In 2020, Canadian marketers were forced to throw out the old rule books in order to adapt to new realities and many uncertainties. Business models shifted overnight, consumer trends became unpredictable and brands and retailers quickly needed new ways to reach customers.
With the year coming to a close, we looked into our data to find out what Think with Google articles resonated most with Canadian marketers this year.
Canada’s e-commerce moment is now: What retailers need to know
Back in March, when pandemic restrictions forced stores to close their physical locations, retailers scrambled to meet customers online. It’s not surprising that this piece by Eric Morris, Google Canada’s managing director of retail, was our most-read article of the year.
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5 principles guiding our media teams in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak
“To say it’s a unique time in the world is an understatement. As we all collectively grapple with what this global pandemic means for us — as humans first, but also as professionals — there are often more questions than answers,” wrote Joshua Spanier, Google’s VP of global media, in this piece about how he and his teams have been navigating Google’s campaigns.
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5 tips for adopting creative best practices for video
This year, as Canadians turned to digital video more than ever before, marketers looked for new ways to meet their customers there. This Back to Basics series article, detailing the best practices for YouTube video ads, resonated with our readers.
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How people decide what to buy lies in the ‘messy middle’ of the purchase journey
A lot happens between the moment someone realizes they have a need for a product and when they decide to make a purchase. We call this the messy middle, or “a complex space between triggers and purchase, where customers are won and lost.” This article, written by Alistair Rennie and Jonny Protheroe from Google’s consumer insights team, examines research on how consumers behave in this messy middle.
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Building a 'new normal': How to help your business embrace change
By May, many marketers were shifting from crisis response to longer-term strategies. Matthew Rivard, Google Canada’s head of strategy and product acceleration, shared ways marketing leaders could help their teams create their own “new normal.”
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Change is here. Marketing leaders must take real actions to show diversity matters, or risk brand erosion
The Black Lives Matter movement has shone a spotlight on diversity in Canada’s advertising industry and the need for more inclusive marketing. In this powerful Big Thinkers series article, MediaCom Canada CEO Kevin Johnson shared new research around how racialized consumers are responding to the Black Lives Matter movement in Canada, and ways marketing leaders can take action.
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Inside Google Marketing: How we’re reprioritizing marketing investments
As we entered the second half of the year, marketing leaders across Canada had to shift priorities and adapt their budgets to new realities. Fab Dolan, director of marketing at Google Canada, offered a window into his own pivots and preparations for the back half of the year. “The exercise of shifting investments as you go is not only normal, it’s the definition of responsible management,” he wrote.
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4 agency leaders share strategies for navigating uncertainty and recovery
When the future is unclear, marketers often turn to their trusted partners for advice. We sat down with four leaders from Canadian agencies to get their reflections on what they’ve learned from the past, and their perspectives on next steps for navigating recovery.
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For CPGs, the time has come to own the digital customer experience — and deliver
“Traditionally, CPGs have not owned a clear view of who their digital consumers are — those insights are owned by retailers,” wrote Sean Cunningham, head of industry for heath, home & personal care at Google Canada. “As the consumer journey becomes increasingly complex, the onus is now on CPG marketers to better understand who is looking for and buying their products to help deliver the best customer experience possible.”
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Canadian auto trends show the demand for cars hasn’t gone away — it’s gone digital
Canada’s automotive industry knows disruption. It’s seen assembly plants open and close, the emergence of ride-sharing and ride-hailing services, and the invention of electric and driverless cars. Yet through all these changes, the end-to-end habits of Canada’s auto industry remained fairly traditional — until 2020. This article is packed with practical advice for auto dealers and brands.
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