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Vol 1, #5, April 14, 2009
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April 14, 2009




Headlines

Reliable, secure computing at a fraction of the cost
SunPop videos connect companies with target audience
Website expands reach with iPhone-based mobile service
Consumer-friendly design makes Kijiji.ca number one
Revolver 3 brings interactive marketing expertise to Toronto
New advertising opportunity available from Canadian Press
Application produces quick, simple and affordable business videos
Increase employee productivity with BumpTop
Exchange 2.0 streamlines mortgage process
Poor security puts end to online passports
IAB Canada rolls out new video service

Reliable, secure computing at a fraction of the cost
At a time when companies are questioning the high maintenance and upgrade costs, endless replacement cycles and security exposures that are common with networked PC environments, and the need for help desk support and IT staff to manage and maintain today’s complex IT requirements remains a challenge for small and medium-sized business, Telus is offering ThinDesk, a thin client managed desktop and hosted solution.

ThinDesk is TELUS’s only thin client managed desktop and hosted infrastructure solution running on a VMware platform inside a world-class TELUS data centre.   The focus is on the SMB market bringing enterprise level service down to the little guy 5 - 500+ employees.  

Some of the benefits include:

  • A 30-40 per cent reduction in IT spending
  • Your data/applications are hosted inside a world-class TELUS datacenter.  This means that you get the highest security of information and receive zero spam or viruses/malware
  • 99.99% uptime and fast service with dedicated staff and call centre for real time support
  • Built in disaster recovery and business continuity plan meeting all regulatory and compliance issues
  • 100% mobile with remote access for all employees as well as BlackBerry integration

“ With all the talk of virtualization, cloud, thin clients, utility computing etc. we feel our solution is ahead of the curve,” says Tyler Haraldsen Manager, Business Development for ThinDesk. Top of Page

SunPop videos connect companies with target audience
The online video marketing company SunPop, headquartered in Austin, Texas, is expanding into the Canadian marketplace. The new studio will open in the Greater Toronto Area and will specialize in creating conversational, web-enabled videos that help organizations and individuals communicate directly with their target audiences. CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals can be front and centre to tell their company’s story through a clean aesthetic similar to Apple’s Mac vs PC ads.

“Canadians are some of the most avid consumers of online video in the world and SunPop Canada’s video offering is a new addition to the Web 2.0 marketer’s tool kit,” says Rick Henry, president and Canadian director, SunPop Canada. “Consumers are craving transparency. Meeting the real person behind the business builds trust and confidence, whether you represent a small or medium-sized company or multinational organization.”

With a plain white background, no staging or special effects, SunPop videos are natural, unrehearsed and unscripted, but they’re never adlibbed. The videos focus on the genuine personalities behind the business and provide ready-made spreadable marketing content that be used anywhere from corporate websites and online marketing campaigns to elevator LCD screens and lobby video monitors. Top of Page

Website expands reach with iPhone-based mobile service
ByTheOwner.com is launching Canada’s first iPhone application designed for consumers looking to buy a home directly from the owner.

The application can be downloaded free from the Apple Store and enables users to access a mobile version of the leading for sale by owner website in the country and view more than 7,500 listings.

“The GPS installed in the iPhone establishes the position of the phone, allowing you to instantly see a geographic map showing homes for sale in the area in which you are located,” explains Samuel Bouchard, technological director at Quebec-based ByTheOwner.com.

The user can then read a detailed description of the property, see both exterior and interior photos and then get useful information such as the asking price, street directions and the vendor’s contact details.

“Our objective was to offer a tool that would be both helpful and easy to use for 250,000 Canadians who already have an iPhone,” said Bouchard. “We feel we’ve achieved our aims, having reproduced all the elements that made our website a success, notably simple navigation, high-quality content and user friendliness. Top of Page

Consumer-friendly design makes Kijiji.ca number one
According to the most recent data from comScore, Kijiji.ca Cars & Vehicles is Canada’s top online resource for buying and selling used vehicles, with 2.6 million unique visitors in February 2009.

The online classifieds site’s Cars & Vehicles categories currently includes more than 105,000 individual free classified posting from across Canada for everything from cars and classic cars, SUVs, trucks and vans to motorcycles, boats, ATVs and RVs.

“Kijiji has positively changed the way Canadian consumers buy and sell used vehicles by helping to connect car buyers with local, individual sellers,” says Andrew Sloss, Country Manager, Kijiji Canada. “Unlike other websites, Kijiji.ca has local sites for 63 cities across the country, making it easy for buyers for find sellers in their own neighbourhoods.”

With a tighter economy and heightened environmental awareness, the majority of Canadians are buying used, according to additional research by comScore. This trend is evident in the increase in the number of page-views recorded for Kijiji Canada’s Cars & Vehicles listings - 16 million in the first two months of 2009.

“When it comes to individuals buying or selling a vehicle, the internet has become a powerful tool,” says Sloss. “Kijiji’s easy-to-use interface, and no listing fees, attracts a large volume of sellers, and this in turn benefits buyers.” Top of Page

Revolver 3 brings interactive marketing expertise to Toronto
Revolver 3 has opened a new office in Toronto to offer clients interactive marketing and advertising solutions that generate true interaction between people and brands. In the current economic climate, it has become more necessary than ever for brands to offer consumer experiences, according to a release issued by Revolver 3.

In Toronto, Revolver 3 will approach national advertisers managing strong brands who wish to innovate and communicate differently online or through interactive means such as mobile or immersive point-of-sale experiences.

“With a 200 per cent growth over the past year, we are excited to enter this new market,” says Stephane Dumont, President of Revolver 3. “Our strategic vision leads us to believe that, at this point, the growth of our company can be accomplished through geographic expansion.” Top of Page

New advertising opportunity available from Canadian Press
The Canadian Press Mobile application launched last week by Research In Motion will allow advertisers to target users who are browsing news and photos from the participating news organizations.

The application, which allows BlackBerry users to search, save, share and rate content, as well personalize content based on postal codes without viewing multiple sites, will also carry advertising.

“Smartphones can make money for news companies through advertising but they have to tread carefully,” says Jeff Orr, senior analyst for mobile content with ABI Research. “It’s a very intimate relationship with the consumer, meaning you have to be on your best manneres on delivering content to them.” Top of Page

Application produces quick, simple and affordable business videos
Instant Video Presenter from ej4 allows companies to create professional, newsroom-style videos quickly and affordably.

The application was designed to allow sales, marketing, training, and HR professionals to produce an “I need it today” video in a matter of hours.

“Our customers needed a way to get short, consistent messages out across the enterprise quickly, but nothing on the market satisfied that need,” said Dan Cooper, COO of ej4. “Local video houses require a couple of weeks. Internal video departments are swamped already. And basic editing software was so complex that a person had to have a video background to use it.”

Instant Video Presenter is not an editing application but a video capture application so there is no post production process, compression or editing needed. When the video is done being recorder, the file is immediately ready to be deployed through email, internet upload or burned to CD. Top of Page

Increase employee productivity with BumpTop
Combining the look and feel of a real desktop with the power of the PC, BumpTop lets users spatially organize and share their files and photos while adding advanced search and sort capabilities to enhance productivity.

“Research shows that just about everyone creates piles on their real desks, and many people rely on piling and stacking to keep organized. In contrast, the PC desktop forces users into inflexible folder hierarchies and has maintained the same rigid and flat look for decades,” said BumpTop co-founder and CEO Anand Agarawala. “BumpTop takes advantage of how human beings work and play using real interactions like tossing, piling and bumping. It increases productivity, connects you to your social networks and just makes life easier.” Top of Page

Exchange 2.0 streamlines mortgage process
Filogix has launched the next generation in collaborative document management solutions for the mortgage industry. Exchange 2.0 is a highly secure document management solution that allows originators and lenders to share and collaborate with all those that touch the deal.

The mortgage deal is very document heavy and with Exchange 2.0 these documents are now stored directly to one central deal folder either by faxing or electronically uploading. Documents can be sent back and forth, commented on, faxed/emailed out and archived without a restriction on the size, number of pages or document file type, for as long as is required. Top of Page

Poor security puts end to online passports
Passport Canada will stop accepting online applications at the end of April. Passport On-Line was launched in 2005 with great fanfare, and a promise to reduce wait times by allowing Canadians to pre-process their application.

But the agency said this month the online service won't be available after April 30.

The move follows complaints from Canada's privacy commissioner about sloppy security at the agency, and an embarrassing online security breach more than a year ago.

But Passport Canada says the online service is being wound up because it's not as "convenient" for Canadians as using downloadable forms that must be taken in person to a passport office.

As of June 1, most Canadians travelling by land or water to U.S. destinations must carry a passport. Top of Page

IAB Canada rolls out new video service
IAB Canada today announced a new video access service that will allow the marketing community from across Canada to purchase online access to video recordings of speaker presentations from IAB Canada's conferences and events.

The service will launch with content from the MIXX Canada Event, which
occurred on March 5, 2009, and featured insider insights on Social Media
Marketing from Jascha Franklin-Hodge of Blue State Digital -- one of the key
architects of Barack Obama's Social Media Marketing juggernaut; recent
research on the under-estimated power of Display advertising from Gian
Fulgoni, Executive Chairman and Co-founder of comScore Media Metrix; a
brand-hijacking study of Doritos' campaign to "Bring Back Slow Dancing" from
Fernando Barbella, Creative Director of BBDO Argentina; a glimpse into the
future of digital media buying from Nathan Woodman, Global Managing Director,
Adnetik (Havas Digital); and, a session on Canada's Digital Future, featuring
a selection of IAB Canada's publisher, agency and advertiser board members.

"We launched this service for two reasons," says Paula Gignac, President,
IAB Canada. "First and foremost, to better serve our East and West Coast
members; and secondly, to help anyone who is not able to attend or send staff to our Events when they are offered, but who remain hungry for the latest information on digital marketing trends and techniques."

Access to the on-demand video is provided by StreamTheWorld, as part of
an ongoing relationship with IAB Canada.

"Canadian consumers lead the world in monthly consumption of online video," says Vincent Grenier, vice-president, marketing, StreamTheWorld. "Online video grabs the consumer's attention from the get-go."
Top of Page



Upcoming Events


Online Video in Canada
April 21, 2009
Toronto, Ontario

The 3rd Atlantic Internet Marketing Conference
April 22-24, 2009
Halifax , Nova Scotia

April 27-29,2009
next:2009
Toronto , Ontario

Convergence 09
May 11, 2009
Vancouver , B.C.

June 5-7, 2009 nextMEDIA – Banff
Alberta