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Vol 1, #22, August 11, 2009 |
Steve Rubel to open IAB Canada MIXX event Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada (IAB) has announced that Steve Rubel, SVP, Director of Insights for Edelman Digital, industry-leading blogger and Advertising Age columnist, will be the opening keynote speaker at both the Toronto and Montréal MIXX Canada Full-Day Conferences. In his role as SVP, Director of Insights for Edelman Digital, Rubel is responsible for keeping Edelman and its clients in the vanguard. He studies global technology, media and Online trends and shapes them into actionable insights and marketing communications strategies for Edelman clients such as PepsiCo, Zagat, Unilever, Microsoft and many others. Rubel also supports Edelman's own innovation and business development efforts. “Experiment (again), evolve (again) or die (again) is basically Steve Rubel's motto,” says Paula Gignac, President of IAB Canada “And we agree whole-heartedly. In fact, because the online universe is innovating, transforming and resetting at such a rapid pace now, keeping on top of emerging technologies, and more importantly -- how consumers might explore and interact with them - has never been more important.” “But the good news, as Steve Rubel will tell us,” says Gignac, “Is that there are a myriad of ways to inject emerging technologies into more than just our marketing programs -- but even better - into our actual business DNA: with the result being, that our organizations can gain new momentum to catapult us over our competitors.” IAB Canada's MIXX Canada Conference Series is the pre-eminent digital marketing event in Canada, and celebrates its 7th year of bringing global thought leaders and innovators within the Interactive marketing arena to address VP-level Advertisers, Agencies, Media Owners and other industry professionals in the Canadian marketing community. IAB Canada's Cross-Canada Half-day Roadshow travels from Toronto through to Montréal, Halifax, Ottawa, Vancouver and Calgary, and contains content that is completely different from the MIXX Full-day Conferences. Instead, IAB Canada's Roadshow presents updated Canadian Online media usage stats from comScore Canada, and intersperses details on the latest research and trends in Interactive advertising, between Advertiser case studies presented by leading Canadian Online Publishers, including: AOL Advertising, Canwest Digital, globeandmail.com, NHL.com, Rogers Digital Media, Sympatico/MSN and Yahoo! Canada . Top of Page Storage Appliance Corporation, developers of Clickfree Automatic Backup products, announced two new breakthrough products with the launch of the Clickfree Transformer for iPhone and iPod and the Special Edition model, the Transformer SE. The new Transformers allow consumers to backup their computer's irreplaceable digital content onto the excess storage space on their iPhone or iPod. They can also be used to transfer music from any iPod or iPhone to a Windows or Mac-based computer. “From students to seniors, almost everyone owns an iPhone or an iPod these days, so why not make more use of the unused memory on these devices?” says Storage Appliance Corporation CEO, Bryan McLeod. “My 80GB iPod has 40GB of music and photos - it still has over 40GB of unused storage. Now I can maximize the extra storage by backing up my work and home computers. These Transformers are an inexpensive way to effortlessly backup your computers using devices you already own." Customers can now easily backup their computer onto the extra storage space of any iPhone or iPod using the Clickfree Transformer. Simply connect your iPhone or iPod to the Clickfree Transformer, then connect it to your computer and backup will automatically begin. There is no software to install or setup and no manual to read. Only the excess capacity of your iPhone or iPod will be used, and existing content on your iPod or iPhone will never be overwritten. The new Transformers will also allow customers to retrieve music collections back off their iPhone or iPod. Instead of "orphaning" the content, the new Transformer allows you to retrieve your content quickly and easily. Top of Page Raising the standard in website hosting services At the time of writing, there are 333,746 known and reported hacked sites (source: StopBadware.org). Many of those sites actually belong to legitimate companies that are unaware of hacks that have been planted on their site. Nerds On Site now scans every one of their hosted client websites, every single business day to detect hacking activity. Essentially the scan consists of comparison of current web pages and code with previously-scanned versions. Additional tools as well as human intervention will flag a website or web page with an alert and immediate remedial actions are taken. The customer is then notified of the event, access credentials are changed and further investigation is explored into how the attack took place. In addition, Nerds On Site is actively developing a deep-level malware-scanning service that is designed to monitor customers' websites for changes that contain malware. In the same manner as most Windows users are accustomed to having anti-virus software on their systems, these servers containing websites will intelligently look for websites containing malicious code of any sort. In this age of security consciousness, Nerds On Site believes proactive security measures are a necessary element for every website, personal or business.Top of Page Canadian Paralympic Committee launches gocanadatravel.ca The website will offer travel products and trips from Flight Centre, VIA Rail, Brewster Inc., LUG and the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies. A portion of sales made on the site will be donated to the Canadian Paralympic Committee. The announcement took place on the spectacular Columbia Icefield where Brewster Inc. unveiled a fully accessible GO CANADA branded Ice Explorer. The massive Ice Explorer is part of the Columbia Icefield Glacier Experience, which takes visitors on a remarkable 90-minute adventure onto the surface of Athabasca Glacier. “Brewster is very proud to be part of this unique partnership to support our Paralympic athletes," said Michael Hannan, President & CEO, Brewster Inc. “GO CANADA will enable us to connect with Canadian travelers to support Paralympic athletes, as well as showcase Canada as a welcoming tourist destination for persons with a disability." “Flight Centre, through its recently launched Accessible Travel division, is very proud to be involved in the launch of the GO CANADA initiative which will serve an important role in both supporting our Paralympic athletes while also helping showcase all that Canada has to offer,” said Craig Doherty, Flight Centre VP of Strategic Partnerships. Top of Page FUSE drives away as CRM agency for Mercedes-Benz Canada Mercedes-Benz, one of the world’s premium automakers, has recently awarded its customer relationship marketing business to FUSE Marketing Group Inc., a Toronto-based, privately held brand activation agency that offers a full range of marketing, direct, promotion, experiential and interactive services. The win is significant in that as CRM agency-of-record, FUSE will be responsible for multiple retention, loyalty and acquisition communications distributed annually via mail, email and data capture sites. Some of the elements include personalized and customer relevant content in very unique and creative formats. The acquisition program elements are aimed at driving qualified leads into dealerships, while the loyalty and retention program elements are aimed at keeping the customers advocated, engaged and involved. “Our CRM initiative is a crucial part of our marketing efforts and we are confident in FUSE’s ability to communicate the brand offering effectively to our valued customers,” says Marc Boderke, director of marketing, Mercedes-Benz Canada. “FUSE has the sophisticated customer management skills necessary to help Mercedes-Benz generate traffic through our programs, as well as the creative muscle we were looking for,” he adds. “We are thrilled to be partnering with such a renowned and classic brand,” says Stephen Brown, senior vice president and general manager, FUSE Marketing Group. “It’s a great opportunity for us to utilize our extensive data and production skills necessary to create and implement an effective CRM program for one of the world’s leading luxury brands.” Top of Page Searchlinqs hires top international SM expertZack Hayat has been hired as the Director of Social Media Marketing at Searchlinqs, adding yet another pillar to Searchlinqs’ online marketing arsenal. With a focus on supporting the growing sales, marketing and business development units Zack will provide Searchlinqs’ clients with research, strategic insight & expertise as they relate to social media marketing. Zack holds an M.A in mass communication from the University of Haifa, Israel, specializing in the social structure of online communities, specifically the motivations for participating in such communities. Furthermore, Zack holds a combined B.A in computer science and mass communication from the University of Haifax. Zack is currently a PhD student at the University of Toronto at the faculty of information. Zack has written numerous articles and chapters on his social research findings which have been presented and showcased at several international conferences, such as The International Communication Association (ICA) conference, The Association of Internet Research (AOIR) conference and The Global Online Research (GOR) conference. Prior to joining Searchlinqs, Zack worked as a Researcher for Intel Corporation (2005-2006) and as a Researcher and Project Manager for the Asper Institute for New Media Diplomacy where he focuses on the study and application of new media technologies for initiating and managing online campaigns. “I am extremely happy to join a thought leader company such as Searchlinqs” says Hayat. “Social Media Marketing combined with paid search, organic search marketing & Mobile Marketing is an extremely effective way to attract new prospects and enhance any business.” Top of Page henderson bas, Mercedes-Benz Canada team up for website henderson bas, Canada’s most awarded interactive agency today announced that the Mercedes-Benz B-Class Web site (mercedes-benz.ca/b) has been awarded Site of the Day by the internationally acclaimed FWA Web site. Incorporating a combination of unique flash, video and rich media components, the site answers the question, where do you need to go? While showcasing the features of the B-Class, the new microsite displays how to get where you need to go and how to do it in style! The new B-Class site allows users to personalize their adventure. Users can load and choose his or her passengers, listen to the best stations, pack up cargo and drive to the special destination of their choice. This site recognizes the commitments of today’s society; everyone is busy, everyone has somewhere to be, so why not show how to get there in a fun, comfortable and luxurious atmosphere? This site accomplishes this. By simply completing your B-Class adventure users are offered the options such as building and pricing your own B-Class to suit your personal style, book a test drive and request a special offer. Dylan Olinoski, Interactive Marketing Supervisor at Mercedes-Benz Canada, comments: “For the B-Class site, our goal was to create an engaging, interactive experience that demonstrated how the B-Class’ versatility was the perfect fit for couples, friends and families with active lifestyles. Moreover, we wanted to convey a clear message to Canadians that when you drive a B-Class, you aren’t driving just any car; you’re driving a Mercedes-Benz, which means you’re getting best-in-class safety, comfort and performance features.” “With the B-Class we wanted a site that felt fresh and exciting,” said Dawna Henderson, President & CEO of henderson bas. “We wanted to show Canadians how the B-Class and Mercedes-Benz Canada not only fit into their lives, but improves it. This site and the B-Class showcase how versatility and luxury can go hand-in-hand, in a funky, engaging manner. There is no longer any need to sacrifice.” French ad site first to offer direct chat The French advertisement website www.marche.fr will be offering its visitors and advertisers the option to chat with each other online, starting on August 1, 2009. This is a world premiere by Marche.fr. When placing an ad, the advertiser can opt for direct online contact with potential customers. The way this works is as follows: when the advertiser is online, a chat icon will light up on his ads. If the visitor clicks on this, the advertiser will receive a message on his screen. If the advertiser accepts this contact, a protected marche.fr chat box will open. It is also very convenient that the visitors can search for advertisers that are online within the site. This will make the purchasing process faster and more efficient. Each visitor will get a new chat box each time, so that the communication will remain confidential. The advertiser and the interested party can then negotiate 'live' and with 100 per cent confidentiality. This new function fulfills the wish of many millions of visitors to marche.fr. They want quick access to more detailed information before they continue their search. When using email or phone contact, this often leads to delays, because the advertiser may not be immediately available. This is also not the best situation for the advertiser. If he is not able to respond immediately, his potential customer will continue his search, with the risk that he will find the same product elsewhere. The live chat is a perfect solution for this. Top of Page Palm Pre hits Canada August 27 Bell has announced that the new Palm Pre phone will be exclusively available in Canada at Bell Mobility retail locations on August 27. Due to unprecedented demand, Bell also announced that Canadians can reserve one of the highly anticipated phones by pre-ordering now at bell.ca/pre, at Bell stores or at selected Bell retail partners. Palm Pre is the first phone based on the new Palm webOS(TM) mobile platform, which brings mobile applications together in a unique and intuitive multi-tasking environment that is integrated with the most popular social networking tools and powerful search functions. “We're very excited to bring the revolutionary Palm Pre and the Palm webOS mobile platform to Canadians exclusively on Bell's national wireless network - the largest high-speed 3G network in Canada,” said Wade Oosterman, President of Bell Mobility and Chief Brand Officer for Bell. “Considering the highly successful US introduction of the Palm Pre by Sprint in June and fast-growing Palm Pre buzz among Canadian mobile users, Bell and our retail partners are preparing for high demand for this breakthrough phone.” “Palm is creating a new measure of simplicity and usefulness that is changing how people look at smartphones," said Katie Mitic, senior vice president, Product Marketing, Palm, Inc. "It's a new experience to access and connect the related but often decentralized information in your life, and we're eager to share the Palm experience with Canada through Bell Mobility." The Palm webOS platform takes multi-tasking to a new level. Customers will love the ability to run multiple applications such as Internet, text messaging, email and music at the same time, and move easily between them using natural finger gestures. When they no longer need the item, they can close an activity by simply flicking it off the top of the screen. Palm's unique universal search allows customers to find what they need easily - just slide open the keyboard, start typing to get instant results. Results are pulled from the device apps, contacts and popular Internet sites including Google, Google Maps, Wikipedia and Twitter. Top of Page Follow Conference Board on Twitter, Facebook The Conference Board announced today that it will provide the public with its proprietary economic data and updates about its management research and programs immediately upon release by posting them on Twitter and Facebook. The Conference Board economic data – including the Consumer Confidence Index (R), Leading Economic Indexes (LEIs) for the United States and nine other countries/regions, theEmployment Trends Index (ETI) TM, and the Help-Wanted Online Data Series (HWOL) TM – will be on Twitter and Facebook as soon as they are issued each month. The Conference Board Measure of CEO Confidence will be posted quarterly, while news about the organization’s research on human capital, corporate governance, citizenship and sustainability, and other issues will be posted as it develops. On Twitter, search for “Conference Board.” On Facebook, input “The Conference Board” where you can access The Conference Board Groups Page and/or The Conference Board Fans Page. The Conference Board is an independent business membershipand research association working in the public interest. Its mission is unique: To provide the world’s leading organizationswith the practical knowledge they need to improve their performance AND better serve society. The Conference Board publishes information and analysis, makes economics-based forecasts and assesses trends, and facilitates learning by creating dynamic communities of interest that bring together senior executives from around the world. The Conference Board is a non-advocacy, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt status in the United States. For further information, visit The Conference Board website at www.conference-board.org. Top of Page Telsters to run first ever TelCamp Toronto The self-named Telsters community, owners of the new communications-centric .tel domains launched in March 2009, today announced the first ever TelCamp in Canada. It will be hosted by some of the leading .tel owners and developers including Scott Smith, "Freaky Steve" and Mark Kolb. “TelCamp 1 Toronto is a community-driven event where attendees define the agenda and collaborate on themes and issues surrounding .tel domains," says Scott Smith, President of TelCartel.com. "Attendees will also learn techniques to help create new and compelling uses for the domains from community experts." Telnic Limited, the Registry Operator for the .tel domain, will be represented at the event by Communications Director Justin Hayward. “TelCamps are a great initiative that the .tel community has come up with, and we're very pleased to be able to be present at TelCamp 1 Toronto. It's important to celebrate the innovation that's coming from within the .tel community and Steve and Mark are amongst the most active and successful .tel pioneers so this will be a great learning event for all." People wishing to attend this free event taking place from 8.30 a.m. on Saturday August 15 can sign up on the TelCamp 1 Toronto wiki at www.telcampus.org/wiki/TelCamp. Top of Page |
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