N/N Insights: Our top-read posts of 2023

As we leave behind a milestone year for New Narrative – 2023 marked 10 years of N/N delivering thought leadership content and advisory services for our roster of industry-leading clients, as well as the opening of our office in London and the launch of iN/Ntelligence, our AI-powered content analysis platform – we have our sights firmly set on what the future might bring.

At the same time, however, we wanted to be sure to deliver on an old promise we made to our readers: providing a rundown of the most-read posts each year from our Insights page in one easy place. As always, the 2023 collection is an eclectic mix of articles from the N/N team on the wide range of themes and sectors our work touches on, as well as honest opinions and forthright advice concerning our own industry: marketing, and specifically the role content plays in it.

We hope you enjoy reading (or revisiting) these posts; for more please bookmark our Insights page, which features all of our in-house thought leadership, and subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter, where we capture current trends in the wide world of marketing and pertinent company updates.

#10 AIeeee! What B2B marketing leaders really think about AI

The rise of AI offers an opportunity for marketing leaders to rationalise their operations, deliver measurably impressive results, and educate the rest of the C-suite on its potential, writes partner David Line in this post from the floor of one of Asia’s premier B2B marketing events. One key insight stands out: Marketers shouldn’t feel insecure due to the rapid evolution of AI; by embracing it they’ll be empowered to do their jobs with even greater confidence. Click to read

#9 “Draw snake, add feet”

In this post, partner Joseph Chaney draws on ancient Chinese philosophy – in this instance, a story about hubris and the dangers of embellishment – to identify the delicate balances and trade-offs faced by N/N clients as they seek to tell compelling stories in an uncertain macroeconomic environment. Click to read

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

Yet another indicator of the hold Gen AI had on the world’s collective attention span in 2023 is the continued popularity of this post by partner David Line, which mounts a spirited attack against the idea that AI will make writers obsolete – a concern shared with the world’s scribes by people in a wide range of occupations. As Gen AI continues to make advances we’ll be sure to follow its evolution and reassess our stance on the topic (if we really have to …). Click to read

#7 What will Web3 bring to Southeast Asia?

Long before Gen AI became the latest tech buzzword to enter the mainstream, we had Web3. Touted as the next generation of the internet supported by blockchain technology for citizens, countries and corporations to forge connections and trade with one another in safety, some surveys revealed most people didn’t actually know what it was all about. We decided to dig into what Web3 would mean in practical terms for one of our key regions, and an early adopter of all things digital: Southeast Asia. Click to read

#6 What makes value propositions so challenging? (Part 1)

A value proposition is one of the most valuable tools in a company’s communications arsenal. However, distilling everything a company does and what it stands for into just a few words can be a surprisingly challenging, and controversial, endeavour. In the first of a two-part series London-based senior editor Heenu Nihalani draws on her experience to present potential solutions for the common problems that crop up in the process of defining value. Click to read

#5 Turning up the volume on podcasts in Asia

Drawing on a host of research and data points, Hong Kong-based senior editor Heda Bayron argued that it is never too late for marketers in Asia Pacific to add podcasts to their content strategy, and provided insights on how late movers could make themselves heard. Click to read

#4 When ESG means different things to different countries

In a year when regulators took steps to make a range of climate-related reporting mandatory; sustainability-linked bond and loan issuances plummeted from historical peaks; and greenwashing spiked globally, our readers turned to UK-based senior editor James Brazier’s piece examining the confusion inherent in environmental, social and governance (ESG)-focused investing, and what the future holds for this space. Click to read

#3 The future of digital payments: Southeast Asia shows the way

As digital payments consolidate their position as a preferred mode of transacting not just for online purchases but across the board, senior editor Mabel Ng captured attention with this piece exploring the unique factors shaping the payments landscape in Southeast Asia – a region with a digital economy projected to reach US$1 trillion by 2030. Click to read

#2 Effective data visualization part 1: From numbers to insights

In a year when Gen AI and its potential captured the world’s imagination, it’s no surprise this piece penned by our Head of Data Insights, Mohamed Abdelbaki, nearly topped this list despite being first published in 2022. In the first of a two-post series Mohamed addresses key data-related challenges that anyone seeking to tell a convincing story must grapple with: aggregating information and presenting it in an understandable – and influential – way. Click to read

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

This post from our Singapore-based Senior Editor Mabel Ng looks at how insurers are approaching a promising but also problematic growth engine - Southeast Asia's burgeoning gig economy. The ascent of this post to the top of this list speaks to the growing concerns about safety nets, such as employer-sponsored life and health insurance, which salaried employees once took for granted, and gig employees typically go without. Click to read