The NOW Group

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Eight to watch in 2019

Whether or not you made a new year’s resolution, the new year is upon us and with it comes an opportunity to look ahead. At NOW, here’s are some of the things we’re keeping an eye on.

1. Marketing gets influenced

It’s not just for fashion and health products anymore – even the federal government is experimenting with influencer marketing. By partnering with owners of popular social media accounts to have them talk about a chosen topic in their own voice, marketers are finding they can reach broader audiences, engage them for longer periods of time, and weave their story into conversations that are already under way.

2. Podcasting gets heard

They’ve been around for a while, but in the last few years attention on podcasting has exploded and we’re expecting to see more of it. If 2018 was the year you either became or knew someone who’s a podcast fanatic, 2019 might be the year you either become or know someone who starts a podcast. Some of our favourites include Pod Save America, Ear Hustle, Labournauts, Objection!, Just Work It, and NSGEU Union Matters (shout out to our client!).

We’re super excited about the potential for podcasting to tell in-depth stories about working people, to explain complicated ideas and policies, and create strong emotional connections that mobilize and move audiences.

3. The early bird gets the ad

With a federal election on the calendar this fall advertising spots are starting to fill up. Booking advertising early is going to provide significant strategic and financial benefits for anyone looking to reach voters.

4. The 2019 federal election

And speaking of a fall federal election, all the events leading up to the election – and its outcome – are ones we’ll follow closely. And, of course, we look forward to rolling up our sleeves and playing a positive role in determining its outcome!

5. The shifting border between news and advertising

Native advertising – ads whose form mirrors that of the content around it – has been with us for some time now, and the border between advertising and content continues to move and morph. As the news industry continues to re-make itself and its business model, expect the spectrum between advertising and paid content to include new entrants. On this topic, we’re reading The CANADALAND Guide To New Popular, Populist Political Media and keeping an eye on interesting news startups like Topic, The Outline, The Discourse, The Conversation, The Logic, and more.

6. Messaging platforms eat into social media; slide into your DMs

Is your work team on Slack, Skype, or Google Hangouts? Does your family have a WhatsApp group? Whether you’re exchanging short text messages and emoji with a group of 5 or 500, private group chats are operating outside of the public eye and playing a progressively bigger role in influencing what people think, what they think about, and in mobilizing people to act.

7. The continuing reign of storytelling

A lot has changed in media, but it never ceases to impress us that one thing remains the same: the value of storytelling. Regardless of what media we’re employing to put a message into the world and what context that’s happening in, it takes outstanding storytelling to tie together experiences, emotions, and facts to shape public opinion and motivate action.

8. The role of audiences in telling a story

As we all get used to a more participatory media environment, no story seems complete without an invitation to tell a story back to its teller. So tell us – what are you looking forward to in 2019? Let’s be in touch.

Written by Aylwin Lo, our new Account Manager and Creative Technology Specialist at our Toronto office.