Author: Zenergy

The lines between marketing and PR are becoming increasingly blurred. In 2025, the most successful brands will be those that seamlessly integrate storytelling across owned, earned, and paid media channels. This convergence reflects a broader shift toward cohesive messaging and audience-first strategies. Here’s how brands can align marketing and PR to maximize impact:

1. Leverage Influencer Media Partnerships

The rise of influencer marketing has transformed the media landscape. Influencers serve as a bridge between traditional public relations strategies and digital marketing by offering:

– Credibility: Influencers are seen as trusted voices by their followers.

– Reach: They provide access to niche audiences often missed by traditional channels.

– Storytelling Opportunities: Influencers can weave your brand into authentic, relatable narratives.

To succeed, brands should treat influencers as media partners, collaborating on campaigns that align with broader messaging strategies.

2. Align PR with Digital Advertising

All must work hand-in-hand to amplify each other’s efforts. For example:

– PR-driven buzz can be supported by retargeting campaigns to keep audiences engaged.

– Press coverage can be turned into ad creative, reinforcing key messages across platforms.

– Media mentions can be amplified through paid social ads to reach a wider audience.

This synergy ensures consistency and maximizes the return on both PR and marketing investments.

3. Master Omni-Channel Storytelling

Modern audiences consume content across a variety of platforms, from social media to traditional news outlets. A unified storytelling approach ensures your brand message resonates regardless of the channel, here’s how:

– Owned Media: Use your website and blog to provide in-depth content and act as the central hub for your messaging.

– Earned Media: Secure press coverage that lends credibility and aligns with your brand story.

– Paid Media: Invest in digital ads to amplify key messages and reach targeted audiences.

By weaving a consistent narrative across these channels, you can create a seamless brand experience.

4. Adopt a Data-Driven Approach

Data is the glue that binds marketing and MR together. Use analytics to:

– Measure Campaign Impact: Track engagement, impressions, and conversions from PR and marketing efforts.

– Identify Audience Insights: Use data to understand what content resonates with your target demographic.

– Refine Messaging: Continuously improve your storytelling based on performance metrics by using tools like Google Analytics, media monitoring platforms, and social media insights.

A data-driven approach ensures that your campaigns are both impactful and adaptable.

5. Foster Collaboration Between Teams

For true convergence, marketing and PR teams need to break down silos and work collaboratively. Encourage:

– Joint Planning Sessions: Align goals, target audiences, and messaging from the start.

– Shared Metrics: Use KPIs that measure the success of both PR and marketing efforts, like audience reach and impressions, engagement metrics, web traffic, media mentions, etc.

– Cross-Functional Training: Equip teams with the skills to navigate both disciplines effectively.

Collaboration not only enhances efficiency but also leads to more cohesive and compelling campaigns.

Unifying Marketing and Media

The convergence of marketing and media relations presents brands with a transformative opportunity to amplify their impact. By aligning strategies, using data-driven insights, and fostering cross-team collaboration, brands can craft campaigns that resonate on every platform. This unified, holistic approach not only breaks down barriers but also sets the standard for the future of brand storytelling.

Ready to align your marketing and media relations strategies? Contact Zenergy Communications today to craft campaigns that deliver unified and powerful results.

If you’re looking to boost channel loyalty, engagement, and sales, a well-structured reward or incentive program can be a transformative strategy. However, not all programs are created equal. To truly maximize results, keep these three critical considerations in mind:

1. Your Reward or Incentive Program Should Be a Profit Center

Many businesses hesitate to implement a rewards program due to perceived costs, but the right approach turns these programs into revenue drivers. Instead of focusing on expenses, consider how the program can generate profit. A strategic, data-driven program doesn’t just reward existing behavior—it encourages higher spending, increased engagement, and long-term customer retention.

2. Leverage Sales Data to Drive Growth

Simply awarding points or rebates based on dollars spent won’t cut it. To maximize effectiveness, the program should use historical sales data to establish personalized growth and performance targets. By tailoring incentives to each customer or sales rep based on their purchase history and potential, rewards are directly linked to profitable behavior.

3. Personalization is Key

A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work in today’s competitive landscape. Each customer or channel partner has unique behaviors, needs, and opportunities for growth. A successful program should be dynamic, offering personalized rewards and targets that align with individual performance and potential. This level of customization ensures that incentives are meaningful and truly drive engagement.

Unlocking the Full Potential of a Reward & Incentive Program

Lift & Shift specializes in building data-driven B2B reward and incentive programs that focus on personalization and profitability. With expertise in transforming sales data into actionable strategies, Lift & Shift helps companies drive growth, engagement, and ROI.

Organizations looking to create or elevate their reward programs and build incremental sales can rely on Lift & Shift to deliver tailored solutions that maximize results.

Dan Benoit
President

Lift & Shift Inc.
dan@lift-and-shift.com

Shareholder activism is reshaping corporate decision-making. It occurs when investors use their influence to shape a company’s governance, financial strategies, or corporate responsibility initiatives. Activists may advocate for issues such as leadership restructuring, environmental policies, or maximizing shareholder value through mergers and acquisitions.

As shareholder activism evolves, companies can prepare for increasing pressures on governance, sustainability, and financial performance. From ESG demands to M&A pressures and AI-driven analysis, 2025 is set to be a pivotal year for Investor Relations (IR) professionals.

To dive into the data, check out Davies’ Governance Insights: A Review of Shareholder Activism in Canada 2024: Key Decisions and Trends to Watch for 2025.

Here are the top nine trends shaping shareholder activism in Canada and how to navigate the evolving landscape:

1. ESG in Focus

Investors demand clearer climate policies, diversity, and corporate transparency to align with global sustainability efforts. Companies that fail to meet these expectations may face heightened scrutiny and potential reputational risks from both activists and institutional shareholders, making it imperative to align sustainability initiatives with long-term value creation.

2. M&A Under Scrutiny

Activists are increasing pressure on undervalued deals and divestitures, pushing for greater shareholder returns. Underperforming acquisitions, weak synergies, or lack of transparency in deal structuring are red flags for activists. Be prepared to justify strategic transactions with clear value propositions and conduct early shareholder engagement to mitigate activist opposition.

3. Targeted Sectors

REITs, energy, and financial services continue to face heightened activist attention due to valuation concerns and governance issues. Energy sector activists are increasingly focused on transition strategies, pushing for commitments to renewable energy and carbon reduction. Financial services and REITs remain vulnerable due to concerns over capital allocation, risk exposure, and governance effectiveness.

4. Activist Swarms Rising

Companies are facing a surge of multi-activist campaigns, where different investors pursue varied agendas simultaneously—some may push for ESG improvements, while others focus on financial restructuring. This creates competing demands on corporate leadership, making strategic, proactive engagement essential to maintaining stability and stakeholder trust.

5. By-Law Scrutiny

It’s important for companies to refine governance policies to withstand legal challenges and ensure compliance with evolving regulations. Advance notice by-laws, shareholder meeting protocols, and director election processes will face increased scrutiny. Strengthening governance frameworks and refining by-laws can help deter activist challenges and ensure procedural fairness.

6. AI & Data Analytics in Activism

Activists can leverage AI-driven insights to uncover governance weaknesses, creating a need for proactive data analysis. While specific AI applications in activism may vary, companies benefit from awareness of the growing role of data analytics in identifying governance risks and shareholder engagement trends. AI tools can rapidly assess market trends, corporate disclosures, and investor sentiment, allowing activists to identify governance vulnerabilities. IR teams can embrace AI to track activist movements, analyze sentiment, and anticipate governance risks.

7. Institutional Investors Aligning with Activists

Major investors are increasingly supporting activist campaigns, particularly on ESG and governance issues. As institutional investors collaborate with activist groups, companies can foster transparent communication and engagement with their shareholders to maintain alignment and mitigate risks.

8. Increased Board Refreshment Demands

Activists push for more independent, diverse, and skilled directors, shaping boardroom decisions. Companies can expect greater scrutiny over director expertise, board tenure, and overall governance structures, with activists advocating for boardroom shake-ups to enhance accountability and performance. Enhancing board composition and governance transparency can help preempt activist challenges.

9. Proactive Engagement Strategies

Companies can strategically enhance investor communication and sentiment analysis to stay ahead of activist challenges. Regular shareholder engagement, transparent disclosures, and data-driven sentiment tracking will be critical in preempting activist concerns and fostering stronger investor trust.

Preparing for the Future of Shareholder Activism

With shareholder activism evolving, IR teams will benefit from a proactive approach to governance and engagement. These trends for 2025 highlight the growing influence of AI, ESG activism, and M&A pressures—so preparation is key.

The landscape is shifting—how will you adapt? Partner with Zenergy to strengthen your IR strategy, anticipate activist demands, and drive investor confidence.

Contact us today.

Zenergy Communications

media@zenergycom.com

Digital marketing is undergoing a seismic shift toward a privacy-first landscape. As consumers become increasingly aware of data misuse and demand stronger privacy protections and accountability, tech giants are taking action. Initiatives like Google’s Privacy Sandbox empower users to make informed choices about third-party cookies, while updates to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) emphasize leveraging first-party data for responsible and effective targeting. Combined with regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), these developments are reshaping how marketers connect with audiences.

As third-party cookies lose relevance, marketers must forge meaningful connections built on trust, transparency, and significance. Here are actionable strategies to help your brand navigate this evolving environment:

Embrace First-Party Data

First-party data—information collected directly from your audience—has become the cornerstone of effective marketing. Unlike third-party data, it’s collected with user consent, fostering trust and compliance using these strategies:

• Launch loyalty programs, surveys, and email sign-ups to gather valuable insights.

• Use this data to deliver personalized content, product recommendations, and offers.

• Be transparent about your data usage to build stronger, trust-based relationships.

Focus on Contextual Targeting

As reliance on third-party cookies fades, contextual targeting is making a resurgence. This approach tailors ads to the content users are currently engaging with, instead of tracking their browsing history. For example, displaying cookware ads on a recipe blog. As a result, ads feel less like interruptions and more like complimentary information, offering several benefits:

• Aligns ads naturally with relevant content, enhancing user experience.

• Respects user privacy by avoiding intrusive tracking practices like cross-site monitoring.

• Increases engagement by delivering timely and contextually appropriate messaging.

Strengthen Attribution Models

Tracking campaign performance without third-party cookies requires robust attribution models. These models help marketers analyze user journeys and conversions more effectively, for example:

• Use UTM parameters to monitor traffic sources.

• Leverage tools like GA4 for advanced tracking.

• Analyze referral traffic, time-on-site, and click-through rates to gauge success.

Foster Direct Customer Relationships

With diminishing access to third-party data, cultivating direct relationships with your audience is more critical than ever. Authentic engagement drives loyalty and boosts customer lifetime value. Here are some tips to connect with impact:

• Create vibrant social media communities to encourage direct interactions with your brand.

• Produce valuable content, such as educational blogs, videos, and webinars.

• Respond promptly to customer feedback and inquiries to build trust and rapport.

Leverage Privacy-Focused Tools

New tools and platforms are emerging to help brands comply with privacy regulations while continuing to collect meaningful insights, for example:

• Privacy Sandbox APIs: These tools enable targeted advertising by grouping users based on general interests or allowing on-device auctioning of ads without revealing individual browsing behaviors.

• Customer Data Platforms (CDPs): Consolidate data from various sources to gain a holistic view of customer behavior.

• Privacy-Centric Analytics: Tools like GA4 prioritize user consent and compliance while delivering actionable insights.

• IP Protection: Features like enhanced privacy controls in Chrome’s Incognito mode safeguard user data and browsing activity.

Prioritize Transparency and Compliance

Regulations like GDPR and CCPA underscore the importance of transparency in data collection and usage. Adhering to these standards not only ensures compliance but also fosters consumer trust. Here are some measures to take:

• Clearly communicate your data usage policies in a user-friendly manner.

• Provide intuitive and easy-to-navigate privacy settings.

• Regularly audit and update your compliance strategies to stay ahead of evolving regulations.

Embracing the Privacy-First Future

The transition to a privacy-first world reflects a broader movement toward ethical marketing practices that value honesty and consent. For marketers, it’s not just about compliance, but about reimagining marketing for a more ethical, user-focused future. By prioritizing trust, leveraging tools like the Privacy Sandbox, and focusing on first-party data, your brand can adapt, innovate, and thrive in this new era.

Are you ready to embrace the future of ethical marketing? Contact us today to craft strategies that prioritize transparency, trust, and measurable success.

Acquisition Propels KORT into US Market Executing on Aggressive Growth Strategy

Toronto, Ontario — February 11, 2025 — KORT Payments (KORT), a specialized omnichannel payments provider, delivers on its aggressive growth strategy with the acquisition of the direct marketing payment processing business from US-based Paysafe Direct LLC. This transaction propels KORT into the US market and gives the company ownership of existing reseller and merchant contracts, leading technology, and key employees.

“The acquisition of Paysafe’s direct marketing payment processing business represents a quantum leap for the company and aligns with our commitment to providing innovative solutions across North America,” said Joel Leonoff, Chairman of KORT Payments. “The KORT team has extensive experience in managing complex industry verticals and has proven success in this sector.” 

Hiep Tran, KORT’s Chief Strategy Officer and Board member further commented: “I am thrilled to be re-engaging with the original business I successfully founded and managed for many years. The transaction highlights KORT’s continued dedication to seizing high-potential opportunities in industry verticals that our team is familiar with.”

KORT is well-positioned for growth and the company remains committed to rapid expansion, technological innovation, and delivering exceptional value to clients and partners in the ever evolving fintech sector.

About KORT Payments


KORT Payments (KORT) is a specialized omnichannel payments provider. Its core purpose is to enable businesses to connect and transact seamlessly through industry-leading capabilities in compliance, risk management, and payment processing.

KORT is powered by its innovative full-stack, enterprise-grade platform and led by a seasoned management team. For more than 25 years, this team has been leading the charge in global e-commerce and payment processing.

KORT is a customer-focused business dedicated to enhancing partner and customer satisfaction and building strong relationships.

For more information about KORT Payments, please visit www.kortpayments.com.

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Media Contact:

Zenergy Communications

media@zenergycom.com

Digital signage has evolved from a niche technology to a powerful communication tool for businesses across a range of industries. Once primarily adopted by early innovators, it’s now widely embraced as a means to enhance visitor experiences, improve operational efficiency, and streamline information sharing.

In corporate offices and healthcare facilities, digital displays support internal communications, provide real-time updates, and help people navigate complex environments. Meanwhile, the retail and entertainment sectors continue to leverage digital signage to engage audiences, create immersive experiences, and drive customer interaction—ultimately converting audiences into buyers and brand advocates.

Why Digital Signage is Gaining Momentum

As businesses explore new strategies to communicate effectively, digital signage is becoming an increasingly valuable tool. Here’s why:

• Advancements in Display – High-resolution LED and LCD screens, interactive touchpoints, and AI-driven personalization have made digital signage increasingly dynamic and engaging.

• Cloud-Based Content Management – CMS platforms like iGotcha Signage allow businesses to update content in real-time, ensuring messaging remains relevant and consistent across various locations and platforms.

• Versatile Applications – Digital signage supports a wide range of content, including promotional videos, live social media feeds, real-time news updates, interactive wayfinding, customer testimonials, and product showcases.

Enhancing Engagement Through Digital Signage

At iGotcha Media, digital signage is designed to do more than just display content—it helps brands create meaningful, fully integrated brand experiences. The iGotcha approach focuses on these three key pillars of success:

• Connect – First impressions matter. High-resolution displays, immersive video walls, and dynamic visuals capture attention and build brand recognition.

• Captivate – Engagement drives impact. AI-driven personalization, interactive content, and real-time updates foster deeper audience connections through video, social media, and testimonials.

• Convert – Seamless experiences drive action. Interactive kiosks, QR codes, and digital transactions minimize friction, and create a seamless experience for customers to engage and convert.

The Measurable Impact of Digital Signage

The results speak for themselves—studies show that digital signage increases brand awareness by 47.7% and influences purchasing decisions for over 40% of shoppers at the point of purchase.

Looking Ahead

As the digital transformation accelerates, businesses are redefining how they interact with customers and stakeholders. Digital signage is expected to continue evolving, integrating with emerging technologies like AI, augmented reality, and data-driven personalization to further enhance audience engagement.

From brand storytelling to operational efficiency, and interactive customer experiences, digital signage is proving to be a versatile and impactful tool for businesses looking to enhance their brand’s engagement.

Greg Adelstein
President
iGotcha Media
Greg.adelstein@igotchamedia.com

Google’s search algorithm is set to undergo significant changes in 2025, reshaping how brands and marketers approach SEO. Building on the transformative impact of the Search Generative Experience (SGE) introduced last year—which used generative AI to make search more conversational and contextual—Google’s latest updates promise to push these advancements in user experience (UX) even further. With CEO Sundar Pichai’s announcement of profound enhancements to search functionality, here are actionable steps marketers can take to stay ahead:

Optimize for Visual Search

Google is doubling down on visual content. As search increasingly incorporates images and videos, ensure your visuals are:

• High-quality and relevant.

• Properly tagged with descriptive alt text.

• Optimized with relevant filenames and metadata.
  
  Visual search tools are expanding, and leveraging this trend can boost discoverability and engagement with your content.

Align Content with AI-Powered Search

Google’s integration of AI tools, like Gemini and SGE, are transforming search interactions. This means:

• Creating interactive, question-based content that anticipates user queries.

• Structuring blog posts with concise answers to popular queries.

• Using schema markup (a set of tags, or microdata, that you can add to your web page’s code) to make your content AI-friendly and more accessible for search engines.

Prioritize E-E-A-T

Google’s pillars of Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) are non-negotiable for search visibility. Marketers should:

• Invest in in-depth, original content.

• Showcase credentials or expertise prominently within their niche.

• Build backlinks from credible, high-authority sources to boost domain trust.

Leverage Semantic Search

Google’s algorithm is increasingly adept at understanding user intent through semantic search. To capitalize on this:

• Use long-tail keywords and phrases that mimic how people naturally search.

• Incorporate conversational language in your content to align with voice searches.

• Answer common customer questions directly in your copy to improve relevance and rankings.

Enhance Page Experience

Page experience metrics remain a cornerstone of SEO performance. To ensure your site ranks well:

• Optimize for mobile-first indexing.

• Improve page load speeds using tools like image compression and caching.

• Ensure intuitive site navigation to enhance UX and reduce bounce rates.

Stay Ahead in the Search Evolution

Google’s updates are making search smarter, more visual, and increasingly user-focused. Marketers who prioritize high-quality content, UX, and AI-aligned strategies will maintain a competitive edge in 2025.

Want to learn more? Stay tuned for more insights, tips, and trends from the marketing world.

Contact us today to discover how we can build your digital marketing strategy, together.

SALARY INCREASE BUDGET OF 3.3% ALIGNS WITH PROJECTIONS  

Toronto, Ontario, January 22, 2025 – Normandin Beaudry, a leader in actuarial and total rewards consulting services, has released the results of its pulse survey on salary increase budget forecasts for 2025. Conducted in November of 2024, nearly 400 Canadian organizations were surveyed by the firm’s compensation experts to evaluate their initial projected 2025 salary increase budget established in the summer of 2024 and determined that the forecast was closely aligned to the survey results of 3.3%.

HIGHLIGHTS

The pulse survey showcases that the salary increase budget forecasts closely align with initial projections

The survey reveals that 68% of participating organizations made no change to their initial 2024 summer budget forecast for 2025. Of those changing their initial projections, 65% are reducing their initial budgets with cost reduction efforts as the main motivator.

The average Canadian salary increase budget forecast for 2025 is closely aligned with initial projections of 3.3%, slightly lower than the summer 2024 of 3.4%, excluding freezes. On a year-over-year basis, the survey reveals continued gradual decline in average salary increase budgets following a series of sharp increases realized from 2021 to 2023. Darcy Clark, Senior Principal, Compensation at Normandin Beaudry explains this phenomenon: “Organizations are trying to find the right balance between retaining top talent, while also managing their compensation spend to remain agile and competitive amid an evolving and uncertain geopolitical landscape. While less aggressive than last year’s 3.6%, it’s important to note that the forecast for 2025 remain above historical norms and are outpacing current rates of inflation.”

What type of companies are making changes to their budget forecasts?

Most industries reported they would make minor reductions to their initial salary increase budgets. Industries with the most substantial decreases are in the electronic gaming and visual effects, transportation and warehousing, and telecommunications and data processing/warehousing industries. The more conservative increase budget forecast from the survey may reflect substantial increases to compensation programs implemented over the last several cycles, cost reduction efforts, and decreased pressure for talent in the market. In contrast, initial salary increase budgets are increasing in finance and insurance, public services, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. These increases are likely linked to the competitive nature of the market and serve as a strategy to retain key talent and to address any internal equity issues.

Additional budget for more flexibility

Forty-two percent of organizations that participated in the survey also plan to set aside an average additional budget of 0.9% in 2025. “By reserving these resources, organizations are positioning themselves to better address potential challenges during the next compensation cycle,” explains Clark. “This strategy provides them with an opportunity to tackle internal inequalities more thoroughly with ad hoc salary adjustments. Additionally, setting aside a portion of their budget can help support salary increase differentiation for high performers and address retention efforts for highly strategic or business-critical roles.”

Stable total budgets

In Canada, the average total salary increase budget[1] remains at 3.6% for 2025, slightly lower than the initial forecast of 3.7% from the summer of 2024, excluding freezes. Average total salary increase budget forecasts by ownership structure include:

• Not-for-profit organizations: 4.1%
• Privately held organizations (not listed on a stock market): 3.9%
• Publicly traded organizations (listed on a stock market): 3.4%
• Government organizations / Crown corporations: 3.6%

Total rewards, an integral part of the solution

As salary increase budgets continue to decrease and stabilize to pre-pandemic norms, organizations must strategize to maintain competitiveness beyond cash compensation. For 2025, organizations appear to be focusing internally on their total rewards foundations, with 58% ensuring they remain competitive in their total rewards programs, 57% focusing on employee engagement and communication, and 32% reviewing their job architectures and hierarchy. Prioritizing these areas can help organizations ensure that they are better supporting their employees, while boosting comprehension and appreciation of the programs that exist to support talent development and growth. This internal focus can help ensure they remain competitive and an employer of choice.

The full report and interactive tool, with details by province, industry sector, size and type of organization, are available on the Normandin Beaudry website.

About Normandin Beaudry

Founded in 1992, Normandin Beaudry is a leader in actuarial and total rewards consulting services with offices in Montreal, Toronto and Quebec City. Its team of over 350 people serves clients across Canada in various areas of total rewards expertise: Pension, Savings, Investment Consulting, Pension Plan Administration, Group Benefits, Compensation, Health, Performance and Communication.  

In 2023, Normandin Beaudry enhanced its global presence by becoming an equal shareholder of MBWL International, a joint venture between Milliman, Barnett Waddingham and Lurse, while maintaining its independent status.

About our compensation expertise

Normandin Beaudry’s team of over 40 compensation consultants is one of the largest in Canada. Through the sound and innovative use of data and technology, our versatile and creative experts provide clients with unique and simple solutions that address their strategic and operational needs. For more details, visit https://www.normandin-beaudry.ca/en/areas-of-expertise/compensation/

[1] Total budget includes the salary increase budget and the additional budget.

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Media contact:

Zenergy Communications

media@zenergycom.com