marketline 2012 spring final online
TRANSCRIPT
spring 2012 marketline 1
SPRING 2012
VisiOn Marketing Conference 2012: Liquid Content
Get Social, Get Results
Milk your marketing
The value of volunteering
Find out what Baby Boomers & Gen Xers have in common
What does Modern Marketing mean to you?
What is Liquid Content? What marketers need to know to stay ahead of their game
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spring 2012 marketline2
ContentsMessage from the BCAMA president
All Your Agencies Belong to Us
The Chemistry of great storytelling
VisiOn 2012 Welcome and Overview
VisiOn 2012 speakers
greener Actions, greener pastures
Make Your Mobile Website Work for You
To Tweet or not to Tweet… That is still the Question?
Big Win for BCiTMA in new Orleans
What Does Modern Marketing Mean to You?
Collegiate Members: The Future of Our industry
The perfect Cup of Coffee
Ten Captivating numbers from ipsos
BCAMA special interest groups
The Bigger, Bolder and Better BCAMA Website
paint it Black – How HsT & the internet inspired Warline painting
Volunteering – The Big picture
The Value of Volunteering
BCAMA Marketer of the Year Award – What’s it All About?
regent College and Domain7 partner To Do Digital right
Milk Your Marketing – get results with Consistent Content!
Why sponsor the BCAMA?
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Marketers need to catch up to today’s consumerAt a time when consumer trust in advertising is at an all-time low, new ways of engaging consumers are emerging.
Start a conversation. It’s called Customer to Consumer marketing.
Get the conversation rolling with your existing customers and fans. Encourage them to share their experiences and
Brands are no longer the trusted experts.90% of consumers trust the opinion of people they know over brand-sponsored advertising. Customers are the new influentials.
Is the majority of your budget still focused on email, search, and affiliate and online marketing?Your customers spend 33% of their total weekly media time on the internet. They are online, congregating in social networks like Facebook and YouTube, searching, engaging, recommending.
(Forrester US Interactive Marketing Forecast, 2011–2016)
www.rewardstream.com
1.877.692.0040(press 2 to talk to a representative)
recommendations with members of their own trusted networks. Thank them for influential social actions. Plus, gain real insight into who your most influential and engaged customers really are.
spring 2012 marketline4 spring 2012 marketline 5
Become a Member
To become a member
of the BCAMA, please
call our office at:
604.983.6AMA.
Sponsorship Info
To inquire about
sponsorship opportunities,
please contact Regina
Leung at 604.961.7866.
Event Info
To make reservations
for a BCAMA event or
to obtain information
regarding upcoming
events, call the BCAMA
office at 604.983.6AMA
or visit our website at
bcama.com.
Board of Directors
President
Steve Kim | 604.630.7943
Immediate Past President
Darrell Hadden
604.682.5500 Ext.113
President-Elect
Sarah Clayton
604.341.4559
Treasurer
Pauline Craggs
604.468.5227
VP, Programming
Claire Booth
604.551.6553
VP, Communications and
Director of Web Services
Lionel Matecha
604.682.5500
VP, Operations
Kerry Plowman
604.671.0393
Social Media
Meena Sandhu | 604.338.9354
Special Event Programming
Pierre Burns | 604.505.2118
Volunteers
Aylin Lavalle | 778.222.4087
Breakfast Speaker Series
Rachel Johns | 604.628.9415
Membership
Bradley Shende | 604.626.1057
Creative
open
Special Interest Groups(SIGs)
Sophie Chambers
604.996.0537
Collegiate Relations
Matt Chong | 604.432.8738
Marketline
open
BCAMA Office
Suite 604 – 750 West Pender St.
Vancouver, BC V6C 2T7
Kimberly Davidson
Tel: 604.983.6262
Fax: 604.682.1312
Publishing
marketline is published by the BC Chapter of
the American Marketing Association.
marketline welcomes input from all BCAMA
members. If you have any suggestions or
contributions, or would like to advertise or
sponsor an issue, please contact us at info@
bcama.com or call 604.983.6262.
Special Thanks
Special thanks goes out to the marketline team:
Creative Director Sam Noga of Noga Creative,
James Hvezda of Kirk Marketing,
ProofingQueen Sharon McInnis,
Andrea Noble and to all of the contributors
who were instrumental in the making of
this issue.
Opinions expressed are not necessarily
endorsed by the BCAMA, its officers or staff.
Copyright 2012 by the BC Chapter of the
American Marketing Association.
Printed in Canada
At the beginning of the 2011/12 season,
I wrote that our theme this year is
Legacy: making marketing history.
Our goal was simple – to help our
community integrate key knowledge
from the past with proven, meaningful
insight and resources from the present
to ensure marketers are better armed to seize opportunities in the
future. Further, we aimed to bridge the gap between all generations
of marketers in our province to create a vibrant, sustainable
community of leaders who embrace diversity and innovation.
Which is why this year’s VISION conference is a culmination of
our effort to celebrate marketing excellence, both at a local and
international level. With the web continuing to mature, social
media firmly establishing itself and mobile now making its push
to prominence, marketers must understand the value, return and
impact on their current marketing strategies. How do they integrate
with traditional forms of marketing? How meaningful are the
metrics? How do we monetize them into effective campaigns? All
good questions indeed, but we know that marketing strategies must
focus on one fundamental question – how do we compel target
audiences to interact with, talk about, and buy products and services
over and over again?
The answer lies in creating engaging content. Always has, always will.
In the digital age, this seems to be even more daunting than in
years past. Each day, it seems that new technologies come online
and the media landscape gets more complex. Yet we are tasked with
the job to not only make sense of it all but also to leverage such
innovation into a competitive advantage. Fortunately, time and time
again, our community of marketers has taken a proactive approach
to integrating technology with proven content strategies to achieve
meaningful business results, ensuring our leadership role in the
global marketplace.
It is my hope that this year’s VISION offers the right mix of ideas,
insight and knowledge so that you not only embrace this new age of
media, but are empowered to take advantage of all it has to offer.
Now, with our event calendar drawing to a close, I must take a
moment to reflect on our accomplishments over the course of the
2011/2012 year. Over the past 11 months, I’m proud to state that
the BCAMA:
• Raised the bar on the Marketer of the Year gala, which featured this
year’s winner, the PNE
• Showcased innovative, provocative and leading-edge speakers at the
Breakfast Speakers Series, the Special Events Speaker Series and in
Special Interest Groups
• Enhanced member and volunteer value at PURE Networking events
MeSSaGe FRoM The BCaMa PReSIdeNTby Steve Kim
• Fostered stronger relationships with our Collegiate Chapters
(special congratulations to the BCITMA for their success at
the American Marketing Association International Collegiate
Conference in New Orleans!)
• Firmly established the Senior Executive Program as the premier
resource and networking program for C-level and VP-level
marketing leaders
• Launched the new BCAMA website and blog
• Developed existing and new sponsor partner relationships
It has truly been a tremendous year and I feel fortunate to have
worked with our talented, passionate and committed Board of
Directors, Executive Director and office staff. I would like to
personally extend my gratitude to our sponsors, partners and
volunteers for their passion and dedication to excellence to the
BCAMA.
Steve Kim is the 2011/2012 BCAMA President. In addition to his
role with BCAMA, Steve is the President of Boilingpoint Group, a
full-service marketing and communications firm.
The BC Chapter of the American Marketing Association has been this province’s leading marketing source since 1955.
As one of the most highly regarded chapters in North America, BCAMA has consistently ranked among the top 10
professional chapters for overall performance, and has won the prestigious international “Chapter of the Year Award”
in 1995, 1996 and 1997, “Best in Class” in 2004, and the “Membership Merit Award” in 2007.
Marketer of the Year
Meghan Carter | 778.554.1584
Communications
Andrea Noble | 604.992.1937
Sponsorship
Regina Leung | 604.961.7866
VISION Conference
Lindsay Smith | 604.227.4343
Senior Executive Program
open
Administration
Karen Derry | 604.983.6262
Executive Director
Kimberly Davidson
604.983.6262
NEW
Introducing Canada PostPrecision Targeter.
Try it today.
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spring 2012 marketline 7
604-488-0282mail@proof ingqueen.comwww.proofingqueen.com
THE CHALET’SA T G R I Z Z L Y M O U N T A I N
O F T H E W O R L D
L I V E A T T H E P E E K
The Chalets at Grizzly Mountain o er Alpine residents’ their own pique at the deep power, heavy snow and 4,000 ft. of lift–serviced vertical terrain that de�ne these slopes- and a homecoming to their own warm heart, right on the mountain. This is a peak at brilliant mountain living. Its far better than Whistler or Sun Peaks.
This is lifestyle; on the mountain
1 . 8 9 9 . T H E . P E A K1 . 8 8 8 . G R I Z Z LY
Hem
lock St
Mountain Ave
Yukon AvePresentation
Centre
114nd A
venue
GRIZZLY LAKE
Grizzly Mountain30 kms
w w w. G R I Z Z LY C H A L E T S . c o m
Delete extra space
Remove semicolon. Also, you may want to
consider revising this as “This is mountain lifestyle”.
Should be “It’s”
I believe this is the old logo. If not, remove possessive
apostrophe (’).
Has your lawyer (or the client’s lawyer) approved this?
Should be “114th”
For consistency, should be “Ave”
Should be “peek”
Remove apostrophe
Should be “peek”
Replace hyphen with en dash (with spaces on either side of the en dash, as per the
client’s style guide).
Should thisbe “hearth”?
Should be lower case “a”
Remove or blur logo
Neither of these phone numbersanswered when I called. Which one
is the correct number?
Should be “PEAK”
Typo – should be “powder”
This image is Breckenridge, not Grizzly Mountain
Proud to be the‘Proofreader of Record’ for
Avoid Grizzly Errors.We Can Help.
Should be “Grisly”
all YouR aGeNCIeS BeloNG To uSby Bradley Shende
That gift can be laughter, information, insight, even sorrow or
joy. When exe-cuted properly, the brand can build trust with
its audience.
As someone who runs their own business and helps others do
the same, it’s clear to me that tides have shifted. Times have
changed dramatically in the past 10 years, mostly due to the
social revolution – the distribution of information on web
and over the mobile space, the new architecture of ideas and
thoughts using technology undreamed of in the last century.
In growing a company with roots in digital production and
content, it became clear that the evolution of our business was
better suited to that of an agency. But the problem was that
the old agency model, well...sucked.
Agencies traditionally existed in silos that were branded in
their own right, touting special sauces and executions that
differentiated themselves from each other while maintaining
a vicelike grip on their clients and brand. Communication
was veiled, loaded and insular. The public was left out of the
creation of their experience.
Now, the public owns brands to the point where excluding
the public from the brand experience creates a brand that is
too inauthentic to be believed, let alone loved. Agencies fail if
they pretend to understand that and don’t believe in the core
principle of mutual development. They fail out of largesse,
they fail due to conservatism and they fail because their work
does not ring true.
The social business revolution is well underway. What that
means is that the public and the consumer now play too large
a role in a business – and not only whether or not products
are purchased – to be ignored. This fact extends beyond mere
objects: if you look back 20 years at user-generated content, it
was minimal and rudimentary. It amounted to a mere 5% of
the conversation. Public-access television, letters to the editor
– these were the zenith of audience participation. Obviously,
this has changed. Now, more than 50% of content around
brands, products and services is open to the public. Yet
nothing shifted inside the agencies. The money has become, if
anything, more entrenched in old models and strategies, while
outliers have picked up the scraps.
What I’ve learned is that not enough has changed in
the way we do things, but that a lot has changed in the
way that consumers behave and interact. We are sorely
lacking in our level of respect for consumers and their
new ownership of our businesses.
It’s not just the media that’s social. It’s the people
clicking, wielding real-time power in every corner of the
mobile and social space. But it’s not power they look
for – it’s openness, trust and respect. Give it to them,
and you’ll have their time and their trust. Without that
engagement? Time is running out.
Bradley Shende, when not pontificating, is the CEO of
M2O Digital Agency and the Director of Membership on
the BCAMA Board.
Many wouldn’t agree with me when I call advertising a gift. But in its purest form, it is a gift – a trade of time for emotion – that’s given to the viewer, reader or conversationalist.
BC’s News LeaderBC’s News Leader
Crystal clear sound.Anywhere you go.
Download the CKNW App fromiTunes or cknw.com today.
spring 2012 marketline8
The CheMISTRY oF GReaT SToRYTellING by Mary Charleson
While attending a recent parent-teacher interview, I
drifted off momentarily while staring at the periodic
table of elements on the wall. Perhaps still haunted
by failed titration experiments, I reflected on
how unnecessary it all was to my current role as a
marketing strategist. But then it hit me, like only a
30-year-delayed-learning outcome could. I realized
that solids, liquids and gases were great metaphors for traditional,
social and viral media campaigns. Stick with me here – I think I’ve
finally found a use for chemistry in marketing!
On a subliminal level, perhaps I was reflecting on the BCAMA
conference theme: “liquid content”, highlighting the concept of
stories told via web, mobile, TV, radio, print,
outdoor and more. Essentially, winning
campaigns now strive to use cross-platform
storytelling, rather than creating content for
a particular medium.
But back to the chemistry/campaigns
metaphor.
We know that solids are rigid, containing
particles with little free space that are
locked in place. Solids are like traditional
media. We can buy, measure and control
traditional media campaigns and refine the
combination of vehicles to target a defined
segment of the market.
Liquids can move, and they contain
particles that slide past one another with
little free space between them. They spread
and assume the shape of the container they
occupy. Liquids are in a state of transition,
like campaign messages that flow into storytelling across a variety of
media, both traditional and electronic.
Gases contain particles that move and slide with lots of free space
between them. They are compressible, but ultimately prefer to
be free. Gases are the final stage of transition, having moved
through solid and liquid phases, where the airborne message has
“gone viral”.
Perhaps this is why great campaigns start with good chemistry.
They utilize the seamless transition between traditional (solid) and
electronic/social (liquid) media. Ultimately, it becomes word of
mouth (gaseous) by combining multiple media platforms into rich
storytelling – exemplified in the following mini case studies.
Okanagan Springs Brewery – at the time, a regional brand with
a limited budget – decided to sponsor small private events such
as “Jeff ’s weekend fishing trip” rather than the large
corporate events sponsored by many national beer
brands. The campaign started with traditional newspaper
and radio ads to drive people to the sponsormespring.
ca website where they could submit a video requesting
sponsorship of their event. Visitors to the site voted for
the events that they felt deserved sponsorship. Social
media efforts by hopeful applicants further fuelled word
of mouth about the campaign. Each month, events
with the most votes received free beer and supplies
from Okanagan Springs Brewery. The sponsored events
became the core of the ad campaign, with photos used
on billboards and print ads, and audio recorded at the
events used in radio spots. While there was a fluid mix
of traditional, electronic and social media, the unique
storytelling element arguably gave the campaign legs and
helped to achieve viral success.
Challenged with telling people about the upcoming
“Treasures Exhibit”, Science World applied 2 ounces of
real 22-karat gold, hammered micro-thin, on a single
billboard in downtown Vancouver and stamped it with
a message about the show. While the value of the gold
was estimated at $11,000 – plus the cost of the work
involved to create the billboard, along with the price of
media placement for four weeks – the value it achieved in
traditional newspaper, TV and radio publicity coverage as
well as in social media and viral storytelling was priceless.
One simple idea combined with one traditional media
billboard spawned an irresistible story that was shared
across multiple fluid platforms and ultimately went viral.
On some level, all companies are telling a story.
Consumers live and move seamlessly through different
media environments in their day-to-day lives, so having
your story follow and interact along the way makes it more
compelling and a natural fit for their lives. And, ultimately,
when you do that, it becomes more shareable. It really is
all about the “chemistry of good storytelling”.
Mary Charleson is a marketing strategist, speaker, and
consultant. Her book, Five-Minute Marketing, is available
through www.amazon.com. She can be reached at mary@
charleson.ca
Want more fresh insights? Check out Mary’s blog:
www.fiveminutemarketing.com, follow posts at
www.facebook.com/fiveminutemarketing, or sign up at
www.charleson.ca for a monthly newsletter.
Consumers live and move
seamlessly through different media
environments in their day-to-day lives, so having
your story follow and interact along
the way makes it more compelling
and a natural fit for their lives.
Thank You to Our 2012 VISION Sponsors
Join the conversation!@BCAMA #BCAMAVISIONVISION 2012
Join the conversation!@BCAMA #BCAMAVISION VISION 2012 Join the conversation!
@BCAMA #BCAMAVISIONVISION 2012
WelCoMe & oveRvIeW by Lindsay Smith and Stacey McGregor
The marketing landscape has changed dramatically
over the past decade, and as an industry, we’ve
been forced to adapt to emerging technologies at an
unprecedented rate. In fact, with the proliferation in
social media and mobile technologies, never before
has there been so much connectivity and consumer
empowerment. With so many distribution platforms
available, it is no longer enough to create unique
and inspiring content – we must create unique and
inspiring content that is so engaging it can’t be
controlled, that is so spreadable between media and
consumers that it is liquid.
While the term “Liquid Content” is relatively new
to most marketers, its underlying concept and
principle is not. As marketers, it’s always been our job to create content
that inspires conversation. The challenge now is that, in this digital era, we
need to capitalize on the power of social networking, blogging and video
marketing to ensure that our messaging reaches as many people as possible.
The more liquid the content is, the easier it is to reuse,
access, edit and publish. However, as part of this, we need
to be ready to act and react to these conversations at any
given time.
Through the power of sharing and self-publishing, we have
at our fingertips huge potential to grow our brands in a
way never before thought possible. But do you know how
to make the most of liquid content? How do you move
from creative excellence to content excellence? How do you
streamline content creation and publishing so you aren’t
creating new messages for every medium available?
VISION 2012 will help you answer those questions and a
whole lot more!
Lindsay Smith, Chief Geek, Massive Media | Director of
Vision, BCAMA
Stacey McGregor, VP Marketing, Massive Media |
Communications Manager, Vision 2012
BCAMA is proud to present VISION 2012. We welcome you to a full day of idea sharing, inspiring thought leadership, and networking. This year’s theme is Liquid Content…
successful traveling festival during its run from 1997 to 1999.
At the 2003 Juno Awards, McBride received the Walt Grealis Special
Achievement Award recognizing an outstanding individual who has
contributed to the growth and advancement of the Canadian music
industry. Over the past few years, McBride has spoken at dozens
of international conferences about advances in digital technology,
intellectual property rights and the future of music distribution.
McBride also serves on Midem’s Visionary Chair Committee.
Fredrik Carlström - new York | CEO, C&CO, Hyper island Fredrik Carlström is a marketing consultant, creative director, and
film producer. He runs Carlström & Company | C&CO, a venture
capital and brand management consulting firm; and Third Factory,
a film and television production company. He is also a frequent
lecturer and panelist, and has done executive education with senior
management at companies including BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi,
JWT, Momentum, Unilever, Kraft, Google and TBWA, to mention
a few.
Carlström’s has advised companies like IKEA, Absolut Vodka, iittala,
H&M, HBO, L’Oreal, Scandinavian Airline Systems (SAS), AMC,
Electrolux, Havaianas, Kahlua, Svenska Dagbladet, Procter &
Gamble, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Vodafone, and
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
Until 2011, Carlström was the CEO & Executive Creative Director
of digital/entertainment agency Great Works’ American operations,
which he set up in 2007. In 2010 Great Works was named AdWeek’s
Agency of the Year.
Leonard Brody - san Francisco | Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist, and Author Leonard Brody has been called a “controversial leader of the new
world order” and was recently named one of Canada’s Top 40
Under 40. He is a highly respected entrepreneur, venture capitalist,
bestselling author, and two-time Emmy nominated media visionary.
He has helped raise millions of dollars for startup companies, been
through one of the largest Internet IPOs in history, and has been
involved in the building, financing and/or sale of five companies
to date.
A highly sought after public speaker, Brody has spoken at
conferences around the world and his work has been featured in
such publications as Fortune, the Wall Street Journal, the BBC,
and the New York Times. He is co-author of the bestselling books
Innovation Nation: Canadian Leadership from Jurassic Park to Java
and Everything I Needed to Know About Business… I Learned
from a Canadian.
Jon Ferrara - Los Angeles | CEO, nimble
A social entrepreneur at heart, Jon Ferrara founded GoldMine
Software in 1989 where he served as the executive vice president
of the company until it was sold in 2000. GoldMine is one of the
best selling CRM products that helped pioneer the entire Sales
Force Automation (SFA) and Customer Relationship Management
(CRM) market. During this time, Ferrara was awarded the Ernst
and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award while GoldMine was
named PC Magazine’s Editor’s Choice in 1993 and again in 1995,
1996 and 1997.
After selling GoldMine and watching the immense rise in power
social media was experiencing, Ferrara entered the start up world
again when he noticed a distinct lack of any products that effectively
combined Relationship Management, Social Listening and
Engagement, and Collaboration with Sales and Marketing. In 2009,
Jon founded Nimble to create an extensive Social Business platform
to fill this gap.
Panel: The ROI of Social Influence Metrics Social media is here to stay. Marketers have embraced the fact that
it’s not a trend but instead a shift in how consumers engage with
brands. Consumers are not only participating in direct discussions
with brands, but in discussions with each other about those brands.
And now, there’s a new buzz emerging in social media – “social
influence metrics.” Are you using the latest tactics and tools to
identify the heavy hitters in the online world? If you thought high
school was over, you thought wrong. Social media has opened a
new door where online popularity is the new playground. With over
70% of purchasing decisions being influenced by peers, you need to
know how to leverage the “cool” kids in order to build your brand
and extract ROI.
Ben Watson - Vancouver | Vp of Marketing, Hootsuite Ben is focused on marketing technology and
the agile delivery of a platform for customer
success. Formerly a principal customer
experience strategist in the digital marketing space at Adobe, he is
responsible for working across the Adobe organization to optimize
the enterprise customer journey and define Adobe’s industry
leading customer experience management platform. Prior to joining
Adobe, Watson served as director of product strategy for Yahoo! and
as a leader for developer and platform evangelism at Microsoft. He
also spent several years in the advertising agency and publishing
space in varied roles such as creative director and CTO. In 2008, he
was honored as one of the top men in Social Media.
Mark Nicholson - Toronto | Head of Digital and interactive, ing DirECT CanadaMark Nicholson is the Head of Digital and
Interactive for ING DIRECT Canada. He has
been named to the Top 40 Online Marketers in Canada by Click!
Weekly and helps generate the vision and strategy that enables ING
DIRECT to deliver a superior digital experience for its Clients.
Driving the bank's digital marketing initiatives, Mark's focus on
vISIoN 2012 SPeakeRSBruce Philp Terry McBride Fredrik Carlström Leonard Brody Jon Ferrara
Bruce Philp - Toronto | Author, Consumer Republic A 30-year veteran of branded marketing, Bruce Philp has advised
numerous Fortune 500 companies as a brand strategist, a job
he characterizes as “an endless search for common ground
between the corporation and the consumer.” From Tylenol to
Toyota, Procter & Gamble to Molson, he’s seen firsthand how
interdependent consumers and corporations really are. His work
with ING Direct, which he helped create in Canada in 1997, drove
home for him how powerful this connection can be. Along with
its founding CEO Arkadi Kuhlmann, Philp told the story of that
revelation in his 2009 national bestseller The Orange Code:
How ING Direct Succeeded by Being a Rebel with A Cause.
In 2011, Philp published his second book, Consumer Republic:
Using Brands to Get What You Want, Make Corporations Behave,
And Maybe Even Save The World, which took his message from the
boardroom to Main Street and to critical acclaim.
Terry McBride - Vancouver | CEO, YYoga & nettwerk Music Terry McBride is the CEO and one of three founders of Nettwerk
Music Group. Founded in McBride’s apartment in 1984, Nettwerk
has helped develop the careers of Avril Lavigne, Barenaked Ladies,
Coldplay, Dido, Sarah McLachlan, and Sum 41 among many
others, and has released over 500 different albums that have sold
over 150 million units worldwide. McBride was also a founding
member of the Lilith Fair tour, which was the world’s most
Join the conversation!@BCAMA #BCAMAVISION VISION 2012 spring 2012 marketline 13
eveNT TeaM ThaNk You
BCAMA President steve Kim, president, Boilingpoint group
VIsIon Director Lindsay smith, CEO, Massive Media
sponsorship Director regina Leung, Consultant, HyBird Media group
Production Manager Jaren scott
Communications Manager stacey Mcgregor, Vp Operations & Marketing, Massive Media
PR Manager Alysia Hamilton, Founder, Beauty Calls Mobile services
Public Relations Assistant ray silva
social Media Manager sharon Tsang, Assistant Human resources Manager, Brian Jessel BMW
Membership Managers sandeep Kambo, partner, rouge Marketing and Events; rebecca Cheung, partner, rouge Marketing and Events; Carla Howden
BCAMA is a volunteer driven, non-profit international society of professional marketers dedicated to the leading edge practice, study, and teaching of marketing. Founded over 55 years ago, volunteers have certainly made a mark on the BC business community. The volunteers listed below took the time to bring VISION 2012 to life. Their support is greatly appreciated!
GReeNeR aCTIoNS, GReeNeR PaSTuReS The importance of keeping your consumers aware of your environmental actionsby Carmen Chan, Senior Research Manager
We have a reputation in British Columbia
for caring about and loving our natural
environment. With all our natural wonders
– mountains, trees, lakes, waterfalls, wildlife
– who wouldn’t love it? But when we head back to civilization and
out for some well-deserved retail therapy, do we really put our
money where our mouth is? Or is this merely an inaccurate or
idealized stereotype?
At Ipsos Reid, we wanted to know if BC consumers truly do
‘think green’ when they go shopping – and we don’t mean the
colour of that cute little outfit in the window. We’re talking their
environmental intentions. More precisely, we wanted to know if a
retailer’s activities to help preserve and protect the environment are
relevant to British Columbians. The short answer is an emphatic
YES! Our study showed that a large majority (71%) of British
Columbians say that a retailer’s actions are either very or somewhat
important in deciding where to shop. The importance placed on
this aspect of a retailer’s performance has remained high each time
it has been tested (67% in 2011; 72% in 2010; and 74% in 2009).
Clearly, our reputation matches reality on this front.
In BC, we also have a reputation for building some fantastic world-
class retail brands – many of them well represented within the
BCAMA. But what about on the environmental front? Which BC
retailers stand out in the minds of environmentally
conscious consumers?
In our study, survey respondents were asked to name one retailer
they thought best exemplified an environmentally friendly business.
The question was posed without a predetermined list to choose
from. And a large majority of respondents (70%) could name a
retailer that they feel was making the grade.
Who did they name? And how did BC retailers do? There are
certainly a lot of names you will recognize. Topping the list is
Mountain Equipment Co-op, a BC-based outdoor activity and
recreation retailer. Other BC-based retailers, including London
Drugs, Save-On-Foods, and Choices, ranked in the top 10
alongside international brands such as Starbucks, The Body Shop
and Whole Foods.
Top 10 Mentioned Environmentally Friendly Retailers in BC*
1. Mountain Equipment Co-op 6. Real Canadian Superstore
2. Save-On-Foods 7. London Drugs
3. Starbucks 8.Choices Market
4. Thrifty Foods 9. Whole Foods Market
5. The Body Shop 10. Safeway
That’s great news for these companies. Clearly, they have
programs in place to help protect our environment and they
are very savvy in how they communicate these efforts with the
public and their consumers.
But not every company out there can say the same. Collectively,
the results of our study suggest that not all British Columbians
are satisfied with the job that retailers are doing – only 39% give
retailers as a whole in BC a good score (2% very good, 37%
somewhat good). Much of this is because more British Columbians
are unable to answer (34% don’t know) rather than feeling they are
doing a poor job (25% give retailers a poor score, 2% very poor).
The results clearly reflect the fact that many consumers haven’t
heard about actions taken by BC retailers when it comes to
environmental protection and sustainability. This suggests that
better communication tactics by retailers can make a difference as
much as better environmental strategies can.
There are a number of avenues open to you for communicating
your environmental efforts. Word of mouth (77%), in-store
information provided by the retailer (77%) and independent media
sources (74%) were the top three ways BC consumers said they
would rely on to find out about the environmental activities of a
retailer. But they would also turn to the Internet, with 66% saying
they would look at retailer-specific websites and 52% saying they
would turn to independent environmental-focused websites.
In a world where perception can quickly become reality – or
at least have a real impact on your bottom line – you want to
ensure that your hard work and dedication to protecting the
environment is clearly communicated and entrenched in your
brand. Understanding consumer perceptions and tracking your
progress are part of a successful strategy to building a green brand
and connecting to the values of British Columbians.
Carmen Chan is a Research Manager at Ipsos Reid’s Vancouver office
who manages numerous research and tracking projects for retail clients.
For more information on this study, please contact carmen.chan@
ipsos.com or visit the Ipsos news centre at www.ipsos-na.com/news.
These findings are part of Ipsos Reid’s 2012 Retail Trends in British Columbia Study, which features regular reports on current events in the retail industry. This online survey of 1,177 adult British Columbians, 18 years+, was conducted from March 26 to April 3, 2012, using Ipsos Reid’s Voice of the West – an online panel of 6,000+ British Columbians, randomly recruited to match the overall characteristics of the adult residents of the province. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online studies of this nature; however, an unweighted probability sample of this size, with a 100% response rate, would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
*Based on answers to the question “If you could pick one retailer operating in BC that best exemplifies an environmentally friendly business, which one would you choose?” Base: All respondents: 2012 n=1194.
web and mobile development, streamlined digital banking services and
creative continues to significantly grow and retain ING DIRECT's
Client base. Also, Mark develops and oversees the execution of
ING DIRECT's social media strategy which has grown the bank's
online presence in existing and new social spaces. Prior to joining
INGDIRECT, Mark held e-Marketing positions with DataMirror
Corporation and Newbridge Networks.
Kory Klem - Los Angeles | Digital strategist, Movember As a Digital Strategist for Movember, Kory
focuses on mobile, social media and digital media
strategies and partnerships for the world’s leading
men’s health charity.
Prior to Movember, Kory served as the General Manager for DECA
TV’s men’s network, where he created, launched and ran community-
driven properties such as the Webby award winning Project Lore.
Before DECA TV, Kory was the Director of Content for online video
site Revver where he sourced content deals across the digital media
landscape with partners ranging from studios to industry-leading
individual producers.
Kory began his career working in technology and business develop-
ment for various startups and agencies in San Francisco. He holds a
B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Notre Dame.
Moderator Wayne Carrigan - Vancouver | Vp, Digital services, station XWayne can best be described as a marketing
scientist.
His 17 years of internet, email, social media, data analytics
and relationship marketing experience makes him a pioneer in
the industry. Through his work with hundreds of Canada’s top
brands, Wayne has developed the unique skill of helping clients
understand their needs and the role digital marketing can play
in their communications plan.
Wayne joined Station X from his previous position as Executive
Vice President for Thindata 1:1, bringing a proven track record
of creating and implementing good business strategies and
deploying cost effective, successful e-marketing strategies and
programs.
A Mass Communications & Economics major from York
University, Wayne has lead award-winning digital marketing
programs for Air Canada, Aeroplan, Bell, BMO, Boston Pizza,
Canadian Blood Services, CBC, Cineplex, CNIB, Delta Hotels,
Direct Energy, Ford, Hbc, Indigo Books, M&M Meat Shops,
Royal Canadian Mint, Sony Playstation, Swiss Chalet, Virgin
Radio, Volkswagen and XM Radio.
speaker Liason Cambrea strubin, Account Executive, inventa
Director, Volunteers Aylin Lavalle, social Media consultant
sponsorship committee russ Au Yeung, international Marketing Coordinator, University Canada West, scott Cunningham, regional Manager (BC), Mosaic Experiential Marketing
social Media Assistants Chris Low and Tyler Yang
And thank-you to any event volunteers we may have missed that joined the team after publication of this program!
spring 2012 marketline14 spring 2012 marketline 15
Make YouR MoBIle WeBSITe WoRk FoR You by Darrell Hadden
Mobile is important! Its role in marketing
and online has been firmly established, and
its significance is increasing. It is essential to
view mobile not as separate from your regular
website, but as an integral part of your website
and online communications strategy. Keep
reading for practical tips and best practices for
developing a successful mobile website.
What is Mobile Web?• In simple terms, it means different sized screens or
monitors
• Screen sizes change almost daily, which will continue for
the foreseeable future
• Your mobile website should resize fluidly for the numerous
screen sizes
• Your mobile site must be easy to use and to navigate
Mobile has finally delivered on its promise of transforming
our lives in almost every way.
How many people are viewing my website on mobile devices?
• If your website is B2B in Vancouver, 5 to 10% of your
visitors will come from a mobile device
• If your website is B2C in Vancouver, 10 to 20% of your
visitors will come from a mobile device
• Your mobile traffic is expected to double in 2012
• Mobile traffic will overtake desktop traffic by 2015
What type of mobile devices should my website be compatible with?
• In Canada, most mobile traffic is from the Apple
product line
• Very few online visits come from RIM smartphones
• Your mobile website should be compatible with Google’s
Android operating system
• You shouldn’t program your website for a “dumb phone”
How can I make my website mobile friendly?There are two primary ways to make your website mobile
friendly:
1. Website Content Management Systems (CMS) typically
have a plug-in to make your website mobile friendly,
such as WPTouch for WordPress and mobile plug-ins for
Drupal and Sitefinity. These are excellent tools to easily
convert your website to accommodate mobile devices.
2. Customize your HTML code by incorporating the new
responsive design standard. This will allow for easy resizing
of your website. Some professional web developers are now
implementing these standards.
Things to consider when making your website
mobile friendly:
• Navigation layout and interaction
• Content organization and prioritization
• Design and branding
• Calls to action
• Graphics and imagery
• HTML-5 style jQuery instead of Flash animation
• Forms and web applications
The most important aspect to your mobile success is usability.
Should I make a separate mobile site?• No – one version of content should populate your mobile and
desktop website
• Usability expert Jakob Nielsen has determined that most users
want access to all of the information on your website
• Each website should be evaluated to determine how your
content is presented
How are mobile website visitors different?• Mobile consumers have a shorter attention span
• They want quick and convenient information when searching
• 89% of mobile searchers are looking for a response to an
urgent need
• Search is the most common web activity on mobile devices
• Over 50% of searchers purchase, either in-store, online or
directly through their phones
• These information seekers - are ready to buy:
• 59% visit a local store
• 77% contact a business
• 44% make a purchase
• Mobile searches per industry are:
• 15% of finance & insurance
• 17% of auto
• 30% of restaurant
Mobile has finally delivered on its promise of transforming our
lives in almost every way.
Darrell Hadden is the President of Graphically Speaking, a
full-service web design and development agency and sponsor of the
BCAMA. Darrell is also the immediate past President of the
BCAMA. He can be contacted at [email protected]
or at 604.682.5500, extension 113.
Networking is an integral part of business
success – it leads to a world of opportunity,
making businesses blossom with strong word-
of-mouth referrals. But how can you make net-
working easy and accessible? Use social media!
With social media, you’re no longer pushing your business card on as
many people as you see, and you don’t have to give a 30-second sales
pitch to everyone you meet. Social media encourages sharing knowledge,
fosters an environment of transparency and welcomes networking without
the pressure.
Social media should no longer be a question mark. It’s all around us and
we’ve all engaged in it at one level or another. However, it’s fair to say that
some businesses get the concept of social media better than others and
there are definitely learnings to be had. The big question that non-believers
ask is what is the return on investment – is social media for business really
making a positive impact on the bottom line? The answer is yes!
Although there isn’t accurate formula to measure the influence that
traditional advertising has on business, we all understand that advertising is
necessary and does have a positive influence on results. Likewise, although
there is no perfect formula to calculate the return on investment for
social media, there are plenty of statistics and resources available at your
fingertips to determine the effectiveness of your social media efforts.
Here’s a personal example: I got involved in social media four years ago
when I received an email from Peter Aceto, my CEO at ING DIRECT. The
email read: “Meena, I’d like you to explore social media. Keep me posted.
Thanks, Peter.” My answer was “Sure, will do.” and I proceeded without
asking any questions. I decided to go all-in with social media efforts and
not make any other changes to our local marketing strategy in order to
really gauge the effectiveness of social media. Through tweeting, attending
tweetups, holding tweetups and inviting others to meet and network in
our office space, I saw a significant impact on our business. Our Vancouver
ING DIRECT Cafe became a community hub, with social media being
our medium of choice to share and promote our space. In one year we saw
our walk-in traffic increase from 600–800 a month up to 1,500 a month.
A year later, we were getting close to 2,000 walk-ins a month and are now
averaging over 2,000 walk-ins a month. So yes, it works!
Here are my top 10 reasons for businesses to leverage social media (in no particular order – you decide what’s most important to you):
1. Even if you’re not getting social, your clients and potential clients are and
they’re talking about you. Be involved to respond to the good and the bad.
2. It’s another channel for customer service. You already likely service
your clients face to face, over the phone, via email – now you can add
social media.
To TWeeT oR NoT To TWeeT… ThaT IS STIll The queSTIoN?by Meena Sandhu
3. The basic rule of marketing is repetition and frequency.
Social media is another medium to build that repetition
and frequency.
4. It’s great for Search Engine Optimization – we all love
Google and Google loves social media. Your business will
show up in more search results if you’re being social.
5. Reach more people in more places at the same time in
as little as 140 characters. Whether you’re using Twitter,
Facebook, LinkedIn or all of the above, watch your
networks grow exponentially.
6. It’s free. (Need I say more?)
7. Everybody else is doing it – you don’t want to miss out on
the opportunities your competitors are taking advantage of.
8. It’s two-way communication and advertising all in one. You
can’t respond to a billboard, but you can to a tweet.
9. It’s great for reaching your audience. More and more
people are reading and trusting blogs over traditional news
sources. Get talked about in the blog world.
10. There is so much information being shared. Be a sponge
and soak it all up.
The Rules of Engagement:
Listen, Talk, Share, Encourage, Embrace. And, remember, if
you wouldn’t say something face to face, don’t say it online!
The Fun Stats:
• Google handles over 1 billion searches per day
• Over 800 million Facebook users
• 150 million users on LinkedIn
• 240 million tweets per day
• 1.6 billion Twitter searches per day
• 85% of Pinterest users are female
• 5 million pictures a day are shared via Instagram
Meena Sandhu is the Sr. Regional Manager for Marketing
and Retail in Western Canada at ING DIRECT. Meena also
provides freelance services specializing in Experiential and
Social Media. She sits on the BC Social Media Advisory
Board and is the current Director of Social Media on the
BCAMA board. You can connect, tweet or friend her on Twitter
(meenasandhu), Facebook (MeenasandhuYVR) or LinkedIn
(meenasandhu), check out her site at www.meenasandhu.ca or,
if you prefer traditional digits, call/text/imessage at
604.338.9354.
spring 2012 marketline16 spring 2012 marketline 17
BIG WIN FoR BCITMa IN NeW oRleaNS by Matthew Chong
Some of you may have read the recent press
release or news stories, but in case you didn’t,
the BCIT Marketing Association (BCITMA)
won multiple awards at the International
Collegiate Conference in New Orleans! I
attended the post-showcase event put on by
the New Orleans chapter and was completely
blown away by the professionalism, insight and strategic ability of
these students.
The International Collegiate Conference is an annual event attended by
many post-secondary schools throughout North America. This year’s
conference boasted attendance of over 1,300 students, with 44 of them
coming from Canada. The students representing Canada were all from
the BCITMA and were led by Collegiate Chapter President Kristina
Cisnero. The conference facilitates both an education component
and a series of competitive events such as the Pearson Case Study
competition, the Sales competition and the Exhibit/Booth competition.
The BCiTMA won the following awards:Gold Chapter Award • Best Overall Exhibit • 1st place winner of the
Pearson Case Study Competition • 3rd and 4th place in the Sales
Competition • Faculty Advisor Award: Geoffrey Bird
This year’s team won the most awards that the chapter has ever
received in a single year. This is an excellent example of how well our
collegiate chapters are representing Canada on the international level.
I sat down with BCITMA President Kristina Cisnero to find out more
about her role in leading the chapter as well as the secret to success for
this year’s team.
Q What are three tips that you would give other collegiate
presidents about running a chapter?
A First, At the very beginning of your term, lay out a team charter and
make sure to stick to it – take disciplinary actions when necessary, and
do not be afraid to stand up for what you think is wrong. Second, you
need to lead by example. If you are too lenient, people will just walk
all over you. Always motivate your people and leave your personal
problems outside of the club so that you can maintain a positive
atmosphere within the organization. Third, nothing is ever done, and
you can always work to improve it no matter what. The only way the
organization can grow is if you keep on evolving and innovating.
Q Why do you think the BCAMA is of value both to students and
marketing professionals?
A I think the BCAMA is of value to students because for one, students are
looking to gain insight from industry professionals and the BCAMA has
great opportunities that allow us to experience speakers who hail from
a variety of marketing backgrounds. The BCAMA also allows students
to network with professionals. And the BCAMA is of value to marketing
professionals because it allows them to build their network outside of their
place of employment, as well as participate in an organization that is
highly coveted.
Q What was the key element that helped your chapter exceed
expectations at this year’s Collegiate Conference?
A The key element was the creation of a New Orleans Competition Team,
which helped create a professional appeal. It also supported our ability to
work together as a team, letting us conquer each competition as if it were
the Stanley Cup.
Q What is one way that the marketing community can better support
collegiate chapters? By sponsorship!
Matthew Chong is the Director of Collegiate for BCAMA. During the day,
he is the Marketing and Communications Strategist for the British
Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). When not at a networking event
or coming up with exciting marketing ideas, Matt can often be found at the
local coffee shop working on his blog, The Pinstriped Suit.
WhaT doeS ModeRN MaRkeTING MeaN To You?By Josh Budd
At the rate the world is
going today, by the time
you read this things will
have changed, such that my “modern
marketing” won’t feel modern anymore.
But I firmly believe that “marketing” will
always evolve: so we must adapt and move
forward. Here are the three ideas that I
think matter in “modern marketing”:
1. Innovation needs to be tested – Not all
of us can be Steve Jobs. We all depend on
a number of ideas that could move the
needle and, most of the time, the idea
makes a lot of sense. It’s not prudent to
invest millions of dollars for your widget
without setting aside a little bit to test it
first. Test, measure, optimize, iterate. The
iPod was not a new idea when Apple
developed it.
2. People Centricity – Customers who make
decisions about purchasing your product
are not “target markets”. Think about the
people who buy your product every day,
and try to see their world and how your
brand lives within their reality, not the
reality we project on them. Spend some
time just observing and see what makes
them laugh, cry, take action, or revolt.
I would highly recommend doing this
with your Advertising Agency in order to
discover these insights together.
For Vega, modern
marketing is all about
transparency between
marketer and consumer. The more open
and inclusive we are as marketers, the
higher the engagement and loyalty we
enjoy from our consumers. Not everything
is surrounded by white picket fences
– being real, authentic and vulnerable
is key, as today’s conscious, discerning
consumers are tired of the de facto cliché
marketing messaging out there. Finally,
modern marketing is about storytelling
– if we are aligned, our reason for being
and what really excites us should really
resonate with our consumers!
Today’s modern marketer
has the advantage of
a massive and diverse
toolbox at their disposal.
But if you don’t take the time to learn the
appropriate use for each tool, you’ll waste
time and money, and grow increasingly
frustrated. Those who are succeeding today
understand the role of emerging platforms
and technologies, taking a strategic
look at how they fit into the rest of their
communications mix – versus reacting to
what competitors or leading brand icons
do. They don’t try to push product on
Facebook, get frustrated with lack of “click
thrus”, fast track a mobile app, or start a
board on Pinterest. They do what’s right for
their business and their consumer, listen for
feedback, and act on that data.
What does modern marketing mean to you? Tell us at [email protected] and we may feature your organization in a future article.
Josh Budd is the Creative Director at
Vancouver-based Integrated Marketing
Agency Station X and can be reached at josh.
[email protected]. To find out more about
Station X, what they do for their clients, and
where you fit on the modern marketing
spectrum, visit www.stationx.co.
My father-in-law ran a successful ad
agency for over 20 years. When we sit
and talk shop, as we in the industry
are prone to do, I trade my stories of
Timeline migration and “the Third
Screen” for his stories, which sound
more like a wild bachelor party. No
matter where we begin, before long we’re into the thick of what it
means to be a marketer today – the challenge of not just being out
Nestor BalceMarketing Manager,
Vancouver Retail Group
Mercedes-Benz Canada
Charles Chang President & Founder,
Vega
Signi Solmundson General Manager, Marketing
and Communications,
YMCA of Greater Vancouver
there, but of mattering in a complex, saturated landscape that requires
us to be fast, flexible, and, courageous.
This question – what is modern marketing? – is one I get asked a
lot, since at Station X our goal is to help organizations modernize
their marketing communications to build deeper, more profitable
relationships with their customers. While I have my opinion, we asked
some of BC’s sharpest marketers to share their views on what it
means to be a modern marketer.
3. Experiment – All bets are off. All the old
rules don’t mean anything in this marketing
age. Change is the new constant. I don’t
have to tell you that this is the best time
to be in marketing. Challenge your own
assumptions in the face of macro trends.
Maybe we just need to simplify everything?
If consumers are jaded, modern marketing
should push us to be more…authentic.
TO ADVERTISE: Contact your Advertising Account Executive or call 604-605-2388.
A Chinese website Powered by the Vancouver sun
01089841.ad 1 4/24/12 9:31:02 AM
spring 2012 marketline18 spring 2012 marketline 19
The Breakfast Speaker Series provides a forum for
learning that fits in with your work day. Like the perfect
cup of coffee in the morning, the BSS brand is a short
stop on your way to work that energizes your day. We
provide a change of pace when you get bogged down
in the office, and a forum for discussion before you get
to your Inbox. We provide content from top marketers
– content that inspires you with its
excellence and provides a crucial link
between cutting-edge grand ideas and
the daily processes that make them
happen. All that with a hot breakfast
and great coffee!
Our February BSS event was an
outstanding success, bringing
together some of the biggest names
in marketing – TAXI, Wasserman,
Rethink and DDB Canada – for a
panel on marketing in 2012. This annual agency panel,
which is always a sold-out event with nothing but rave
reviews, featured a lively discussion on developing liquid
content that sparked the theme for this year’s BCAMA
VISION conference on
May 23rd.
The final BSS event for the year on May 9th featured
Gary Fearnall, Director of Marketing Solutions for
LinkedIn Canada. He tackled the issue of how to
cut through the social media noise to reach the right
consumers for your business. As always, there was an
opportunity for the audience to ask questions and to
engage our speaker with comments based on their own
expertise.
I have had an extraordinary time this past year as
Director of BSS. Putting together these events has
been rewarding for me and my staff at Greenstone
One of the things that inspires me the
most is seeing the energy and creative
ideas coming from up-and-coming
marketing students. They are on the
cutting edge of new trends, technology
and communications. I’m always amazed at how quickly this
demographic adapts and picks up the newest ideas in marketing
and business. That’s why I was excited when the opportunity came
up to take on the role of Director of Collegiate for the BCAMA.
I have been settling into my new role for the last few months, and
already I’m seeing some fantastic new projects come out of the
woodwork. I have been fortunate enough to have a great response
from professionals, past presidents of collegiate chapters and
advisors to my call-out for committee members. This team will
work very closely with other BCAMA board members to take the
collegiate program to the next level.
One of the projects that my team and I are working on is securing
three scholarships for each of the active collegiate chapters.
Each scholarship is awarded to an outstanding student who has
demonstrated a high level of academic performance as well as
contribution to the community in the form of volunteerism or
extracurricular activities. The scholarships are awarded at the
BCAMA Annual General Meeting in July.
Another project that we are actively working on is extending the
collegiate program to other universities. Over the last few years,
UBC, SFU and BCIT have been the most active collegiate chapters.
These chapters have set an excellent example with the strategic and
leadership capability of students at these schools and we are hoping
to draw on their experience when building other collegiate chapters.
Our goal is to help and support the creation of four new collegiate
chapters in the Lower Mainland within the next year.
Finally, one of the other initiatives that we are working on is based
on a request from the collegiate chapters for more involvement with
the BCAMA. Each event that the BCAMA organizes always needs
volunteers and attendees. We plan to increase the number of student
volunteers at these events, as there is a great opportunity for
networking and skill building. Many students have a requirement
from their university programs to volunteer in the community, so
we are hoping to be able to facilitate this process at the direction of
the collegiate chapters.
In addition to volunteer opportunities, we are also looking into
increasing the number of student members at our events as
attendees. Many of our events offer student pricing; however,
sometimes the cost of an event is just out of the reach of a student’s
The PeRFeCT CuP oF CoFFeeby Rachel Johns
Productions, and I am confident the BSS program will continue
to develop as “the best event to start your day”. I would like to
thank all of our sponsors for making these events possible, and the
BCAMA Board of Directors and BSS volunteers for their support
and encouragement. With such an outstanding group of people
driving these events, the BC Chapter of the American Marketing
Association will continue to grow and thrive as the marketing
leader in British Columbia.
Rachel Johns is the Director of the BCAMA Breakfast Speaker
Series and the CEO of Greenstone Productions
(www.greenstoneproductions.com). You can follow her on Twitter
(@Rachel_Johns) or via LinkedIn (Rachel Johns).
Like the perfect cup of coffee in
the morning, the BSS brand is a
short stop on your way to work that
energizes your day.
The Breakfast Speaker Series (BSS) is one of the key components of BCAMA programming. Marketers attend conferences and other events for knowledge, networking and inspiration, and professionals in Vancouver have a wide array of events to choose from. The BCAMA BSS is something that stands out from the crowd.
ColleGIaTe MeMBeRS: The FuTuRe oF ouR INduSTRY by Matthew Chong
budget. One of the ideas that came forward during a
discussion with the collegiate committee was to approach
companies who may be interested in sponsoring a student
to attend one of our events. This would a be great way
for an organization to get their brand in front of students
as well as allow more students to attend our events. As
students are the future professional members of the
BCAMA as well as the next leaders in our industry, I
believe it is important to support them as much as possible.
Matthew Chong is the Director of Collegiate for BCAMA.
During the day, he is the Marketing and Communications
Strategist for the British Columbia Institute of Technology
(BCIT). When not at a networking event or coming up with
exciting marketing ideas, Matt can often be found at the local
coffee shop working on his blog, The Pinstriped Suit.
Watch our video case studies and learnmore at: www.basetwomedia.com
Basetwo Media provides complete prep-to-post solutionsincluding Promotional, Educational and Event Videos.
Our services include:
• Project Management • Script Writing • Videography • Video Editing • Motion Graphics & 3D • CD/DVD Duplication
“Basetwo Media consistently goes above and beyondin meeting our needs during every phase of a project.”
- Laura Bock, 1-800-Got-Junk?
Helping businesses communicateusing the power of video.
spring 2012 marketline20 spring 2012 marketline 21
TeN CaPTIvaTING NuMBeRS FRoM IPSoSMarketers know that numbers are good for business – adding up the opportunities, multiplying the rewards, and getting your share of the dividends. Ipsos knows how to match numbers with insight, so once again we’re sharing a few recent findings and select statistics for you to ponder. No doubt you’ll find them interesting, informative and, yes, even fun.
Canadians who use a PVR have stronger recall of TV ads
versus those who do not use a PVR (35% vs. 9%).
Using celebrities in digital ads can boost persuasion by 63%.
26% of online Canadians who have used a social
networking profile for a business purpose use it for
future employment.
57% of online Canadians who redeemed an online group
coupon are likely to use the same company again without
a coupon.
12% of Canadian coffee drinkers would rather give up a
year of retirement than specialty coffee.
The group is aimed at manager-
and director-level marketers who
are looking to gain expertise in
different areas. The following
topics were presented at the first
two events of the year. Stay tuned
for our upcoming June event on
best Facebook strategies and
branding in the social sphere.
• Mobile Web
• Hot Web Marketing Trends 2012
BCaMa SPeCIal INTeReST GRouPSby Sophie Chambers
BCAMA focuses on local talent and leaders within the industry to share their experiences, predictions,
knowledge and expertise. Here is a sampling of our speakers who presented at SIGS this past year.
Special Interest Groups (SIGS) is a forum dedicated to bringing innovative ideas, cutting-edge technology and marketing experts together to share collective wisdom and thoughts in a casual after-work environment.
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BMG-BIV-P26477.01CMYK
Marketlink
Ashley Brookes – Hootsuite
David Gratton & Jesse Gorzan – Work at Play
Ben Smith – Polygon Homes
Greg Krysa – Electronic Arts
Darrell Hadden – Graphically Speaking
John Hossack – Cardinal Path
BCAMA prides itself on being the only organization in BC whose sole focus is to educate, inspire
and inform its members and non-members. Our goal is to help develop professional growth and
organizational development within the marketing industry.
Sophie Chambers, the 2011/2012 Director of Special Interest Groups, is also the founder of the Kelebek
Consulting Group.
71% of British Columbians say retailers’ environmental
actions are important in deciding where to shop.
Making explicit product comparisons in an
advertisement can increase persuasion
by up to 33%.
76% of Canadian teens have used a fee-based website,
such as iTunes, to download music.
37% of online Canadians prefer that organizations
advertise using social networking sites at least monthly.
48% of Canadians would put Vancouver in their top
three Canadian travel destinations.
Celebrating over 30 years of service to the international meeting and events industry.
PHONE. +1 604.877.8558 TOLL FREE. 1.800.667.1819 EMAIL. [email protected]
Steve Mossop – Ipsos Reid
Sandy Fleischer – DARE
Shawn Neumann – Domain7
Gautam Lohia – Blast Radius
Peter Smythe – Iamota
spring 2012 marketline22 spring 2012 marketline 23
The BIGGeR, BoldeR aNd BeTTeR BCaMa WeBSITeby Lionel Matecha
Although functional, the site looked dated,
lacked features such as interactive menus
and compelling graphics, and did not reflect
the image of the BCAMA’s new brand. As the website
sponsor, Graphically Speaking wanted to create a
dynamic new site for the BCAMA. After all, this was for
a marketing association, so the website should rightly be
a model for the marketing community.
ChallengeWe realized that creating a new website design to
complement and enhance BCAMA’s brand image
was the fun part of the process; the real challenge
was moving the site onto an easier-to-use content
management platform without jeopardizing the very
useful and well-used job board system. To make things
more challenging, the job board system was part of a
custom database system, of which most functions were
no longer used.
One of the important wish-list items: to allow members
of the BCAMA communications team to edit and
maintain portions of the website that pertained to their association
responsibilities, especially event information and social media
initiatives. Because BCAMA is a non-profit organization, it was
also important to utilize web software or services that would not
adversely affect ongoing operating costs.
SolutionAfter careful review of the required web communication and
technology standards, plus an assessment of many similar projects
previously undertaken by Graphically Speaking, we determined
that the new site should be developed as a custom open-source
WordPress site. The benefits: a better integration of current and
future web features without the need for recurring licence fees.
WordPress features and functions provide a wealth of website
options via the large array of modules and plugins. Plus,
Graphically Speaking’s design and programming team has been
pushing the boundaries of WordPress capabilities for dozens of
client websites.
With a combination of a large WordPress toolkit and broad
customization experience, the team was able to have some fun with
BCAMA’s website – at www.bcama.com – was in dire need of a complete makeover in order to better serve the association’s website visitors, which included association members, volunteers, marketing professionals and job seekers, as well as the business community.
the design and interactive features of the new BCAMA
website. For instance, the drop-down ‘mega menu’
includes thumbnail images and creates a shadow over
the rest of the page. There are also bright, colourful
graphics and large section banners with strong images –
all of which complement the bold BCAMA logo.
From a technical perspective, the site was fully integrated with
WordPress content management tools so that that the page
content, menu images and banner graphics could be managed and
maintained easily without programming expertise. Everything is
managed within WordPress. The other big bonus is that the job
board system remained intact with only minor customization, so it
integrates well with the new website system architecture.
ResultThe new BCAMA website is now a much better showcase for
the association as well as for the BC marketing community. The
BCAMA directors for Events, Communications and Social Media
are now able to utilize the website in a timely manner to deliver
more effective communications with tighter integration of social
media channels and other online communications tools.
Lionel Matecha is a Certified Internet Marketing Business Strategist
and Account Director at Graphically Speaking, Western Canada’s
leading web development company and a proud sponsor of the
BCAMA. Lionel also serves as VP Communications for the BCAMA.
He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by
phone at 604.682.5500 Ext. 108.
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spring 2012 marketline24 spring 2012 marketline 25
PaINT IT BlaCk – hoW hST & The INTeRNeT INSPIRed WaRlINe PaINTINGby Rochelle Lockhart
Yet not everything that came out of the HST
era was necessarily bad. For one Surrey-based
business, Warline Painting, the introduction
of the HST acted as a catalyst, causing them
to re-evaluate their existing marketing efforts,
with the goal of replacing a 40% decline in sales following
the implementation of the HST. What they didn’t expect
was a recovery that would include a dramatic growth in
their repaint division, resulting in a 50/50 split.
BackgroundWarline’s owners, Warren and Heidi Nyline, didn’t
always work together. Warren owned a professional
painting company for 15+ years and Heidi ran a PR firm
specializing in investor relations for 10 years.
In 2005, Warren and Heidi decided to incorporate Warline
Painting and combine their individual strengths. Wanting
to build a company based on the quality of their work and
also raise expectations within their industry, they started
to speak out against the epidemic of poor paint jobs. Until
the 2008–2010 provincial-wide recession, Warline thrived.
Through their smaller referral-based repaint division, they
had healthy painting contracts from developers such as
Morningstar Homes, so they didn’t require a website in
order to get work. However, the implementation of the
HST caused a 40% decline in sales in their established new
home construction division, so Warren and Heidi decided
they needed a simple portfolio-based website.
After listening to CKNW’s The New Reality, they called
Snaptech Marketing (www.snaptech.com) for help. After
listening to Warren and Heidi, the Snaptech team persuaded
them that there was more to online marketing than a static site.
Instead, they were advised to use a new site to connect with
others in their industry, to educate their target market and to
gain trust from prospective clients.
Flavio, Snaptech’s Chief Strategy officer and Paul, Snaptech’s
Senior Internet Marketing Strategist, along with the rest of
Snaptech’s team, helped Warline overcome the HST challenge
with a content-laden site and a plan on how to chase down their
online targets.
ChallengesNot only was Warline was dealing with an HST-influenced
decline in sales and the BC recession, but it was also affected by
a decline in phone book usage. Prior to the inception of Google
and smartphones, a strategically placed ad in the Yellow Pages
was important for painting businesses like Warline. For large
projects, Warline relied on their relationships and the bidding
process, but with the rise in Internet usage, an ad in the Yellow
Pages was no longer the answer.
Warline’s Awesome Game PlanWarline needed a website and, more importantly, they needed
a site that properly displayed their work, spoke directly to their
target audience and convinced that target audience to use their
services. And of course, their site needed to rank, so Snaptech
worked out ways to lead their potential customers to them.
Heidi’s PR background helped with crafting great content,
including a blog full of great ideas and advice. Also, connecting
with her peers online through articles on other painting websites
and participating in online forums has given Heidi the voice she
needs, both for marketing Warline and for changing expectations
of her industry.
Paul takes all of Heidi’s content on a regular basis and comes
up with paid advertising campaigns and custom SEO (search
engine optimization) strategies. In short, he makes sure that if
There’s an old saying that where there’s chaos there’s opportunity. For many businesses in BC, nothing caused more chaos in recent years than the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST).
you’re looking for a high quality painter in Vancouver that
honestly cares about their work, you’ll come across Warline.
Then there’s social media giant Facebook, which, if utilized
well, can bring a business more customers. Warline has
benefited from using Facebook. In fact, they’ve turned
it into a referral machine: on their Facebook page, they
regularly update their list of recent projects. This let clients
see what’s happening, they share those updates with a new
circle of friends, resulting in potential new clients.
The Best Part: Results1. Recovery: Since working with Snaptech, Warline has seen a
178.6% increase in sales.
2. New revenue stream: Today, 50% of Warline’s business (in their
repaint division) comes from their online marketing efforts.
The other 50% (in their new home division) comes from
established relationships with developers.
3. Authority: Warline’s new connection positions them as a leader
with their peer group and target audience.
4. Enhanced supplier relationships: Warline now has even
stronger working relationship with suppliers such as
Benjamin Moore.
5. Accolades: In 2011, the Surrey Board of Trade declared
Warline Business of the Year.
Since Warline’s site was launched in January 2011, Snaptech
has kept a close eye to make sure that it converts visitors
and the online marketing strategy does its job. Despite its
unpopularity, the HST acted as a catalyst in this overall shift
and it turned out to be a positive outcome for Warline.
Rochelle Lockhart is a marketer and copywriter for Snaptech
Marketing www.snaptech.com, a digital marketing agency
specializing in website development and online marketing
strategies. [email protected]
spring 2012 marketline26 spring 2012 marketline 27
The value oF voluNTeeRING by Carla Howden
However, I knew that I wanted to make
some professional connections in the city,
so after a little bit of research into various
marketing groups in town, I decided to apply to volunteer
with the BCAMA, the largest and most established marketing
association in BC.
I interviewed for and won a position on the membership
committee, and was excited to gain an inroad into the
notoriously tight Vancouver marketing community. Based on
past volunteering, I expected to sit in on a few meetings, set
up and tear down events, and generally assist the more senior
members of the organization. I didn’t expect to also make
such good friends, or to gain such valuable and meaningful
experience. It’s turned out that
volunteering with the BCAMA is one of
the most positive and rewarding decisions
I’ve made in my move to Vancouver.
The people on the BCAMA are great.
They’re creative, inspiring, friendly and
fun to work with. When I began with the
membership committee, I had hoped to
get along with my fellow volunteers but
never expected to be so warmly welcomed.
Everybody is happy to talk shop and
lend their advice and expertise, but also
to just hang out, have a drink after work
and enjoy each other’s company. I look
forward to every event, from weeknight
planning meetings to 7 a.m. speaker
series to PURE Networking mixers, and I
always leave with a smile on my face.
And the work I’ve done with the BCAMA has been as
enjoyable as the people I’ve met. I’ve had the opportunity to
contribute to a variety of projects outside of what I’d get to do
at my job, including recruitment campaigns, event planning,
developing new collateral, and now the upcoming VISION
conference. All of these have expanded my understanding
of marketing and added to my professional experience. This
has been challenging and inspiring, and it keeps me plugged
in to the industry, which I find personally interesting and
professionally valuable.
I get a great sense of personal accomplishment from
volunteering. The BCAMA provides Vancouver’s marketing
community with outstanding events and top-quality content
and I am proud to play a role in that. The effort that we put
into the organization and the achievements that we celebrate
foster a sense of community – both within the BCAMA and in
the broader marketing industry. I feel as though I am a part of
something, which is very rewarding.
I’m excited to work with the other committees on this year’s
VISION conference and, down the road, I hope to hold a
position on the BCAMA Board. I’m so glad that I decided to
volunteer with the BCAMA and I look forward to contributing
far into the future.
Carla Howden is an enthusiastic member of the BCAMA
Membership Committee. At work, she is the Marketing
Coordinator at Concept Controls Inc.
voluNTeeRING – The BIG PICTuRe by Aylin Lavalle
We are a big community supported by
volunteers. In order to recognize the time and
energy of all the volunteers across Canada, I
would like to join Volunteer Canada’s initiative,
National Volunteer Week, by congratulating
all those who are volunteers and especially
our dedicated BCAMA volunteers. This year,
National Volunteer Week took place from April 15th to 21st.
National Volunteer Week (NVW) was first proclaimed in 1943 to draw
public attention to the vital contribution women made on the home
front to the war effort . While NVW was largely forgotten after the war
ended, it experienced a revival in the late 1960s when organizations
stressed the importance of thanking community volunteers across
Canada. NVW was reinstated and has since grown to become the
largest celebration of civic participation in Canada.
Did you know that one third of Canada’s population does volunteer
work? In 2010, more than 13.3 million people – accounting for 47% of
Canadians aged 15 and over – did volunteer work.
We as a community are more aware about the importance of doing
volunteering work. Many people are interested in making changes in
their lives and others by contributing to positive changes.
As an individual who has been a volunteer in different roles since
a young age, I can say that through volunteering I learn and gain
experience every day, but most importantly I fulfil my need to give
back to the community and get involved in something I believe in.
It was exciting to discover that Canadians consider volunteering an
important aspect that defines them as a “good citizens”. The final
report of “Canadians on Citizenship” by The Environics Institute
shows the following:
a. Canadians’ definition of a “good citizen” includes, among others:
• Obey laws (35%)
• Active participation in the community (25%)
• Help other people/neighbours (17%)
• Pay taxes (10%)
• Do volunteer work (6%)
b. 49% of Canadians consider volunteering an important attribute of a
“good citizen”
c. Canadians emphasize that volunteer work (31%) and being kind and
generous to others (26%) are the main activities that let them “feel
like a good citizen”
d. It is important to mention that this report also includes what are the
obstacles Canadian faces to feel like “good citizens”: lack of time
(21%) and cost (9%) are at the top of the list. However, some other
reasons need to be considered: do not know what to do (3%), do not
feel welcome (2%), and lack of support from others (2%).
Some numbers to contemplate:• 2.1 billion – the number of hours Canadian volunteers give
annually, which is equivalent to about 1.1 million full-time
jobs (Source: Canadian Survey of Giving, Volunteering and
Participating, 2007)
• 161,000 – the approximate number of charitable and
not-for-profit organizations in Canada (Source: Canada
Revenue Agency)
• 54% – of all non-profit and charitable organizations have no
paid staff (Source: National Survey of Non-Profit & Voluntary
Organizations, Statistic Canada, 2005)
It is important that we engage volunteers and recognize their
work overtime, but it is even more important that we value their
efforts and thank them. And it is important that we find the time
to give back to our community, at least for a few minutes a week
– everything counts.
To celebrate National Volunteer Week Canada, consider joining
BCAMA’s volunteer team.
For more information, please visit http://www.bcama.com/job-
board/volunteer-with-bcama or send an email to volunteers@
bcama.com.
Aylin, a Sales and Marketing professional with more than
10 years of experience, has performed studies in Marketing and
Business; she holds a Master’s and Bachelor’s Degree in Science.
Aylin believes that attitude is everything. Her favourite word:
empowerment. She joined the BCAMA in June 2009 and since
then she has become an active volunteer. Currently, she holds the
position of Director of Volunteers.
When I moved to Vancouver a couple of years ago, I knew very few people and I didn’t know anyone in the marketing industry.
I interviewed for and won a
position on the membership
committee, and was excited
to gain an inroad into the
notoriously tight Vancouver
marketing community.
spring 2012 marketline28 spring 2012 marketline 29
Meghan Carter, Director of the BCAMA
Marketer of the Year gala, stresses
the importance of this event for the
marketing community by noting, “this
is a great opportunity to showcase the
winning campaign, provide examples
of lessons learned and share the path to
achieve success”. Carter became involved
in this event because she believes that it
is a positive program with an admirable
41-year legacy of recognizing and
celebrating marketing achievements in Western Canada.
Carter’s advice to any company considering applying for this award
is to just go ahead and do it. “We always want to hear about fresh
ideas and initiatives that create a lot of traction. If a company wants
to apply for the award, we encourage them, and are glad to answer
questions along the way,” added Carter. “The BCAMA is a great
resource and we want to hear about your accomplishments.”
The ProcessThere is a four-step submission process; the first step is an easy
online application that can be filled out by a company employee,
a partner, client or even an anonymous third party. The online
application process usually occurs from February to March and,
once the entry deadline has passed, the panel of independent
judges (a group of senior marketing executives in the Vancouver
community) creates a shortlist. During the next three stages, the
selected companies receive opportunities to impress the judges by
demonstrating why they should be chosen for this prestigious award.
The WinnerThe winner is selected based on a variety of criteria, including
how well the nominated campaign integrated the many facets of
marketing and how the plan was transformative and/or significant
for the organization, plus the use of innovative ideas and clear
metrics demonstrating successful results. The announcement of the
Marketer of the Year award winner is publicized in September.
The Gala EventThe recognition event, which is attended by 350 to 450 marketing
professionals, takes place in early autumn. Carter’s vision for the
BCaMa MaRkeTeR oF The YeaR aWaRd – WhaT’S IT all aBouT?by Sabrina Santoro and Meghan Carter
2012 Marketer of the Year gala is to build on the success of the 2011
event. The ideal event is a partnership between the winner and the
BCAMA that showcases the winner’s achievements and creates
a fun, informative and unforgettable experience for everyone in
attendance.
Sabrina Santoro is a Marketing Specialist at Philips Ledalite, a
manufacturer of lighting systems and technologies for commercial and
institutional buildings around the world.
Meghan Carter is the Director of the BCAMA Marketer of theYear
Gala. In her professional capacity, she works as Director of Marketing
at Maynards, a premier global auction house for industrial equipment,
retail goods, and fine art and antiques.
Marketer of the Year is an annual award presented by the BCAMA to recognize
a company in the region that has, in the past year, implemented an outstanding
integrated marketing communications plan yielding demonstrative results.
SocializeHit the WireResonate
MARKETWIRE.COMTEL 604.683.1066
029_BCAMA_Ad_FA.indd 1 12-04-25 5:03 PM
spring 2012 marketline30 spring 2012 marketline 31
ReGeNT ColleGe aNd doMaIN7 PaRTNeR To do dIGITal RIGhTby Sarah Clayton & Amanda Lee Smith
Remove the logo and school colours, and
there is likely a template hiding behind
the design. In the world of instant first
impressions and a challenging enrolment
environment, it’s worth refreshing the view.
In April, Regent College launched a brand
new website – designed and built by web
agency Domain7 – that finally brings the
school’s vibrant culture to the web. Sure
to set a new standard for higher education
websites, it’s user-friendly, mobile-
friendly, social media-friendly, built to web
standards, and visually conveys Regent to a
T: smart, dynamic and industry-leading.
Designed to be fully responsive, the site adapts to offer equally
graceful viewing on mobile, tablet and desktop browsers. The
website has received accolades from Ethan Marcotte, who coined
the term Responsive Web Design and Adam Salsman, Manager and
Web Developer for the Boston Globe – the first major newspaper to
use responsive web design.
Domain7 revolutionized the university course search process –
there is no wait time as students filter the course calendar by seven
different criteria or search by course name or number. Other
innovative features include a secure custom donation platform and
a tailored conference registration system.
In collaboration with the College, Domain7 made user experience
and client goals central to every aspect of the site, delivering on
Regent’s three main objectives: building the brand, attracting
new students, and facilitating communication with students and
alumni. This came out of extensive user testing, in conjunction with
strategic enrolment management – as leading potential students
down the recruitment path was essential to the site’s success.
Together, they made a deliberate move away from the template
conventions that have overtaken the education sector, breeding a
slew of boxed-in homogeneous university websites. Instead, the site
is dynamic and vibrant, referencing Regent’s distinct architectural
angles, and drawing on the College’s mix of warmth and academic
integrity.
View the site at www.regent-college.edu
With the rise of WordPress and open-source website technology, there is a danger of looking like everyone else. If you have spent any time looking at higher education websites, there is an uncanny predictability about them.
Six fantastic things about regent-college.edu1. Client-centric – Many agencies are so concerned with bells,
whistles and winning awards that they put actual client needs
second. Domain7 made Regent’s goals their first concern.
That meant building the brand, attracting new students, and
communicating with students and alumni. The site is still vibrant
and on-brand, but form followed function.
2. User driven – The user drives every component of this site. Since
enrolment is Regent’s top priority, the site leads prospective
students down a clear path to registration. Extensive interviews
and user testing laid a strong foundation for organizing
information in a clear, logical, accessible and relevant site map.
3. Mobile friendly – Domain7 built the site responsively, so it
shifts and resizes for optimal browsing according to what device
you’re using – be it a desktop, tablet, or mobile. No pinching or
pulling required.
4. First-class functionality – Domain7 got to flex some technical
muscle with fun animation and powerful tools like Regent’s
course search. Students can now find courses by name or course
number, and sort by seven different criteria. And thanks to some
clever coding, the results load instantly.
5. Lots of personality – One of the biggest challenges of
putting Regent online was conveying their blend of
rigorous academics and vibrant warmth. Domain7 did a
lot of listening to develop a site that is as fresh, smart and
forward-looking as Regent – including visual references
to the College’s distinct architecture. The brand shines
throughout.
6. Incredibly versatile – Regent needed a platform they could
easily replicate for future microsites. Domain7 created an
additional template they can adapt and reuse for campaigns,
conferences, departments, summer programs, their library
and bookstore, and which includes custom donation and
conference registration platforms.
Sarah Clayton is President Elect for BCAMA and Director of
Marketing & Communications, Regent College (Twitter:
@regentcollege; LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/
regent-college).
Amanda Lee Smith is an Account Manager at Domain7
(www.domain7.com; Twitter: @domain7; LinkedIn: http://
www.linkedin.com/company/domain7)
regent College website redesign: before (left) and after redesign (right).
Custom exhibit Custom portable exhibit
Portable exhibit Custom graphic environment
For anything in between, we can help. Call 604 276 2366 or toll free 1 800 663 1737.
For portable projects, visit theportables.com or email
The Portables has launched its custom counterpart as Xibita. Together Xibita & The Portables offer
tradeshow exhibits and environments ranging from custom to portable.
For custom projects, visit xibita.com or email [email protected].
vancouver I calgary I toronto I cambridge I ottawa I montreal
Sarah Clayton (top), Amanada Lee Smith (bottom)
spring 2012 marketline32 spring 2012 marketline 33
MIlk YouR MaRkeTING – GeT ReSulTS WITh CoNSISTeNT CoNTeNT!by Andrea Noble
While it’s tempting to get caught up in
the latest and greatest trends, marketing
is about effectively communicating ideas.
While the concept is simple, developing a
winning strategy is not; success requires
a great deal of talent and skill. What is the hottest secret? Which
expert has the magic formula? Which technology platform is best?
How big a budget do we need? Wendy Clark, head of integrated
marketing for Coca-Cola explains, “You cannot pay your way to
greatness for your brands any longer.”
It’s true. While Coca-Cola has a popular Facebook fan page with
more than 24 million ‘likes’, Clark reminds marketers, “A ‘like’ is
important. A ‘share’ is more important. We have to hold ourselves
accountable for creating content that is shareable.” That’s why
the theme for this year’s VISION conference, Liquid Content, is
so appropriate.
To succeed in today’s market, we must create content that gets
results, and develop messages that consumers want to share.
Companies can no longer “force” their voice. If consumers don’t
want to listen, they won’t. If they don’t want to talk about a brand,
they won’t. Consumers are gaining more and more control over
marketing conversations and if they aren’t talking about your brand,
you’re missing out.
With a copywriting background, I’m thrilled we are finally striving
to elevate content. To me, liquid content represents flow. So how
can you achieve flow across all mediums? How can you create
smart, real, fun messages so contagious they can’t be controlled?
One-word answer: consistency. Become obsessed with it!
Marketers already value creativity and technology, but none of
it matters without consistency. To further explain, let’s think
about ourselves for a moment. We all have multiple personas. You
probably behave differently at a parent-teacher meeting than on a
weekend trip to Vegas. Your “work self” may be quite different than
your “home self”. Flexibility is necessary in our daily lives and also
in our campaigns. The content must adapt to fit all mediums: TV,
radio, print, social media, the web, etc.
However, there’s a fine line between adaptability and inconsistency.
Imagine someone who’s wildly unpredictable. One day, he’s loud
and gregarious and the next, he’s angry and sullen. He listens
thoughtfully one moment, then flies off the handle, yelling and
swearing. How would you react? While adaptability is a strong
characteristic, inconsistency is not. Of course, this is true for
brands as well.
Inconsistency leads to fear. If customers don’t know what to expect,
you lose their trust. When we look at the most successful brands,
such as Starbucks, Disney, McDonald’s, Apple and Nike, they have
excelled at achieving consistency. Even those who hate Starbucks
know what to expect if they do walk into one.
Brands must ensure they fully understand their key messages
and consistently deliver these over and over again in a unique
way. If executed well, this saves time and money. Jay Baer, social
media strategist, writes, “Smart content creation doesn’t have an
expiration date… Your potential customers have questions about
your company, your products, your services, your competitors.
Creating and propagating smart, optimized content that succinctly
answers those questions is the most direct line to sales and loyalty.”
So why aren’t all brands consistent? There are two main reasons.
Firstly, it requires great attention to detail. It needs to be a priority.
There must be measures in place to ensure that all messages are
true to the brand. From a writing perspective, it can be difficult
to maintain consistency throughout one piece, but it’s even more
challenging to translate a consistent message across multiple
platforms. In addition, many companies and even agencies, divide
marketing responsibilities into different departments. If social
media experts are separated from the rest of the marketing team,
there needs to be strong communication.
As the BCAMA Director of Communications, I have the privilege
of working with all teams to communicate messages on a regular
basis. To ensure we’re on track, we constantly remind
ourselves about the purpose of the organization and
about the event itself. While templates, style guides and
creative briefs may not sound sexy, they’re useful tools
to help maintain consistency.
Secondly, and strangely, consistency can feel
unimaginative. As marketers, we love coming up
with big, exciting, creative ideas. We don’t like boxes.
However, the box doesn’t need to be limiting. In fact, it
can help us be even more creative.
For example, consider interior decorating; it’s better to use the
same colour palette throughout the whole space. Amateurs want
to get creative and use new colours in every room, but viewed as
a whole, the space feels disjointed. A sophisticated designer knows
that you need to build upon one great concept. It’s the same for
marketing. Take one idea and build upon it. Adapt it to the different
mediums, but the original message remains the same.
Unfortunately, there are still companies whose campaigns don’t
connect across platforms. Customers are visiting websites, hearing
radio ads, reading Twitter feeds and watching TV commercials and,
consciously or not, they notice inconsistencies. Since our Sesame
Street days, we’re trained to pick out “which of these things is not
like the other”. We are aware of differences. In fact, our brains are
literally wired to notice patterns.
So the words we choose really do matter. While you want your
marketing to stand out, you don’t want it to stand out in the wrong
way. Take the time to understand your brand and create consistency
to milk those marketing dollars!
Andrea Noble is the BCAMA Director of Communications and owner
of Andrea Noble Copywriting. To download her special report,
“Generate More WOW Ideas in Less Time”, visit her website www.
andreanoble.com or call her directly at 604.992.1937.
spring 2012 marketline34 spring 2012 marketline 35
vaN doP GalleRY
BCaMa SPoNSoRSPlease think of our sponsors when you are choosing an industry supplier. BCAMA values and relies on their generous support.
Marketing Research Ipsos Reid Contact: Mary DeBonis 778.373.5000 | www.ipsos.ca
Design and Website MaintenanceGraphically Speaking Services Inc. Contact: Darrell Hadden | 604.682.5500 www.graphicallyspeaking.ca
PrintingKirk Marketing Contact: James Hvezda 604.333.5551 | www.kirkmarketing.com
Display Graphics The Portables Contact: Jeff Dalgarno 604.232.3351 | www.theportables.com
Audo-VisualClark’s Audio-Visual Services Contact: James Downey 604.877.8558 | www.clarksav.com
BCAMA Job Board SponsorInterim Experts Contact: Peter Martin 604.560.6045 | www.interimexperts.ca
VideographyBasetwo Media Contact: Jeff Pelletier 604.681.4995 ext.20 www.basetwomedia.com
PhotographyPhillip Chin Photography Contact: Phillip Chin 604.874.2444 | www.chinphoto.com
Board Recognition & GiftingPacific National Exhibition Contact: Shelley Frost 604.252.3628 | www.pne.ca
Senior Executive Program / Board Meeting VenueMetropolitan Hotel Contact: Mandy Xi 604.602.7824 | www.metropolitan.com
Print & Online MediaBusiness in Vancouver Contact: Paige Millar 604.608.5160 | www.biv.com
Video Production. Simplified.
Wire ReleaseMarketwire Contact: Debra Jang 604.692.1014 | www.marketwire.com
Marketline Layout / DesignNoga Creative Contact: Sam Noga 778.883.7781 | www.samnoga.com
ProofreadingProofingQueen Editing Contact: Sharon McInnis 604.488.0282 | www.proofingqueen.com
Corporate & Volunteer GiftsVanDop Gallery Contact: Trudy VanDop 604.521.7887 | www.vandopgallery.com
Speaker Series & VISION Conference VenueWestin Bayshore Hotel Contact: Lerrin Dunn 604.691.6993 | www.westinbayshore.com
Special Interest Group Series VenueEarls V Restaurant Yaletown Contact: Kate Allen 604.375.4347 | www.theplacetov.ca
Mail Management Datacore Resource Group Inc. Contact: Karly Black 604.875.8520 | www.datacore-resource.ca
MediaVancouver Sun Contact: Jamie Pitblado 604.605.2455 | www.sunprovince.com
Print & Online MediaBC Business Contact: Tamara Johnson 604.473.0317 | www.canadawide.com
Social Media Management HootSuite Media Inc. Contact: www.hootsuite.com www.blog.hootsuite.com
WhY SPoNSoR The BCaMa?by Regina Leung
When I first became involved with the
BCAMA five years ago, I attended a VISION
conference and met Jeff Dalgarno from
Portables, which had been an annual BCAMA
and VISION sponsor. After all these years,
The Portables have been keen to support
BCAMA promotional signage and to showcase
the VISION conference. I recently interviewed Jeff Dalgarno, Senior
Account Manager, and Decia Wong, Marketing Director, to find out
what motivates their continuing support for the BCAMA.
r: Why sponsor the BCAMA?
J & D: As the only organization in British Columbia that brings together
the people directly involved in all facets of professional marketing,
sponsoring the BCAMA enables our organization to stay connected
with leading-edge trends impacting this important audience and to say
“thank you” for the continued business.
r: What differentiates BCAMA sponsorship from sponsorship of other similar organizations?
J & D: Xibita/The Portables choose to support organizations in the
communities in which we operate, as well as those that enable us to
continue to do the creative and innovative work we love. Sponsorship
of the BCAMA allows us to achieve both criteria reflecting our values.
r: What’s your return and value over the last five years?
J & D: Xibita/The Portables estimates that over 90% of BCAMA
members are also our long-term customers. The return and value
of sponsorship comes back in the form of continued customer
partnerships, referrals to new clients, and working with innovators to
develop new products that keep us on the leading edge.
r: What is the strength of your product?
J & D: Xibita/The Portables share a common way of thinking and
process of developing client relationships that enables us to create
magic with clients!
The Portables is well recognized for innovative, high-quality portable
solutions, but few know we started as Xibita in 1979. In the 1980s,
the industry demanded portable, lightweight and modular solutions
and The Portables pioneered much of what is now industry standard.
What is less known, however, is that we continued to design and build
custom solutions and, by 2011, recognized the need to differentiate
between our portable and custom work. So, we relaunched the Xibita
brand to reflect our experience and distinguish the custom side of
the business. Our strength is a unique way of cross-applying our
expertise. Colloquially, we say, “We customize a portable solution
or ‘portable-ize’ a custom solution like no other.” For clients, the
benefit is an incredibly flexible and affordable solution, every time.
I truly appreciate Jeff ’s and Decia’s time and support. The
BCAMA values all its sponsors and the opportunities they give
us to collaborate on the development and design of creative
sponsorship projects. Without their operational sponsorship, we
would not be able to maintain the wide range of BCAMA events
and programs currently available.
If you would like to discuss the creative sponsorship opportunities
available through the BCAMA, please contact our Director of
Sponsorship, Regina Leung, at [email protected].
Regina Leung is an independent consultant at HyBird
Communications and focuses on implementing comprehensive
business development solutions for emerging software companies.
Twitter:@hybirdcomm
* summary of responses provided by Decia Wong, Marketing Director
at Xibita/The Portables
BCAMA Ad.indd 1 4/23/12 2:05:54 PM
spring 2012 marketline36
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