Dear IAB Canada Community,

Over the past few months, I find myself inspired by our Community Uninterrupted content as it continues to provide awesome insights to our members and industry as a whole. We’ve heard from consultancies, publishers, research organizations and even psychiatrists about issues that impact our day-to-day professional lives as well as the state of the industry.

I continue to be amazed by inspired initiatives arising out of the chaos and see signs that point to a collective paving towards the road to recovery. There has been a wonderful show of collaborative efforts from publishers banding together to match charitable donations of inventory, to associations supporting local content as we continue to move through a difficult time for the advertising industry.

Personally, here are some insights that are keeping me optimistic:

Universal Compassion is Honing our Abilities to Connect to Consumers
Several speakers including Sam Sebastien, CEO of Pelmorex, have shared that the number one priority for their organization has been the well-being of their staff. As employees juggle their lives in plain view in front of their teammates, empathy is having a moment of growth. As teams continue to exhibit patience and understanding with one another, it has provided a tremendous opportunity for organizations to reflect on their outward communications as well.

People Continue to Give to Charities During Times of Uncertainty
In a presentation delivered by Jay Aber, President of The Aber Group about the impact of fundraising during this crisis, we saw that charitable giving remains in place. Even more encouraging was the notion that while people continue to donate towards global issues, there has been an increase in local contributions. While we face an obvious economic downturn, we see incredible generosity and a general mood towards making a difference.

Productivity is on the Rise as People Turn to “Outcome” Based Activities
We heard from Dr. Dalfen that there was a reason that baking bread and crafting has been on the rise. What we saw in the throes of lock down, was a display of exerting control over outcomes. Following recipes, patterns, instructions and designs can provide a sense of order. Many marketers took note of this and developed campaigns that speak to the insight. We expect to see more of this in the coming weeks and months.

The Emergence of the Remote Economy
Announcements are starting to roll out about the permanence of working from home. Many organizations have made the decision to stay remote and this will have an enormous impact on product and service requirements to accommodate this reality. From video conferencing and competitive courier services, to yoga studios and learning, remote living opens a brand-new economy with tremendous opportunities for established brands to develop new products and for start-ups to thrive.

Reflecting on the many discussions we have had over the past few weeks, these are only a few of the insights that have surfaced as signs of exciting things ahead. I welcome you to bring your insights to our stage. If you are interested in sharing with our community, please reach out. I hope that you continue to tune-in with us over the coming weeks as we delve more deeply into the thought leadership from our impressive community to discover new information that will help pave the way forward towards a re-imagined future for all of us.