way to make you play smaller...” — Kristine [22:02] -
On Big Swings:
“There are things in [Canva Create] that maybe on paper, when we’re first pitching this idea, does it math, will it make sense? But we have a lot of conviction around the power of having this tangible experience with the brand...” — Kristine [22:49] -
On Timelessness vs Trends:
“The best possible model is you have to balance the both [brand and demand].” — Emma [27:57] -
On Human Experience:
“At the end of the day, B2B, B2C...These are people...We want to create work that demonstrates value and also delights people and makes them want to start a conversation.” — Kristine [48:38]
Useful Timestamps of Key Segments
- Canva marketing org structure & fluidity: 04:13 – 08:13
- Local experimentation and scaling ideas: 08:13 – 10:25
- Attribution and founding team’s influence: 12:01 – 14:52
- PLG motions & enterprise upsells: 15:02 – 17:40
- Data science supporting marketing: 19:07 – 22:02
- Brand investments & Canva Create: 22:02 – 28:08
- Love Your Work campaign deep dive: 28:08 – 43:32
- Niche creator/influencer strategies: 43:32 – 45:02
- Lessons from Google/Meta: 45:02 – 49:17
Conclusion: Timeless Marketing, Human Brand, and Relentless Experimentation
Canva’s rapid ascent—across both consumer and enterprise markets—stems from a flexible, collaborative culture, a deeply matrixed marketing org, and a willingness to invest in both creative risks and measurement rigor. The team’s approach blends timeless lessons (know your user, invest in brand, balance art with science), with a modern, experimental edge—grounded in global-local adaptation and relentless customer focus.
Final words from Dave [49:18]:
“The people thing is great...timeless lessons in marketing. Understanding people, understanding psychology...I could hang out with you all forever.”
Guests LinkedIn:
Learn more at: exitfive.com
Canva: canva.com
(Summary excludes advertisements and non-content/outro sections)