Privacy Policy
Introduction to Our Privacy Policy
At ChangeMakers, we are committed to protecting the privacy of visitors to our website: thechangemakers.com (the “Website”). This Privacy Policy outlines our practices regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of your information when you visit our Website.
Please read this Privacy Policy carefully to understand how we will treat your information before you start to use our Website or our services, or communicate with us. By using our Website or our services, or by communicating with us, you acknowledge that your Personal Information will be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy, including any updates and amendments. Your use of our services is also subject to any applicable terms of use, including any terms available at ”Terms of Use“.
Information We Collect
We collect the following types of information:
- Personal Information is information that relates (directly or indirectly) to you. Specifically, we may collect and process, among other things, the following information about you:
- Personal identifiers, such as your name, address, email address, telephone number.
- Web use information, such as IP address, website, other unique identifiers associated with you, your computer or other mobile device, your internet or other electronic network activity.
- Other information voluntarily provided to us by you when contacting us through the Website or responding to calls to action on the Website, e.g., user submissions, subscription requests, requests for further information about our services.
- Non-Personal Information is information that does not relate to you, such as aggregated, de-identified, or anonymous data. This type of information gives us insights regarding, for example, how visitors use the Website and which sections are of interest. This information is used for our commercial purposes, including to ensure the effectiveness of our Website and email communications, and that marketing efforts continue to appeal to existing and potential clients and collaborators. Additionally, we may collect aggregate or anonymized demographic information while providing services to our clients, such as demographic information about an audience’s particular interests.
How We Collect Your Information
Information You Provide
We collect information you voluntarily and manually provide when you use our Website, such as when you purchase or access services or certain content on our Website, sign up for our email list or newsletter, submit a form, send us questions, or interact with us through this Website. Some of the information you manually provide may be personal information, such as your name or email address.
Information from Your Website Browser or Mobile Device
We collect information that is sent to us automatically from your browser or mobile device, such as your IP address, the name of your operating system, the name and version of your browser, date and time of your visit, page(s) you visit and length of time you spent on each page. The information we receive may depend on your browser or device settings. Information received from your browser and mobile device typically is not, in and of itself, personally identifiable. However, we may combine it with other information that does identify you.
Tracking Technologies
Use of Google Analytics
This Website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses cookies to analyze activities when using the Website to improve the navigation, content, and design of the Website. The information generated by the cookies about your use of this site (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of this site, compiling reports on Website activity and providing other services relating to Website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. By using this Website, you consent to the processing of your data by Google as described. For more information on Google Analytics, you can visit Google’s Privacy Policy.
Use of Cookies
This Website uses third-party tracking cookies to monitor Website traffic and user engagement and provide visitors with tailored information upon each visit. Cookies are a common part of many commercial websites that allow small text files to be sent by a website, accepted by a web browser and then placed on your hard drive as recognition for repeat visits to the Website. Every time you visit the website, our servers, through cookies, pixels and/or GIF files, collect basic technical information such as your domain name, the address of the last URL visited prior to clicking through to the Website, and your browser and operating system. You do not need to enable cookies to visit the Website; however, disabling cookies may affect your experience and limit some functionalities of the site. Some cookie files remain on your computer’s hard drive unless and until you manually delete the file.
How We Use and Disclose Your Personal Information
Consent
We may process your Personal Information where we have your consent to do so, such as communicating with you about an event you attended or campaign you were involved in. You have a right to withdraw your consent at any time but doing so may prevent us from providing a service to you or responding to a request that you have made.
To Perform a Contract with You
We may use your Personal Information to perform a contract with you or take steps at your request prior to entering into such a contract. This processing may include providing you with information, products, and services.
Analytic Purposes
We may process your Personal Information where necessary for product development, algorithmic model improvement, and statistical analysis to improve our services and Website experience. For model development and statistical analysis, we make every reasonable effort to use anonymized or de-identified information where possible and have implemented best practices to limit the use of your Personal Information for analytic purposes.
Otherwise Required by Law
We may disclose your Personal Information including information about you or your use of the Website where required by law, including where necessary to protect the vital interests of an individual or to satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process or lawful governmental request.
Disclosure to Third Parties
We may provide your Personal Information to third-party service providers on an as-needed basis. We require all such third parties to respect the security of your Personal Information and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your Personal Information for their own purposes and only permit them to process your Personal Information for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions. In addition to service providers, we may also disclose your Personal Information to the following categories of data recipients where necessary for any of the lawful purposes set out in this Privacy Policy:
- Marketing and advertising partners
- Third parties to a business transaction, such as a merger, sale, liquidation, acquisition, reorganization, or other transfer of any of our assets, whether as a going concern or part of a bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding
- The company or organization you represent upon their request
- Other third parties at your express direction
- Law enforcement, regulators, and other parties where required by law
How We Retain Information We Collect1
We store Personal Information for as long as necessary to provide services to you and our clients, to comply with legal obligations, or to administer our services, in each case in accordance with our data retention practices and policy. Because of the nature of developing and refining statistical models, this may involve retaining your information for a period after our underlying contract expires, but where possible, we keep this information in an aggregated, de-identified format.
How We Secure Your Personal Information2
We understand that the security of your Personal Information is extremely important. Accordingly, we use appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to keep your Personal Information protected from loss, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction, taking into account cost, technology, the risks involved in the processing and the nature of the Personal Information. We implement the following security measures to protect your Personal Information:
- A firewall to filter inappropriate access to our web server
- Logging of all web server access, including date/time, IP address, and username (if applicable)
- Regular backups of our web server
- SSL encryption for secure data transmission
It is important to keep in mind, however, that no security measures are absolutely effective. Although we will apply appropriate measures to protect your Personal Information, we cannot guarantee the security of your Personal Information, and any transmission to us is at your own risk.
If you should become aware of any known or suspected incidents of unauthorized access to, use of, or disclosure of any Personal Information, you should report them immediately to the following email address: privacy@thechangemakers.com. We investigate all reported claims of data incidents.
In the unlikely event that Personal Information has been lost, stolen, or potentially compromised, our policy is to alert our users via email no later than three business days of our becoming aware of the event. We will also report such incidents to any required data protection authority. We will work closely with any users affected to determine next steps such as any end-user notifications, needed patches, and how to avoid any similar event in the future.
Links to Other Websites
Our Website may contain links to other websites that we do not control. We are not responsible for any websites that we do not own or operate. We encourage you to carefully review the privacy policies and practices of other websites that you link to from our Website, as we cannot control or be responsible for their privacy practices.
Your Rights
Access, Correct, Restrict or Delete
We respect your rights to your personal information and data. You have the right to access, correct, request restriction or deletion of your information, or request how we use your personal information and data collected, as required by applicable law. Note that we may charge a reasonable fee for actions that you ask us to take with respect to your data. In addition, we reserve the right to first request you provide us with evidence verifying your identity before we take any action. After we verify your identity, you have the right to:
- Update or change any information you have provided to us. To update or delete Your information, please contact us at privacy@thechangemakers.com;
- Request that we confirm what data we hold about you, and for what purposes. You also have the right to confirmation of whether we process your data or deliver your data to third-party processors, and for what purposes. We will supply you with copies of your personal data unless doing so would affect the rights and freedoms of others;
- Change your consent to our use of your information. In such cases, you may not have full access to our Website;
- Request a digital copy of the data that we hold about you;
- Request that we gather and transfer your data to another controller, in a commonly used and machine-readable format, unless doing so would cause us an undue burden;
- Request that we delete all data that we hold about you, and we must delete such data without undue delay. There are exceptions to this right, such as when keeping your data is required by law, is necessary to exercise the right of freedom of expression and information, is required for compliance with a legal obligation, or is necessary for the exercise or defense of legal claims. Such a request may result in limited or no use of our Website;
- Opt out of receiving future email correspondence from us. You may change your communication settings by contacting us at privacy@thechangemakers.com;
- Opt out of receiving any third-party marketing communications or having your personal information used for marketing purposes. You may do this by contacting us at privacy@thechangemakers.com;
- In certain situations, restrict the processing of your data, such as when you contest the accuracy of your data or when you have objected to processing, pending the verification of that objection. When processing has been restricted, we will continue to store your data but will not pass it on to third-party processors without your consent, or as necessary to comply with legal obligations or protect your rights, our rights, or those of others. In addition, you may opt out of any processing of your data altogether. However, doing so may result in the loss of access to our Website; and
- Complain to a supervising authority in your jurisdiction if you believe we are misusing your data or have violated any of your rights under this Privacy Policy or applicable law.
If you wish to have any third parties, including those to whom we’ve transmitted your information, delete your information, you will need to contact those third parties directly to do so. Upon request, we will provide a list of all third parties to whom we have transmitted your information.
Complaints
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. To file a complaint with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, contact the office of the Commissioner at:
Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
2 Bloor St. East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8
Tel: 416.326.3333 or 1.800.387.0073
Fax: 416.325.9195
Website: www.ipc.on.ca
Email Address: info@ipc.on.ca
Changes to Our Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to update and change this Privacy Policy and will make our best effort to update the date “January 28, 2025” at the top of this page each time we make changes. You can review our most recent changes by visiting this page. By continuing to use our Website, you waive specific notice of, and accept, all changes to our Privacy Policy made from time to time. We encourage you to return to this page each time you access our Website to ensure you have read our most recent Privacy Policy.
How to Contact Us
CONTACT INFORMATION: Please direct all requests, questions or concerns related to this Privacy Policy or your Personal Information to privacy@thechangemakers.com.
Reputation Score© helps organizations build resiliency amidst imminent US-Canada tariffs
Built on a history of peaceful trade, defense and diplomacy, Canada and the United States have shared one of the world’s most interdependent economic relationships since the early 20th century.
A storied united front, the two countries boast the world’s longest undefended border and exchange nearly two billion dollars in goods and services daily.
In recent weeks, these longstanding bilateral ties have been tested. Unprecedented trade turbulence from the Oval Office, with the threat of tariffs (and temporary reprieves) on Canada and Mexico, have set off a chain of panic across North America.
While it may feel impossible to plan as an organization amidst evolving timelines, we’ve developed communications and crisis-preparedness strategies, rooted in real-time data, to prepare for what could lie ahead in this climate of economic unrest.
To better understand the impact of these tensions and inform recommendations, our Data Intelligence team applied the ChangeMakers’ proprietary Reputation Score©, drawing insights from the fall-out around this conflict. Tracking the fluctuation in trends, habits, audience sentiment, and key developments in consumer behaviour, we examined the reputational outlook of key sectors in the three-week window following the initial tariff declarations.
Here’s what you need to know about the reputational industry shifts, consumer reactions, and key strategies to prepare for what could lay ahead.
Cross-Border Reputation: The Power of Perception
As expected, both countries experienced a notable dip reputationally following the announcement of tariffs.
While Reputation Score allows brands, businesses, and executives to track their health and navigate reputation, we used this tool to understand how the threats of tariffs have impacted cross-border reputation from a geotargeted perspective.
Digital conversations, particularly within pro-Trump communities, have fueled anti-Canada sentiment, while anti-tariff discussions have largely focused on Trump himself rather than offering support for Canada. This demonstrates how trade disputes quickly become emotionally charged, influencing how businesses and brands are perceived.
Industry Impact: Key Sectors in Focus
Despite a brief recovery during the 30-day reprieve, several industries have been hit reputationally as a result of the tariffs discourse. In examining the sector-specific impact, actionable strategies can be implemented by businesses within these spaces to mitigate for further risk.
With heightened consumer anxiety, organizations must be proactive in developing communications and operational strategies that shape their narratives and prepare for potential backlash in an unpredictable policy environment.
Consumer, Lifestyle & Tourism
The initial tariff threat, coupled with uncertainty about its duration, has fuelled a surge in “buy local” rhetoric in Canada. Prime Minister Trudeau’s call for domestic vacations spurred a 150% increase in searches related to Canadian vacations. Similarly, Google search data shows a significant spike in “Made in Canada” queries leading up to the tariffs.
While Canadian consumers may express loyalty to domestic brands, North America’s deeply integrated supply chain makes complete economic independence unrealistic. Businesses should expect continued emotional rhetoric but prepare for practical consumer behavior that blends patriotism with necessity.
Actionable Strategies:
- Establish a clear brand narrative to navigate consumer sentiment.
- Scenario plan for potential tariff-related price shifts.
- Monitor online discourse and adapt marketing strategies accordingly.
Agriculture
Canada and the U.S. have long relied on each other for agricultural trade, but tariffs have sparked discussions about reducing dependence on American imports. February saw a 575% increase in social media mentions of buying Canadian agricultural goods, signalling a shift in public sentiment.
Political rhetoric around Canada’s supply-managed sectors is also naturally intensifying. Businesses should explore new trade partnerships if possible, while strengthening domestic production.
Actionable Strategies:
- Diversify supply chains when possible, to mitigate reliance on U.S. markets.
- Amplify real-world stories about tariff impacts to foster industry advocacy.
- Stay attuned to political developments that could shape future trade policies.
Energy
Canada’s oil and gas sector, responsible for over 60% of U.S. energy imports, faces a 10% tariff as of February 27, threatening price stability and supply chain reliability. For Canadian oil producers, this would represent a nearly US$7-billion hit to their profit. Negative sentiment around Canadian energy exports has spiked, with unfavourable opinions outpacing positive ones by a ratio of 5.5:1.
As tariffs exacerbate uncertainty, the sector may see renewed calls for energy diversification, increased domestic investment, and stronger regulatory support for green energy initiatives.
Actionable Strategies:
- Explore alternative energy markets and partnerships, when possible.
- Identify champions who can advocate for industry stability.
- Align with public sentiment by investing in energy efficiency and sustainability.
Tech & AI
Hard tech goods moving across the border would be directly impacted by prospective tariffs, while AI and digital services remain vulnerable to broader geopolitical tensions. The AI arms race is becoming a critical point of cooperation, with both nations keen on outpacing China’s advancements.
Given the sector’s rapid evolution, businesses must approach AI policy with strategic foresight, ensuring alignment between corporate values and technological adoption.
Actionable Strategies:
- Develop a robust AI policy that integrates security and compliance.
- Stay ahead of government regulations that may impact AI and cloud services.
- Monitor geopolitical trends to anticipate shifts in the digital economy.
Automotive & Transportation
No industry is more vulnerable than North America’s auto sector, where just-in-time supply chains depend on frequent cross-border movement of parts. While tariffs threaten efficiency, public discourse remains surprisingly muted—only 10% of trade-related conversations focus on the auto industry, suggesting that consumers are more concerned with direct consumer goods price increases.
Actionable Strategies:
- Strengthen advocacy efforts to highlight the sector’s economic impact.
- Develop contingency plans for potential supply chain disruptions.
- Align internal teams across legal, government relations, and communications.
Preparing for What’s Next
As the trade pendulum continues to swing and timing remains uncertain, here’s how to stay ahead:
- Anticipate long-term changes: The tariff debate is fluid, but consumer sentiment and economic behavior will have lasting effects. Expect stakeholders to be driven by the emotion of the situation and communicate accordingly.
- Stay agile: The ability to pivot quickly in response to new developments will be crucial for business survival.
- Engage in digital advocacy: The online environment is ripe for brands to take a stance and rally support in a strategic, measured way. Create opportunities for your leaders & advocates to champion industry-wide causes.
Amidst this volatile time, organizations must be proactive, adaptable, and ready to engage with the evolving trade landscape. Through strategic communications, supply chain diversification, and targeted advocacy, now is the time to take decisive action.
About the Authors
Kenny Cameron / Senior Account Manager, Data Intelligence
With over five years of experience in public relations and data analytics, Kenny is an expert in reputation risk management and data-driven communications. Leading ChangeMaker’s Data Intelligence team in Canada, Kenny takes a client-focused approach to social listening and analysis that culminates in actionable takeaways to tackle complex communication challenges.
Rachel Cohen / Senior Account Manager, Reputation Management
With a passion for relationship-building and storytelling, Rachel is a trusted communicator, supporting clients through effective reputation management, crisis preparedness and brand strategy. Joining ChangeMakers with roots in the social-change space, Rachel thoughtfully advises and trains partners from a cross-border perspective on the evolving communications, as well as media landscapes in both countries.
Argyle becomes ChangeMakers: A bold new brand for modern corporate affairs
WASHINGTON, DC, October 29, 2024 — Believeco:Partners, along with its individual operating brands Argyle, Believeco and Castlemain, today is unveiling a new strategic direction, vision, and brand: ChangeMakers. This brand transformation reflects the company’s commitment to anticipating and navigating today’s complex corporate landscape, and the ever-evolving risks organizations face.
“The past two years have seen tremendous growth in our business, surfacing a unifying thread of unparalleled expertise in helping clients anticipate, navigate and create change,” says Mario Simon, CEO, ChangeMakers. “ChangeMakers takes these opportunities to the next level, embracing the challenges that complexity entails for our clients. We apply thoughtful, human-centered strategies designed for client success.”
The evolution follows two years of successful integration efforts, after Believeco:Partners formed with a bold agenda to unite six leading communications, marketing, and Indigenous advisory firms in the Fall of 2022.
“Reputation management will always be at the core of our work,” said Robert Gemmill, President, ChangeMakers USA. “And ChangeMakers best captures how our approach is different from most agencies: instead of relying on gut instinct, we use proprietary tools and approaches firmly rooted in data to inform decision-making on some of the most complex reputational challenges and opportunities facing clients today.”
By combining decades of experience in reputation management, social impact consulting and marketing, our team of ChangeMakers is an essential partner in driving client results – especially in complex spaces where the solution requires a modernized approach, backed by data intelligence and niche expertise. Our specialized work across healthcare, education, technology, energy and government makes us the ideal partner in addressing multi-stakeholder problems.
“The corporate world is shaping and shifting at an unprecedented pace, presenting new challenges and opportunities every day,” added Simon. “ChangeMakers is prepared to meet these challenges head-on, working alongside our clients to navigate both planned and unplanned change.”
About ChangeMakers:
ChangeMakers is a 400+ person independent reputation management, social impact and marketing firm based in the US and Canada. ChangeMakers combines deep business specialization with human-centred strategies, working alongside our clients to succeed in a disruptive world.
Learn more at www.thechangemakers.com.
Media Contact:
Robert Gemmill/President, US, ChangeMakers
robert.gemmill@thechangemakers.com
Reputation Score©
One metric to protect, measure, and predict risk to your biggest asset: your corporate reputation.
ChangeMakers‘ Reputation Score allows brands, businesses, and executives to see and impact their reputation in real time.
In this age of disruption, change is the only constant. It is critical in the most complex and competitive environment in history, for brands businesses, and executive to know their reputation- and that of competition and industry peers- to make critical decisions, respond to and anticipate strategic changes, planned and unexpected.
Our exclusive technology assesses your reputation, analyzes how competitors compare, predicts reputational risk in advance, and create opportunities for future growth. This ensures your brand and reputation strategy is rooted in data and evaluated through clear and concrete metrics. It allows you to clearly anticipate threats in real-time based on industry precedent and your specific objectives.
How clients use the Reputation Score
- Reputation Management insight: the foundation of all strategic communications efforts
- Crisis Communications: proactive and reactive messaging and strategy analysis
- Predictive analysis: guidance on the “what-if’s” of critical corporate decision making
- Strategic planning
- Real-time reputation analysis to help navigate campaigns, initiatives, events, issues and other key moments
- Partnership evaluations
- Trend identification and analysis
- Marketing ROI and measurement
- Thought leadership effectiveness
- Proactive issues management by identifying and preparing for potential issues before they escalate.
To find out more about ChangeMakers’ Reputation Score, or to engage our team:
Change events will impact you both planned and unexpected. From M&A Transactions, Rebranding, Financial Change, Leadership Transition, and Public Crisis.
Learn from others who are navigating change this year.
Dive into our Reputation Index 2024 to uncover how major events impact brand reputation- and learn what it takes to protect your biggest corporate asset- Your Reputation.
Internships at ChangeMakers
At ChangeMakers, we’re committed to cultivating talent and fostering innovation. Our internship program is designed to give you hands-on experience, valuable mentorship and the chance to contribute to exciting projects.
About Us
ChangeMakers is a newly formed group of leading partner-led communications, marketing and engagement agencies. Comprising Argyle our public relations and engagement agency, Believeco our full-service marketing agency, and Castlemain our Indigenous advisory firm, our mission is to be one of North America’s most acclaimed full-service agencies.
ChangeMakers has been chosen by some of the world’s top brands and is rising as one of Canada’s largest and fastest-growing firms in communications, media, marketing and social impact services. We are celebrated for our high standards, productive relationships, exceptional work environment and a distinguished array of awards from industry peers.
Our specialties include
- Corporate communications
- Social change
- Consumer/Lifestyle marketing
- Public engagement
- Branding
- Food and beverage marketing
- Public Affairs
- ESG (environmental, social, and governance)
- Agribusiness trade marketing
- Digital marketing
- Web development
- Project management
- Indigenous engagement
Why Chose Us?
- Hands-On Experience: Get involved in meaningful projects that matter.
- Mentorship: Learn from industry experts who are dedicated to your growth.
- Networking: Build connections that will last throughout your career.
- Skill Development: Gain practical skills that enhance your professional journey.
Who We’re Looking For
We value motivated individuals who are proactive, eager to learn and committed to excellence. Whether you’re a student seeking valuable experience or a recent graduate looking to jumpstart your career, our internship program is designed to provide you with hands-on learning opportunities that align with your career goals.
How to Apply
- Browse Opportunities: Check out our available internships.
- Submit Your Application: Send us your resume and a cover letter through our online portal.
- Interview: If selected, you’ll be invited for a chat to discuss your interests and fit.
What you need to be successful
Must haves:
- Be eligible to work in the US
- Be enrolled in a US university throughout your internship
- Be able to work on-site in the state where you are hired if applicable
- Excellent communication skills in English (spoken/written). French is an asset
Important Dates
Winter Internships
- Application Deadline: Late November to February
- Dates: January to March
Summer Internships
- Application Deadline: February to early March
- Dates: May to August
Fall Internships
- Application Deadline: Late May to early July
- Dates: September to December
Shaping Your Career
Are you passionate about doing exciting, creative and impactful work? Do you thrive in fast-paced work environments?
Do you seek opportunities to innovate, disrupt or challenge the rules? Do you do your best work with teammates that motivate you to be your best self? If so, we would like to meet you!
We are looking for a creative and innovative individual to join our team as an intern.
ChangeMakers’ internship program gives students and recent grads real, hands-on industry experience as members of a talented, collaborative team focused on solutions that help to engage audiences and solve challenges. We work hard to deliver meaningful results for clients, and take the time to celebrate the wins together.
FAQs
Is this internship paid?
Yes, our internships are paid! We believe in valuing your contributions and ensuring you gain meaningful experience.
Can I apply for multiple positions?
Yes, you can apply for multiple positions, as long as your qualifications align with the roles. We encourage you to explore different opportunities!
Ready to Get Started?
Don’t miss this opportunity to jumpstart your career! Apply now and take the first step towards a bright future with ChangeMakers!
Navigating complexity in Pharma advertising
Pharma ads aren’t trying to be clever – just compliant
My son’s hockey team was down 1-0, and the third period was drawing to a close. I sat in the stands watching anxiously, trying to focus on the game. However, I couldn’t help eavesdropping on the parents next to me talking about pharmaceutical advertising. As someone who’s worked in pharma advertising for years, my ears perked up.
“What I don’t get is why they won’t tell us what the drug is for,” said the parent. “It’s all just, ‘See your doctor.’ I mean, What’s with the mystery?!”
“Well, I’m sure there’s a good reason,” said the other parent, oblivious to the score. “Maybe they are trying to be clever.”
I’m grateful there was a youth hockey game to distract me because every fibre of my being longed to leap out of my seat and shout at the top of my lungs: “We’re not being cute! We’re being compliant!”
To those who aren’t well-versed in the complexity of pharmaceutical advertising in Canada, pharma ads can seem purposefully vague and mysterious. No mention of what the drug actually does and what condition it treats. Just a cryptic “talk to your doctor” at the end. What many people don’t understand is that in Canada, direct-to-consumer, or DTC, marketing is subject to Section C.01.044 of the Food and Drugs Act, which states that if advertising a prescription drug to the general public, only the brand name, the price and quantity of the medication can be referenced.
It is quite literally against the law to mention the therapeutic use of a prescription drug in Canadian consumer advertising. Additionally, all pharmaceutical content undergoes rigorous internal reviews – by Medical, Regulatory and Legal Departments – and external evaluation by Ad Standards Canada.
This makes marketing pharma very different from marketing other products; imagine trying to create an ad for paper towel where you can’t mention it cleans up spills! But, DTC is vital because there is a need for pharmaceutical communication and brand building. Canadians need encouragement to speak with healthcare professionals about disease care. Canadian patients want to be educated and empowered with the tools to engage their healthcare providers in dialogue about their health. Pharma ads are an important part of that education.
For example, look at a common – and growing – disease like diabetes. According to Diabetes Canada, there are millions of Canadians living with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D) who don’t know it. T2D is one of the fastest growing diseases, with more than 60,000 new cases diagnosed annually. And the effects of T2D can be debilitating. Encouraging Canadians to speak with a healthcare professional, which is what advertising and communications do, is vital to our health.
DTC that connects
Because the stakes are high, research-based pharma would love to be more direct with Canadians. But strict regulations require a different approach. So how can pharma engage their audience in a compelling way while navigating the complexity of the regulations? Some best-practices our award-winning team at ChangeMakers has used:
- Memorable creative – As with all advertising, you need content that gets noticed. And because the content will be light on details, there’s room for exciting creative. Compelling images, quirky dialogue or a catchy jingle can help grab attention. Also, develop an emotional connection to the viewer by depicting realistic scenarios that speak to shared experience. It all serves to create something memorable for consumers and helps encourage them to start a conversation in their physician’s office.
- Surround sound and inclusivity – Don’t approach your audience from just one direction. You need an appropriate mix of out-of-home, print, digital, video and in-clinic mediums. Community and multicultural papers and websites are also great places to meet your audience. But don’t just translate copy for diverse audiences, develop new – culturally appropriate – creative and taglines for commonly spoken languages across Canada like Hindi, Italian, Mandarin, Punjabi and Spanish.
- Earned media – When there’s compelling creative, business and marketing reporters will often take interest. Marketing trades, dailies and online news sites can profile the strategy and creative insights that drive DTC development. In fact, the restrictions on advertising often make stories about campaigns that much more compelling. Through compliant editorial engagement, you can support disease understanding with consumer health reporters who are interested in addressing complex conditions impacting Canadians.
- Evaluate and course-correct as required – As with other campaigns, you must have a clear measurement plan to assess the success of your DTC initiatives. Stay flexible to allow for adjustments to the media buy to drive key performance indicators.
Sometimes being in a restricted environment prompts innovative thinking. Some of the best campaigns I’ve worked on were pharma – not in spite of regulations, but because of them. Necessity is the mother of invention, and being hemmed in can bring out the best in creative and strategy.
How to navigate change on social media
We find ourselves in the teenage years of the dominant social media platforms – Facebook is 20 years old; Instagram is 14; and 18-year-old Twitter has angrily changed its name to X. As with any teenager, volatility is the norm. Recent years brought us the mountainous rise of TikTok, the faltering of Twitter, the birth of Threads, the rise and fall of the metaverse, Bill C-18, Apple’s app tracking transparency, and generative AI for all. There’s been a tremendous amount of change.
Constant change and disruption are woven into the fabric of the digital landscape. So how do communicators and marketers navigate these rapid transformations of technology, norms, and tastes? There are really only two choices – radical change every quarter or create a long-term, stable social strategy. The former is going to consistently get you into trouble, the latter will set you up for success for years to come.
Just because platforms are volatile doesn’t mean brands have to be. Amidst the chaos, the smart move is to create integrated strategies that bring together social, creative, media, and web teams to curate moments and create ownable content focused on measurable goals.
If users don’t win, everyone loses
We are in the midst of a fierce battle for attention. Consumer ability to jump toward shiny new platforms is forever shifting how social media properties operate. As communicators, we should be rooting for more success, not failure. A healthy, competitive social media ecosystem is better for all of us as it incentivizes communicators to create compelling messaging.
Meta’s platforms, along with TikTok’s, increasingly suffer from a proliferation of out-of-touch and socially disconnected ads. A surge in poorly crafted – and often auto-generated messaging results in user disengagement; they post less frequently, see less of what they want, and before you know it, you’re in a platform death spiral. This cycle creates a worse environment for users, contributing to declining diversity, doom-scrolling and deteriorating mental health – which is a lousy environment for organizations to communicate in with users.
No one should add to this deterioration. Marketers and communicators must be thoughtful about what we bring to the party. Audiences want to be seen and acknowledged, and they crave relevant content. Brands who lead with authenticity and demonstrate they understand the diversity of their customers’ values will continue to flourish.
Paid and organic: BFFs
Organic reach is dead. But that doesn’t mean organic efforts should be abandoned. It just means that paid campaigns and organic publishing shouldn’t operate in silos, and certainly not with distinct teams behind them. Organic and paid should be part of the same strategy conversation – with creative and media at the table. Paid and organic can complement each other strongly. Organic audiences are engaged supporters, driving content views, comments and organic website sessions. Organic content nurtures and informs those who know your brand or your perspective. These audiences are your most loyal, and insights from their actions and interests will inform your paid audience targeting, and your next round of creative content planning. On the flip side, within your best-performing social media content – that’s tested across millions of targeted impressions and dozens of AI-powered creative treatments – lies the spark for your next most engaging organic content.
Bigger! Better! Fewer!
Face it, very few are waiting for your organization’s next social media post. You should be communicating when you have something relevant to say. It’s more effective to focus your integrated social media efforts within your brand’s own schedule. Find your most meaningful and most impactful moments. Pick your times to speak, and break through with meaning, authenticity, and the weight of a focused ad spend to drive higher exposure for the moments that matter (to you and your audiences). Less is more!
Bigger moments are more likely to align with strategic outcomes. And social media outcomes should be a means to an end, aligning with actual business objectives. Your organization is not powered by impressions and likes. Calibrate your conversions and turn on an ecosystem that is fine-tuned to nurture first-party customer data – data from which you can grow more meaningful relationships. Engaged audiences are more likely to connect through to your websites, your ecommerce shop, your CRM initiatives and your physical assets.
Embrace platform formats
The smartphone is the TV of today. And vertical video is its 22-minute sitcom. XDR screens and 5G networks have made social media feeds the perfect place for vertical video entertainment. Steve Jobs dreamed of an entertainment and communications device for the park bench, the bus and the bathroom. And now we have it, full-screen and lightning fast. Today, content carrying your message needs to resonate with your mobile viewer within just 2 seconds. This is why your creative and social media teams should integrate from the start, so that possibilities are never missed. Your content planning and production stream can be designed to incorporate native platform truths, from the start. The format is vertical, short, and quickly engaging – with branding and key message right up front.
Because social media is so volatile, we as marketers need to be extra-focused on stability. When users, platforms and policies ebb and flow, integration and cohesion are our secret weapons. Increase the proximity between social, creative, media and web teams. Lead with authenticity. Embrace and test new platform formats. These are the efforts that enhance immediate success during these platform teen years and prepare us for weathering the expected volatility ahead.
