It’s been a busy news year, especially within our clients’ industries. As communication professionals, it’s important that we stay on top of all the latest news trends and brainstorm how we can actively participate in the conversation. Here are four important topics we watched closely in 2017 and how our clients got involved:
1. Paris Climate Agreement
The Paris Climate Agreement was definitely a global topic of conversation last year, and directly impacts our clients as well as the everyday samaritan. Despite President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, many companies and states have expressed the need to still uphold the agreement on their own. Our client, Reynders, McVeigh Capital Management, is among those companies choosing to still fight the never-ending battle to reverse climate change. In a post on LinkedIn, the investment management firm announced:
2. Renewable Energy
Although many aspects of the new administration’s tax plan have caused quite a reaction, its implications on the renewable energy sectorare a gleam of hope. The new tax plan eliminates some pitfalls for the renewable energy space — and for good reason. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, more than 7% of the nation’s electricity comes from wind and solar. Our client, Sunwealth, is seeing first hand the increase in demand for commercial and community solar.
A large portion of President Trump’s appeal to rural areas is the idea of bringing jobs back to oil and coal. However, in Ohio for example (a major player in the fossil fuel industry), more than 105,000 jobs were added in various clean-energy industries according to The 2017 Clean Jobs Midwest report. The report highlights that Michigan and Ohio (of all places) are leading the way in terms of renewable energy jobs.
3. Women’s Movement
The #MeToo and #TimesUp campaigns were front and center this year, which has accelerated the Women’s Movement. Let us not forget the Women’s March and the addition of the Fearless Girl statue across from the Wall Street bull in 2017. Our client AAFCPAs’ Women’s Opportunity Network(as featured in Accounting Today) is designed to help the women at AAFCPAs have a voice and move forward in their careers. It demonstrates the forward-thinking mindset of the partners, who believe women should be advancing in the accounting space at the same pace as their male colleagues. With the gender wage gap still well in effect, it’s important for companies to actively take a stand for women’s equal and well-deserved rights in the workplace.
4. Healthcare
With all of the uncertainty surrounding healthcare, there are still major advancements being made especially within the tech world. In November, one of the hot-ticket items for the Holiday’s was an Ancestry DNA test, which outlines where we’re from geographically but also addresses health risks we may be prone to. Longview client Arthur D. Little issued an insights report titled, Future of Diagnostics – Personal Genetic Services due for explosive growth(featured in FierceHealthcare) which identifies strategic recommendations for producers, payers, and providers when facing exponential growth in personal genetic testing services in a quality care environment.
We anticipate ongoing coverage and updates as these 2017 stories to carry over into 2018. Monitoring for all ongoing news stories is a vital part of what we do here at Longview Strategies. When we’re on top of all the trends and developing stories, our efforts flourish for our clients. We’re excited to see what 2018 brings for top news!
