N/N Insights: The top-read posts of H1 2023

As our regular (and not-so-regular) readers may know, New Narrative turned 10 this March, a milestone we celebrated with an event in Hong Kong. Some will also know that throughout those years we’ve made it a practice to regularly publish articles on our Insights page about a wide range of industries our work for clients touches on, as well as honest opinions and forthright advice concerning our own: marketing, and specifically the role content plays in it.

We like to think everything we publish strikes a chord with at least part of our readership, but there are some articles that clearly stand out in terms of the number of people they engage, and, often, the conversations they start. Not surprisingly, a lot of them are on issues that clearly matter, and matter now more than ever – whether the rise of generative AI, the benefits of digital financial services or the difficulties of building a business from the ground up.

To better highlight these articles, especially to those who may have missed them the first time around, we’re launching a new feature – a rundown of the top five most read posts in H1 and H2 of each year. This inaugural list, to no great surprise, is heavy on the coverage of N/N’s anniversary milestone – a sign perhaps of support from our clients, partners and other well-wishers, but also (again, we’d like to think) that some of our reflections on the journey so far have proven relevant to businesses of all stripes. We hope you enjoy reading (or revisiting) these posts as much as we did compiling this list.

#1 A robot (still) couldn’t write this headline

While that headline may no longer be entirely accurate, given how quickly generative AI is evolving, the popularity of this post – in which Partner David Line shares his rather cynical take on whether AI will make writers obsolete – speaks to the existential fears AI has triggered among people in a wide range of occupations, from analysts and coders to Hollywood actors. Given how much interest the topic has, er … generated in the months since, we revisited it here – this time from a B2B marketer’s perspective. Click here to read

#2 Celebrating 10 years: Our journey from ‘copywriting’ to ‘consulting’

Partner Joseph Chaney looks back at some of the key milestones in N/N's history, with a focus on possibly the most notable journey of all: the evolution of the N/N team – made up of a diverse mix of business journalists, industry analysts and communications professionals – into creators of agenda-setting thought leadership and client advisors. Click here to read

#3 N/N at 10: Of hard lessons and the element of surprise

Likening start-ups to young children for their constant capacity to shock and awe, Partner Jonathan Hopfner talks about some of the biggest surprises N/N has produced since its founding. Not all of them are positive, but the point is that for any small business, being forced to reassess, even change tack completely, is all part of the growth process. Click here to read

#4 Insurance innovation gets a boost from Southeast Asia’s digital economy

Southeast Asia's burgeoning gig economy is seeing more workers go without the typical safety nets – such as employer-sponsored life and health insurance – that salaried employees once took for granted. This post from our Singapore-based Senior Editor Mabel Ng looks at how insurers are rising to meet this challenge, and harnessing technology to create possible solutions to a worrying protection gap. Click to read

#5 N/N at 10: Five lessons for startup service providers

It takes a different kind of mindset to start a business – but when that’s done, the hard part of keeping it running and building its future begins, and entrepreneurs need all the advice and help they can get. It’s perhaps no surprise then that this post from Partner David Line on some of the hard lessons learned in N/N’s earlier years made it to this list. Click to read