Advertising is one lever.
Marketing is the whole machine.
Grounded in research. Proven in market.
20+ years turning marketing research into media and digital operations that grow the business.
- TELUS
- WestJet
- Sport Chek
- Deloitte
- bwin
- Universal McCann
- Athens 2004 Olympic Games
- TELUS
- WestJet
- Sport Chek
- Deloitte
- bwin
- Universal McCann
- Athens 2004 Olympic Games
Strategy built on evidence, not opinion.
Vassilis has spent two decades on the operating side of marketing. His path runs from the Athens 2004 Olympic Games through agency, consulting and in-house leadership at Universal McCann, Deloitte, bwin, Sport Chek, WestJet and TELUS.
His point of view is unfashionable and well evidenced: most organizations over-invest in what is easy to measure and under-invest in what actually builds the business. Product, price, distribution, experience and story all belong on the marketing agenda.
Off the clock, he co-hosts The Sleeping Barber, a candid podcast on marketing, leadership and the stories behind the work.
[ Recognition ]
Awarded for the work. Trusted to judge it.
Effie, Global Search, Infopresse and Marketing Magazine recognition across telecom, retail and gaming, plus two decades of team wins.
Gold Effie
TELUS High Stakes, 2025
Best Q2 ever on nearly half the prior media budget. Sales up 8%, CPA down 47%.
4× Gold
Global Search Awards, 2025 and 2026
Back-to-back wins for Best Global In-House Team and Best Canadian PPC Campaign.
Marketer of the Year
Sport Chek, Marketing Magazine, 2014
Recognized for building a digital-first sports retail experience.
Grand Prix
Prix Média Infopresse, 2014
Digital category, for the Adidas Olympic High Performance campaign.
- 2× Awards judgeCanadian Marketing Association Awards
- 1× Jury memberStrategy Agency of the Year
TELUS
- 2026Gold, Best Global In-House TeamGlobal Search AwardsONEsearch
- 2026Gold, Best Canadian PPC CampaignGlobal Search AwardsSearch PPC
- 2025Gold EffieInstitute of Canadian AgenciesHigh Stakes
- 2025Gold, Best Global In-House TeamGlobal Search AwardsONEsearch
- 2025Gold, Best Canadian PPC CampaignGlobal Search AwardsHigh Stakes PureFibre SEM
Sport Chek
- 2016Silver, Best in Digital InnovationMedia Innovation AwardsChase the Gear
- 2015Gold, Best Digital CampaignInfopresseWhat It Takes
- 2014Gold, Best in Retail and E-commerceMarketing Magazine MIAsDigital Flyer
- 2014Grand Prix, Digital MediaPrix Média InfopresseAdidas Olympic High Performance
- 2014Marketer of the YearMarketing MagazineSport Chek
bwin.party
- 2010Global Best Practicebwin.party Operational BoardAC Milan activation
- 2009Global Best Practicebwin.party Operational BoardEurobasket activation
Universal McCann
- 2008Young Lions Winner, Marketing and Media PlanningYoung Lions HellasRepresented Greece at Cannes
[ Voice and perspectives ]
Testing ideas out loud. In the studio, on panels and in the classroom.
Co-hosting The Sleeping Barber, guest lecturing for institutions and taking part in industry panels on marketing effectiveness, empirical research and commercial strategy.
The podcast
The Sleeping Barber
An unscripted show where researchers, economists and operators sit down to pull apart marketing myths. Co-hosted by Vassilis, it is where the evidence gets stress tested against what actually happens in market.
Listen to The Sleeping BarberPanels · Guest lectures · Executive discussions
Topics Vassilis is asked to unpack
Escaping the short-term ad trap
Why brands chasing this quarter's clicks end up paying more for less growth, and how to rebalance brand and demand without losing the room.
Marketing through volatility
What holds when budgets get cut, priorities flip and the CEO wants an answer by Friday. A field view from the operator's chair.
Evidence-based growth
Making empirical research survive contact with boardroom reality, so the marketing plan is argued on evidence rather than opinion.
For organizers and hosts
Invited to panels, firesides and guest lectures on marketing effectiveness and commercial strategy. If you’re hosting Vassilis, his short bio and portrait are below.
Vassilis Douros is a marketing effectiveness and media strategist with more than 20 years in the operator's chair, spanning the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Universal McCann, Deloitte, bwin, Sport Chek, WestJet and TELUS. He is a two-time Canadian Marketing Association Awards judge, has served on the Strategy Agency of the Year jury, and co-hosts The Sleeping Barber podcast. He speaks on escaping the short-term ad trap, marketing through volatility and evidence-based growth.
Looking to deploy 20 years of digital and media strategy on your team or media budget?