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Vol 2, #36, Sept. 7, 2010 |
Blockbuster Canada gears up for TIFF As part of their ongoing commitment to provide Canadians with affordable entertainment for the whole family and flame our passion for film, Blockbuster Canada is an official sponsor of the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). As such, Blockbuster Canada is excited to kick off the festival through a number of initiatives, including giving away tickets via social media networks to premium screenings, and promoting past TIFF films in-stores. Consumers in the Greater Toronto Area can visit any participating Blockbuster store to pick up their favourite previous TIFF titles like Up In The Air and The Road to get into the festival spirit. In addition, TIFF film buffs can pick up a festival ticket guide to review the official film schedule at select Blockbuster locations in the Toronto area. Top of Page Kijiji Advertising Group has announced that Isabèle Richer has been appointed to the position of Manager, Advertising Sales. Effective immediately, Richer will represent Kijiji Advertising Group and its comprehensive advertising solutions available in Quebec. She will be based out of Montreal. Richer brings more than 10 years in advertising to the Kijiji Advertising Group. She began her career as a media buyer and planner with a Montreal-based agency and prior to joining the Kijiji Advertising Group, Richer held Internet advertising sales positions with Communication VOIR, Canoë, and LesAffaires.com. Richer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from the Université de Montréal. “Isabèle’s experience with the Quebec market will prove invaluable to the Kijiji advertising team,” commented Eric Pierni, Head of Advertising, Kijiji Canada. “As a free, local classifieds website that has grown and attracts two million Quebecers each month, Isabèle’s understanding of the local market will help us provide the right services to advertisers who are looking to connect with millions of French Canadian users.” As part of her new role, Richer will be responsible for providing Quebec-based advertisers with access to Kijiji’s unique portfolio of standard IAB ad and integrated ad placements, which can be targeted by keyword, geography, category/subcategory and brand or product. She will also be responsible for helping Quebec advertisers use Kijiji’s industry-leading behavioural targeting product to further segment and target their advertising. “I’m thrilled to join Kijiji Advertising Group as Manager, Advertising Sales in Montreal,” said Richer. “As an online advertising professional and long-time user of Kijiji.ca, I’m looking forward to being part of the continued growth of the number one classifieds website in Canada.” Launched in 2009, Kijiji Advertising Group is a group of dedicated ad sales professionals who are committed to connecting marketers to the more than 9-million Canadians who visit the Kijiji community each month. About Kijiji Kijiji, which means “village” in Swahili, is a group of classifieds-style web sites that offer a convenient, fun, and easy way for people in the same city to meet, trade, share ideas, and help each other out in areas such as housing, jobs, goods, services, cars, and personals. The entire Kijiji family includes the Kijiji, Gumtree, LoQUo, Intoko, and Marktplaats brands. Kijiji sites are currently available in over 1500 cities in more than 20 markets around the world; it is the most visited classified site in Canada with more than nine million unique visitors per month. Top of Page KOBO hires new Chief Marketing Officer Kobo, a global eReading service, announced that former Lavalife CEO Marina Glogovac has joined the company as Chief Marketing Officer. Glogovac’s background includes more than a decade of executive experience growing magazine brands, building diverse online and mobile communities and launching new business across multiple consumer communication channels. Glogovac brings proven success in global customer acquisition to Kobo, where she will be responsible for Kobo’s brand, global customer acquisition strategy, marketing and communications. “We are thrilled to welcome Marina and her outstanding track record of leadership in international consumer brand marketing,” said Michael Serbinis, CEO of Kobo. “She has proven success growing and overseeing the development of premier media and online brands, and we are confident that Marina will be a significant asset in fortifying our position as top global eReading service.” During her previous marketing positions Glogovac proved strong strategic leadership and marketing savvy. She served first as Chief Revenue Officer and then Chief Executive Officer of Lavalife, one of the most recognized online dating services. During her tenure, Glogovac expanded Lavalife’s brand to include new consumer channels such as mobile and content, launched new services such as successful online magazine Click and social dating community aimed at Baby Boomers LavalifePrime. She is recognized for building consumer loyalty through creative and unique marketing initiatives. Prior to Lavalife, Glogovac held a number of senior management positions at media companies, including St. Joseph’s Media, Toronto Life, and NOW Magazine Kobo has developed a strong following for its eReading service, which includes free applications for the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Android, as well as the Kobo eReader. Currently undergoing rapid growth, the company sold as many eBooks in June 2010 as it did in the three prior months combined. The Kobo eBookstore offers more than two million titles from leading publishers including Random House, Harper Collins, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, and Harlequin. With support for PDF files and ePUB format books, Kobo has engaged readers in over 200 countries standing behind the promise of open standards. “It's exhilarating to be on a team of passionate book lovers who, like me, consider this the biggest revolution in reading since Gutenberg's invention of the printing press which started it all back in the 15th century,” said Glogovac. “I am excited to spread the Kobo promise to readers world-wide and build a community of loyal customers guided by trust, choice and the love of reading.” Top of Page Canada's original mobile conference back in Toronto The Mobile Institute, a Canadian organization that supports global mobile innovation, today announced the return of MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK, a week-long series of events that explores mobile trends and advancements from around the world. Between September 13-18 more than 150 mobile industry experts will present at various events around Toronto, making it one of the most significant mobile industry events globally. “For one week, Toronto will be the centre of the Mobile universe,” said Michael J. O’Farrell of The Mobile Institute, founder and co-producer of MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK. “ Canada is a mobile industry powerhouse, but Canadian talent and innovation are rarely exposed to local and international audiences. MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK 2010 will showcase our mobile prowess together with global mobile industry leaders, while also giving Canadian organizations the tools and information they need to take advantage of the emerging mobile universe.” MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK 2010 will feature more than 150 speakers and over 100 interactive presentations, moderated sessions and workshops. More than 2,000 are expected to attend from Canada, the US, the UK, Germany, Brazil and other international locations. MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK 2010 includes featured presentations by Adenyo, Bell Mobility, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC), comScore, Deloitte, Ericsson, Google, IDC Canada, KPMG, Microsoft, MyThum Interactive, OCAD University, RBC Financial, Research In Motion (RIM), Rogers Communications, Samsung, Sybase, Sympatico Mobile, The Globe and Mail, Visa, Yellow Pages Group and more. Co-Chairs for MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK 2010 are Michael J. O’Farrell, founder of The Mobile Institute; Shawn Pucknell, director of FITC; Gary Schwartz, chair of the Mobile Entertainment Forum Americas and president & CEO of Impact Mobile; and Ian Kelso, president & CEO, of Interactive Ontario. Mobile in Canada:
About MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK 2010: MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK 2010 is co-produced by The Mobile Institute, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), FITC, Interactive Ontario and the Mobile Experience Innovation Centre (MEIC). The festival of events is sponsored by over 50 mobile and digital media companies and supported by a diverse mix of national and global organizations, including: the Government of Canada, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), the Information and Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), the Canadian Interactive Alliance, the Cross Innovation Academy, the Digital Arts and Technology Association (DATA), Flash in TO, Ad Lounge, Mobile Dev & Design, the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), Mobile Monday (MoMo), the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), RGD Ontario, Wireless Industry Partnership (WIP), and Wavefront AC. MOBILEINNOVATIONWEEK 2010 is produced in cooperation with the City of Toronto. Top of Page Enhanced video shopping platform for A/X Armani Overlay.TV, the leading video commerce provider for online retailers, and MarketLive, Inc., the leader in eCommerce software and solutions, today announced that joint customer, Armani/Exchange, will implement Overlay.TV's clickable video on their eCommerce site. The site, built on the MarketLive Intelligent Commerce Platform, utilizes Overlay.TV's powerful video commerce solution in the "How to Wear It" section of the A/X site. The end-to-end video solution will see the section transformed into an interactive video experience that is directly integrated with the A/X Armani Exchange seasonal collections and enhance customer engagement while increasing average order size. The "How to Wear It" section provides style advice, trend tips, and highlights the chicest way for men and women to build their seasonal wardrobe. The new interactive video feature is completely integrated with the MarketLive platform and allows each item of clothing to be overlaid with a clickable hotspot, enabling users to get more information about a particular piece, or to purchase it directly. Sharable, clickable video is a natural fit for A/X, as its core demographic is already highly engaged with online video and social media. Armani Exchange is always on the cutting edge and continues to create innovative solutions to bridge creativity and commerce. With Generation Y making up the greater percentage of online users who are open to new marketing channels, Armani Exchange has introduced online video shopping. This platform is a brand building solution as well as a direct interactive tool that provides useful style information to the A/X consumer. "Shopping online and off line is still very much a "social experience" so giving our customers a chance to see new trends, get style tips from industry experts, and share this with their friends is an easy and natural extension of their online behavior. It's important to us to evolve our site to meet the expectations of our demographic. Our online marketing and merchandising tools must be easy to use, work with our target customer base, and be flexible and effective, and it must be fully integrated with the MarketLive platform" say A/X SVP, Brand Director Patrick Doddy. "The ability for us to get to market quickly and without managing multiple tools was a big advantage for us." In the past year, retailers have been increasingly integrating video into their ecommerce arsenal, and video has emerged as an essential tool for increasing conversions, reducing return rates and providing a more lifelike representation of the product. "There's no question that clickable video is going to be one of the strongest forces in ecommerce in the coming years," says Rob Lane, CEO of Overlay.TV. "Making content that's compelling, clickable and sharable moves online video down the funnel from marketing to direct sales, with measurable benefits at each stage." As Overlay.TV continues to grow its customer base, native integrations with ecommerce platforms such as MarketLive will continue to reduce the barrier to entry for retailers to make the move to interactive video. "We're thrilled to have Overlay.TV as a strategic partner," said Ralf VonSosen, VP of Product Management at MarketLive. "They're a leader in what they do, and their focus on using video to increase sales and reduce costs falls right in line with our philosophy." Top of Page Transcontinental Media seals the dealTranscontinental Media has reached agreements to represent Canadian online inventory with several major websites in Canada and the US serving the Lifestyle segment: 5min , for Canadian traffic on this major US distributer of top-tier video content, theringbearer.ca , a top weddings destination for Canadian couples-to-be, TheSoko.com , an up-and-coming Toronto-based lifestyle site, and MediClim , a unique newsletter based service that warns subscribers when the weather is more likely to affect their health. The partner websites are already integrated into the Transcontinental Media offering and are available to advertisers and sponsors. “We evaluated many options for sales representation and chose Transcontinental because they are the leader in the Canadian Lifestyle segment,” says Richard Ross, co-founder, theringbearer.ca “Transcontinental Media is the perfect fit for theringbearer.ca because they understand our image as a premium brand; being associated with their brands is phenomenal for our growth! We did not want to miss this unique opportunity.” For Transcontinental Media it is also an opportunity to enlarge and diversify their product offer and reinforce their leading position as premium lifestyle content destination in the Canadian online market. “These agreements will allow our partners to take advantage of Transcontinental’s leadership and expertise in helping marketers reach and connect to Canadian women online,” says Michael Vietri, Director of Business development for Transcontinental Media Digital Solutions. “Our unique approach will drive significant revenue and traffic growth for our partners, and extend reach in key segments for our advertisers.” Top of Page First interactive personal health record now online Canadian Patient Access Inc. (CPA) and Nightingale Informatix Corporation announce the launch of myPatientAccess.ca, Canada's first interactive patient portal to be fully integrated with an electronic medical records (EMR) system. A breakthrough offering in consumer healthcare, Canadian patients will, for the first time, have full, web-based, real-time access to their Personal Health Record (PHR), with information that has been validated by their physician. myPatientAccess is fully integrated with Nightingale On Demand (NOD), the leading web-native EMR system provided by Nightingale, thereby offering patients a seamless link to their PHR. Physicians currently using the NOD EMR have been offered the opportunity for advanced enrollment, in order to make myPatientAccess available to their patients immediately upon launch. Responses from physicians currently using NOD has been highly positive, supporting that there is a need and a demand by both physicians and Canadian patients for an interactive PHR application. "We are excited that myPatientAccess has created such a wave of response, not only from physicians and clinics but also from patients," said Moe Jiwan, President of CPA. "Already, the responses to the advanced enrollment program for physicians have been strong. myPatientAccess has the potential to reach the more than 5 million patients currently serviced by physicians utilizing Nightingale's EMR. Patients are demanding more involvement and control in their healthcare and myPatientAccess is the only patient portal in Canada that responds to what they are asking for. It will change the way Canadian physicians deliver healthcare and manage patient information. It also opens the door for patients to become more engaged in the management of their own care." A recent independent survey among Canadian consumers, which was conducted to measure patients' attitudes towards and perceptions of PHR, showed more than 60% of respondents want to be provided with their PHR or online medical record, by their physician, hospital or government(1). myPatientAccess responds to this demand. Patients gain full, real-time access to their PHR and can schedule appointments, review lab results after their physicians have reviewed them, request prescription refills, receive clinical alerts and reminders and review care plans, as well as educational materials provided by their doctor, among other web-based features. "Nightingale and Canadian Patient Access have developed a breakthrough solution in response to a critical demand by Canadian consumers," said Sam Chebib, President and CEO of Nightingale. "This is a secure, two-way communication platform, whereby patients have real-time access to the information their physician enters into their EMR. As part of the development process, the application underwent an extensive review by OntarioMD, and received approval. Patients should be confident that information regarding their health is being transferred between them and their physician in a secure environment. When consumers have this confidence about other web-based applications, for example those used for managing their personal finances, they should certainly have it about their own health. We are proud to be the first in Canada to provide this to patients." Dr. Anu Kaushal , lead physician at Uptown Health Centre in Richmond Hill is one of the first physicians in Canada to offer myPatientAccess, and agrees that the demand for an interactive PHR is high among her patients. "My patients often request access to their lab results or vaccination records. They want to be engaged in the process," said Dr. Kaushal. "It's only now, with myPatientAccess, that I am able to give them the ability to do so and the response has been overwhelming. My staff is also excited about the increased efficiency it brings to the office - for example, with a significant reduction in the number of calls from patients inquiring about test results or specialist referral appointments they will be able to focus more attention on patients who are in the office." This solution provides new, much needed automated practice management and revenue generating tools, which complement those that physicians using the NOD EMR currently have access to. myPatientAccess will allow them to receive their bonus codes automatically and will seamlessly manage their block fee programs, thereby eliminating the need for physicians to pay third parties. Physicians using NOD will be able to offer myPatientAccess at no additional cost to them, with no upgrade or installation necessary. Patients will be offered services through free and enhanced subscriptions, which will be managed by CPA. Physicians who choose to make myPatientAccess available to their patients will have access to training for themselves and staff. CPA will also provide patient information and enrollment materials. Top of Page Redknee offers new mobile broadband service Redknee, a leading provider of business-critical billing and charging software and solutions for communications service providers, today announced that it is enabling Zain Kuwait's launch of mobile broadband services as the nation's largest mobile operator seeks to capture the growing broadband market in Kuwait. Leveraging Redknee's data rating, charging and policy platform, NGRC, Zain Kuwait is launching innovative mobile broadband services whilst effectively managing its broadband resources by tracking customer usage in real-time and delivering tiered pricing packages. Zain Kuwait launched its e-GO eeZee services to appeal to the different needs of the market segments but with the convenience, cost control and peace of mind of having a prepaid account. Through Zain's 'e-GO eeZee Standard' and 'e-GO eeZee Super' offerings, Zain Kuwait's mobile broadband customers have the option to decide on the quality of service they prefer, depending on their surfing needs, and the flexibility to adjust their spending needs so that they can contain their expenses or simply recharge their tariff using Zain's eeZee recharge cards. Most importantly, the popular promotions are encouraging Kuwaitis to abandon their landline dial-up connections in favour of mobile broadband connectivity so that they can have Internet connectivity anywhere, anytime. According to Business Monitor International, while the total broadband penetration rate currently remains low at 3.4%, in the past year the number of broadband subscribers grew by 20.5% and it expects to see strong growth in the next few years. Khalid Al Omar, Zain Kuwait's CEO, commented: "Since the launch of our first 3G connectivity cards in 2006 our data services have gained in popularity with our youth, Arab expatriate and inbound roaming market segments. By launching new flexible, tiered pricing plans, we are able to bring the benefits of mobile broadband in a manner that is attractive to new markets segments, such as the cost-conscious and light-usage customers, as we continue to concentrate on driving data revenue." Lucas Skoczkowski, Redknee's CEO, commented: "Redknee continues to support the data growth for Zain by enabling the delivery of innovative data plans to help increase usage of high ARPU services and reduce the network complexity associated with service delivery models. This successful launch further reiterates the value of Redknee's real-time monetization solutions by driving profitability, growth and market differentiation for our customers. At Redknee, we continue to invest in real-time monetization solutions to support the growth of mobile data and content for wireless subscribers around the world." Redknee's NGRC is a proven, real-time rating, charging, and policy management solution for mobile data services. It is based on patented technology and offers communications service providers the flexibility and scalability to launch new services and manage bandwidth, while creating new revenue streams based on diverse pricing options for both prepaid and postpaid subscribers. NGRC enables operators to rate and charge for all their data services, including in-demand offerings such as mobile broadband and mobile TV, helping them to monetize these new services and drive ARPU growth. It gives service providers the flexibility to charge for these services in ways that work best for their subscribers, whether prepaid, postpaid, or a hybrid of both - and based on time or bandwidth consumed. Redknee NGRC offers service providers a flexible and scalable solution that seamlessly integrates into existing systems, maximizing the current network infrastructure and differentiating its services from the competition. Top of Page HR.com. Paramax partner to reward members HR.com, the largest online social community dedicated to human resources, is now offering reward points to its 192,000 members with the help of its new partner, Paramax. The goal is to recognize members who contribute best practices, peer advice and other learning to build HR.com into the profession's leading authority on the Web. Since 2005, HR.com has relied on the power of its members to share advice, network and help each other with all aspects of HR. Initially rewards will be used to improve member contributions to the community site and recognize the many experts who already post. Phase 2 of the program will enable members to redeem their reward points for HR.com products, prizes, discounts of suppliers and much more. Through its partnership with Paramax, HR.com members will now be able to collect points for items such as:
As members accumulate points they reach different levels of recognition: leaders, gurus, or experts either in general human resources or in a specific topic area. Debbie McGrath , CEO of HR.com, says, "Offering incentives to our membership is something we're extremely excited to be able to do. Rewards and recognition of member contributions is an integral part of every community." Jeff Dalton , CEO of Paramax, says, "We are thrilled to work with HR.com, the largest online social network for HR professionals. We look forward to driving user behaviors for more social networks." Paramax private labels their award winning software for many top-tier reward and recognition suppliers in the industry. They also work with Fortune 500 firms to incent and recognize employee behaviors. |
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