What do campaigns for Adidas, Toyota, Sephora and Visa have in common? A powerhouse marketing agency and UNB alum Ben Scott (BA’06, C-FPD’07).
As creative director for SALT XC, Ben brings passion, leadership and imagination to the boardroom. After several years building a career agency-side, he has become a self-described generalist, working across media and formats. Ben says his goal is to challenge the creative and get the job done well, but more specifically to empower his team to do great work, and enjoy themselves while they do it.
Helping oversee a team of creatives, copywriters and art designers, his day-to-day often takes on an organizational and business-focused role in addition to creative, but his favourite part of the job remains team collaboration. Ben joined SALT in 2023, and says it’s been exciting to watch how quickly the agency has pivoted and grown to become a large-scale, full-service agency.
“I often say that I don’t care what anyone’s job title may be because I believe everyone is creative. I hope that no matter where my career takes me, I'll still always get to be in the room and brainstorm with people. One of SALT’s company values is 'seek different perspectives,' and it’s how the best ideas come together – it starts with a nugget that snowballs into something great through collaboration.”
With a team of over 300, SALT is a globally recognized North American marketing agency based in Toronto that creates connected experiences through creative, digital and media innovation, and is known for working with prominent brands such as Microsoft, Xbox, RBC, Labatt and more.
In 2025 alone, they received recognition as Brand Experience Agency of the Year, #2 Fastest Growing Large Agency, Global by AD WEEK and Top 3 Best Workplaces by Great Place to Work Canada.
But Ben didn’t always know he’d land in the marketing and communications world, though he had a habit of flipping through Vogue in math class and imagining a life as an art director or journalist. It wasn’t until his time in UNB’s faculty of arts, majoring in multimedia studies and a certificate in film studies, that he experienced the defining moment that would shape his career.
For a project in an advertising class taught by Tim Hanford, Ben pitched a fictional ad campaign for Manolo Blahnik. Complete with ‘Don Draper-style’ pitch boards and visuals, Ben described the image, the action and the sounds of the city, and heels clicking on the sidewalk - bringing his vision to life.
“That was the moment I fell in love with storytelling,” Ben recalls. “It helped that I got an A+ on the project too.”
Today, Ben brings that same storytelling passion to his role at SALT.
“I’ve been lucky enough to move around and work with a variety of clients and brands, and collaborate with talented people and amazing teams, making fun work and bringing some big ideas to life through advertising, experiential, PR, and sponsorship.”
That sense of creative exploration has led Ben to some standout moments in his career. One highlight is creating the 2023 Women’s World Cup campaign with Adidas and Canadian soccer star Ashley Lawrence. Ben and the team at SALT told a human-centric story rooted in Lawrence’s real-life experiences of growing up playing soccer with boys because there weren’t enough girls’ teams. The campaign struck a deeply emotional chord for their audiences.
“It was really rewarding to see Ashley’s reaction to the script, but also the overall response. I had several friends who played soccer (actually from my UNB days) reach out and say ‘this made me cry’ and ‘that’s exactly how I felt too!’ I love telling stories that connect with people.”
Another project close to his heart was the McCain Happy Frydays Café. As a proud East Coaster, Ben says collaborating with a strong Canadian brand that originated in the Maritimes, and has UNB alumni-roots, was a “full-circle” moment.
Ben says there's a perceived dichotomy forming between the rise of AI and the craving for real-life, in-person experiences. “It’s no longer about 'digital vs. physical', it’s about the two working together to optimize connections.” At SALT, he and his team are embracing AI as a tool to elevate both internal processes as well as client and consumer experiences.
Working with high-profile brands comes with its own pressures, especially the constant push for fast-paced, instant content.
“We live in such a digital world and content is king, there’s a pressure to move a lot faster and put more out. My ask is always to buy a little time in the upfront and give creative people time to be creative.”
Ben says his experience at UNB was formative and continues to shape the leader he is today. During his time as a student, he was deeply involved in campus life, serving on house committees, the Student Union, and as a proctor.
Those experiences, he says, taught him about connecting with people, listening, valuing different perspectives and the power of creativity when you put your heads together.
“I work with an incredibly talented team that keep me on my toes – I’ll never be the smartest person in the room, so it pushes me to ask the questions and continually be learning.”
