Eye Candy – May
Here is a continuation of our “Eye Candy” feature post. The following quick hits of inspiration are provided by Trina Mousseau, Creative Account Specialist at Inventa, and Director of Membership for the BCAMA.
1) The Sound of New Business Generation
Tips for finding a marketing job abroad – Location is key
By Alice M. Chacon
Alice is a recent MBA graduate with a specialization in Marketing Management, based in Toronto, ON. She has a background in marketing, communications and corporate social responsibility in consumer goods, software and media. She is an avid follower of marketing trends and shares news and analyzes trends on her blog: www.alicechacon.blogspot.com and her Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/@alicemchacon.
Last month I started the story of my search for better job opportunities in Toronto. Leaving Vancouver isn’t easy, especially knowing that I was going to miss the Olympics and finally see what all that construction was for!
Toronto is such a different city from Vancouver in so many ways. One of them is that it is so spread out and so densely populated. Sure, the Lower mainland really stretches out, both North to South and West to East. But in Toronto, commutes over an hour are far more common than they ever seemed to be in Vancouver.
Location is key when you look for work here, especially considering that traffic is a nightmare at almost any hour of the day and any day of the week, and that public transit can be terrible when you are trying to get to or from a place far from the subway. And besides long walks, waits and switching buses, trains, etc several times, you have the nasty wind and snow, or the very high temperatures in the summer.
Ideally, you’d want to live close to the place where you work, especially if that is out and far from the subway lines, like Mississauga, Brampton and Markham. But it’s hard to know exactly where you’ll work until you get a job. In some industries, that can be more predictable. Banks and investment firms tend to be located downtown. A lot of technology companies are located in Markham. But if you’re interested in CPG, like I am, it can be hard to say.
In a tight economy, companies want the sure thing. Having a Toronto address is very important when looking for a job here, I’ve been told. I got very little done when I was in Vancouver last fall, finishing my MBA. Since I’ve been here, I’m impressed at how many more people I’ve been able to meet. That means that, like me, if you’re really decided on working here, you may have to find a place to live first, before you know where you will be working.
The good news is that real estate is cheaper here than it is in Vancouver. Rent can also be much cheaper (I’m paying less here for a 1 bedroom condo near trendy Yonge and Eglinton than I was in a much smaller, two-bedroom basement in Dunbar). The bad news is that you probably will need a car, even if you got along fine without one in Vancouver. Even if your home and work are on the subway line, having a car means it will be easier to get out to cottage country or Niagara on the weekends. In Vancouver, you can get around (even to go hiking or get a ferry out to Bowen Island) without a car.
But is it worth it? As of yet, I’m still searching for a good opportunity. However, this is a fast-moving city and there are so many companies in the Greater Toronto Area. I’ll share more about the job search in my next post.
Key Considerations for Launching a Social Media Strategy
More and more companies are embracing digital and social media as an opportunity to engage and deepen relationships with customers, augmenting or even replacing traditional marketing strategies. A recent example, rather move forward with a traditional Super Bowl TV spot, Pepsi launched the Pepsi Refresh Project. Through the $20 million crowdsourcing initiative, which will no doubt be a marketing case study, people are enticed to submit and vote on ideas that will have a positive impact on society. The best ideas will receive grants ranging from $5,000 to $250,000 each.
Pepsi is just one many companies endeavoring to be more innovative in an increasingly fragmented media landscape. Such innovation is now a necessity, as brands strive to break through and achieve relevancy in the mindset of modern consumers. However, before going full on in digital and social media, there are some very important questions companies must ask themselves.
1. Is the strategy aligned with the brand and overall marketing plan?
An interactive social media strategy should be created and executed in proper alignment with the overall brand strategy. Keeping in mind that social media is based on two-way dialogue, companies must ensure that the brand identity is upheld and in each and every interaction. Like any medium, desired messaging must be consistent with other components of the marketing plan. Social media should not be a standalone strategy, where possible companies should consider integrating it with other mediums. For example, a print ad could drive people to a Facebook fan page, with a proper incentive that consumers find to be of value.
2. How will the social media efforts be measured?
As with any marketing strategy, metrics are important. While it is always valuable to determine ROI on a given campaign, social media measurement should be considered a bit differently. Effective social media engagement strategies rely on word-of-mouth. As such, companies need to monitor the conversation that is occurring. What is being discussed? What is their share of the conversation, for a particular market segment? How often is their product and/or service being recommended?
The 4Ps have evolved into the 4Cs – content, connections, community and conversations.
Here is an overview of online buzz generated from this year’s Super Bowl commercials, courtesy of Mashable.
3. Are the necessary resources available to execute?
Companies need to consider whether they have the knowledge and skills necessary to properly execute a social media strategy, either internally or with partner agencies. Social media is much, much more than possessing an understanding of Facebook and Twitter – companies that rely on that as a basis for “expertise” are only setting themselves up for failure. As a side note, in May 2009 a search of Twitter profiles revealed that there are 4,487 self-proclaimed social media experts. As of December 2009, there were 15,740. This represents a three and a half fold increase, within just six months! Yikes! Drawing a parallel, I’ve been skiing most of my life, so I suppose I should be trying out for the World Cup circuit right now, shouldn’t I?
Of course, there are many top social media pros who stand out from the crowd, I am fortunate to know some of them. In building resources to execute social media program, an understanding of both social media and marketing fundamentals is important.
What are your thoughts? What should companies consider when developing a social media strategy?
Eric Buchegger is the BCAMA Director of Social Media. Read his marketing insights blog at www.ericbuchegger.com.
Vancouver 2010 Olympics – Everybody Wants a Piece
Locals, tourists, media, sponsors and non-sponsors will be descending onto this Village of Vancouver over the next few weeks for one of the world’s biggest sporting events. And while this blog’s title may or may not be a veiled reference to the 100,000 free condoms distributed to the participants, it’s clear that marketers are pulling out all the stops in order to align their brand with the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
First up on the docket is Subway, who’s manoeuvring around the whole ‘non-sponsor thing’ is downright comical. In fact, I’m inventing a term for their particular style of ambush marketing – ‘overt covertness’. The commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhGJ8Q84L4I) has US Olympian and Speedo-clad Michael Phelps – a summer sport participant no less – swimming his way toward Vancouver. There is no actual mention of Vancouver or the Olympic Games, but it shows a map of the Pacific Northwest with Phelps clearly heading through Washington and toward Vancouver, with the narrator chiming in ‘so he can get to where the action is this winter’. I suppose we can only assume he’s heading to the Puyallup Sewing and Stitchery Festival.
Closer to home, Edgewater Casino have unveiled their ‘Our Games Are 24/7’ campaign at bus shelters across the city. Howe Sound Brewing made news with the release of their latest beer, an imperial red ale that features three beavers adorning gold, silver and bronze medals. Lululemon have gone a step further and unveiled a clothing line cheekily entitled ‘Cool Sporting Event That Takes Place in British Columbia Between 2009 and 2011’.
Clearly VANOC’s concerns are well-warranted and they have a lot to watch out for. This isn’t just a random event company controlling their logo usage to protect their brand and sponsor interests. VANOC is charged with the enormous and difficult task of developing and implementing a brand that not only speaks to their organization; but also a brand that will demonstrate to the world what it is to be Canadian. Caley Denton, VP, Ticketing & Consumer Marketing at VANOC, said at a recent luncheon “The impression of the games and what it says about Vancouver and Canada will be our legacy.” A tall order indeed.
Caley’s words may seem grandiose but they couldn’t be more on mark. We are far beyond maple syrup and Mounties; we are a compassionate, tolerant, multicultural and spirited bunch who take pride in the natural theatre in which we live. Too often an afterthought on the world scene, Canada will emerge from these games with new meaning and Vanoc’s message of “with glowing hearts” will deliver that. I attended the BCAMA’s Speaker Series event – The Art of Storytelling – and among speaker Bill Baker’s many insights was the following quote: “To be human is to have a story”. Well, to be Canadian is to have a story as well, and now is our chance to tell it.
So in reality, chasing down an ambush marketer or besmirching a local companies’ attempt at good old Canadian wit is the least of Vanoc’s worries. The public are pretty marketing savvy in today’s world anyway, and they will hardly be fooled by imposters.
The challenge, therefore, is not in wrestling their brand rights from rogue ambushers, but rather quite the opposite: taking the brand and infecting everyone so they may embrace and live it. Every interaction a tourist encounters upon arriving in Vancouver will play a role: the customs officer, the cab driver, the hotel clerk, the waitress, the nightclub bouncer, the museum guide. From Zulu to Roots, from Japadog to Roxy, we are all brand ambassadors. Storytellers, you might say.
Let’s just hope Michael Phelps is arriving in more than a Speedo.
Written by Ryan McKee, Manager, Marketing & New Media at Vancouver Whitecaps FC and BCAMA Director of Special Events
Traditional versus Creative Sponsorship
In a thesaurus, the word “sponsorship” has a variety of synonyms, including backing, support, funding, aid, finance and protection. I am yawning as I write this. But in the world of marketing, it truly means a way to reach out to a potential new target market with the aim of making more sales and building your reputation. Not so tiresome, but not far behind. OK, what I really mean to say is sponsorship can be creative, fun, inspiring and most importantly, it can get you new business!
Traditional sponsorship is still out there, but the best innovative minds will want to pull together a unique, jaw dropping marketing adventure that will get the attention of your audience. Didn’t know sponsorship could be so cool, eh? Well let me give you a couple of past sponsorship initiatives I have been involved with.
I was working on an event with zero budget and was in desperate need of creative design. At the time, designers were in very high demand and unavailable. Finding a designer to sponsor and donate their talent in kind was a big challenge. I was connected to this brilliant designer who had a banking day job and did design part time after hours. We approached her employer, a large credit union. The company ended up sponsoring the event by donating her days at work to creative days of work on the event. A win win for everyone!
Another innovative story is on sponsorship recognition. Gone should be the days of the rolling PowerPoint with logos (I am back yawning again). Instead of recognizing sponsors this way in front of a large audience, we did messaging throughout the day for each sponsor on what philanthropic achievements they achieved in their business. The crowd loved it, it was engaging, it was educational and it really highlighted their business! So, over to you savvy marketing minded readers … traditional or creative?
Treena Innes
BCAMA Director of Sponsorship
PS. Get in contact with me anytime to talk creative sponsorship, would love to hear from you: tkm1313@shaw.ca
Eye Candy – January
We are excited to introduce a new monthly feature for our blog. The following quick hits of inspiration are provided by Trina Mousseau, Creative Account Specialist at Inventa, and Director of Membership for the BCAMA.
1) SAFETY SONG ON MELODY ROAD
To promote safety awareness DUNLOP created a road that plays a melody when you drive the speed limit.
By making grooves in the road, a melody is played by the friction of tires. If the car is going too fast, it won’t work.
The road was featured in Japanese media and became a popular tourist attraction.
Agency: Dentsu Razorfish, Tokyo, Japan.
2) GUERRILLA THEATER AT CROSSWALKS
All the world’s a stage! Cell phone company and Internet provider Movistar showed just how speedy and mobile they are through flash performances on city crosswalks. The light turns red and the show begins; the light turns green and cars continue on their way. It’s a clever production that you must see for yourself. Click http://adsoftheworld.com/media/ambient/speedy_mobile_mail to view the video.
Agency: Young & Rubicam Perú.
3) TOYOTA PRUIS SOLAR POWER FLOWERS
As part of the launch of the 2010 Toyota Prius, Toyota placed five 18-foot high “Solar Flowers” in Boston. The flower sculptures have solar power petals which offer consumers free electricity and free Wi-Fi. The installation toured major US cities including Boston, New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
4) LAUNDRY SOFTENER’S IDEA SMELLS SWEET
To create awareness for Lenor flower-scented laundry softener, they replaced the flower buckets of Romanian florists with Lenor bottle-shaped buckets. This creative media space, that highlights the product benefit so perfectly, was secured free of charge.
Agency: Grey Bucharest, Romania.
5) MAGNETIC BILLBOARD PROMOTES TV CHANNEL
To position HOT cable TV as the network with the best shows and the hottest stars to offer its customers they created a campaign entitled “At Home with the Stars.” A 140 meter long magnetic billboard was created and affixed with over 6,000 magnetic cut-outs of entertainment celebrities. The public was invited to peel off a celebrity and take it home with them. The entire display was stripped bare within two hours of launch, and was consequently restocked several times. The event became an instant hit and was picked up by leading media channels, including live coverage on Breakfast TV.
Agency: BBR Saatchi & Saatchi Tel Aviv, Israel.
If you like these, sign up for Trina’s bi-monthly Eye Candy reports at www.inventaworld.com/news.
Crowdsourcing: An Overview
Crowdsourcing is a term that many people have heard of over the last couple of years, yet there still seems to be some unfamiliarity with what it is. I thought I would provide an overview, with some contextual examples as they apply to marketing.
Made possible by Web 2.0 technologies and social media, the term was coined by Jeff Howe in a 2006 Wired magazine article. In essence, crowdsourcing is a problem-solving model in which particular issues are communicated to an audience of unknown participants, as an open call for solutions. The audience submits proposed solutions to the problem, and often times is tasked with sorting through the solutions, selecting the best one. For a full overview of crowdsourcing, Wikipedia has an excellent article.
From a marketing standpoint, executed properly, crowdsourcing can be an excellent method of engaging audiences with a brand. By providing a mechanism for feedback and interaction, brands can foster greater loyalty and sense of ownership. The caveat, however, is that for crowdsourcing to work, companies must show that they are willing to embrace and enact on the solutions that audiences propose. Companies can also go further by rewarding those who submit solutions that are implemented.
Several companies have successfully leveraged crowdsourcing as part of their marketing efforts.
Dell, some time after having suffered an online PR disaster, created a forum for participants to contribute and vote on ideas – www.ideastorm.com. The website currently attracts 15,000 users a month. So far, they have implemented over 350 of 13,000 ideas submitted. Here is a promotional video for the website.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0SOXW_K56w]
Venerable consumer giant Procter and Gamble has also made a foray into crowdsourcing. They host contests on online research and development communities, inviting the public to submit solutions related to product design or new ideas on it’s connect + develop website. So far, more than 30% of problems posted on InnoCentive, one of the community sites P&G uses, have been solved. The Swiffer, a major revenue generating product, came from P&G’s crowdsourcing initiatives.
Have you implemented or contemplated implementing a crowdsourcing strategy for your brand? Do you have any crowdsourcing examples that you’d like to share?
We would love to hear from you.
Special thanks to chaordix for providing crowdsourcing case studies. They have more available on their website.
Grow the Mo
A short Q&A with Adam Garone, Co-Founder and CEO of the Movember Foundation. Adam will provide insights on Movember’s global brand strategy at the BCAMA Grey Vancouver Speaker Series event on Tuesday, November 3.
1. What is your favourite style of Mo?
Per the attached style guide, my favourite Mo style is Undercover Brother.
2. What has been the most rewarding moment for you?
It’s when we hear about how Movember changed or saved a life. It’s when we receive e-mails from guys explaining how their Movember experience prompted them or their Dad to head to the Doctor and get screened for prostate cancer. Its building awareness of prostate cancer, creating knowledge and empowering men to take action.
3. What do you hope attendees will remember most about your presentation?
How to manage and leverage a brand in new media like Facebook and Twitter.
Click here to learn more about the event and register.
Attendees at Tuesday’s presentation will also have a chance to win some very cool Movember prizes, including cuff links, t-shirts, and necklaces. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday!
Pure Networking – An Engaging Evening
Special guest post by BCAMA member Rich Porayko, founding partner of Construction Creative, a Metro Vancouver marketing and communications agency.
The BCAMA Pure Networking event on October 8 was appropriately named; it was PURE networking. There is something about meeting in person over drinks and tapas that can’t be replicated by a social networking website. I have since summed up the sold out event to colleagues and friends as networking on steroids. Wisely held at intimate and upscale Whineos at Granville and Nelson, the place was already hopping when the party officially kicked off at 6:00 PM.
As a newly returning member to the BCAMA, I am veteran volunteer of social business meetings however I have never attended a professional function even close to the Pure Networking event. It’s safe to say that 100% of the people I spoke with were having a great time and indicated they would come back again.
Trina Mousseau, Creative Account Specialist for Inventa, shared her thoughts, “What I love about BCAMA events is that they are very well organized and are always strongly supported by very high caliber professionals. This has been great!”
First time BCAMA event attendee and Marketing and Events Coordinator for Globe Foundation Randall Cook agreed, “I just wanted to see what it’s all about and it’s great! Our office is close by and it is really, really convenient.”
With over 100 A-Types in the same room, everyone had their game face on and the mood was extremely upbeat and friendly with lots of smiles and welcoming faces. There was a positive buzz throughout the packed room and it was clear that confidence and optimism in the local industry was very high.
“I love it,” said first time BCAMA participant Asmin Chen, MBA Candidate 2010 and President of the Art of Selling and Negotiation Club at UBC’s Sauder School of Business. “I’ve heard so much about these events. A lot of people recommend BCAMA events to students starting their career as a great place to meet professionals in the industry.”
Steve Kim, BCAMA board member and President of Boilingpoint Communications, knows the value of attending the Association’s events, “Networking events like these provide the opportunity to meet like-minded people in a friendly and fun environment.”
Ashish Gurung, CEO Nu Experience Design explained his company comes to BCAMA meetings to network with marketing people, “Our company doesn’t create the strategy, however we create the tools that marketers use to communicate their message and this is a great venue to reach those marketers.”
Returning BCAMA event participant and CEO for QuickMobile, Patrick Payne summed it up in two sentences, “I came last year and this is a great event. This is pure networking.”
In addition to agreeing on the networking aspect, the people I spoke with were also very happy with the value. Pure Networking was a fun and informal night out at a cool boutique lounge seeing old friends and making new ones. All for only 15 bucks and it included a free drink and a ton of delicious tapas.
I look forward to attending the next Pure Networking event in late November.
Rich can be reached at richp@constructioncreative.com
View his profile at: www.linkedin.com/in/richporayko
October Member Spotlight: Martin Reed
Each month, we will be featuring BCAMA members on our blog, highlighting some of the innovators, trendsetters and leaders in BC’s marketing community.
This month’s interview is with Martin Reed, the Director of Marketing and Creative Services at Central 1 Credit Union.
 Martin Reed |
How long have you been a BCAMA member? Three years What type of marketing do you employ? B2B and B2C marketing and communication. Have you attended any BCAMA events? If so, which ones? Breakfasts, speakers and the annual Marketer of the Year Gala Have you used the network that BCAMA provides, for job searching or Not really – mostly educational and a bit of networking What is unique about BCAMA? The association provides good quality and value for marketers |
| What school did you attend and what degree did you achieve?
Bachelor of Commerce, Major Marketing (with Distinction) Concordia University, Montreal Do you have a LinkedIn profile we can refer to for additional information? Interview conducted by Camilla Crawfurd, BCAMA Member Appreciation Manager. If you would like to be featured in Member Spotlight, please contact us at bcama.membership@gmail.com. |
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