The Works by Content Works: September 2024

At Content Works, we believe in the power of stories for a few reasons.

Stories stick: According to American psychologist Jerome Bruner, facts are approximately 22 times more likely to be remembered if they are part of a story. Facts are just data points; stories link them together.​

Stories connect: Our brains love patterns. Stories create patterns when we can connect what we’re hearing in a story to our own experiences, which creates an emotional connection but also reinforces that story in your mind.

Stories change minds: Stories can also impact people's opinions when they can identify and relate to the content. Compare this to articles that feel overly salesy or persuasive: it’s our natural instinct to become defensive. A soft sell taps into people’s emotions and lets them come to their own positive conclusions.

How does this help you, and how does this help your business? Because brand storytelling is a key marketing tactic to connect with audiences.

It allows you to…

• Join conversations related to your target audience and industry
• Establish your expertise on a subject matter
• Emphasize your unique value propositions in ways that are hard to explain using other marketing products
• And ultimately, forge emotional bonds with audiences that cause them to choose your services over your competitors

Every month, Postmedia’s Content Works team partners with advertisers across Canada to create impactful content that combines our expert storytelling with their marketing goals to create content that resonates with readers. Here’s a selection of the best content partnerships we created with brands last month.

Biogen

August was Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Awareness Month, and Biogen wanted to recognize how medical advancements are rewriting the course of this serious rare disease. The story centres on 11-year-old Justin Dionne of Quispamsis, N.B. and his love of playing sports, including hockey, baseball and tackle football. Diagnosed with SMA at age five, Justin was able to begin treatment right away, helping him to retain muscle function and exceed expectations for his physical abilities as he got older. In highlighting Justin's story, Biogen shared a message of hope to newly diagnosed SMA patients and their caregivers that the future has never looked brighter for those born with this rare disease.

Read the content here: National Post x Biogen

Loblaws

This sponsored content story was part of a two-part series for Loblaws in which readers were provided with tips and tricks to save money on their grocery purchases. This story offers valuable information while also highlighting Loblaws' many money-saving options for shoppers to help with the high cost of living in 2024. The story features Canadian influencer Kathleen Cassidy, who explains how she utilizes Loblaws' Price Drop, Fresh Promise, Hit of the Month specials and PC Points to her advantage, as well as how to create an effective shopping list before you head out to the store. The main objective of the series was brand awareness and loyalty while the call to action encourages readers to visit their local Loblaws store or shop online at loblaws.ca.

Read the content here: National Post x Loblaws

Montreal private schools

The Montreal Gazette Private Education special feature highlights the best of private education in the city. Each participating school worked with Content Works to tell a story about their school, and the article was published in both print and online. This year, the print section was 20 pages, with each school's story and display ad published alongside editorial articles about education. The schools were also featured in an interactive page offering 10 fun facts about private education, and their respective stories were linked to provide more details.

Explore the interactive page here

Opéra de Montréal

Opéra de Montréal’s 2024-25 season has kicked off with a bang and this article gave readers a look at the exciting first show, The Barber of Seville. Not only does this article offer a glimpse at what the audience can expect from the show, it also shines a light on the talented cast and crew who are making this innovative performance come to life and encourages Montrealers to buy their tickets and experience the show for themselves.

 Read the content here: Montreal Gazette x Opéra de Montréal

Travel Nevada

What happens in Vegas is only the beginning. This National Post story focused on some of the more fascinating and offbeat road trips easily accessible from Las Vegas. Examples include exploring nearby national parks and nature reserves, stargazing in the high desert, visiting ghost towns and curious roadside attractions, and staying in haunted and historic motels. Readers discovered a side of Nevada as serene as Vegas is splashy. All just a day’s drive or less away from the Strip.

Read the content here: National Post x Travel Nevada