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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.   

It’s Awards Season! And we’re excited to announce that NOW and our clients have won six awards at the 2022 Reed Awards.

Recognizing excellence in campaign and advocacy advertising, this year’s Reed Awards include international entries from across Europe, Latin America, and Australia.

We’re thrilled that NOW’s work stood out to the judges. This year, our clients’ campaigns have been honoured with top awards for:

• Best Canadian TV Ad
• Best Canadian Online Video
• Best Canadian Online Ad Campaign
• Best International Use of Outdoor Advertising
• Best International Online Ad Campaign

We couldn’t be more proud of the work that our team and our clients are doing – to make life better for people.

And as NOW celebrates our 30^th anniversary, we’re especially proud to have been named Best International Firm. It’s an honour we share with our clients and production partners across Canada.

Take a look at one of our winning entries!

Best International Online Ad Campaign

Parallel Stories
Campaign: Care Can’t Wait
Client: Hospital Employees’ Union

Long-term care needs a long-term fix. Working with the Hospital Employees’ Union in BC, our team designed a new iteration of HEU’s Care Can’t Wait campaign – with fresh creative, an innovative approach to storytelling, and a beautiful new website.

To bring the stories of long-term care residents and workers to life, we developed two ads that complement each other. Told from the perspective of a senior and a worker, these ads reflect the compassion and dedication that workers demonstrate every day – and how it means the world to seniors living in care.

To find out more and show your support for the campaign, visit CareCantWait.ca.

From casual viewers to die-hard fans, Canadian audiences can’t get enough sports.

28 million Canadians tuned into TV coverage of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, according to CBC. Viewership for digital video soared by 62 per cent over the previous games.

And this winter, from the Beijing Olympic Games to the World Cup qualifying matches, millions of people are watching Canada win.

Sporting events offer huge potential to reach audiences. But too often, public sector and non-profit advertisers aren’t taking advantage of every opportunity to get into the game. And that could be a mistake.

There’s a myth that it’s mostly men who watch sports. But it’s just not true.

Watching sports – with a seat-warmer underneath you or from the comfort of your own home – is an event for the entire family. And if there was ever a gender-gap in sports viewership, it’s disappeared.

Women account for nearly half of all NHL hockey viewers, as of fall 2020. And women’s sporting events draw enormous ratings.

When the Canadian women’s soccer team won gold in Tokyo, over 4.4 million viewers were watching, making it the most-watched event by Canadians at the Olympics.

Sports viewers are exactly the audiences who need to hear your message.

And now, there are more ways than ever to get noticed – no matter what your budget.

Here are 8 tactics to help get you in the game.

1. Cut through with targeted TV for big events

Sure, multiple Super Bowl ads might be out of reach. But you can still consider TV with targeted reach to make it more affordable.

For instance, it’s possible to buy one TV spot for the Super Bowl or for just one night of Hockey Night in Canada in just one region – putting your message on the air for a big audience without breaking the bank.

2. Show up on sports radio

It’s where fans go when they’re on the go. And radio is affordable and widely-available.

Here’s a bonus. Radio has huge creative potential. Just imagine the sound effects!

3. Do a digital takeover

Sports fans turn to The Score and other popular sports news sites to keep up with every goal and every trade. Digital ads and website takeovers are a great way to reach new eyes.

4. Make a splash with out-of-home advertising

When CUPE 500 in Winnipeg needed to save local pools and arenas from being shut down, we worked together to design an award-winning campaign featuring billboards near the facilities at risk of closure.

We caught drivers’ attention as they drove their kids to the pool and arena, raising awareness with a highly targeted message that was instantly relevant to people’s lives.

5. Sponsor a sporting event

In Saskatchewan, SGEU has sponsored the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League for years. And it’s a brilliant way of building brand recognition and supporting the community. Every month, there’s even a SGEU MVP of the Month.

From sponsoring a national event to supporting local and regional leagues, sports events bring communities together. Showing up is a great way to show your support.

6. Get noticed with rink board advertising

How often is your audience sitting with your ad for… hours?

Rink boards are a fantastic way to reach arena audiences and make a big impression. Avoid faces on rink boards – because puck marks are going to happen. And stick with a message that’s clear, simple, and tailored to fans.

7. Go deep with podcasts

Dedicated sports fans love their podcasts. And there’s lots to choose from. Sportsnet alone produces at least 19 podcast shows!

That’s a lot of ears. And podcast listeners love storytelling that speaks directly to them.

8. Get creative

Every ad needs a hook. And sports offer great potential for creative concepts.

Depending on your campaign, a partnership with a local team might make sense. Interviews with athletes and coaches – well-known local sports personalities – are a great tactic to help public health messages reach a larger audience.

Got questions? Want to explore tactics for your next campaign? Give us a call! We’re always here to help.  

After two years of COVID-19, people working in health care across the country are reaching a breaking point.

It’s hard work. And every shift brings more hard moments for workers on the frontlines.

When provincial governments pick fights with workers and undermine public health care, it makes the job even harder.

This week, the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, which represents nearly 30,000 members across the province, has launched a new campaign to pay tribute to the dedication of every health care professional – and start to build the case for action to ensure health care is there when Albertans need it.

The new ad, Who We Work For, shows the relentless challenges that health care workers are facing. And their unrelenting commitment to deliver the care that Albertans count on.

Working with HSAA, we wanted to give voice to the exhaustion that health care professionals are feeling, while reminding viewers that the workers inside Alberta’s hospitals and clinics are on the same side as their patients.

Who We Work For does just that. It connects HSAA members to the public that they support day in and day out. And it elevates the importance of public health care in the minds of Albertans.

As the province faces yet another wave of COVID-19 without the investment and support that the health care system needs, there is only one thing that is keeping health care workers going and that is their commitment to their patients.

“We know who we work for,” the ad concludes. “We do it for you.”