Broadview Strategy Group — Communications Firm

I am very happy to say that none of the three wind energy proposals we were awarded contracts under the province’s large renewable energy procurements. We anticipate a second round of fighting coming soon, and I spoke with a reporter from the Whig who has been faithfully covering this issue for Eastern Ontario communities. Basic […]

Despite not being a hunter himself, John Laforet waded into the brewing debate about safari hunting shows that were scheduled to take place in various cities across Canada. There are groups actively trying to disrupt the events by strong-arming venues into cancelling on the organizers. Without getting into the issue itself, John argues that the tactics […]

Ontario’s Green Energy Act and the fight against it has been a defining moment for Broadview’s founder John Laforet and is an issue the firm remains active on from time to time. Working for Bon Echo Area Residents Against Turbines, we’ve  been involved in the fight against projects proposed by NextEra and RES Canada. Writing […]

In response to Ontario Environment Minister’s position on banning important pesticides, despite a lack of evidence that doing so will have a positive effect on Ontario’s bee population. John Laforet wrote a semi-tongue-in-cheek piece for Huffington Post urging that cell phones be banned as well — citing research that argued they too are harmful to bees. […]

Broadview Strategy Group’s very own John Laforet wrote a blog for Huffington Post regarding two patients who escaped a psychiatric hospital in North Bay and were being reported as ‘dangerous’ without any explanation of why. In it, John argues that such a label without any explanation leads to sensational fear and feeds into negative stereotypes […]

Today I wrote a column for Huffington Post Canada on the importance of developing New Years resolutions for your business as well. My business resolutions for each year focus on four areas of business that I think are extremely important: team building; business direction; client acquisition and giving back. Click the image below to visit […]

In the heels of the Ontario Auditor General’s annual report, I wrote a column for Huffington Post Canada about one element of the report I found particularly troubling and hypocritical — the chronic underfunding of Provincial Government defined benefit pensions, by the same people who are demanding Ontarians need better retirement security. I wrote about […]

 Broadview’s very own John Laforet was on Sun News Straight Talk with Pat Bolland and Rebecca Thompson discussing the Government of Ontario’s plan to spend $100 million dollars revitalizing Ontario Place. Take a look at the video to see John’s take on this spending announcement. Click here to watch John Laforet on Sun News re: […]

Last week our client Save the Discovery Coast Ferry held a fundraiser in Bella Coola, British Columbia to help support our shared effort to undo BC Ferries devastating cuts to Route 40. Their efforts generated media coverage focused on the work local communities are doing to fight back against the government, and our firm was mentioned. […]

Imagine you find yourself with car trouble in an unfamiliar city. The vehicle still runs, meaning you’ve got choices for where you take it, but it’s a Sunday afternoon and you’re impatient, wanting to get on your way. That was me, two Sundays ago in Buffalo, New York. My Chevy started acting up and I […]

Broadview Strategy Group’s very own John Laforet was on Sun News Network yesterday speaking with host Pat Bolland and fellow panelist Adam Giambrone about Justin Trudeau’s salty language and his lack of definition to what he considers the middle class to be. Take a look at the video link below to watch the interesting exchange. […]

Toronto’s mayoralty race has drawn nearly as much attention as the city’s embattled Mayor, yet John Laforet, the Principal here at Broadview Strategy Group isn’t convinced Mayor Ford’s opponents are presenting themselves as viable alternatives. Below is a link to his piece for Huffington Post on the challenges Mayor Ford’s challengers face in defeating him. […]

Broadview Strategy Group’s Principal was on Sun News on March 13, 2014 wading into Toronto’s municipal election the same day that Olivia Chow announced her candidacy. Click the link below to see John’s interview on the state of the mayors race in Toronto.   Video Link: John Laforet on Sun News Discussing Toronto’s Municipal Election

Broadview Strategy Group’s Principal John Laforet was asked to appear on the Sun News Network to discuss the fallout from Ontario’s Gas Plant Scandal and provide insight into the public relations strategies Ontario’s political party leaders should be undertaking to help them navigate the issue. Click the link  below to watch the segment. Where’s the […]

My introduction to politics came in 1978, during the Nova Scotia provincial election that resulted in John Buchanan’s Tories defeating Gerald Regan’s Liberals. It arrived in the form of a punch in the arm from a schoolyard bully who asked me if I was supporting Buchanan. I guess my answer didn’t satisfy him, but in […]

If you’re reading this post, I’m going to assume you’re already a Twitter user. You might use it personally, whether to keep in touch with friends, stay on top of news, or follow celebrities you admire; or you might use it for your business or non-profit, to build a community and increase your customer base. […]

Broadview’s Social Media Manager Jen Ochej wrote the Voice of The City column this week in The Coast, Halifax’s independent weekly, about recent PR and marketing gaffes, how they come to happen, and what they mean for the city:

We’ve written about this topic before, when Chris Steer participated in a meeting with a potential client that offered us a ‘double or nothing’ payment arrangement contingent on the outcome of lobbying work the potential client hoped we would complete on his behalf.

There’s a lot of subjectivity in what makes someone ‘good’ at social media. For instance, if you’re running a personal Twitter account that’s just for fun, it will look very different from an author who uses it both for personal updates and for marketing her own books and personal brand. Each of those two, in […]

Whenever we meet with a potential client, we are used to answering a lot of questions about our experience, our team members, existing and former clients and work we’ve completed in the past.

Since the Global Financial Crisis began, governments at all levels, in Canada and around the world, have been racking up huge debt levels to keep the economy going. Governments have, understandably given the circumstances, been cautious about new programs and increasing spending through this period. Unfortunately, many new businesses and industries are looking for support […]

In the past decade there’s been a growth of “branding” companies, firms moving away from traditional forms of advertising on television and in print in favour of social media platforms and other ways to express a company’s particular image. Many firms have fought to defend the value of traditional advertising in response. Which one should […]

Here’s a story you might expect to read on a site like The Onion, or see on an episode of This Hour Has 22 Minutes: LG is busy cleaning up a PR mess after a promotional event they ran in Seoul resulted in twenty injuries (including seven hospitalizations) when an unprecedented number of people showed […]

We are very pleased to announce that Broadview Strategy Group has purchased Chameleon Creative, the web and graphic design firm that has completed many of the creative elements for our clients’ projects over the past year.

I’m holding a scalpel in my hand, staring over at the blunt stub on the hand of the guy next me. Eight of us worked together in a room lit up like an operating theatre, lined up in two rows of four, doing paste-up for the Woolworths catalogue. We all wielded these blades to do […]

As someone who joined Twitter in 2008 and has been using it daily since 2009, it’s sometimes easy for me to forget that the whole world isn’t tweeting. I feel a genuine sense of shock when I meet someone who has never used Twitter, and often those same people truthfully have no idea what it’s […]

While a crisis is unpredictable in nature, it often follows a very predictable path. It starts with an unexpected action or event that poses a risk, threat or adverse reaction to people, places and things.

With Broadview’s clients, Facebook is almost always an integral cog in the larger campaign machine; it’s often the best way to reach out to a large number of people in the community and generate discussion, motivate people to action, and gain supporters.

Recently Broadview’s Principal John Laforet was invited on the Sun News Network to discuss Alberta MLA’s arrest while on government business related to alleged prostitution charges. In the segment John provides his assessment of MLA Allen’s handling of the situation, and some advice on next steps for MLA Allen.

I wrote a blog for Huffington Post regarding the brewing controversy surrounding Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau’s speaking fees. The basic argument that I present is that neither the NDP or the Conservatives have the moral authority to make a scandal out of an issue that has already been cleared by the Integrity Commissioner in […]

Cynicism with politics is at an all time high, and seemingly every day we see yet another story about how a politician has used his or her position for personal gain, or some kind of scandal that continues to breed mistrust in elected representatives. It’s not hard to imagine given everything that’s going on that […]

Here at Broadview, we work with a number of different clients on a wide range of social media campaigns, from community engagement to advertising and promotions, and everything in between. One question we hear a lot is, “Someone just said __________—should we respond to that?” It’s a valid question. It’s hard to know if that […]

If you’re in any kind of customer service-related work you know that it’s vitally important to know how to talk to (and about!) customers. Most people learn those lessons early on, and understand what is and isn’t okay. From making chitchat with the little old lady who stops in each week to buy her bread […]

John Laforet, Principal of Broadview Strategy Group wrote a blog for his personal website this weekend about the impact scandals have on citizens and government policy. It is an interesting read. Take a look. Scandal Fatigue Working in public relations and government relations requires a lot of reading, watching and listening to the news. Knowing […]

I was happy to appear on Right Now with Caryn Lieberman on the Sun News Network to discuss Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s handling of the current crisis he is facing. Below is the video of the segment and includes the advice I would provide anyone in this situation. The reality when a story demonstrates the […]

Driving down Dartmouth Road into Bedford, Nova Scotia, you’ll see three large, undeveloped building lots in a row. It’s a strange sight, considering this somewhat sleepy suburb has been a desirable and affluent community for decades. With a building boom to the south recently, fuelled in part by of the lack of remaining space in […]

In an age where digital communication defines so much of our daily lives, it’s important that young people have the skills and knowledge to build a social media presence, and to maintain one as they enter the work force. Young people are embracing Facebook, Twitter and texting as their primary means of communication.  This gives […]

We’re finding more and more ‘brick and mortar’ businesses are coming to us and asking how the internet fits into their marketing strategy. As a firm, we have some very simple advice. If your customers can’t find you on the internet, you don’t exist. It might sound harsh, but it’s true. More and more customers […]

Ahh, social media. From MySpace to Facebook to Twitter, it’s added so much to our lives. With social media you can get breaking news faster than CNN can report it; talk to celebrities and politicians—and, if you’re lucky, actually have them answer; even get speedy customer service from a brand or company.

Like they are in many cities across the country, condos are on the rise in Ottawa. Week after week, local newspapers feature stories that generally include the words ‘controversial’ and ‘development’ side by side. The word ‘controversial’ is almost always followed with a quote from a neighbour to the proposed development, stating why the proposal […]

Everywhere we look we hear about how bad the economy is. When we pick up the newspaper we see images of riots and cars burning in Greece, Cyprus, and other places in Europe. We’ve been introduced to the business concept of ‘too big to fail’ as though massive revenue somehow means market forces become irrelevant. […]

I have a pet peeve for typos. My staff hear about it all the time. The most costly typos for individuals though, are typos on their resume or cover letters. Let’s face it, humans are prone to error. We make mistakes all the time when left to our own devices. What sets the best performers […]

Politicians’ use of Twitter has been making headlines recently. Both Reuters and The Atlantic published articles about Newark, NJ mayor Cory Booker’s impressive Twitter presence (Booker has over one million followers). Closer to home (for me at least), The Coast’s Tim Bousquet published a piece in March about Halifax city councilors’ largely underwhelming Twitter habits. […]

Broadview’s Principal, John Laforet, wrote a column for Huffington Post Canada with tips for job seekers, and particularly those that will soon be graduating from post-secondary education and entering the workforce. Anyone trying to find work (and particularly the “right” work) in today’s job market will find his practical advice to be very helpful! In […]

At two o’clock last Tuesday afternoon, I turned to Gordon across our Halifax office and asked, “Are we under some kind of attack I’m unaware of?”

Last Christmas we thought it would be fun to have our logo spruced up for the holidays and decided after the positive response to that, we would do it again for Easter. We were a bit late getting it together, so we only got a couple of days of use out of it, but thought […]

Broadview’s Principal, John Laforet, wrote a column for Huffington Post Canada arguing in favour of employers paying their interns. What is interesting about the piece is that he avoids the very basic arguments like ‘it’s the right thing to do’ or ‘how can interns pay their bills without a pay cheque?’ and gets right to […]

A family-owned motorcycle supply shop in Lower Sackville has made headlines across Nova Scotia this week because of a relatively sizable theft in their store. However the theft itself isn’t what’s causing the public and the news media to take notice; rather, it’s the shop’s unconventional use of social media in response to the incident. […]

If you caught Premier Wynne’s Throne Speech February 19, 2013 you might have noticed it was heavy on the appeal for cooperation from the opposition parties– something Wynne needs in order to stay in power– but otherwise light on specific actions her government will take. (If you missed it, you can read the complete text […]

Broadview Strategy Group’s Principal, John Laforet wrote an article for Huffington Post Canada with his analysis of the Ontario Liberal Party leadership race. John outlines why he thinks Kathleen Wynne will be the next Liberal Leader and Premier. If you’re interested in campaigns, you will enjoy this read. Below is an excerpt from John’s article […]