Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

So with all of the flurry of activity around the holiday season its been a bit difficult to keep up with the postings here. However there is lots in store for the new year! I wish everyone the very best this holiday season and much health and happiness in 2008.

Online Branding - All about Integration

Sometimes the world moves so quickly we barely have a chance to play catch up to the latest trends and fads - Web 2.0? That's old news. All the rage now is Web 3.0 haven't you heard or rather seen!

In our world of marketing, branding or advertising and every other nook and cranny of communications the word “integration” is also sparking an “evolution”. The two now go hand and in hand in how brands communicate the message to their target – no longer does one channel do all the heavy lifting, instead it’s a collaboration of channels that must work seamlessly together to deliver the message, the brand, the idea – the buzz on the marketing street from, besides the excitement of the Spice Girl’s comeback, is all about integration and heck even the Spice Girls are jumping on the band wagon - from their product site, tour site and offline promotions, these gals now how to integrate the Spice brand in all channels.

If it's one thing I’ve heard my clients discuss more then their nasty boss or a bad week at the office, it is the need to integrate – the brand, the message, the strategy. But what does integration actually mean in today’s world of connecting with our audience and how does one do it right without getting lost in sea of clutter and stay on brand and on strategy? It’s not an easy answer because each case presents set of challenges that are unique to the brand and to the ultimate communications objective, but there are some ground rules one should always keep top of mind.

Rule #1 – Brand consistency is key, but so is brand flexibility

No matter how big or small an organization is, whether you are a Fortune 500 goliath or a local favorite you likely have an established set of brand guidelines that steer your branding and from it your messaging, values and marketing platform. While consistency is key to all the stakeholders that manage and control the brand it’s important to allow for flexibility. What I mean by this is that while certain elements of a logo for example, such as colour and font should not change, there may be instances during points of integration, from TV, direct marketing and interactive where your logo may need to, for example, have some flexibility due certain elements of the space you are communicating. A prime example is that in print and TV file size limitations aren’t an issue for the most part – in the digital space you might be required for example to only feature your logo, minus your tag line for certain online advertising executions; don’t fret, it will look far better then to have a grainy pea size image of your logo, which in essence would make your brand less relevant in the space and devalue your brand equity with your audience. At the end of the day your branding needs to continue to build value, relevance, innovation and hold true to your brands core purpose.

Rule #2 – Keep it simple

It’s funny, the more we tell or demand peoples actions the less they are likely to listen. Well folks, the same is true in communications. People don’t like clutter, it’s perceived as unorganized, untrustworthy and scattered. A successfully integrated communications strategy, whether the focus is branding or selling, has always paid off when by keeping it simple. By simple I don’t mean skimping on the wow factor of on online experience or marginalizing the mass channels, but rather being clear and clutter free. It’s essential that no matter where the consumer touch point occurs, whether it be a direct marketing mailer or an online banner, the message needs to be simple, catchy and to the point. Consumers need to connect with you quickly and the less time they need to spend figuring out what the heck is going on , the more likely they are to engage with the message, your brand and follow-through in either exploring further or turning their attention into dollars.


Rule #3 – Work works for the print, works for print.

I cringe and curse when I hear people say “Let’s just pick up that TV spot and plunk it online or well that worked for print lets use in the banner”. Bad, very bad, a very big no no in today’s world of digital media. Simple put, a TV spot is a TV spot and an online experience is well, an online experience. Sure, we see plenty of rich media in the digital space, and while these creative executions maybe be picking up the idea from their TV sibling, the online experience must be more immersive, driven by the user and have an element of customization. But, and there is a big but, mass does serve a a greater purpose in terms of integration, hence the next rule.

Rule #4 – Let mass drive your online

There is a two-edged sword, while you should never believe that what works for print will work online, the mass channel can be your best friend in prolonging the engagement your consumer has with your brand. Smart integration aims to build an emotional connection and to entice the consumer to continue their connection long after they’ve watch the TV spot or read through the mailer over dinner. Think about it, you want your consumer engaged with your brand for as long as possible, but they need some motivation, thus your mass channels, from TV, print and direct can all serve this purpose – by giving the consumer a definite reason to explore your brand in the online space you’ll have the opportunity to keep the mass channels clutter free and focused on the key points with a simple message, while the online space will further leverage those channels and message allowing the consumer to further became educated, informed and locked in to your brand with their heart and wallet.


Rule #5 – The Web Site IS The New 30 second spot

It’s hard for some to let go of the notion that in a few years the traditional 30 second spot will either no longer be all that relevant or will merge into the online experience, perhaps it will even evolve into a user driven customized experience. The truth is today consumers are using the online channel to engage with brands more then ever before. It is where they spend the most amount of team learning, evaluating and judging a brand – in turn either becoming loyal champions or one-time opportunists. So it comes as no surprise that the online experience is a crucial piece to any integrated campaign, yes even more so then the 30 sec spot. Think of TV as starting point and online as the finish line, with everything else driving to it. As marketing dollars shift to the online, the trend is simple to understand. It relates to the consumer being in control of their time and controlling what they choose to see or not, the online experience gives consumers the power to explore as they wish. TV spots have been viewed as being forced up upon a us where as an online experience is only on experience when it’s chosen to be – but when it is , it better deliver on the promise of being engaging, relevant and useful to it’s purpose, whether to educate, to sell. Today’s consumer time is scares – any touch point is crucial, but the online space brings with it your brands the most vital consumer touch point prior to a consumer to becoming financial invested in the product or cause, thus they need to be given a good starting point from the first introduction to the time the arrive and stay a while.


So while these 5 rules aren’t the the only way to way to a golden ticket in brand and campaign integration between the various channels, they do serve to remind us of a few key elements needed to steer your brand in the right direction to ensure continual delivery of the brand promise, value and purpose.

Balancing the client and agency vision

It's never easy - being in the middle of this circus, the great balancing act - balancing the needs of the client and that of your team and agency - Account management, client services or whatever you wish to call it is an art as much as it a science of social and human behavior - it's success or failure ultimately lies with your team and their ability to transcend the many bumps along the way.

As account people we are thrust into learning not just about the clients' business but about the client themselves - we often forget that they are human beings too, with needs, wants, desires and a personal vision for their brand. But truly listening, probing and asking the right questions is what ensures the agency gains the insights to understand the business challenge and allows for well rounded ideation for solutions to come to fruition.

Too many times we as account people get stuck on the daily details, not that those details aren't significant, but it's vital to keep the big vision in mind to keep us striving to think big picture.

Clients sometimes tend to forget this too in their briefings to agencies and thus it's our mandate, our duty to ensure we challenge and investigate our consumers mindset and the competitive landscape to grasp what our success metrics need to be and how the creative we produce will ensure we achieve these.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg! Account management is also a windy and unchartered adventure into managing our own agency bravado,creative attitudes and our client's high expectations for the agency - but really it's about getting everyone on side, team work is key. It's preached many times, but put into practice far too little in most situations.

To succeed for our clients, we need open dialog throughout the life cycle of a project and the client/agency relationship. Too often we assume we know or may know what our clients are seeking or what our teams deem to understand about a brand or the mandate of a project - hint - assume nothing.

From my years in the business I've learnt that besides the creative brief, team mentoring, project plans, financial analysis, WIP analysis, account status calls, briefings etc. - the list of duties seems only get longer - a truly great agency and it's account team understands that by having an open door of communication between the client and itself is the key to success. Clients need to feel they can knock on our door and no matter how stupid their question may seem to some, we can tackle that question with poise, insight and empathy and craft a solution. Because at the end of the day, we, the agency, should never assume we know more then the client does about their brand and we should feel just as comfortable admitting we don't know it all - our mandate is to learn from our experiences and take that experience realizing that each new brief presents an unique challenge that requires a customized solution.

So the next time your client comes knocking your door with a great vision, nurture it with openness and a willingness to learn how make the vision a reality and create an idea that truly delivers.

Postro Ponders: VIDFEST explores the ethics and challenges of social networks and our society

It's always inspiring to visit my hometown, nothing like the backdrop scenery of the coastal mountains and the Pacific ocean to get your mind thinking. VIDFEST 2007 explored many topics, from the future of digital media and the many advances in flash animation, mass to online branding and integration to looking at new and emerging platforms that promise to further evolve our space and the way we community with each other - but the questions that left me thinking the most was the discussion on how all this digital infrastructure has bettered or worsened our society.

There is no easy answer - but speakers at VIDFEST shed some important light on how digital media and the growth of social networks has, in a very short time span, completely transcended they ways in which we communicate with another and importantly how the ethics and rules of the game have changed.

The explosive growth of social networks, from Facebook, MySpace to instant messaging services such as MSN Messenger has paved the way to a new social ethics dilemma - the lack of a code of social media conduct - at what point do we place rules around this new channel of socializing, at what point we do stop and ask ourselves if we are crossing the boundaries of good taste and human decency?

I for one also consider comment boards and blogs to be a part of social networks since through these channels we are all communicating with each other, usually masked behind a screen name, giving us this sense of freedom that usually brings out the a different side to ourselves, a side that I'd rather avoid displaying for the world to see - just read some the comments at Globe and Mail.com and if you begin to question the IQ level of some posters you get my point - wouldn't you love know who these people really are?

And so the real question begs to be asked, is all of this social networking good for us? Are we starting to lose a sense of reality, our sense of values? In suppressed regimes around the globe blogs and social networks allow voices to be heard and the truth to be told, and in this case, it provides a voice to the outside world where otherwise no voices would be heard at all and educates and informs about the plight of the people in these regions.

But in our Western society of instant gratification and the "ME" generation, of which I am sadly a member of, social networks have proven somewhat tricky - we seem to use these platforms to market ourselves and our inner thoughts to the others, post our every move, action and deep thought, we want to be heard and noticed.

Am I guilty of some of these social network infringements? - guilty indeed - I am on Facebook after all and this blog is merely an expression of opinion, for better or worse, but when it begins to affect our daily lives from succeeding in our career growth, just ask a few people about how Facebook negatively portrayed them to potential employers snooping around for their profile, to those who post comments that are hurtful and denigrate others, maybe not on purpose, since many people seem lack an understanding that this channel can be a powerful tool, it begins to become necessary to address and fix of pitfalls of social networks

So while social networks offer much positive potential to us all, we should all step back and reflect what and why we post, what our true intentions are and whether we are becoming social network addicts and gossip queens simply using the channel to better our self worth.

Einstein once said "one of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one's own ever-shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought"

Perhaps social networks allow us to feel better about ourselves, to feel safe and wanted in a world that is racing ever so fast around us - For better or for worse, social networks are here to say, it's how and why use this channel that is important and more importantly that we remember some basic boundaries as we figure out what these boundaries are to become.

VIDFEST 2007 - Digital Insights on the West Coast

It's already been a great start with an array of food and drinks at the VIDFEST gala last evening, expect for those watered down martinis - event organizers please take note for next year! - and now we get ready to dive into the deep questions, ponder the evolution of our space and discuss what the next big thing will be as the conference organizers put it - Reminiscing About The Future - the future awaits, let the discussion begin.

The Organic crew of myself and Dave Sylvester hope to enlighten and be enlightened -Stay tuned as I provide some insight to the future of the digital evolution here at VIDFEST 2007 in Vancouver.

http://www.vidfest.com/

American Express - Game, Set, Match at the US Open

What is the real value of Sponsorship? And more importantly, is there a right way to position your brand with an event or sponsorship opportunity and is it really worth it for your brand?

Well if your an American Express card holder you'd be very pleased with American Express and its innovative sponsorship program at the annual US Open - and if your not a card member you might be convinced you should be.

After recently visiting the 2007 US Open in New York, I was truly impressed with not only the sheer scale, but attention to detail, the multitude of offers and flawless brand awareness building that American Express brought to light with its major sponsorship program to this world class event.

American Express has been the official card partner for many years but it struck me this year just how truly expectational the experience is - if your a card holder. For example in Rockerfeller Plaza and Madison Square Park, American Express offers live viewing of all matches on massive screens and provides free reserved seating for cardholders. They also offered at these venues free branded towels and chairs for rent for all cardholders for free and popcorn!

They tag line used in the advertising asks - Are you a Cardmember?It sure made me glad I could answer YES, with that AMEX plastic in my wallet!

The experience of their sponsorship was made even more expectational once on the grounds of the USTA National Tennis Center - as card holder you were entitled to a free pedi-cab ride to the entry gates from the train station, a free radio to listen to the TV simulcast while attending a live match, a free collectors pin with a $75 purchase with your card on food and swag - I could go on but you get the picture.

American Express has always understood the fundamental importance of building strong relationships with customers; and what better way to achieve brand loyalty then offering your loyal followers a simple but effective perks to enhance their experience at a great sporting event. Truly brilliant; even more brilliant is that it makes those with their Visa's and Mastercard's want to seek and explore the advantage of being a card member - several people I saw were rather upset they couldn't have free radio and proceeded to sign for a card just to get one!

For a brand that is well respected, established and known for excellence in customer service, American Express truly had their game on in what is possible with an effective and well positioned event sponsorship progam; they achieved two crucial goals - made current card holders feel wanted and rewarded them for their loyalty and made non-card holders question why they weren't a card member.

I sometimes question myself whether the annual fee for my card is truly worth it; American Express at the US Open put that one to rest - I felt the love and respect for my loyalty - I am hooked.

Checking in

It's almost September and yes I am still alive - although the pace of agency life is always busy I'll be sharing some insight with you all on brand experiences and the importance of building a true connection with the customer soon. Stay tuned!

It's all about love.

True. Love makes the world go around. Sure money talks, but if consumers aren't passionate and in love with your brand they will look elsewhere for some loving.

Kevin Roberts, Worldwide CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi in his book titled, "Lovemarks" - The future beyond brands, discusses the power we as advertises and marketers play in the role of shaping consumer mindsets for our brands and products by our positioning and the strategic approach we take in the market place. With the plethora of brands today, his case is heard to argue.

After all, if consumers lining up for are a $500 iPhone a week before it's released doesn't prove the love to Apple's brand I am not sure what else would.

It is true that consumers loyalty can switch faster then the snap of a finger if something better comes along, but brands that succeed today and in the future will need to focus on building a true relationship and connection with their ever insightful consumer.

Visit the Lovemarks site to view what our global friends consider their love to be:

www.lovemarks.com

On a side note, Kevin explores a different kind of love beyond revenue generation for brands and that is the the love of our global community and how even as we better our brands we can also better those less fortunate and spread some love their way - a point taken to heart - because in the world's emerging markets, love is just around the corner.

Why I Love Advertising

After my decision to move out to the eastern hustle and bustle of Toronto and New York, I knew that I needed to convey my passion for the business to the big wigs.

True, my father was in the business for over 30 years, and true, my twin brother is also a passionate Ad Guru, but if the video below doesn't sell my passion then I guess nothing will.

There are also a few samples of the Bell TV spots I worked on; I was the account guy that sold the concepts. For those wondering, yes I art directed, cropped, and faded the music using Final Cut Pro; I am Mac a addict.

While I am not a creative by trade, I do have an eye for great work, but then again it could also be my mother's flair for interior design thats rubbed off on me. Take your pick and enjoy!

Fiat "cinquecento" 500 brings Italian style online and to the road

Fiat recently brought back one of the most loved cars in Europe in the 20th century - the 500 - with a great challenge

Indeed, the 500 is the car that put the impoverished post-war Italians on wheels. It soon became the symbol of Italy’s economic rebirth, then a design icon. It and the Vespa scooter are the best-known symbols of modern Italy. In re-creating the 500, Sergio Marchionne,the Canadian-Italian CEO of Fiat, had a delicate act to perform. The car had to be faithful to its design roots — a piece of rolling nostalgia — yet thoroughly modern and capable of selling in vast numbers. It had to be like the new Mini Cooper, which has sold a million copies since its relaunch in 2001. I believe that has been achieved and the design is truly expectational. With this launch Fiat hopes to emulate the past success of the 500 and unfortunately for time it will not be hitting North American showrooms.

Even more expectational is the site promoting the 500, in particular is the user driven flash-video based car configuration. The experience excites and fuels the passion for the 500 by allowing the user to truly get immersed into building their own customized 500. With some many features to choose from I found myself spending an hour collectively just playing around the site; would I want a the optional sunroof and what vintage feature would go with red?

By the time I departed from the experience my only negative was that I couldn't run down to dealer and drive one off the lot. Enjoy and have fun building your own 500!

http://www.fiat500.com/eng/

Sprint Ahead with Sprint Speed

A true labour of love for me personally, Sprint recently launched their new brand strategy in an effort to refocus their attention on become a leader in the industry by focusing their attention on driving their customers to increase their adoption of rich media and digital content include music, video and data on their mobile device.

The challenge was to overcome the highly negative customer perception of the Sprint brand, given Cingular's, now AT&T recent PR blitz with iPhone and Verizon and T-Mobile's excellent JD Power & Associates Customer Satisfaction results, Sprint had its work cut out for them.

In March 2007, San Fransisco based Goodby and Silverstein was awarded the challenge to transform the Sprint brand. Organic has been through several agency shuffles, prior to Goodby & Silverstein, we worked with TBWA\Chiat Day in Los Angeles and New York as the mass agency of record.

I was excited to work with Goodby as I knew their vision, leadership and creative insight would provide for an exciting partnership. After several months of strategic tweaking , customer persona workshops and many concepts we finally arrived at the idea that Sprint would offer their customers speed and allow them to be one step ahead of the pack. Thus, Sprint Ahead with Sprint Speed was born.

Below is a link to view our recently launched promotional site which incorporates all of the new brand elements including the light graffiti creative execution which is a truly refreshing approach for Sprint:

http://www.sprintahead.com/?id12=UHPCHP_Billboard_SprintAhead_LearnMore


This is a truly immersive user experience as the user drives their own experience on the site by discovering new features by clicking on the various hot-spots. The interface entices the user and creates a unique experience that doesn't become predictable. Some might argue that the navigation is too simple and lacks direction, however that is far from the case, our goal was give the user a warm feeling with the site. My mantra for this project was create an emotional connection with the user to build warmth, intrigue and respect for the brand.

I am proud that we achieved our objectives. When I compare what the competition is serving up now, Sprint truly is Ahead of the game.

Jet Blue and The Simpson's - Co-branding partnership creates a fun, engaging experience

Usually airline online experiences or airlines for that matter are not known to make us laugh and we rather hurry along as a user, do our business of booking and leave. After all, lost luggage is no laughing matter, neither are long security lines, delays and bad food. However, Jet Blue has recently teamed up with 20th Century Fox as an official sponsor and partner in promoting the upcoming Simpson's Movie being released world-wide on July 27.

From the http://www.seeyellow.com site you can view all of the participating brands that promoting the film. However, for me, Jet Blue truly took a gamble and it is, as Mr. Burns would say "excellent".

http://www.jetblue.com/deals/simpsons/

Not only has Jet Blue fully immersed the Simpson's brand into their user experience and interface but they have allowed ever character a chance to have their 15 minutes of fame. I have never laughed so hard while visiting an airline site, I didn't want to leave, I suppose I am a BIG of the Simpson's and this helps, but from the rich content you feel like the Simpson's are right there with you as you click through the many great features and tools.

I particularly enjoyed Mr. Burn's Flight Log and letter to Jet Blue CEO David Neelman. Another great feature is the destination selector on the left bottom nav, each Simpson's character has their own favorite destination selected, the content is truly hilarious and compliments each character very well. What I found most clever is that despite the Simpson's take over on the site it actually made me want to book Jet Blue and gave me a good feeling about the company, brand and it's values in treating customers. And despite The Simpson's being the dominate focus it all is links back to the very important reason of an airline site, to book seats and generate revenue.

We all know how painful air travel can be, many us travel with our work frequently and it was great to see an airline add some fun the the whole process.

Cannes Lions 2007 - Powerful Ideas

Wow, it's been a while since I've written. From all of my work travel to New York and Charlotte, then to Vancouver it's been rather hectic! The pace is slowing slightly, but it's never dull in the world of Bank of America.

Anyhow, more coming soon, in the mean time I thought I would share some winning entries from this years entries 2007 Cannes Lions. These examples truly are expectational in their strategic thinking, creative execution and pure cleverness; what drives each of these campaigns are simple yet thought provoking ideas that help shape the message and brand. They certainly are worthy of their recognition and caught my eye as well. Enjoy!


Title: NIKE+
Advertiser/Client: NIKE
Product/Service: RUNNING APPLICATION
Entrant Company, City: R/GA, New York

http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/ <http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/



Get The Glass
Agency: Goodby/Silverstein & Partners
Studio that Created it: North Kingdom

Gettheglass.com continues the fantastical story of the Adachis, a family suffering from ailments related to their lack of milk. On the site, viewers play a board game in which they help the Adachi family get a glass of hard to reach milk. Players advance in the game by rolling a pair of virtual dice and driving the Adachis' plumbing van through a series of milk-related challenges all while trying to outrun Fort Fridge security and avoid being sent to Milkatraz. If you make it all they way to the end, Milk sends you an actual "Get the glass" souvenir glass.

http://www.gettheglass.com/



Title: Impossible Is Nothing
Advertiser/Client: Adidas
Entrant Company, City: NetThink, Madrid

The campaign allows the user to draw an impossible wish with a marker that paints a line from where urban elements pop up. Meanwhile a fast runner goes through the line that the user is drawing, linking to a microsite, where users can express what they think is impossible, but they might achieve.

http://62.151.22.210:80/festivales/cannes2007/dibuja/index.htm




Title: Great Pockets
Advertiser/Client: Nokia
Entrant Company, City: FARFAR, Stockholm
Country: SWEDEN


Henry Needle has created an incredible invention, the Great Pockets. These clothes allow you to bring all your multimedia with you at all times. The opposite solution to this is of course to bring all those things in the small and neat shell of the Nokia N95. It's not just one thing, it's a GPS, PC, Camera and more. Therefore the site was created to reflect these opposite ways of carrying all these devices. The visitor comes to the Great Pockets store, and can flip the site 180 degrees to end up in the reality that is a better solution.

http://www.greatpockets.com/index.php




Title: Coca-Cola Videogame
Advertiser/Client: COCA- COLA
Entrant Company, City: WIEDEN+KENNEDY, Portland

The hero of a gritty, car-racing videogame has a change of heart after drinking a Coke.

Click on the Screen Capture image:
http://www.canneslionslive.com/film/win_2_1_01317.htm



Title: CRITIQUE
Advertiser/Client: VOLKSWAGEN
Product/Service: VW CARS
Entrant Company, City: CRISPIN PORTER + BOGUSKY, Miami

Click on the Screen Capture image:
http://www.canneslionslive.com/film/win_2_1_04394.htm




Title: CLARENCE (Cat with Pipe)
Advertiser/Client: FILM SUEZ
Product/Service: BAFICI INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
Entrant Company, City: LA COMUNIDAD, Buenos Aires

A picture of a cat with a pipe is the saddest picture in the world, but one person doesn't feel the same way.

http://www.canneslionslive.com/film/win_2_1_02823.htm




Title: POWER OF WIND
Advertiser/Client: WIND ENERGY INITIATIVE (EPURON/BMU)
Product/Service: WIND ENERGY
Entrant Company: NORDPOL+ HAMBURG

Wind has a strong nature. Better keep him busy...

http://www.canneslionslive.com/film/win_2_2_03927.htm




Title: HAPPINESS FACTORY
Advertiser/Client: THE COCA-COLA COMPANY
Product/Service: COCA-COLA
Entrant Company: WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM

We take the audience on a journey through a coke vending machine into a fantasy land of wondrous characters and spectacular landscapes contributing to the delivery of the bottle.

http://www.canneslionslive.com/film/win_3_1_02489.htm




Title: SHAKESPEAREAN GECKO
Advertiser/Client: THE THAI OLMPIC FIBRE CEMENT
Product/Service: SHERA CEILING BOARDS
Entrant Company, City: PUBLICIS THAILAND, Bangkok
Country: THAILAND

Sharing the fate of Romeo and Juliet, one lizard sacrifices his life to be with his lover because of the cracked ceiling problem.

http://www.canneslionslive.com/film/win_3_1_01436.htm




Title: BALD 1
Advertiser/Client: TELECOM
Product/Service: ARNET BROADBAND
Entrant Company, City: SANTO, Buenos Aires
Country: ARGENTINA

A bald guy in a fundraising campaign for hair asks people to join the broadband plan.

http://www.canneslionslive.com/film/win_3_2_03244.htm
http://www.canneslionslive.com/film/win_3_3_03245.htm

Saving Darfur

http://www.savedarfur.org/content?splash=yes

After joining this cause last year, I thought I should shed a remainder that this part of the world is still in desperate need of the global community coming together and putting a stop to the utter brutality occuring each and everyday; to date well over 450,000 have been killed.

While President Bush focuses on the fallacies of Iraq, his administration has been to slow to react and to help the cause. In remarks delivered at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on April 17, 2007, President Bush said that the time for promises is over -- President Bashir must act. While I applaud Mr. Bush's efforts here, these words are not enough. Truly goes to show that greed rules above most - I suppose if Darfur were an oil rich region we'd be witnessing swift action - just think back to the Bosnian war in the former Yugoslavia.

Recently, Jendayi E. Frazer, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs at the US State Department returned from the ravaged region and composed an open letter stressing the need for more involvement from the United States, the UN and the global community.

http://www.state.gov/p/af/rls/rm/84613.htm

While some progress is being realized lets keep the pressure up on all parties involved to help end this crisis - in fact one of the worst global genocides thus far in the 21st century

Sprint Sweetens Mother's Day

http://www.sprintsweets.com/

Goodby and Silverstein's first foray into the Sprint world is very unique, captivating and just plain awesome. Sprint Sweets is a truly expectional and unique creative execution which is highly engaging visually.

Most expectational is that the user can drive their own experience with the customization of the e-card functionality. Of course for those that can't quiet muster the right word, Goodby's talented writers have provided some great ideas to help spread the love this Mother's Day. What I really enjoyed about this site is you feel compelled to engage with experience as the beams of light scroll your customized message to mom. Happy Mother's Day!

British Airways and the power of customer insights

http://www.yourclubworld.ba.com/

In the world of consumer and product marketing we all know the customer is the driver behind a products ultimate success or failure. The power of both word of mouth, good or bad, and customer insights are key to ensure a brand and product succeeds in the marketplace. British Airways understood that they needed to connect emotionally with their target audience when launching their new new Club World product in creating the “Club” feel. The interactive site brings customer insights to the user and aims on winning over the premium customer in the ever competitive airline industry, where premium fare paying customers are still key revenue drivers to the bottom line.

What better way to spread the word on luxury travel and comfort then by having your own customers speak to the product and why they like. Sure, the scenes have been staged, but they are believable nonetheless because it creates an emotional experience for the user. Each customer talks about what features they like in the new Club World cabin and which ones make the new product relevant to their needs and wants during business travel. Each scene is actually filmed on board the aircraft while in-flight, thus adding to realism of the experience.

And no, they don't use models, which gives the entire experience a human face with a dose of reality, I enjoyed the lack of make up. Well done BA! A truly exceptional experience in highlighting customer insights and the power they can hold for a product and brand.

Now I just wish I could afford the $7500 return airfare to London from Toronto!

On a side note, the TV spots on this page are great; finally BA and their London-based agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) have brought back the familiar 'Lakme' by Leo Delibes tune - when I heard the spots play I knew this was a BA spot - the power of music and brand recognition - can have a powerful impact, whether in the offline or online space.

Simply Recognizable

It's hard to argue. The Olympic rings embody a special spirit. "Citius, Altius, Fortius." These three Latin words mean "Swifter, Higher, Stronger." In 2010, Vancouver will play host to perhaps the biggest global brand.

Funny, those simple interlaced rings represent many things to many people around the globe. And perhaps brands need to step back and venture into the unknown world of simplicity in a world filled with clutter - might just work for some.

Help wanted: Planet Earth is asking for our help.

Yes, planet Earth is asking for help, she needs it badly - and while we're all fairly comfortable in our lives we complain when it's too hot, too cold. We whine and wish that we could afford those designer jeans. That we don't have enough sleep or time in day. That our Starbucks coffee was too cold, too hot. That we we got caught in traffic on our way to work. Sure, even I bitch about a lot of things during the day; it's human nature.

I have been fortunate enough to realize our daily complaints are trivial in nature, I know planet Earth doesn't care. Having traveled the globe at a young age, I realized our world is filled with immense wealth our fortune. Our world, the Western industrialized world, is a world of mass consumption, instant gratification, on the whole, little disregard to our foot print and impact. I am just as guilty as anyone, after all, it's hard to stop and realize just how lucky we are. We are beings that don't want to sacrifice our comforts of life; I mean really, a world without our iPods?

Perhaps I am being a bit critical, I am fairly tenacious in nature, but we need to address our individual footprint and its impact sooner rather then later.

Brands are being to realize the power of social responsibility and the positive impact this transcends both internally and externally. Global warming, climate change or whatever term you want to associate with our Earth's crisis, needs some quick attention.

www.flickoff.org hits the right note and puts it bluntly. Lets fix the problem or we're screwed. So lets cut planet Earth some slack.

Finally a blogger.

After many attempts to stray away from the art of blogging, I felt it was time to give in. Working in the digital marketing space for sometime now I felt compelled to share my views on how this channel of communication is forever redefining and shaping the way we interact and communicate with one another. I am fortunate to be a part of an amazing team at Organic Inc. - Fellow Organic's understand it's not good enough to be following trends or simply jumping on the bandwagon of the latest fad - we understand the power of innovation and trend setting in our space. We are leaders, never followers.

Recently, Adweek scored Organic at the top of curve for AdWeek’s agency report card. If you look at the results closely enough, we actually scored #1 with a B+.
http://www.adweek.com/aw/images/pdfs/IQReportCards.pdf

AdAge ranked Organic #7 in interactive agencies at $102million in revenue in 2007 with a 401.7% growth; this growth demonstrates the continued drive and growth in the digital space as clients realize both the power and potential of the channel to impact their brands and bring to light new and exciting possibilities.

Advertising has been in my family blood since the 1970's with my father's marketing and advertising days. I often speak with my father about his hay days in the business and he reflects fondly when print, television and radio led the pack of mass communication. How times change. In the ever evolving digital realm we are the drivers, innovators and trend setters. Change is constant in our digital world. I look forward to the ride and sharing my thoughts and insights with you all - along some other causes and personal insights.