The Globe's Marina Strauss recently surveyed the state of Canadian retail promotions--and it seems she liked what she saw.

That's because owners and managers have come up with a number of inventive ways to attract shoppers using the Internet, in-store events and special promotions.

Vaughn Mills Shopping Centre, for instance, has created a series of Webisodes for its fashion site StyleAgents.ca. As of last Saturday, the account director at VMG Cinematic, which produced the video, tells Strauss, "four segments had got more than 61,000 online views, including 35,000-plus on YouTube.

Read More >


A new Mark's Work Wearhouse in Edmonton offers winterwear shoppers an ingenious change room.

The Globe and Mail's Katherine O'Neill reports that shoppers "can now test first-hand how warm the clothing really is in a custom-made walk-in freezer."

Read More >


As Vice President, Marketing, Mr. Fougere is responsible for developing and managing the execution of Fusepoint’s go-to-market strategy. In addition, to owning all facets of marketing, Mr. Fougere is also accountable for product management; manages the pre-sales support function; and plays an integral role in planning and managing the company’s growing channel program. With 24 years of progressive experience in technology-related industries, Mr. Fougere has had a balanced mix of technical, sales, marketing and senior management roles at Queen’s Park Computing Centre, Xerox Canada, Kodak Canada, Konica Office Imaging, and RAND Worldwide.



Read More >
If there's one thing that publishers have learned since the birth of online advertising over a decade ago, it's the importance of being flexible. Now more than ever, they are flexible when it comes to the type of ad units they accept, where those units are placed, and most of all, the traditional definition of what constitutes advertising versus editorial content.

In the beginning, site sales reps were known to stick to their media kits, offering only what their organization had previously deemed to be acceptable forms of advertising. This system worked for advertisers when the medium was still considered to be a supplementary part of one's overall advertising strategy, and when placing ads on the Web was more of a novelty than a necessity. As competition increased, however, and consumers became more accustomed to online advertising and better able to avoid it, marketers began to realize that, if they were going to be noticed, they would have to deliver something more unique.

Read More >
Simon Houpt looks at the newly published book Women Want More: How to Capture Your Share of the World's Largest, Fastest-Growing Market. In Created, he reviews an online-only Nike spot in support of the 2010 Winter Olympics. In Noted, Houpt reports that the "era of fake ads winning real awards may be coming to an end." And finally, he brings us the neon green bicycle that Chris Chopik, the Ontario Green Party candidate in St. Paul's riding, uses to get around town.

Read More >
IF YOU DIDN'T THINK ADVERTISING MADE THE WORLD GO AROUND, consider this: A newspaper in Key West, Fla., promises to cover whichever City Commission candidates buy ad space. Tom Oosterhoudt, the publisher of the weekly Conch Color, told a reporter for the Key West Citizen that "if candidates want their campaign covered, they have to pay to play... I gotta pay the bills." The publisher added that he'd covered the campaign parties of a pair of mayoral candidates because they had purchased ads. Hey, UN: When you're finished overseeing the election in Afghanistan, we've got another place you might want to drop in on.

Read More >
Michael Ramah, partner and director of strategic planning at Porter Novelli, a has valuable and timely opinion piece in Ad Age.

In it, he asks: "Where do expert marketers with years of outreach and client service under their belts find their place in this world of fast, cheap social-network-enabled dialogue and market research?"

Ramah is responding to "McKinsey Quarterly's July issue, in which marketing professor Donna Hoffman said she believes consumer-driven Web 2.0 conversations will eventually replace marketers." Ramah's not so sure.

Read More >
Think the New Transparency only applies to Consumer Reports-style product reviews or no-holds-barred critiques of customer service?

Social media platforms now allow any special-interest group to express its opinion about corporate decisions--and sometimes to express it noisily.

Case in point: Ikea, once beloved by many in the design community for bringing an elegant aesthetic to the masses at affordable price points, now has them fuming.



Read More >




Anytime you’re faced with hunting for employment it can get pretty overwhelming very quickly. So much to do and keep track of. From polishing up your resume, rehearsing your 30 second introduction, preparing a list of potential contacts to start networking into the hidden job market with, burnishing your online presence, applying for posted positions, researching opportunities...it’s no wonder that an intensive work search can become a full-time job in itself.

As with any multi-stage process, the job hunt is best approached by breaking down the tasks into bite sized, manageable activities. With this in mind I’ve provided you with a Check List of the most common elements in today’s quest for employment. Hopefully it’ll help you plan and stay on top of what might otherwise be a tidal wave of things to do.

Read More >
HAVE IKEA'S CELEBRATED DESIGN instincts deserted them? In a move that has typography geeks around the world ready to throw down their MacBooks and hit the lingonberry barricades, IKEA traded its sleek and stalwart font, Futura, for Verdana in the new IKEA catalogue.

The new font, which was designed by Microsoft, looks fine on the screen but hideously clunky in print. We know Swedish Sven is handy with the Allen keys. But can he put IKEA's design-friendly reputation back together?

Read More >
Simon Houpt uses the recent incident between Toronto bike courier Darcy Allan Sheppard and former Ontario attorney general Michael Bryant to explore the dos and don'ts of personal reputation rehabilitation. In Created, he looks at another controversial issue: DDB Brasil's efforts on behalf of that country's branch of the World Wildlife Federation. In Noted, Houpt reports that a media buy for Michael Moore's new documentary didn't work out exactly as planned. And in Quoted, Houpt chats with Marineland's marketing manager about the amusement park's TV spots and "jaunty jingle."

Read More >
Although written for the general reader rather than for advertisers, Farhad Manjoo's recent article for Slate has value for anyone concerned with customer service.

In it, he writes about companies that are using the Web and social media to successfully handle complaints and after-sale support--and some that aren't.

Read More >