Christina Day

Applications are now closed for the 2024 scholarship.

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We’re proud to announce that applications are now open for The Ian Reid Scholarship! This new award was established in collaboration with the Douglas Coldwell Layton Foundation for Social Democracy and Paul Degenstein—our beloved former Senior Partner and Chief Creative Officer—in memory of Paul’s late husband, Ian Reid, and in celebration of his lifelong commitment to making life better for Canadians.

Established earlier this year, The Ian Reid Scholarship will be awarded annually to students committed to working in politics to promote the values and goals of social democracy. It is intended specifically for those pursuing careers in political research, strategy, and communications.

The scholarship also recognizes the role of 2SLGBTQ+ people in the social democratic movement. And it seeks to encourage greater racial, cultural, economic and gender inclusion around the decision-making table—to create public policy that better meets the needs and aspirations of everyone.

With annual prizes of $1,500 and $1,000, the new scholarship is open to students from any Canadian public post-secondary institution enrolled in an undergraduate degree. Find full eligibility details here. Applications are due by June 23, 2024.

The Douglas Coldwell Layton Foundation for Social Democracy is proud to have been chosen by Ian’s dearest friends and family to be the home for this scholarship in his memory.

About Ian Reid 

Ian Reid spent his political career supporting and advising social democratic leaders and the New Democratic Party. Ian believed in the necessity of political work and the potential of social democracy as a force for good. He believed that listening and learning from people was the starting point in making positive change. He was a passionate advocate for using research as an instrument to do that and to develop messages that speak to people’s hearts and minds. His goal was to elect progressive governments and put in place policies that make a difference in people’s lives.

For many years, Ian was the Head of Opinion Research for the NDP government in British Columbia. In that role and others, he was one of Canada’s most brilliant research experts. He was able to cut through the noise, identify trends, and draw insights from what he heard. He made research useable for campaigners, communicators, and policy-makers—so that we could better connect with our audiences, speak to their aspirations, shape policy and meet their needs.

As a political researcher, Ian was also a pioneer. He humanized the demographic groupings in polling. Long before it became a standard practice, he had campaigns put names and faces to people within those groupings, and discuss the daily challenges those diverse individuals face, to strengthen our understanding of where they’re coming from and what they’re looking for.

Ian continued his work through 12 years of a terminal illness, serving at the end of his career as Chief of Staff to Carole James. He died in 2014 at age 58. His three children—Jordan, Shamus, and Alexis—carry forward his work in politics, advocacy, and government.

“Health care needs health care workers. Let’s support them—so we don’t lose them.”

That’s the message at the heart of MGEU’s new campaign to support thousands of dedicated health care workers across Manitoba. And our team is proud to help deliver that message to all Manitobans, with ads airing now across the province—including MGEU’s first-ever 60 second radio spot.

Health care doesn’t just happen on its own. It takes a whole team of dedicated workers. When our loved ones need health care, we rely on people to deliver it— people with names, stories, and a shared commitment to delivering the best health care for everyone.

But today, Manitoba’s health care workers are doing the best they can with too little support and limited resources. Staff are overworked and underpaid. And the ongoing staffing crisis is making it harder to hire and keep experienced workers, in major centres and especially in Manitoba’s rural communities.

In some health care regions, vacant health care aide positions have more than tripled. And spending on private staffing agencies has doubled in some regions, draining resources away from our public hospitals and health care facilities when workers in the public system need more support, not less.

Fixing the staffing crisis and rebuilding public health care starts by supporting health care workers—so they can be part of making health care better, for all of us.

MGEU represents nearly 9,000 members working in over 175 different health care facilities—from allied health to home care and facility support. The new campaign features radio, outdoor billboards, and online ads across the province, reminding Manitobans of the people at the heart of health care.

The campaign’s 60-second radio spot is complemented by 30-second radio ads, all of which focus on the incredible workers—on the frontlines and behind the scenes—who keep health care running and deliver exceptional care to people, every day.

As the ads say, “This is health care. And it doesn’t happen without Jack, Brenda, Meghan, Shrivan. And thousands of dedicated workers across Manitoba.”

“Health care needs health care workers. Let’s support them—so we don’t lose them.”

MGEU is calling for an end to the staffing crisis and a focus on rebuilding public health care by:

• Increasing wages for public health care workers;
• Improving working conditions;
• Lowering the unsustainably-high staff vacancy rates; and
• Decreasing the use of private health care agencies.

You can check out the campaign at MGEU.ca/healthcare-workers.

Want to talk about innovative tactics, like 60-second radio spots? Give us a call! We’re here to help unions and non-profit organizations with smart, effective, and persuasive campaigns that support working people—and make life better for everyday Canadians.

Love public speaking? Probably not.

If you’re like most people, the thought of taking the podium at a high-stakes moment likely puts your heart in your throat and a wobble in your knees.

But here’s a little secret that can help. 

No one’s a natural at giving a speech or delivering a press conference. It takes hard work and many hours of practice to find your own style of public speaking—and the confidence to do it well.

The effort is always worth it.

For years you’ve heard us talk about the power of your message to change hearts and minds, frame the conversation, and shift public opinion to help make life better for people. Finding the right words to reach the right audience and get heads nodding is crucial to bringing more people on board and winning the change you want to see.

But delivering your message takes more than the right words.

What you say matters. And how you say it matters just as much.

The instrument you use to deliver your message is your body and your voice. Your tone, your speed, your hand movements, stance, posture, and breathing rate—it all affects how you feel about public speaking and how you make your audience feel when they hear you.

The more you’re able to get out of your anxiety and get into the moment, the more likely you’ll be able to bring people with you. And your audience is more likely to be moved to action and persuaded by your message when your delivery is natural, fluid, confident, and relaxed.

At The NOW Group, we help leaders and communications teams find the unique style of public speaking that suits them best. And we do it in coaching sessions that look different depending on your needs—from regular one-on-one practice to small-group coaching to full-day sessions with over 100 people in the room. The more people in your organization who can deliver your message with confidence, the better equipped your entire team will be to win action on the issues that matter most.

Here’s four simple tips that can help get you started:

• Breathe. If you’re not a practiced meditator, here’s a 3-minute meditation to try. Particularly if you’ve had a tough day, taking three minutes to reset might just be what you need. And if you don’t even have three minutes, we bet you have time to take three deep breaths. Even that will make a difference, we promise!

• Move. Whether that’s a quick walk around the block, or a quick bit of desk yoga, we can’t emphasize enough how much of a difference it makes to sneak some movement in. On busy days, too many leaders rush from meeting to meeting – or get stuck in back-to-back Zoom calls—which is a recipe for fatigue and poor emotional regulation. Particularly when you’re prepping for a speech or an interview, take 2 minutes to move your body, consciously relax the tension in your muscles, and shake off the nerves. You’ve got this!

• Laugh. We worked with one leader who tended to speak quietly and struggled to connect physically with their material. Their delivery felt stiff and wooden, which makes it hard to connect emotionally with an audience. Over a series of months of working together, we realized that laughter was often the best way to get them out of their head and back into their body. So, we did something unexpected: we upped the goofiness quotient, often joining them in song or even dance as part of their speech prep. It helped them relax and turn their worry into a smile. Now, that may not be your solution, but learning how to relax on demand is a skill every leader needs.

• Practice. Do the best athletes ever stop training? Yeah, we didn’t think so. Too many people make the assumption that once the speech is written or the press conference remarks have been printed, you’re somehow ready to go. That’s never a good strategy. Whether you’re new to speeches and press conferences or have been doing them for twenty years, you still need to build time into the schedule to sit with your words, review them ten or twenty times (seriously), and get comfortable with what you’re saying—and how you’ll say it.

There is lots of research to back up the value that a little more integration with our physical selves can help us perform better in all aspects of our work. And if you give a couple of these tactics a try, we’re willing to bet that you’ll gather a bit of anecdotal evidence of your own.

Who knows? You might just learn to love public speaking.

Want to talk about what our personalized coaching sessions can look like for your team? Give us a call. We’re always here to help!

This week, the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) is launching a new campaign with a powerful ad showing the realities facing students and teachers in BC’s public schools. And as Canada’s leading advertising agency for public education advocacy, we’re proud to help.

The BCTF has built a reputation for thoughtful and effective public campaigns on the issues that matter most to parents, students, and teachers. The new series of ads launching this week builds on that reputation, calling for real action to address the biggest challenges in today’s schools.

Helping kids find their way is what teachers do. They’re highly trained—and devoted—to spotting the unique needs of students and doing what they can to help every child learn.

But BC’s schools are facing big challenges. Students have complex needs. Many require additional supports, from special educational needs to mental health needs. And a shortage of teachers and inadequate levels of classroom resources are making it harder to reach every child and deliver the supports they truly need.

Last year, BCTF launched a campaign to raise public awareness of the teacher shortage in BC schools. Since then, public opinion research has shown a significant increase in the number of people in BC who are aware of how the shortage is impacting students.

This year, BCTF’s new campaign builds on that message to call for the solutions that will improve public education across the province. It starts with hiring more teachers—so they can help more kids.

Airing province-wide throughout May across TV, digital, and social platforms, the new campaign shows the realities of teaching today. Educators are under immense pressure to juggle the needs of every student, trying to do what’s best for each child but without the levels of support and staffing that would be required to do so.

It’s a situation that leaves teachers feeling exhausted and burnt-out as they struggle to do what they can to meet every student’s needs. And it’s time to change that—with real action to invest in public education.

It’s what kids need.

We’re excited to announce that our work with the Canadian Cancer Society—Canada’s largest cancer charity—has been honoured with five international awards in 2024 for marketing and advocacy effectiveness, including the:

• Gold award for Best Digital Social Media Campaign (International) at the AAPC Pollie Awards
• Silver award for Health/Medical Industry Marketing at this year’s Summit Marketing Effectiveness Awards
• Best Advocacy Advertising Campaign (Grassroots Advocacy) at the Reed Awards
• Best International Campaign (National) at the Reed Awards; and
• Best International Online Video (National) at the Reed Awards.

The AAPC Pollie Awards are regarded as the “Oscars of political advertising.” The Reed Awards honour the best campaign and public issue advertising from across the US and beyond.

And with over 1,800 submissions from 17 countries, the Summit Marketing Effectiveness Award’s measure what works—honouring strategic excellence, cutting-edge creative, and great results in campaigns from around the world.

And we couldn’t be prouder of the campaign we built with the Canadian Cancer Society to advocate for better palliative care services, in every corner of Canada.

Palliative care has the power to dramatically improve the quality of life for people experiencing life-limiting illnesses. And every individual and family who needs palliative care services should have the right to access it.

But today, too many people face significant barriers to receiving palliative care at the earliest opportunity in their care journey. There simply aren’t enough palliative care services, including hospices, in enough communities across Canada.

The Canadian Cancer Society is working to change that, in partnership with palliative care advocates across the country. And together, we developed a national, bilingual campaign to raise awareness and call for action.

The result is a compelling campaign called About Life, which features real people and real stories about the power of palliative care to make life better. Our team met with and interviewed families across Canada who have experienced the benefits of palliative care. And we filmed beautiful footage in people’s homes and communities—the places that give the greatest meaning to their lives.

The campaign features a 30 second signature ad and 90 second long-form videos, which share the deeply personal and moving stories of how palliative care improves people’s quality of life. And together, they help to dispel the greatest misconception about palliative care:

It’s not about dying. It’s about life.

We’re so grateful to everyone who generously shared their time—and their stories—with our team. We couldn’t have done this work alone.

To see more of the campaign and add your voice for better palliative care for all, visit cancer.ca/PalliativeCare.

14 million impressions. 3,300 digital screens. And the biggest one-day campaign we’ve ever run.

Our media team’s first-of-its-kind interactive outdoor ad campaign for the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario has just been awarded Best International Use of Outdoor Advertising and Best Canadian Use of Outdoor Advertising at the 2024 Reed Awards—plus Gold for Best Outdoor Advertising Campaign (International) at the 2024 Pollie Awards! And we couldn’t be prouder to help celebrate teachers and educators in a brand new way.

It all started last fall as ETFO, Canada’s largest teachers’ union, faced a challenging round of bargaining. After years of cuts to classroom supports, the government was working to drive a division between the union, teachers, and parents. And ETFO needed to tell the real story: Parents and teachers are on the same side, working together to build better schools and focused on doing what’s right for our kids.

How best to deliver that message? Make it personal.

To remind millions of people of the incredible impact that teachers have in our lives, we invited the public to Thank a Teacher for the difference that educators are making—and get the chance to see their message on public billboards and digital ad screens across the province.

It was a brand new way to give people the unique opportunity to get involved and pay tribute to the contributions that teachers have made in all of our lives. We advertised the campaign across social platforms, programmatic digital, and through ETFO’s robust email program. And the response was overwhelming.

On October 5^th—World Teachers’ Day—the campaign went live on thousands of digital billboards and screens. From highway signs on the 401 to screens in theatres, gyms, elevators, and even gas stations, the one-day campaign delivered 14.3 million digital impressions. Watch this highlight reel on our Instagram page.

Plus, here’s the best part. We kept the campaign local, ensuring that messages of thanks appeared to parents and educators at schools in their own communities. And our campaign showed overwhelming support for educators in every region, with local messages of thanks appearing in every one of the province’s school boards—from real people to real teachers.

Bold, personal, and public. This campaign showcased the deep sense of connection and appreciation that parents feel towards educators. And the show of public support—in every corner of the province—helped encourage the government to focus on bargaining.

We’re delighted that this innovative campaign has now been recognized with two awards at the 2024 Reed Awards, honouring the best in campaigns and public issue advertising from across the US and internationally, and a gold award at the Pollie Awards, sponsored by the American Association of Political Consultants and regarded as “the Oscars of political advertising.”

Want to explore how a smart out-of-home strategy can work for your next ad campaign? Give us a call, or send us an email. We’re ready to help.

Authentic. Relatable. And human.

That’s what it takes for public advocacy ad campaigns to create a real connection with your audience—and put real issues in people’s lives at the heart of public debate. And with a clear focus on fixing health care and making life more affordable, that’s exactly how the Manitoba NDP won the 2023 election—and made history with Wab Kinew becoming the first First Nations premier of a Canadian province.

Now, the campaign’s signature ads are being recognized as the Best International Campaign (Sub-National) at the 2024 Reed Awards, the leading advertising competition for campaign and public issue advertising in the US and beyond.

Four signature ads across TV, digital, and social platforms helped the Manitoba NDP deliver a crisp and clear campaign frame that resonated with everyday Manitobans—and showed that fixing health care was the number one priority for people.

Real Reactions featured the faces and voices of real Manitobans, capturing their reaction to the incumbent government’s long list of cuts to health care. And it served as a stark reminder of the impact of those cuts on real families.

And At Any Moment focused on the risk of more cuts and ER closures—in a deeply human and personal way. It asked the audience to think, really think, about the risk of more cuts to health care.

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What We Want for Our Kids opened the campaign with a heartfelt and deeply personal message from Kinew:

What he wants for his own kids, he wants for all Manitobans.

And A Plan for People allowed Kinew to show how his focus on the priorities of Manitoba families inspires his practical plan to make life better for everyday people.

Authentic. Relatable. And human. It’s what makes a message both compelling and effective. And we’re delighted to see these signature ads for the historic Manitoba campaign honoured at the 2024 Reed Awards.

As the weather warms up and days get longer, it’s the perfect time to spring ahead and start planning for summer! And our team has lots of ideas to help your union or non-profit make the most of summer 2024.

One of the “secrets” behind the strength of any organization’s brand is simple. Success starts by making an emotional connection with your audience and winning people’s hearts. It’s as true for unions, non-profits, charities, and public sector organizations as for anything – and anyone – else.

Showing up and showing you care is the first and most important step to building a community of supporters who will hear your message – and help take it further.

How will you win people’s hearts this summer?

You’ve got more platforms and more tactics available for your next campaign than ever before. But this summer, don’t overlook the potential to connect with your audience in one of the friendliest and most neighbourly of ways: By showing up at community events, cultural festivals, art crawls, and all the great summer events that fill the streets of our big cities and small towns all summer long!

Here are just a few ways you can show you care alongside your members—and future supporters—this summer.

Sponsor a Festival

What’s better than going to a party? Try hosting the party! Consider sponsoring one of your community’s favourite summer events. It’s a great way to get noticed and sends a powerful message to every attendee: We share something important in common. Afterall, we both showed up here!

Get Noticed at Street-Level

After months of winter hibernation, spring and summer bring people back onto streets and sidewalks across the country. People are walking more, running more, cycling more—and that creates a great opportunity to get noticed at street-level with fresh billboards, transit shelters, and out-of-home advertising.

And don’t pass up the opportunity for posters, such as wildpostings on busy sidewalks! With striking design and eye-catching messages, you can turn heads and get that all-important second look. It’s also a great way to use gritty, organic, and community-inspired design to build a connection with your audience.

Hop on Transit

Transit ridership continues to rebound across the country, following the pandemic. And there’s good reason to show up on transit this summer. It’s one of the most recognizable public services in people’s lives. And, even if they don’t use transit to get to work, many people will hop on transit to get to summer festivals. Think of the routes people will take and meet people there with eye-catching ads on buses or streetcars—or on your city’s light-rail transit or subway lines.

Pedal Your Message

City bikes offer a fun opportunity for catchy creative. Plus you’re showing your support for cycling infrastructure—and that’s good for everyone’s health and for the environment, too. Plus, we’ve noticed a lot of bonusing on city bike advertising spaces, meaning your creative could stay up longer than you pay for.

Show Up on Screens

Digital ads on mobile devices are a great way to reach people attending a festival or community event. And if people are visiting town for the event, you have an even bigger audience you can reach with a weekend’s worth of digital ads. Plus, digital ads can be an affordable way to dip your toes into festival advertising, without breaking the bank.

Lean In

Want to strike a chord at Folk Fest? Reaching a summer audience is a great opportunity to lean into the event’s theme—with a creative approach that gives people a grin or even a giggle.

Nothing makes your message more memorable than embracing the vibe of the event, wholeheartedly. And our creative team is here to help! We can help you craft a creative approach that shows you love the festival as much as anyone who’s attending. You’re not just there as an advertiser; you’re there as a fan.

The Writing’s on the… Ground?

Think chalk art is just for kids? Think again! Hiring a mural artist to design stunning sidewalk art can be a great way to get noticed by hundreds of festival-goers. And it helps convey an important message about your union or non-profit’s personality: You’re fun, down-to-earth, and not afraid to get your hands dirty.

Feed People!

We all know it. The best way to a person’s heart is… food! From ice cream trucks to lemonade stands, there’s no shortage of great ways to give people something good to eat – and make a memorable connection. Just be prepared to be popular! (Hint: don’t run out.)

Light It Up

Got an evening art crawl or late-night jazz performances in your community? Light up the night with light projections after dark. For several hours each evening, you can be turning heads and getting noticed in an entirely unexpected way.

Excited about summer? Want to explore ideas for how you can show up in your own community? Give us a call, or send us an email. We’d love to help!