NOW Communications http://nowgroup.com/blog company blog Thu, 17 May 2012 17:01:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Meet Shamus http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/05/meet-shamus/ http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/05/meet-shamus/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 23:21:45 +0000 admin http://nowgroup.com/blog/?p=1069 We’re welcoming a new member to the NOW team: Shamus Reid. He’ll be tackling a big pile of research and a few special projects — finding new ways to improve and extend the support we can offer clients. Shamus comes to us with a wealth of experience from the student movement, the communications field and in electoral campaigning. In fact, he recently served as the NDP’s BC Press Secretary during the 2011 Federal election campaign.

Sadly, Shamus will be with us for a good time, but not a long one… as he’ll be returning to academia in the Fall. Although, we just might try and convince him that we’re more fun than papers.

]]> http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/05/meet-shamus/feed/ 0 Public employees falling behind http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/05/public-employees-falling-behind/ http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/05/public-employees-falling-behind/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 19:22:34 +0000 admin http://nowgroup.com/blog/?p=1044

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BC Government and Service Employees' Union, :30 TV, "Falling behind"

When the BCGEU called wanting to work with us to produce their first-ever TV ad, we were excited. BCGEU members work in diverse jobs across BC providing essential services to BC families. While BCGEU members have made sacrifies and fallen behind, the families they work with have also been affected. This ad concept uses a simple visual to tell that story.

]]> http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/05/public-employees-falling-behind/feed/ 0 2012 National Day of Mourning http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/04/2012-nation-day-of-mourning/ http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/04/2012-nation-day-of-mourning/#comments Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:00:11 +0000 admin http://nowgroup.com/blog/?p=1031 In support of working people across Canada on this National Day of Mourning for Workers Killed or Injured on the Job.

Please copy or share and help promote safety for all workers.

]]> http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/04/2012-nation-day-of-mourning/feed/ 0 A Signature nomination for Manitoba’s classrooms http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/04/a-signature-nomination-for-manitobas-classrooms/ http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/04/a-signature-nomination-for-manitobas-classrooms/#comments Tue, 03 Apr 2012 22:49:11 +0000 admin http://nowgroup.com/blog/?p=1001 “Have you been?” is nominated for a Signature Award today, honouring the best Manitoba creative. In this TV spot, a lovable Dad brings the public into Manitoba’s classrooms. A lot’s changed… and a lot has stayed the same. Click the thumbnail to play.


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:30 TV "Have you been?" (Manitoba Teachers' Society)

Teachers: they affect our future generations every day. And in Manitoba, MTS is celebrating the ways teachers have helped make classrooms more interactive and student friendly.

]]> http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/04/a-signature-nomination-for-manitobas-classrooms/feed/ 0 Six wins at the 2012 Pollie Awards http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/04/six-wins-at-the-2012-pollie-awards/ http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/04/six-wins-at-the-2012-pollie-awards/#comments Tue, 03 Apr 2012 17:55:13 +0000 admin http://nowgroup.com/blog/?p=952 It feels great to pause from the sometimes-frantic pace of work to look at the big picture.

Bringing home six Pollie Awards, including the Gold winner in International TV election spots, is one of those times.
Here’s the haul:

International Candidate TV (Gold) “Christy Crunch” BC NDP
International Candidate TV (Honorable Mention) “Pride” Manitoba NDP
International Direct Mail - Silver “Popular” Canadian Labour Congress
International Public Affairs TV (Bronze) “Phone rings” Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union
International Radio (Bronze) “If they weren’t” Hospital Employees’ Union
International Newspaper (Bronze) “Expert Care” Ambulance Paramedics of BC/CUPE
Congratulations to our wonderful clients! Click the image below to play “Christy Crunch”


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Christy Crunch (BC NDP)

]]> http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/04/six-wins-at-the-2012-pollie-awards/feed/ 0 What are BC teachers bargaining for? http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/02/bc-teachers/ http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/02/bc-teachers/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:34:31 +0000 admin http://nowgroup.com/blog/?p=941


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Interests

Teachers have been fighting to make sure that kids who need extra help in the classroom get it and to make class sizes smaller so every child gets more individual attention.

Those protections used to be in their contract with school boards, but the BC government tore up that agreement. Since then there are 12,000 overcrowded classes and too many kids with special needs waiting for extra help.

At the same time, BC teachers salaries have fallen to 9th in the country.

It’s time for the BC government to invest in kids, schools and teachers again.

]]> http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/02/bc-teachers/feed/ 0 NOW’s work finalist in international awards http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/01/nows-work-finalist-in-international-awards-3/ http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/01/nows-work-finalist-in-international-awards-3/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:53:19 +0000 admin http://nowgroup.com/blog/?p=824 NOW’s election work has been singled out for recognition again, this time in the 2012 international Reed Awards, sponsored by Campaigns & Elections magazine. The Reed Awards are selected by a panel of expert judges.


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Pride


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Christy Crunch (BC NDP)

This 2011 BC NDP ad was launched to define the newly elected Liberal Leader and Premier: Christy Clark. While maintaining a light approach, it still took a hard shot at her personal political history and linked her to the policies of the exiting leader.

The Greg Selinger/Manitoba NDP 2011 campaign has been chosen as a finalist with 5 other campaigns around the world for Best International Campaign. The TV spot “Christy Crunch”, created for the BC NDP, is also a finalist for best TV spot outside of the USA.

]]> http://nowgroup.com/blog/2012/01/nows-work-finalist-in-international-awards-3/feed/ 1 Spooky social marketing: how fear works in persuasion http://nowgroup.com/blog/2011/10/spooky-social-marketing-how-fear-works-in-persuasion/ http://nowgroup.com/blog/2011/10/spooky-social-marketing-how-fear-works-in-persuasion/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:44:07 +0000 admin http://nowgroup.com/blog/?p=818

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Brother (Manitoba Public Insurance)

Brother (developed for Manitoba Public Insurance) is an emotional piece that shows how wearing your seatbelt is not only about your own safety…it is about the well being of all your friends and family.

Severed arms. Blood smeared windows. And organs on tables. We’re not talking Halloween here…we’re talking about social marketing campaigns. Specifically, those sometimes gory, gross and over the top ads that try to change our behaviors – whether it’s about workplace safety, speeding, smoking.

Do they work? Sometimes. But not on everybody…and especially not on the elusive, often targeted, market of young men.

Research shows that they just don’t buy into the gore. Maybe it’s video games; maybe it’s “the superman-complex” that leads them to believe they’re always in control and will never die. Who knows? What we do know is that, while they don’t think about their safety, they sure value the safety of people they love. As a result, the best way to motivate change in their behavior is to tap into that concern.

That’s part of why this ad – for Manitoba Public Insurance – helped motivate those young guys to click in (with their seatbelts that is).

]]> http://nowgroup.com/blog/2011/10/spooky-social-marketing-how-fear-works-in-persuasion/feed/ 2 New campaign asks for an easy pledge: make ten percent of your spending local http://nowgroup.com/blog/2011/10/new-campaign-asks-for-an-easy-pledge-make-ten-percent-of-your-spending-local/ http://nowgroup.com/blog/2011/10/new-campaign-asks-for-an-easy-pledge-make-ten-percent-of-your-spending-local/#comments Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:31:27 +0000 admin http://nowgroup.com/blog/2011/10/new-campaign-asks-for-an-easy-pledge-make-ten-percent-of-your-spending-local/ Shifting ten percent of your spending is a small ask with a big payoff: thriving local economies and stronger communities.

CUPE BC has been talking about the shift for a while. But this new website is helping give the campaign a big relaunch! It’s packed with great reasons to make the shift and suggestions of easy ways to start. The design is clean and friendly. Plus we’re pretty excited about the feature that lets you add your favourite local businesses for others to find, enjoy and support.

]]> http://nowgroup.com/blog/2011/10/new-campaign-asks-for-an-easy-pledge-make-ten-percent-of-your-spending-local/feed/ 0 Hard-hitting story brings budget cuts to life http://nowgroup.com/blog/2011/10/hard-hitting-story-brings-budget-cuts-to-life/ http://nowgroup.com/blog/2011/10/hard-hitting-story-brings-budget-cuts-to-life/#comments Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:10:02 +0000 admin http://nowgroup.com/blog/2011/10/hard-hitting-story-brings-budget-cuts-to-life/

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“Phone rings”

This TV and online spot highlights the work of SGEU's social services members, and the impact of government cuts to Saskatchewan's most vulnerable.

Putting our experience and creative ideas to work for our most vulnerable citizens – it doesn’t get more rewarding than that.

This TV spot “Phone rings” for the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union takes on budget cuts to social services. The hard-hitting script tells a day-in-the-life-of story about social services for children, brought to life with a mix of still photography and video footage. A moving performance and dramatic editing give this spot its emotional impact.

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