Christina Day

What kind of Winnipeg do you want?

That’s the compelling question at the heart of a new ad campaign from CUPE Local 500, the union representing more than 4,900 workers at the City of Winnipeg.

The answer for most people? A city that works better. For everyone.

Cuts have hurt the public services that people count on and hurt the workers who deliver them.

All the while, many city workers – including operators at 311 – are earning barely more than the minimum wage. That makes it difficult to retain staff and deliver the quality services that residents expect and deserve. This summer, families saw pools closed and libraries shut on weekends, the most popular times for parents and kids to actually use them.

Now, there’s an opportunity to start fixing the problems. And CUPE’s new campaign shows how to do the job right.

---

---

With beautifully filmed portrait shots of frontline city workers and everyday residents, the new campaign invites Winnipeggers to imagine the kind of city we all want live in.

From good jobs with fair wages to fewer potholes on the roads and better hours at libraries and pools, it’s not hard to see what it will take to improve public services for Winnipeggers – and make life better for families.

---

The new campaign is appearing throughout the fall on broadcast TV and Connected TV, radio, digital billboards, mobile, podcasts, and social media. You can also see it in Cineplex theatres and on residential elevator screens.

Check it out at YourWinnipeg.ca.

---

With kids back in school, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation is launching a new province-wide ad campaign to raise awareness of how cuts to public education are impacting students. And teachers are helping to share the message and amplify the campaign.

---

---

From rural communities to urban centres, kids bring unique strengths—and unique challenges—to school. And meeting their needs is more complicated than ever.

Parents and teachers are working to help kids achieve success. But cuts to public education are impacting every student, making it harder to deliver the supports they need to thrive.

At the heart of the STF’s campaign is a new ad, Different but the Same, which tells the story of students coming to school from every corner of the province—and the supports they need when they get there.

Beautiful visuals show kids heading to school—biking on gravel driveways, lugging musical instruments, bounding along sidewalks, and getting dropped off by their parents. And it delivers the message that, even though students come from different places, when they get to school, they all need the right supports in their classrooms.

To help spread the message of the campaign, the STF did something unique: they brought together leaders from across the organization to learn about how to tell stories and use a message to connect with the public and with members. Sharing the stories of the hard work that STF members are doing, under extraordinary circumstances, to meet students’ needs helps to reinforce the STF’s call for investments in classrooms.

And that call is more important than ever.

Today, cuts to public schools are hurting students across Saskatchewan. In March, the provincial government’s budget failed to provide enough funding to support existing resources in schools.

Now, despite increases in enrolment this fall, there are over 540 fewer teachers inside Saskatchewan’s classrooms. That means less one-on-one time for students, less help with speech language challenges, and fewer mental health supports to meet kids’ complex needs.

Teachers and parents know the solutions that our kids’ schools need. It’s time for the Government of Saskatchewan to stop the cuts to public education—and fund the supports that every student needs.

---

The STF’s new campaign is running province-wide on TV and digital platforms this fall.

Stuck in traffic? Tired of the drive? Want to curb your emissions and cut your commute?

It’s time to try transit.

CUPE transit workers in British Columbia have launched a new out-of-home and social media campaign to help bring more people on board. And our team is excited to bring the campaign to life.

Transit ridership fell dramatically during the pandemic in cities across Canada and the US. And ridership still hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. After two years, many people are simply out of the habit of taking public transit.

That’s a big problem. Low ridership could mean more cuts to transit service. And that hurts people’s access to good jobs, education, and housing – and hurts the climate by keeping more vehicles on the road.

Major transit agencies – from Chicago to Toronto and New York City – have launched advertising campaigns to bring riders back. And now, CUPE Locals 4500 and 7000 in BC are taking action to help get more riders back on public transit in Vancouver, the Lower Mainland, and Victoria.

Together with CUPE and their members who work for SkyTrain, Coast Mountain Bus Company, and BC Transit, we’ve developed a campaign that speaks directly to drivers stuck in traffic. Billboards on major streets pose questions to drivers, reminding them of the many benefits of transit. It’s a natural contrast – between being stuck in gridlock or being on a moving train.

Multiple versions of the creative help keep the message fresh, no matter where you look. And our team developed a simple, easy-to-read design – with neon yellow accents that lend an industrial feel to the creative. 

The design approach is purposefully clear and uncluttered to help convey the simplicity of choosing transit. Because practical, reliable, and simple is exactly the message we want to deliver.

Accompanied by an extensive campaign across social platforms, our layered tactics are reaching our audience multiple times throughout their commute and their day. Our social ads feature CUPE members prominently, showing the real faces of transit workers who help deliver a great service every day. It adds a human dimension and personalizes the campaign in a way that works particularly well for social platforms. And it reminds our audience that transit workers play a vital role in delivering the services that make our communities strong. 

Want to talk about how we can protect and improve public services in your community? Give us a call. We’re here to help.

When you think of health research and innovation, Ottawa should be top of mind. 

It’s the place where better care is being delivered and developed every day – thanks to a unique partnership amongst the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Health Sciences, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), The Ottawa Hospital, Hôpital Montfort, Bruyère Continuing Care, and The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre.

Through their close collaboration, these institutions are forming Ottawa’s Academic Health Network. And together, they’re making Ottawa the place to be for world-leading health research and cutting-edge clinical care. 

From unlocking the secrets of genetics to finding novel therapies for rare diseases, new discoveries are occurring every day inside Ottawa’s hospitals and health faculties. And those discoveries are improving care for patients and families around the world.

That’s a story worth sharing.

This spring, the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine – Canada’s first and largest bilingual medical faculty – asked our team to help raise awareness of Ottawa’s Academic Health Network.

Each institution is known for its unique expertise.
What isn’t widely known is the power of their partnership.

The challenge was clear. Each of Ottawa’s hospitals and health faculties has a unique identity, its own character, and strong brand awareness with its key audiences. Each institution is known for its unique expertise. But what isn’t widely known is the power of their partnership.

Our job was to elevate them together. To build awareness amongst medical researchers about Ottawa’s Academic Health Network, we needed to show the connection and collaboration amongst these institutions – and the unique opportunities this cooperation creates for conducting health research in Ottawa.

Working with our production partners, our team filmed new footage inside Ottawa’s hospitals and health faculties. And families, researchers, and staff generously shared their time and stories with our team. 

The result is a beautiful long-form video that welcomed attendees to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame laureate induction ceremony in Ottawa on June 17, 2022. 

The bilingual video showcases the stories and voices of researchers who have chosen to make Ottawa their home. From providing world-class pediatric care to ensuring that planetary health and social accountability are at the heart of medicine, researchers have come from around the world to do exceptional work right here.

Partnership. Connection. Collaboration. Together, they make Ottawa the place for everyone – from world-leading health researchers to the next generation of students – to take their next step forward.

The work we do isn’t about winning awards. 

It’s about winning real results for people, winning hearts and minds for good causes, and winning positive change in people’s lives.

But once in a while, it’s a nice perk to be recognized for making top-notch persuasive ads – that get noticed by our peers in the advertising industry.

We’re thrilled to announce that our work with Canada’s NDP has been recognized with four awards at the 2022 Pollie Awards, sponsored by the American Association of Political Consultants. 

For our team, it was a huge privilege to work as the lead ad agency with Jagmeet Singh and Canada’s NDP in the 2021 federal election. And we couldn’t be more proud to help Jagmeet bring his message to millions of Canadians during the campaign. 

Judged alongside the best work from Democratic campaigns across the US, it’s an honour to be recognized by the Pollies for delivering a fully-integrated ad campaign designed to reach more people than ever.

Best in Show – Democrat
Silver

We developed a unified campaign brand with a look-and-feel that reflected what people love most about Jagmeet. It’s fresh, energetic, and aspirational – just like him! And with an upbeat and relentlessly positive campaign from day one, the NDP offered Canadians a refreshing and optimistic choice. Because better is possible.

To connect with voters, we crafted ads in 10 languages. And the NDP was the only party to run tight 10 second ads on broadcast TV – a great way of reaching our audience again and again.

Best Digital or Internet Campaign – Democrat
Bronze Award

Our innovative media strategy delivered huge digital reach – achieving over 97 million digital impressions. From smartphones and Connected TV to podcast ads and elevator screens, we helped Canadians see more – and hear more – of the NDP’s positive message. 

Most Original/Innovative Collateral Material – Democrat
Gold Award

Jagmeet’s brand of politics is all about being with people. So we brought the ad campaign to where people are at! We reached people on the street with wild postings, met them on transit with a streetcar takeover in Toronto, and joined them on screens in restaurants and bars, salons and apartment elevators.

Our goal? Connect with people in a split-second. And put a smile on more faces.

Best Use of Negative or Contrast – Democrat
Bronze Award

After six years of disappointment from Prime Minister Trudeau, the NDP offered progressive voters a message of hope and optimism. This ad, His Votes, uses real footage of Trudeau voting against the very policies he claimed to champion. By leaning into verifiable facts backed up with footage from parliamentary votes, this ad gives voters new information that they deserved to know.

We’re proud of a campaign that showed what people love about Jagmeet. He’s real, honest, and down-to-earth. And we’re honoured to be recognized amongst the top political campaigns of 2021 from across North America.

Want to talk about your next campaign? 

We’re always here to help. Together, let’s do some good!

At The NOW Group, we’re dedicated to projects that make life better for people across Canada. And this spring, we’re honoured to partner with Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada on a new public awareness campaign to help end violence against Inuit women and girls – and meet survivors’ needs.

Everyone has a right to be safe and live in healthy communities. But across Canada, far too many women continue to experience violence and live in fear.

The rate of violence experienced by Inuit women is 14 times higher than the national average. And the broken system of courts and policing remains out-of-touch with Inuit values and culture, leaving many survivors without the help and support they need.

As the national non-profit organization representing Inuit women across Canada, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada works tirelessly to promote the rights of Inuit women and children. In 2018, we worked together to develop the award-winning Believe. Ask. Connect. campaign.

Now, we’ve partnered again on Pauktuutit’s latest campaign, with a beautiful and authentic ad filmed in and around Iqaluit – and airing across Northern Canada in English and Inuktitut.

Pauktuutit’s new campaign is informed by conversations with Inuit women across Inuit Nunangat, and a multi-year research project to study the criminal justice system’s response to gender-based violence in Inuit communities.

The research findings confirm more resources are urgently needed to meet survivors’ needs. Inuit communities hold the solutions to help end violence, but need immediate funding for shelters, transitional housing, and more community-led supports.

With stunning footage of the land and beautiful portrait shots, the new ad achieves the essential balance of speaking about violence while showing the incredible strength of Inuit women and communities. And the voiceover delivers the message that “we need more help and resources to guide us gently towards hope and healing.”

Meeting Survivors’ Needs was only possible because of the valuable contributions of the Inuit Women’s Advisory Committee, whose members have helped ensure the campaign reflects the lived experience of Inuit women of Inuit Nunangat.

To learn more about this campaign and add your voice, visit Pauktuutit.ca.

The last two years have been difficult for everyone in our school communities. And a new ad for The Manitoba Teachers’ Society is giving a much-needed boost to educators and parents alike.

With bold and colourful animation, the eye-catching spot celebrates the dedication of teachers – and what it means for students.

Tapping into the desire for hope that we all feel right now, the ad offers an energetic and uplifting reminder of the power of public education. And it’s a perfect example of how to connect with our audience by celebrating what we all value and cherish.

School is where kids grow. And parents see it every day.

When kids get home from school, they always bring something new with them – like a little more confidence, a lot more questions, or even a different pair of shoes!

But what truly makes schools great are the dedicated teachers and school staff who are there for our kids every day – helping them learn and helping them grow. And after two years of the pandemic, more people than ever understand the valuable role that Manitoba’s teachers play in the classroom and in our communities.

By celebrating the power of education, this new ad from MTS is helping to keep education top-of-mind for families and decision-makers as they head into the summer break. And it reinforces the bond that’s shared between Manitoba’s parents and more than 16,000 teachers across the province.

If you’re in Manitoba, catch the campaign on TV, digital, and social platforms through late June.

At NOW, we love great design. And not just the type that keeps us scrolling through Instagram.

From graphics that grab attention to visual identities that engage and reflect our audiences, great design has the power to help your message go further – and bring more people into the conversation.

In our latest design project, we’ve partnered with the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, representing about 13,000 teachers across the province, to design a new look for their new magazine.

For over 80 years, the STF’s newspaper – the Bulletin – has been a must-read source of information for teachers across the province. And this spring, we helped the STF build on that proud reputation with a fresh new approach to support the work and well-being of today’s teachers. 

The new Bulletin magazine features more voices, more resources, and more ways of engaging educators. Every edition will feature stories that reflect the diversity of Saskatchewan’s schools – and help support efforts to build more inclusive classrooms and communities. 

Check out the first edition here. 

The new design is bright, bold, and celebratory. It reflects a vibrant profession – and the promise that public education holds for every child. 

Our design team was inspired by the STF’s logo, which includes a prism that refracts and reflects light. It’s a powerful symbol of how public education opens new worlds of opportunity. 

As part of this spring’s launch, enhanced digital offerings make it easier for readers to access the Bulletin online and share articles across social media. Paired with our new approach in print, the magazine will deliver content that remains relevant for longer than just a typical newsfeed. 

After all, great design isn’t just about drawing your audience’s attention once. Beautiful and compelling visual approaches have the power to draw people in again and again. That makes great design an essential part of growing your audience – and building your community of supporters. 

Want to talk about design? Looking for a fresh approach to your organization’s own member communications and visual identity? 

Give us a call. Our team is always ready to help.