With over 265 million monthly active users across 190 countries, Canva has evolved from a simple design tool into a global creative juggernaut. Yet, despite its massive scale, the company’s social media footprint remains remarkably intimate. By prioritizing "local resonance" over generic global messaging, Canva has cracked the code on how to make a massive tech brand feel like a neighbor. In an exclusive Q&A, Lachlan Stewart, Social Lead at Canva, pulls back the curtain on the strategy that turns regional cultural moments into worldwide marketing fuel. This exploration dives into how the company balances its global reach with hyper-local engagement, the philosophy behind their "entertainment-first" content, and why social media should no longer be an afterthought in boardroom strategy. The Strategic Shift: Thinking Locally on a Global Scale For many multinational corporations, the "global brand" approach often leads to sanitized, one-size-fits-all content that struggles to gain traction in diverse markets. Canva’s approach is fundamentally different. "If you look at Canva in different countries, you’ll see real people and real stories from those markets," says Stewart. "When it comes to our marketing strategy, it’s really about being truly local." The "Local-First" Philosophy The company’s shift toward regionalized social media was born from the necessity of cultural relevance. Stewart notes that by allowing local teams to tap into specific cultural nuances—whether it’s a specific meme in Brazil or a reality television icon in the UK—Canva ensures that its brand voice feels authentic rather than corporate. This decentralized approach has been so successful that the global team is now adopting the "local-first" mentality even for broad, international channels. By treating the global audience as a collection of diverse local communities rather than a monolith, Canva maintains high engagement levels that would otherwise be impossible at their scale. Chronology of a Campaign: From Concept to Viral Reality Canva’s recent successes aren’t the result of jumping on trending audio or mimicking viral challenges. Instead, they focus on starting the conversation. Two specific campaigns highlight this methodology: The Brazilian MasterChef Collaboration In Brazil, the team identified a unique cultural insight: the local MasterChef judge, who is French, often required subtitles for viewers, despite his fluency in Portuguese. By collaborating with him on Canva’s "auto-caption" feature, the brand turned a linguistic quirk into a humorous, high-performing campaign. The Lesson: The brand didn’t chase a trend; it validated an existing cultural joke and provided a utility-based solution. The Gemma Collins UK Takeover Perhaps the most notable example of Canva’s creative risk-taking is the partnership with UK reality star Gemma Collins. Phase 1 (The Setup): Before any official announcement, the team created a LinkedIn profile for Collins, positioning her as the new "UK Creative Director" at Canva. Phase 2 (The Hook): They began posting "professional" content from her perspective, which quickly garnered attention for its sheer absurdity and novelty. Phase 3 (The Integration): Canva then embedded her voice into the product’s text-to-speech functionality, proving that the brand was "in on the joke." This sequence demonstrates that the "secret sauce" is not just the partnership itself, but the commitment to the bit—fully integrating the influencer into the brand’s ecosystem. Supporting Data: Why Entertainment Drives Conversion Canva’s philosophy is increasingly centered on entertainment. Stewart argues that even educational content, like tutorials, must be infused with personality to be successful. "If we’re posting a tutorial, how can we work the caption in a fun, cheeky way? What design element can we add to make it feel more social-first?" he asks. Moving Beyond Vanity Metrics When evaluating these campaigns, Canva moves past simple likes and comments. Stewart advocates for objective-based measurement: For Entertainment Content: The focus is on view-through rate and shares. If a user watches to the end and shares it, the content has succeeded as entertainment. For Educational Content: The focus shifts to saves. If a user saves a tutorial, it indicates long-term value and intent to use the product. This granular approach to data ensures that creative teams aren’t being penalized for "low engagement" when their content is actually serving a specific, high-intent purpose. Official Perspective: Empowering the Social Team A common pain point in the enterprise world is the "silo effect," where social media teams are brought in at the tail end of a campaign to simply "post the assets." Stewart, who has a background in creative agencies, notes that Canva operates differently. "At Canva, we have a really collaborative structure that empowers the entire social team to put forward suggestions from the very beginning of a campaign," Stewart explains. Why Social Needs a Seat at the Strategy Table By involving social leads during the planning phase, Canva ensures that campaigns are "social-native." This means the creative is designed for the platform’s unique behaviors—such as the verticality of TikTok or the professional networking environment of LinkedIn—rather than being repurposed from a television ad or a billboard. Implications for the Future of B2B and Enterprise Marketing Canva’s success carries significant implications for other B2B and enterprise brands. The era of the "dry, corporate brand" is ending. The Rise of Experimental B2B The Gemma Collins LinkedIn campaign proved that even B2B platforms are ripe for disruption. By treating LinkedIn as a space for experimentation, Canva reached audiences that would typically tune out traditional corporate messaging. The "Test and Learn" Cycle Stewart predicts that the future of social media marketing will be defined by rapid, low-stakes testing. With a massive audience, brands can pilot ideas, gauge reactions, and iterate in real-time. "Don’t be afraid of trying things that are a bit different, or not yet tried and tested," Stewart advises. "If you continue to just create content that your audience is comfortable with, you’re not going to make an impact beyond them." Conclusion: The Path Forward Canva’s social strategy is a masterclass in balancing mass-market scale with granular cultural connection. By empowering their social team to take risks, focusing on entertainment-driven education, and measuring performance against specific, objective-based KPIs, they have set a new benchmark for global brand building. For marketing leaders, the message is clear: if you want your campaigns to resonate in a saturated digital landscape, you must be willing to stop jumping into existing trends and start creating your own. In the world of Canva, social media is not just a megaphone for brand announcements—it is the heartbeat of the company’s creative identity. As the brand continues to scale, the commitment to "being local" will remain its most significant competitive advantage. In a digital world that is increasingly globalized, the most effective way to reach millions is, ironically, to speak to them one at a time, in a language—and with a sense of humor—they recognize as their own. Post navigation From AI Curiosity to Strategic Mastery: A Framework for Transforming Your Workforce
