Thank You

Thanks to all the marketing professionals who gathered on Tuesday 19th September, to recognize BC Hydro as the BCAMA’s 2009 Marketer of the Year. Here are a number of pictures highlighting the evening! Feedback from attendees was that the evening was an overwhelming success and that an excellent night was had by all. Congratulations again to BC Hydro!

BC Hydro Wins Marketer of the Year 2009!

Join us in celebrating the 39th Annual BCAMA Marketer of the Year – BC Hydro. Armed with an innovative approach, creative vision and passion for sustainability, BC Hydro is being recognized for its marketing strategy, out-of-the-box style and delivering a progressive marketing campaign with significant community impact.

BC Hydro’s marketing success is truly a story for the ages!

There’s still time to get in on early bird pricing, so don’t delay. For all the details, click here.

Are You Up To Speed?

Like all things in life these days, time is short and always of the essence. This rings true for marketers. We seem to always find ourselves under constant time constraints and burning the midnight oil to make tight deadlines.

But like all good business people, marketers also understand the power of networking. We all know it takes only one good relationship to open opportunities for sales or advance one’s career, but finding the time to network can be extremely tough. So at times, you have to make the best use of your time and work the floor to meet as many people as possible.

At the  BCAMA AGM, we had our first Speed Networking event. Patricia Wu, our director of Special Events kindly passed along some tips from the event. They make for great pointers for anyone looking to speed network or, at the very least, refresh themselves on some basics.

10 Tips For Speed Networking Success

1. Have the right tools

Bring lots of business cards, a pen and the right mindset (smile, make eye contact, and remember a firm handshake)

2. Think about your goals

Be prepared to have one or two. Are you looking to hire? Looking for general contacts in the marketing industry? Are you promoting your business?

Make it easy for someone to help you. The more concise you are in the descriptions of yourself and your goals, the better your odds for success.

3. Know short statements about yourself

Just like elevator pitches, it pays to prepare a few lines about yourself and your business/company/service. Think about what you are looking for and how you can benefit others as well.

4. Practice the art of the business card

Always have yours ready to give out. After meeting someone, read the business card of the person while chatting. This shows interest and helps you to remember his/her name. Take the time to write a brief note while the other person is talking. And try to separate yours from the ones you receive.

5. Help others and get leads yourself

Goodwill goes a long way. After meeting someone, if you see an opportunity to help them with their goals, please do. Chances are the favour will be returned. It might not be tomorrow, but you might benefit in the months to come.

6. Make time after an event

You might only have enough time to chat for a few minutes, so ask people to talk in greater detail after initial introductions. This opens more time to meet more people and sets up a quick next step in nurturing a business relationship.

7. Don’t miss potential synergy

Always think about future endeavors. Be direct and propose a date and time.

8. Follow up

It’s easy to brush it off, but take the time to send a thank you email to initiate additional communication. If relevant, think about inviting new contacts into your social media networks like LinkedIn.

9. Be professional and courteous

No brainer here. This isn’t speed dating, so remember to keep your level of professionalism high.

10. Have fun and be yourself

Networking is about making a connection, so have fun and your positive vibes will be infectious.

So if you have the need for speed, remember some of the points above as they will go a long way to helping you achieve your goals.

BC’s Ad Industry Continues to Impress

Congratulations to all the BC advertisers, agencies and individuals that did us proud at the 2009 Marketing Awards!

They are:

Excellence in Brand Creativity: Red Bull Canada, Vancouver | Sid Lee

Television Campaign: Silver – BC Dairy Foundation | DDB Canada, Vancouver

Television Single Product: Silver & Bronze – BC Dairy Foundation | DDB Canada, Vancouver

Cinema: Silver – Vancouver International Film Festival | TBWA\Vancouver, Bronze x 2 – BC Dairy Foundation | DDB Canada, Vancouver

Other Broadcast: Silver – DDB Canada/Tribal Vancouver

Radio Single: Silver – Mr. Lube | Rethink, Bronze – BCAA | Rethink, Bronze – BC Lions | Rethink

Magazine Campaign: Bronze – Dose.ca | Rethink

Business Press Single: Silver – The Canadian Press | Rethink, Bronze – Tribal DDB Vancouver | DDB Canada, Vancouver

Newspaper Campaign: Bronze – BC Lottery Corporation | TBWA\Vancouver

Newspaper Single: Bronze – BCAA | Rethink, Bronze -Wagstaffe Autobody | Rethink, Bronze – BC Lottery Corporation | TBWA\Vancouver

Non-Traditional Advertising Campaign: Gold – Keys Please | Rethink

Non-Traditional Advertising Single: Silver & Bronze – Science World | Rethink

Andy Rodgers Award For Public Service: Silver – The Looking Glass Foundation | DDB Canada, Vancouver

Public Service Print/Out Of Home Single Or Campaign: Silver & Bronze – Offsetters | Rethink

Public Service Radio Single Or Campaign: Silver – Emergency Communications for Southwest BC | TBWA\Vancouver, Silver & Bronze – Special Olympics Canada | Grey Canada, Bronze – The Looking Glass Foundation | DDB Canada, Vancouver

Public Service Television Sing Or Campaign: Bronze – Alberta’s Libraries | Rethink

Craft Awards: Performance – Mr. Lube | Rethink, Art Direction – BC Dairy Foundation | DDB Canada

For more information, please visit www.marketingmag.ca.

Also, with so much talent in our midst, we look forward to highlighting our talent at our annual Marketer of the Year event set for later this year.

bing.com

Without much fanfare (outside technology circles), Microsoft launched bing.com, their new search engine designed to help people make better decisions. I know I can sure use the help at times.

It’s no secret that Microsoft wanted to increase its position in the online search world. Just think back to last year’s Yahoo! drama. So, it should come as no surprise that they moved forward with their own online property.

Launched on May 28, 2009 (deployed worldwide on June 3), bing.com is dubbed as a ‘Decision Engine’, as opposed to a search engine. Interesting positioning indeed, and in some ways quite ingenious as it helps to focus on what users do online.

First, we surfed. Then, we searched. Now, we decide. Over the past few years, there have been numerous reports stating that users (consumers and business) use the Internet to research items so they can make more informed purchase decisions, whether online or in-store. I know I do this as well.

But, regardless of my thoughts on their positioning, it’s time to focus on the real questions at hand:

Does it really work better than the rest?

It’s still pretty early, but some prelim tests (very informal) performed by yours truly seems to suggest it’s results are comparable with Google and Yahoo!.

Will online users switch, or at least incorporate bing.com into their search mix?

Good question. I know in the past, I used to use a number engines in my quest for information, but lately, I’ve been using one. But understanding that bing.com focuses on four key vertical areas (making a purchase decision, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business), I might be inclined to try. Though I’m iffy on this right now.

The user experience seems to be similar to the others. But, they have included an additional navigation feature on the left side of each page that offers helpful search options for the user. Plus, each search result is categorized on the page so finding the right type of info is, I must say, easier.

Can marketers gain advantage using this tool over its established competitors?

Another good question. I can’t help but think of the saying, “If you build it, they will come.” Let’s face it, if people come, then marketers will incorporate bing.com into their search marketing and SEO (search engine optimization) mix. Without a doubt. Moreover, since it’s focused on purchase related decisions it certainly lends itself well to advertising efforts. In fact, there are already sponsored sites (akin to Google Adwords) at the top and sides of each results page.

But I must admit, although I checked out the back-end admin (adCenter) for marketers to use to manage their ads, I didn’t spend a lot of time playing around with it, let alone create a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ad campaign. Like its competitors, it was easy-to-use and offers the right type of intelligence we need to continually improve our work. They do offer case studies to review as well.

I’m always amazed at the incredible pace of change technology has brought to our marketing lives. Since I started using Yahoo! In the mid/late 90s, I’ve had the chance to see search engines, and marketing tactics using them, evolve over time. It’ll be interesting to see the type of response Microsoft’s entry will garner from the big players. At the end of the day, if we all can make one better decision a day, then it must have some value.

At this time, I would like to ask for your thoughts on bing.com. Will you use it? Do you like it better? Have you already created a campaign?

- editor

Social Networking Forecast: Success can depend on your Circle of Friends

A recent report by eMarketer suggests that US social networking ad spending will fall by 3% to US$1.14 billion in 2009 from US$1.18 billion in 2008. Significant if one considers that year-over-year spending grew by an estimated 33% in 2008 and 129% in 2007.

The major culprit for the overall decrease? MySpace. Due to a drop in recent traffic figures, eMarketer predicts revenue for MySpace to drop 15% this year to US$495 million compared to an estimated $585 million in 2008. However, there is some positive news out of this as Facebook is expected to increase its ad revenue to about US$230 million, a 9.5% over 2008.

So, what does this mean to marketers? Two things:

First, not all social networking sites are created equal. Investing in a social networking ad campaign requires careful planning on targeting the right audiences, which means putting in the time to carefully weigh out your options and prioritize your dollars. Basic marketing fundamentals, I know. But it’s easy to get caught up in the social media frenzy and target sites based on their overall member numbers without looking deeper at the quality and relevancy of their demographics in regard to your objectives.

Ask yourself, “Which site has the right members (demo + size) for our campaign?”; “Which site offers the right ad formats and placements to help deliver better results?”; “Are there case studies available (from the site itself or from customers)?”

Second, now that social networking has been the buzz for a few years, people are getting savvy in creating and delivering their messages. Everyone understands that social networking sites are based on creating and maintaining friendships. No arguing that point. But it’s a key one to remember. For like all friendships, they take time to develop and nurture. Which means that most marketers who are successfully leveraging these sites are putting in time and resources into building lasting, interactive relationships with members based on trust and two-way communication. Rather than relying on ads (which still work for various types of campaigns), marketers are including social media relations in their strategy* and allocating budgets for people (in-house or outsourced) to manage these activities.

Case in point, eMarketer mentions a survey by Forrester Research, which found that 54% of marketers plan to increase their investment in social media in 2009. So, although ad spending will decrease by 3% this year, marketers are still looking to increase their overall investment… interesting. This certainly highlights the importance of including social media relations initiatives, above and beyond ads, as part of your overall social networking strategy.

So, whether you’re new to social networking or a veteran looking to enhance your programs, keep in mind the old adage they say in the investment world, “the trend is your friend.” And in this case, invest in your ‘friends’ wisely.

* Through an informal survey amongst some colleagues, it’s interesting to note that there are mixed opinions on which strategy social media relations falls under: online marketing or public relations. Of course, diehards will support the notion that it’s in a league of its own… regardless, this raises an important issue of budgeting and resource allocation. Time will tell.

- editor

Getting past the seven stages of economic grief

-Jim Carroll

Given the economic challenges that swirl around us and the rapidity with which the events of the fall of 2008 unfolded, a unique and challenging mindset seemed to quickly envelope many organizations:corporate idea factories were turned off, and innovation paralysis settled in.

The result is that we’re not just in an economic recession – we’re entering another idea recession, similar to what occurred with the last downturn starting in 2001.

And when it comes to marketing and branding, there couldn’t be a worse time to let this happen, given the fast-paced now occurring. There’s a flood of new ideas around interaction, advertising methodologies, social networking opportunities, branding micro-sites. We’ve got a flood of ideas, but are people prepared to pursue them?

Here’s a reality : while many organizations are focused on hunkering down and micro-managing their way through the recession, others are busy pursuing breakthrough ideas that will vault them into the forefront as the inevitable economic recovery comes our way. This has happened many times before: many people miss the fact that an economic downturn provides a great opportunity for innovation. After all, companies like Burger King, Microsoft, CNN and FedEx all started up during a recession. Many of the ideas that led to Web 2.0 started during the dot.com downturn — Facebook, Youtube and Myspace come to mind.

Recession a perfect opportunity for “disruptive innovation”

In November 2008, right as events were at a fever pitch, Wharton Universities Innovation and Entrepreneurship group released a provocative article strongly suggesting that a recession provided the perfect timing for “disruptive innovation” – that is, stepping into an industry and rewriting the business model so as to achieve significant growth. Think of Steve Jobs and the iPod – which he first released during the recession of 2002.

That’s the message I’ve been focused on for the last six months. I’ve been busy doing high level keynotes and CEO level meetings with organizations like Burger King, Yum Brands, Ingersoll Rand, Rockwell Collins and others. The key theme? Now is the time to move forward with aggressive, innovative ideas.

So what do organizations need to do?

Move past the “shock” and “denial” phases

Events happened so fast that many organizations still find themselves in the “shock” and “denial” phase. They will be the innovation laggards.

First, move to the “acceptance” stage earlier. I began to relate the fast-paced events of the last few months in the context of the “stages of economic grief,” an emotional reaction that seems closely related to the “stages of bereavement.

Then there are the innovation leaders who are prepared to innovate despite the uncertainty. They are prepared to keep their idea factory running – maybe not at full tilt – but running nevertheless.

These leaders know that despite the vast sections of the economy in stress, there are still plenty of opportunities for innovative thinking. They know there are still growth markets; and opportunities for marketplace, distribution channel, and operational innovation.
Despite vast sections of the economy in stress, there are still opportunities for innovative thinking. There are still growth markets.

Innovation leaders are aware that ongoing change in consumer behavior also means that there continue to be new ways to brand, grab customer mindshare and forge unique and distinct relationships. One of my clients, Yum! Brands (owner of 50,000 restaurants – KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut) just launched a new micro-site, UnThinkKFC.com, which is already gaining attention as an innovative way of shifting brand perceptions. There’s an undeniable need for creative thinking like this out there — so what are you waiting for?

There are plenty of opportunities to turn ideas into innovation. It all depends on where you want to place yourself on the scale of the seven stages of economic grief.

Bold moves and integrated elements

The key decision is whether now is the time for innovation, and if so, how to move. It is critical that organizations begin to undertake a series of bold actions that re-orients them to face these future challenges. This series of actions should include several integratedelements:

• Undertake a regular number of experience-focused projects aimed at boosting the “experiential capital” of the organization.
• Identify specific areas of capability weakness, product line, skills or structure that should be addressed through specific.
• Articulate key opportunistic strategies through a variety of risk-oriented initiatives and align the organization to explore those strategies.
• These actions should aim to develop needed capabilities and realign the corporate mindset away from the current risk-adverse culture towards re-orienting the organization for the future.
• The greatest mistake that any organization can make right now is to avoid action. Inertia – real or implied – establishes a culture of inaction, and that can lead insurance organizations down another slippery slope.

Clearly, that’s why today, innovation isn’t an option, it’s critical – because it is the key method by which we can gain traction.

Ready … Set …. Blog!

We’ve watched the marketing, digital, and communication worlds collide over the past couple of years, bringing social media to mainstream mainframes everywhere. We’ve asked whether it is smart for our business. We’ve stressed over the details of skinning it, housing it, maintaining it, and most of all, keeping it relevant. We strive to be at the forefront of marketing, to provide our members with valuable information, education and networking. We knew this was our next step because it makes sense to create a forum for sharing the latest and greatest trends in marketing. So… here it is: Welcome to the BCAMA’s blog.

We’ll share what we learn along the way as we launch our full social media strategy and build on some great existing networks like facebook and linked in

Getting here wasn’t easy. I proposed the portfolio to the BCAMA exec nearly eight months ago, and our president, Rosa, has been a huge advocate for this all the way through. We’ll hear from her soon! I think we all thought it was going to be a simpler process to get here. But we’ve learned a lot along the way. Now that we’re here, there is a team of us that are going to maintain this blog through articles and video uplinks from speakers, current marketing trends from experts across the country, and tips and tricks we’ve learned along the way. Looking forward to the dialogue!