CVCGroup

What I learned from Blackberry

2011-03-14T12:25:00.001-07:00

John Sacke
jsacke@cvcagency.com

So, I have been in Blackberry hell for the past few days. Why? Simple! After months of having two devices (iPod for music and Blackberry for everything else), I decided to transfer all my music onto my Blackberry. Simple, or so I thought. Wrong! It’s working better, but still not right.

Over the course of the last 4 days, here’s what I have spent the past 6 hours doing, (mostly with the assistance of Blackberry’s tier two tech support):

Rebooted my PC at least 8 times
Uninstalled old software from my PC and Blackberry
Installed new software onto my PC AND Blackberry
Uninstalled the new software from my PC and Blackberry
Reinstalled the software again
Formatted my Blackberry’s memory chip in my device (twice)

You can see where I am going with this – and it’s not too a good place. Anyway, here’s what I learned from the many interaction I had and will still have with RIM tech support:

Answer each call promptly – The reason why people are calling is because they need answers and they’re frustrated. Putting them ion hold for 15 minutes with an annoying message saying how important your customers are to you is hardly appeasing. In fact it’s downright aggravating. Respect the fact that your customers’ times is no less valuable than your own
Speak the language – I am no racist and have no issues getting help from anyone who can fix my problem. But when I hit 2 for English, then I think it is fair for me to expect the person on the other end of the phone actually speaks and understands English
Keep notes – Since I had to call in at least 7 times over the past 3 days, I really enjoyed the fact that each call had been well documented. Although I spoke to a different agent each time, it was clear they had comprehensive and accurate notes as to what the person prior did or said
Know your stuff (winging it is not good enough or as my father says, pretty good is actually petty bad) – Again, the reason why people call tech support is because they want their problem fixed as fast as possible. They are not really interested in the complexities of computing – they just want their problem fixed
Be open – This is a 24 hour world. People work off-shifts and do all-nighters --- even I do from time to time. Nothing sucks as much as not being able to have your problem solved anytime

Are my problems all solved?

Yes, except for one quirk that seems more to be a gmail thing than a Blackberry issue. Dios Blackberry score well on all the above? Hell yea!

It’s all about balance.

2011-02-28T06:05:00.000-08:00

Rob Angeloni
rangeloni@cvcagency.com

One of the advantages of my career has been working on projects around the world. Our small Toronto Agency continues to produce creative events such as Sales Conferences, Incentive Meetings and Trade Shows around the planet. It’s given us the opportunity to visit every Canadian city coast-to-coast, London, Paris, Sydney, Munich, and Hawaii – not to mention Mexico and most of the Caribbean. Yes it’s true that we, as production specialists (much like touring performers) often spend most of our time either backstage at the venue, or the hotel, but as I get older (and wiser) I try to balance out my business travel.

One of the Values of my company, what I advocate to my staff - and to our clients, is to enjoy what we do. The appropriate balance of business and pleasure helps us to excel in our work and ensure both personal and professional satisfaction. I just returned from one such trip to Los Angeles, with a side trip to San Diego. Actually the assignment was at the Anaheim Convention Centre, a remarkable facility in an amazing location. Ideal for large gatherings the main road leading to the convention centre is not only welcoming with large palm-trees and a flowered centre aisle, but the best hotels are all there within an easy walk to the facility. Combine its close proximity to Disneyland being just around the corner, it more than meets my criteria of balancing work and a little fun. We met many convention delegates – either visiting the show or working the show – who brought along their families. Mom (or Dad) were sitting by the pool, or prepping to go to Disneyland, while their significant others were at the convention. Perfect.

The event was the Medical Device & Manufacturing Trade Show or MD&M, which brings together related industries tied to the medical field. An amazing gathering of industries from plastics firms selling heart pump tubing, to robotics.

Our booth was once again, a show stopper. We’re lucky enough with this account to have a client who’s not only a creative visionary, but one who has the position and authority to allow us to execute it. Speaking without prejudice, we have done some creatively astonishing campaigns that have integrated through trade magazines, the website and at the booth. Our maxim of…on-screen…on-line…on-stage is truly exemplified with this account.

The side benefit of this trip (aside from the stunning southern California weather we encountered) was spending time with my former business partner – now retired – who spends the winters near San Diego in a spot called Oceanside. This is where I go to decompress, relax and bitch and complain to him about the daily challenges he has left me with, while he sits in beautiful Oceanside. The best part, he actually cares. He listens and always offers sound advice. To this day, I consider him one of my closest friends and confidants. He offers me the balance I need that helps me succeed.

How To Be Taken Seriously - First in a Series

2011-02-21T12:53:00.000-08:00

John Sacke

jsacke@cvcagency.com

One of the things that so many marketing people battle with is being taken seriously. In many instances, they behave like complete asses and then wonder why they suffer from lack of credibility. And I hate is when that happens because it’s a blight on the whole industry.

The week before last, my friend Peter Shankman had to get from New York to San Diego for a keynote speech. It was during another monstrous snow storm in the north east. Knowing there was going to be a storm, he made a backup plan. He booked the Continental 8:45 EWR-SAN, then booked the Continental 2:45 EWR-SAN as a backup, pretty sure the 8:45 would be cancelled. And of course, it was, and he was like, “It’s cool, I’m on the 2:45.” And it was cool, until the 2:45 was cancelled, as well.

At that point, most people would have pulled the “act of God” clause, and either cancelled altogether, or done the presentation via Skype or similar. They still would have demanded to be paid, despite the fact that as cool as Skype is, it’s still a million years away from being there in person.

If you want to be taken seriously, you simply can’t work that way.

Simply put, Shankman gave his word. He told someone (or in this case, 200 people) that he’d be at a certain place at a certain time, and they’d arranged their schedules to make sure they got to see him. How people view how you value your word is worth more than any speaker’s fee.

I don’t care who you are, you never have a right to break your word.

Peter made alternate plans, arrived there at 3:00am, and although tired, was in good enough shape to make his keynote at 8:00am. Yeah, he had to drink 5 Diet Pepsis- but that’s what it takes.

Want to be taken seriously? Honor your word. Do what Shankman did and what I would do. Show up. Don’t blame anyone or anything and do your best.

Nothing like LIVE – Part ll

2011-02-21T09:41:00.001-08:00

February 18, 2011

jyeo@vcractive.com

So – we finished the first NSM (Windsor was surprisingly mild!) and were very pleased to have two VPs come up to us repeatedly throughout the event to thank us for our efforts and for making the event a smooth success. I prefer working with TEL-AV when I can – I’ve had a long-standing relationship with them and have never been disappointed. Sometimes you can get a familiar crew – sometimes not. As it happened, this was the first time I had worked with the two Techs assigned to the show. Alejandro Camejo and Kees Van Dipten were excellent, and most of the credit for a successful event from our side goes to them. Although a pretty simple set-up as these things go, collectively we gave it a bit of zip – especially for their awards night. Alejandro was totally into the audio side of the event. I had asked my TEL-AV Rep, Ron Vidad, if it was possible to have whoever was doing audio to come armed with some tunes in case the client forgot or changed their minds as to choices – boy, did he ever! (The audio Techs in general come armed with toys and tunes, but it’s always safer to plan.) Kees was looking after the video side as well as the Audience Response system we were using – again, excellent performance. Lighting was a bit of a collaboration – and had great results.

Bottom line, I heard the best thing I could imagine from the two VPs running the event – ‘You did a fabulous job – we had no idea what to expect! Next year when we call you, we’ll plan for a few more things, now that we know what is possible…’ I should mention that we got the job in the first place as I knew the VP Marketing from the company he used to work for – the one we are actually doing the NSM for in Arizona next week – so he DID have an idea of what could be done, but the budget was very tight.

And now – on to Arizona for the next event. I leave tonight with our Client, along with HIS Client (VP, Sales) and one of the Directors. Interesting side note – as happens when you do an event consistently for a Client, we are all part of the team and people get used to working with you. Although I was travelling with the senior people tonight, I was booked (as I expected to be) in Economy. I received a call and forwarded e-mail yesterday from our Client saying the Director found out I was travelling Economy and immediately offered one of his upgrade passes – so I’ll be with them in Business Class. A very kind, and much appreciated gesture.

The Power of Social Communications

2011-02-21T09:40:00.000-08:00

Jamie Yeo

jyeo@vcractive.com

The headline in the Toronto Star from Saturday, January 29, 2011 told us of the upheaval in Egypt – Cairo in particular. In an attempt to muzzle and hamper efforts by protestors to alert the outside world to their cause and identify rally points for protesters to meet, President Hosni Mubarak ordered the Internet closed down within Egypt.

On the same subject, an interior page of the Sunday Star had a picture of a protester holding a placard displaying the Twitter hashtag MUBARAK #FAIL. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Hotmail, Google and other Internet-based communications tools may have been closed down, but this protester was still using the syntax or language of one of these to get his message across – albeit in a more conventional way.

Heretical comment coming now – I have not embraced most Social Media tools. OK, some, to a degree. You’re reading a blog I contribute to (well, truth be known, my participation is ‘encouraged’). I have a Facebook presence that I visit when my e-mail alerts me to the fact someone has ‘written on my wall’ (hmmmm – that reminds me – when was the last time THAT happened?). I know I signed up for a Twitter account – can’t remember my log-in… I know this is a very old-school attitude, but I truly do not ‘get’ some of the tools out there (I’ll be in deep trouble when John Sacke – our resident Social Media Guru – reads this, I’m sure). But one cannot dispute the power held by many of these tools when placed in certain hands. They weren’t necessarily designed to incite protest, but they were designed to connect people and allow interaction between people of like minds – helping to get communications of all kinds out to the world. Read the news and we can all see that this is a double-edged sword, though. At least one publication I read indicated that sources within Egypt were able to trace back some of the incitements they partly blame for the flare in unrest, to Western sources. Nothing changes, then, does it? Someone will always find a way to re-purpose, even subvert, things developed initially for benign uses.

Again, while I do not necessarily ‘get’ most of this, I do see value in some of the tools – as previously commented upon regarding the value of Facebook to a close friend. Getting our stories out to people – especially when we feel we are being suppressed or repressed – has enormous value. If there are tools enhancing our ability to do that, it doesn’t matter that I don’t necessarily use them…

What I am learning from watching "The Social Network"

2011-02-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

John Sacke
jsacke@cvcagency.com

As I write this, I am watching "The Social Network". Without question, it's one of the more entertaining movies I have watched over the past year or so (I don't watch that many movies), an as much as I am learning about the wonders of Facebook, there are more than a few things that disturb me:

1. Theft seems to be more commonplace than ever before. Sometimes during the mover, I must admit that it became hard to fathom who was doing who. This must be a new concept. Dishonesty gone wild?

2. Disrespect - why did Christie burn her scarf for no good reason? She did not appear to be angry in any way. I guess boredom got the better of her. Come on Christie - get a life!

3. Mark Zuckerberg - is he loved or hated. Seems to be, as the movie is now drawing to a close, that people have different perspectives on the genius himself. My perspective - I like him. No, make that I like him a lot. It's kinda disturbing that some in the movie portray him as a villain, others as a saint. You make up your mind ... now!

4. Kinda disturbing also is that I felt that at times, people in the movie were not playing themselves.

I personally think Zuckerberg is very well portrayed. You?

Nothing Like LIVE!

2011-02-10T19:25:00.000-08:00

Jamie Yeo

jyeo@vcractive.com

I find producing video fun. I love being involved in the development of a cool website. It’s – well, cool! Basically, I enjoy the entire creative process. But nothing beats a live event for that outstanding adrenaline pump… It could be anything – IMAG for an event; a satellite conference between multiple locations; NSMs of varying complexity… In fact, that’s what I’m prepping for currently – two National Sales Meetings; one next week in Windsor (brrrrr), and the other in Arizona (aaaaahhh…) immediately after. Two back-to-back Sales meetings for different clients, although, coincidentally, they are both in essentially the same business. Two different approaches to the event, as well – both in budget and in complexity of set-up. But both events are highly important to the client – top priority, in fact.

As a producer, then, each project demands the same effort and enthusiasm from me and those support teams I bring in. Over the thirty-plus years I’ve been doing this, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some truly outstanding A/V suppliers around the world – crewed by creative people who, like me, enjoy the challenge of going beyond the client’s expectations. After all – it is all in our hands. Budget is almost incidental – the client spending $15,000 has no fewer expectations than those of the client spending $60,000. Our challenge, really, is to make the $15,000 show LOOK like the $60,000 version! Simple things often work best – decent creative lighting on a stage area – or subtle accent lighting on otherwise bare room walls… This isn’t expensive, and can make all the difference. These days with the availability of multicoloured LEDs blocks, it is, to my mind, unforgivable not to suggest these little touches to a client. They may decline, but armed with some photos of past events, it shouldn’t be difficult to get them to come around.

So, this week is the crunch for the Windsor show – in fact we have a run-through today. But being in Windsor next week doesn’t mean prep stops for the Arizona show – far from it. With somewhat more complexity for the Gala event in Arizona, there is more to arrange, as I am also looking after part of the overall décor – an additional challenge! But, like I said at the beginning of this blog, the rush of a live event is great – and a ballroom in Windsor is no different than a ballroom in Arizona. The size of the venue, or crowd, doesn’t matter either. What does matter is the client’s event, and making it everything they imagined…

The Similarities between Poker and PR

2011-02-03T08:15:00.000-08:00

John Sacke
jsacke@cvcagency.com

One of my hobbies is poker. I have been playing the game since I was a kid. It’s fun. It’s amusing. It’s sociable. It’s also important to note that if you play well, it can help with one’s finances, ie you win more than you lose. And although I will never make it to the world series, overt the years, I have won significantly more than I have lost. Over the years, the stakes for which we play have increased and are now at the point where one needs to be careful. For me, poker is not about making big bucks – and it’s not about taking your buddy down. It’s about fun and camaraderie. I often show my hand when I am not called – that’s sportsmanship.

That said, there are many similarities between poker and public relations (my profession), that should be noted:

1. Never bitch – Ever notice those sorry people that sit on the sidelines? The wallflowers? They complain about everything. They also tend to have few (if any) friends. Every circumstance is wrong – and that’s the reason why they lost at poker – or were crucified by an angry public. If things are going against you (and they sometimes do), stop complaining. Every time you do, you look like a putz and two things happen. First you look like a sore loser and second, when things finally go your way, people won’t call you (in poker) or be interested in your achievements (in PR)

2. Play the cards you are dealt, not those you wish you had. Sounds like a no brainer, but it seldom is. It’s easy to imagine that you have that elusive straight flush, but it’s no fun looking down at your hand to discover that all you have is a miserable pair of threes. It’s no secret that they way you’d play your threes is entirely different from how you’d play the straight flush. In PR, work what you have and stop wishing for other scenarios – they seldom change

3. Show up on time – another cardinal rule of poker and PR that is often broken. If the game starts at 8:15pm, then show up at 8:15pm. In as much as it’s not cool to show up late for a client meeting, it’s not cool to show up late at poker. Why? Well, for two reasons. First, you want to feel out the flow and tempo of the game before it actually begins and second, arriving late is likely to stress you out. It’s never good to arrive stressed out at a client – and it’s never good to arrive stressed out at a poker game. You need to be relaxed to win.

4. Look around you. Poker, like PR is not all about you – it’s about your surroundings as well. In as much as you’d never issue a news release without understanding what your competitors are doing, so to do you need to look around at what’s happening with the rest of the table. Proud of your trip fives, well, what happens if a flush is on the board and you’re playing against four others, each of whom are raising … well guess what? Suddenly your trip fives are not that good.

That said, poker’s just a game and thank goodness I do not need to make a living playing it.

Social Networking – Personal Praise

2011-02-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

Jamie Yeo

jamie.yeo@cvractive.com

At a time when many are questioning the safety or validity of certain Social Media tools, and still others are scratching their heads as to how to utilise and capitalise on the Social Media and Social Networking phenomena in business – I am simply thankful it exists, and can be used as originally designed – to keep friends in easy contact, and to link those with common interests. The simple power offered by Facebook, in particular, gives me pause…

Let me explain more. April 22, 2011 is the anniversary of the passing of my Godson, Michael. At 17, he and three of his high school friends were involved in a horrible car crash near Meaford, ON. The crash occurred on the 19^th, a Friday. Within a very short time of word of the crash getting around the surrounding community, posts of hope started appearing on the boys’ Facebook pages. Sadly, the posts of hope soon changed to those of condolence and grief, as word filtered out that two of the lads died at the scene, another the next day, and Michael, on the 22^nd. By the 23^rd there was a memorial Facebook page for Mike – pages were established for the other boys as well. The community were able to express their feelings – and did – at any time. If you look back over the years, you’ll see the same names – friends, missing him or catching him up on cool news. Yes – 4 years later they still log-in – often just to say hello. What really amazes me, though, is that through the internet news of this terrible loss went round the world. My friend Jim – Mike’s Dad – actually got e-mails from a family in Australia, who had been through a similar tragedy. Through local Churches, and just plain detective work, Jim was also contacted by and corresponds with people across the globe. Personally, I think this has been a key contributor in his survival of this horrific event… Debate its validity, by all means – I, at least, am thankful for the existence of Facebook.

(If you are interested, the Facebook Memorial for Michael ‘Chubbs’ O’Hara can be viewed here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=2230745081

A day in the life of a Toronto Agency…the continuing story.

2011-01-24T06:45:00.000-08:00

Rob Angeloni

President

CVC Agency

rangeloni@cvcagency.com

I was attending an all day account meeting with an out of town client this week reviewing projects, deadlines and budgets. After a while the conversation turned philosophical as we explored the true meaning of our work in the marketing and communications world. In today’s multi mega media world of high speed digital, smart phones, tablets, e readers and aps by the truck load, the proliferation and fragmentation of messages we are bombarded with daily – hourly - and by the minute, is increasing exponentially. Throw in Social Networking, Face Book, Twitter and LinkedIn and we are in dire straits with our time. Our attention span is being slowly eroded minute by minute, second by second.

As communicators, we now face the challenge of creating high impact messages that are short and to the point. All important information needs to be up front and right off the top - bang! - before someone switches channels or moves from their laptop to their iPhone.

In business, we live in a two sentence environment. Blackberry responses are short and no one reads past the first few sentences. Too long means too many details…and I’m not interested. Either you have me at hello…or you don’t. If it’s longer than 140 characters, I get cut-off. Thank Twitter for that.

In television commercial production, the art of communicating is telling your story in 30 or 60 seconds. TV commercial writers and directors learn the craft of story-telling, of crafting the tale and sending your message in a very defined time period. It’s the ultimate short story and it takes years to learn the skill of television production. They use special effects, sexy men and women, movie celebrities or rock stars to get your attention. It’s truly an art.

Just as electronic communications is an art. So we must learn to choose our words wisely. Short and to the point is our rule. Just get to the point - the brain will fill in the rest. We are truly the deliverers of… the punch line.

‘Political Correctness’ or Censorship?

2011-01-18T13:45:00.000-08:00

Jamie Yeo - Producer --- jamie.yeo@vcractive.com

Like many in Canada, I am both stunned (OK – pissed!) and perplexed by the recent decision by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council to ban the Dire Straits song ‘Money for Nothing’ due to the use of the word ‘faggot’. Angry as I am about this, I also recognize that this decision is hardly unique – it is simply the latest occurrence in a long list of Political Correctness gone mad.

By now I’m sure most people are aware that there are myriad instances of published materials being banned or re-written to adhere to so-called ‘modern standards’ or sensibilities. Very notable amongst them is the issuance of an alternate version of the Mark Twain classic, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. With the original already banned from school curricula in several US states due to the use of the word ‘nigger’, a new version of the classic has been released with that word replaced with the word ‘slave’. ‘Injun’ has also been replaced with ‘slave’. I wonder what Mr. Twain would say about the situation… (I won’t insult him by attempting to come up with something…)

Offensive as the terms may be today, they are indicative of the time in which they were written, and the work is recognised world-wide as a ‘classic’ – a work that clearly outlined people’s attitudes within that timeframe and context. Surely to change this now perverts the work, does it not? Over the years, Mark Knopfler, who wrote ‘Money for Nothing’, has said ‘the song was written from the perspective of a working-class man who was unimpressed by the millionaire rock stars he saw jumping about on MTV’ – it is his interpretation of the thoughts and attitudes of a group of people. Surely for the Council (or any governing group) to indicate that the only way to get airplay for that song now, is to change that word, is akin to censorship? Interestingly, I read somewhere that Knopfler says there will be an alternate version, substituting ‘fudger’ for faggot, for the Canadian market. (I wonder how that will fly, as my British background recognizes that as a term with pretty much the same intent!)

I have no answer as to how to correct or alter this situation, nor am I in a position to effect a change in this CBSC decision – I am simply adding my comments to the others out there who wonder where and when it will all end…

Who Owns The Creative

2011-01-18T07:20:00.001-08:00

Rob Angeloni
President, CVC Communications Group
rangeloni@cvcagency.com

Our company provides creative services for the business communications world. Whether it’s for an advertising campaign to the consumer, or an internal communications / training program to employees, whether it’s on line, on-screen or on-stage, we use creativity as the basis to develop our messages.

We all know that clever ideas, music, comedy and good design, all help to reach people, convey messages and sell products and services. That’s our business. It’s the business of changing behavior. In its simplest terms, we convince consumers to buy something or we get employees to change and improve the way they perform their work. Changing behavior through credible communications. And we use compelling, inspiring, creative ideas with which to do it.

We are an idea factory. We spend inordinate amounts of time and energy “throwing ideas around - running things up the flagpole – and seeing what sticks.” Tons of crazy ideas and kooky concept that rarely make it off the drawing board and into an actual program or project. But when they do, it’s a little magic. Creative concepts are like songs. They are living organisms that we give birth to and become attached to. As the authors and originators of these ideas we take immediate ownership. “That was my idea- or- I thought of that,” are common sentiments as we fight for ownership and recognition of our brilliance.

It’s an intangible that oftentimes gets little respect in the marketplace. In fact at times, brilliant creative gets completely overshadowed.

As a ritual of our industry, we are called upon to submit and respond to Requests For Proposals. The dreaded RFP. This requires a tremendous amount of work, time and money, with no guarantee of winning any business at all. In itself, this is fine however in our business, it requires us to develop creative ideas and concepts and submit them in writing without any guarantee of success or work.

Again, all is fair in love and war, but what is not fair is once the prospective client has your creative in hand, it becomes their property. It won’t be the first time I’ve seen our ideas magically manifested into someone else’s project. There have been many arguments to this point of once your ideas are submitted, who actually owns the creative. You be the judge.

Pride Shows

2011-01-14T05:58:00.000-08:00

By John Sacke
Director, Digital and Social Media
jsacke@cvcagency.com

Pride Shows

So a few weeks ago, I decided to get my building painted (I am a part owner in an investment property – a building of 30 apartments). So, I met with several painters each of whom claimed they could do the job best for the least.

One painter stood out (literally and figuratively). About 6 foot 3 and as thin as a stick, he just looked strange, in a pleasant way. His name was Eric. I liked him. He seemed to know his trade and when we negotiated him down (I love getting a good deal), he seemed amenable – far more amenable than the other painters we had called. So we took our chances and went with Eric

He started the job when he said he would, he did what he said he would do and he finished when he said he would. (That in itself is rare these days). I was told by my partners, (far more detail oriented than me when it comes to painting), that he did an awesome job.

About halfway through the job, my partners and I (they had never met Eric before) went for a site inspection, and Eric – with much pride, walked us through the building, pointing out all that he had done and all that he was going to do.

Man – was this guy proud of the job he was doing. You could see it in the way he walked. You could see it in his animated expressions. It was clear that this was no ordinary job to Eric – it was a special job and he was so proud he had won our business.

During the walkthrough of the building, we paused and sat briefly in the building’s laundry room to discuss next steps. It was at that point that Eric finally blew me away. “Do you mind if I take off my leg – it’s kind of itchy,” he asked nonchalantly. “What? (I said to myself). With that he lifted op his pant leg and proceeded to take of his prosthetic leg (below the knee). “I lost my leg a few years ago,” he said. “In an accident.”

Now, painting a building is far more physical than say sitting at a desk or even driving a car. Painting is not easy for a guy with two legs. For a guy with one leg, it must be an order of magnitude more difficult. But for Eric, our job seemed the easiest he had ever done.

And that’s the difference. I saw it in Eric’s work and I see it in PR/ social media all the time. You see, you get the doers and the talkers. The talkers spend their time talking and the doers spend their time doing. And in most instances, there is an inverse relationship between talking and doing.

And that’s what my clients have come to appreciate about me over the years:

I don’t overtalk
I make every client feel special
I am proud of what I do
I give my clients a fair deal
I do what I say and say what I do
I start and finish when I said I would

Looking for a painter? Contact Eric at (416) 828-7469. Looking for some PR/ social media help? Call me.

Technology vs. Creativity

2011-01-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

Jamie Yeo

jamie.yeo@vcractive.com

Day two of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and we are back after a somewhat gruelling Media Day providing footage for one of our clients, and their client Ford. As always, it’s all about the cars – and, as always, there are some amazing vehicles at the show. But, for me, it was all about the technology employed within the displays and reveals… I am a child of the Sixties, when multi-screen and multi-projector slide presentations were king. Those who could design and execute a slick 36-projector show, could (and did!) command tidy sums.

In the hay day of the Sixties there was also a phenomenon called the Industrial Show – dominated by the likes of Ford, Chrysler, GM and even IBM – and a very small cadre of producers who were able to co-ordinate and mount them. These were often million-dollar extravaganzas usually mounted in the likes of the O’Keefe Centre and blending huge lighting plots, live actors, moving cars in many cases, and a variety of technologies. The technology was really dominated by multi-screen and multi-projector slide shows – and innovative presentations integrating 16mm or 35mm film. I still marvel at some of the shows I witnessed. My father was one of the small group responsible for many of these in that era. Over a 20-year period he worked with most of the companies previously mentioned to produce these staggering shows, and bring to them new heights of creativity – pushing the technology (and the budgets!) to the edge. They were months in the planning and required immense technical and creative skill to execute. He would be stunned at what can be accomplished today in a shorter timeframe and with comparative ease. Technology has moved from 35mm slides and film, to video, to rudimentary videowalls – and now to the incredible age of digital signage of staggering size and quality.

At this year’s Auto Show I only had the opportunity to see the Ford booth and opening reveal, but was truly impressed to see the calibre of the presentations. I admit it – I am a technology junkie. But I’m also a creative junkie and a producer who has relished using new technologies for over 30 years – so I truly appreciate that none of the technologies available to us are worth a Tinker’s damn without the creativity of the people who conceive and assemble the presentations employing them. I used to think my father and his contemporaries were a dying or dead breed – but that isn’t the case. Today’s crop of producers simply have different tools and opportunities available to them – and, obviously, the skill required to employ them is no less than that of those pioneers of the Sixties.

Hats off to those responsible for the creativity behind these impressive productions!

The Famous PEOPLE Players. My friend Diane Dupuy

2011-01-10T11:25:00.000-08:00

Rob Angeloni

President

CVC Agency

rangeloni@cvcagency.com

Last night I had the honour of attending an inspiring and fulfilling event. I’m on the Board of Directors of Famous PEOPLE Players (http://www.fpp.org/). It was their Christmas Party, celebrated in January because they are too busy to do it in December.

Famous PEOPLE Players or FPP, is a not-for-profit charitable organization, helping challenged people for 35 years. Founder Diane Dupuy began the theatre company that specializes in Black Light performances 35 years ago after being labeled herself “a retard”. She was young and had a fire burning. With her mother’s puppeteering and costume-design talent, they created the Famous PEOPLE Players. Diane enlisted other challenged kids and trained them in the art of black light performance and soon were performing around town. Through Diane’s perseverance and determination, FPP was seen by Liberace, who then hired them to open his show in Las Vegas.

It was upwards and onwards from there with endorsements and support from Paul Newman, Tom Cruise and Phil Collins among others. They all saw the value in Diane’s cause and over the years, gave generously lending both their names and financial support to FPP. However, what struck me once again last night was twofold:

First, Diane has assembled the best people together for her number one cause – her kids. It’s all about helping her kids avoid the problems and hurdles she faced in her childhood. Second, was Diane herself. She has combined her creative talents and her determination to succeed with her compassion and desire to help those in her care.

Her “beloved Board of Directors” as she refers to us, is made up of some exceptionally distinguished people. Show business professionals, lawyers, dentists, accountants, several senior business executives and parents. Diane as President presides over us with the business acumen of a seasoned corporate executive. She has to - after all, she is one. She bridges the gap between the business side of running FPP as a company, and the soft side of the company. This is the people side of the business. Working and developing the kids, ensuring they are growing, learning and developing. Let’s not forget the performances. Writing and directing the performances is what FPP is all about - and at the end of the day, they have to sell tickets.

Diane does it all. She cares for her mother, 94 year old Mary Thornton who, believe it or not, still comes to work every day. Yes Diane does it all and she does it with grace and selflessness. She has won many awards, performed around the world, for the Queen, the first lady of Japan, and has won the prestigious Order of Canada. She calls many celebrities and politicians her “friends” and I’m proud to call Diane Dupuy - my friend.

What happened to the way we watch television?

2011-01-04T05:31:00.000-08:00

Jamie Yeo

Producer/ Account Director

Jamie.yeo@vcractive.com

Over the holidays, like many of you, I talked to several friends and family who, naturally asked what we had been up to over the holidays. As I had given my lovelier half the most recent seasons of House and Bones, I said that we had elected to relax and mostly watch House. As the conversations progressed, everyone piped up with the TV series’ they liked and had purchased. It occurred to me that we no longer even watch the current season of House – or Bones or any of the very few current series we like. Interestingly, almost everyone commented that they did not watch the current seasons either. ‘No – we wait for it to be released on DVD and blitz watch…’ Odd turn of affairs, isn’t it? Time was we followed our various favourite shows almost religiously – tracking events every week – recording it when we couldn’t be home to see it; waiting anxiously for the season cliff-hanger in the spring, and then the new season opener in September to let us know how it would turn out, and what to expect for the new season.

Then an odd thing happened – in early 2001 there was a writer’s strike. The 5-month strike meant no new episodes of our favourite shows were written by pros. A few shows tried having the cast and/or production team write them – only a few, as I recall. In any case – I don’t think I ever really considered how this interruption helped change the face of television as we knew it. That, and the penetration of DVD player and recorder sales, which helped trigger the strike. A few older series had been released on VHS and DVD previously (I know I had my prized 2-VHS set of the short-lived Fawlty Towers series) –there was MASH and a few others, mostly older, already syndicated shows that we could still see in re-run. As the DVD revolution took hold, the DVD rights became as important as the primary network release. We have seen an explosion of unscripted reality shows, partly as a result of the writer’s strike, and partly as an effort to come up with ‘something unique’ – but what else is in store? Our television viewing habits are being altered as well by things like ‘On demand’ and Pay Per View through cable and satellite distribution – not to mention networks streaming shows on-line.

One wonders where it will take us next…

I love social media

2011-01-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

John Sacke

Direcor, Social Media

jsacke@cvcagency.com

It may sound mundane, but social media is more powerful than one may think, and here’s what, based on an experience I hade a few minutes ago, courtesy of Peter Shankman (@petershankman). So Peter posted what he would like to do in 2011. See it on his blog at http://shankman.com/whats-next/. I commented what I would like to do … just a fast 3 line comment. See it below his posting at http://shankman.com/whats-next/ ...

No big deal so far? Right! Pretty simple too!

I was also interested to see some of the other comments people had made as to what they wanted to accomplish in 2011.

I saw Kendra Kroll’s (had never heard of her) comments beneath mine … here’s what she says she wants to do …

“I’d like to find a way to get a more ubiquitous (TV) demo for my PortaPocket line so that people will recognize its true function and not confuse it with just another ipod holder.
I’d like to get in at least 3 more major outlets for more distribution.
I’d also like to encourage more resources to truly understand the difficulty involved with launching small business and perhaps offer special reduced pricing for those of us working stiffs so we might be able to participate. ;-)
Beyond that, I’d like to be able to make people return their messages (whether e-mailed or voice) so that actual progress on issues can be made.
May all of us entrepreneurs out there be able to stay the course and have a HAPPY & PRODUCTIVE 2011!!”

Mundane? Perhaps! But interesting to me.

Then I found out her Twitter handle (took me all of 4 seconds) and then I started following her (3 seconds). She’s at @PortaPocketGal --- please follow her. And based on our interests, she's already followed me back.

This is not profound, but it sure does highlight a few things I love about social media:

1. Connections are immediate

2. It’s all about being social – will either Kendra or Peter be aggravated by this posting … I don’t think soooooooooooo!

3. Peter unwittingly intro’d us – Kendra and I being two random individuals with common business interests (Kendra’s looking for PR among other things)

4. It’s interesting

5. It’s just so easy.

That’s all for today folks!

I hate tpyos ---

2010-12-21T08:27:00.000-08:00

By Jamie Yeo

Producer/ Account Director

jamie.yeo@vcractive.com

The Internet is a fabulous creation.

As a communicator, I am blown away by the fact we now have information on virtually everything at our fingertips – simply type in a question and a flood of articles, publications, commentaries and other sources of information are presented to you.

OK – you may have to sift through a few choices that are clearly NOT what you are interested in – but still – your answer is there – somewhere. And, it’s true, you have to be a bit selective as to exactly WHAT you take as accurate – but there is a ton of information on the subject you are interested in! I suspect we have all come to take this need to separate the wheat from the chaff as an unfortunate by-product of the fabulous opportunity to access pretty much unlimited supplies of information – virtually unchecked and un-filtered. And, if we ignore all the debates about ‘freedom of information’, the need to restrict – or at least attempt to sanitise – some of the more sensitive material or information posted on the net, I also suspect we are all becoming used to other by-products of un-checked and unrestricted uploads of information.

I’m referring to grammar and spelling, and the use of language (well – the English language at least). Again – as a communicator – while it is fabulous to have this unprecedented access to information, and the world has the freedom to post whatever they wish, it is distressing that established and reputable publications that have migrated from print to electronic distribution, seem to have lost some of their skills.

What happened to proof-reading?

‘Spell check’ and other word processing tools are not infallible. A correctly spelled word is not necessarily the word you meant to use! I am stunned by the proliferation of typos, grammatical errors and generally poor structure that seems to have exploded with the advent of the net.

Does this mean there were never errors in printed newspapers, magazines and books? Of course not. But put against what I see on a daily basis in web-based publications, I submit that we have severely impacted our ability to communicate clearly and with authority. Add to the mix texting, e-mail and other shortened forms of written communications and we are creating a generation (or more!) of people who cannot spell or write.

I urge all of us to re-double our efforts to check outgoing e-mail, proof our articles and posts – make an effort! Simply because this is the ‘instant communications’ generation does not mean we should fire off communications without care and concern for being accurate in what we send out… (and in spite of the additional three or four additional sets of eyes looking this over before I post it – someone will come back with a comment on structure or spelling! But at least I will have tried!)

Loyalty may mean nothing ~ There's a case to be made for getting respect

2010-12-20T04:58:00.000-08:00

By Rob Angeloni

President, CVC Agency

rangeloni@cvcagency.com

After 32 years in the Marketing Communications business, it still boggles my mind at how disrespectful clients or potential clients can be to vendors. Loyalty means nothing. Years of hard work, extra hours, discounted pricing and lots of liquid lunches do not go a long way when “the Purchasing Department” suddenly appears and after years of solid work, and evoke “new buying guidelines…every project requires six bids!!?” Is that an effective and efficient way to buy services? I don’t think so.

How can one possibly compare effectively and in a timely manner? Do you really want to maintain relationships with multiple vendors for the same services?

Or how about our friends to the South. The USA Home Office decides to flex their control muscles and suddenly…everything needs to be rebranded or every marketing decision needs to be “run by them.” I guess because of the USA led recession, they have decided to apply protectionism. Anything that can be done by Americans - should be done by Americans – damn it.

Even if Canadians have been doing it fine for decades. What Americans understand but do not acknowledge, is that the Canadian market is not just another state. I’ve seen it time and time again. Canadian Marketing Departments are shrunken or even eliminated. After a few years of marketers in New Jersey or Detroit selling Quebec or Western Canadian customers like they’re from Ohio…surprise… market share drops. Then it’s a miraculous rebirth of the Canadian Marketing Department. Only with half as many people doing the same work.

I’m about longevity, (remember…32 years) and I’m about relationships (remember…liquid lunches) and I’m about working hard for my customers and being rewarded fairly. If you make an appointment to come and visit, please don’t cancel the day of. We’ve prepared, we’ve got food and we even got dressed up. If you need a project completed, don’t send out voluminous RFP’s to even more voluminous vendors. How can you possibly compare and decide competently.

It really is a “dog-eat-dog” corporate world and nice guys get no respect.

Social Media: It’s About The Steak, As Well as the Sizzle!

2010-12-16T13:44:00.000-08:00

By John Sacke

Director, Digital and Social Media

jsacke@cvcagency.com

twitter: @sackman66

As a 16-year PR marketer, I hear from time-to-time, “We can’t afford public relations and social media!.” To that I say two things, “You can’t afford not to do it”, and “It’s not as expensive as you think.”

True, sometimes PR and social media’s value may be less than obvious, but whether visible or not – an appropriate profile is more valuable today than ever before, mostly thanks for the internet’s domination and use as businesses’ greatest and most efficient communications tool.

Fundamental Value

The basic premise of PR and social media: When profile creates, reinforces or changes opinions by reaching, persuading and “moving-to-desired-action” people whose behaviors positively affect your organization - the mission is accomplished. The huge value is contained in that fundamental premise - i.e., your audience’s behaviors are key to your organization’s success. If those audiences don’t behave as you would like them to, achieving your organization’s most important goals and objectives becomes almost impossible.

Strategic Value

Public opinion allows businesses to succeed. But its most significant contribution to organizational achievement is the strategic ability to create, change or reinforce existing public perception and behaviors. This is the very talent that in many cases leads to business success.

Reputational Value

Public relations problems are usually defined by what people think about a set of facts versus the truth. Often, this is off-putting to people - somehow, it seems to mean that public relations or social media is without substance. But the key factor - is that how people perceive the facts leads inevitably to very real, predictable behaviors which can create the clear and present public relations problem to which we commit our resources.

Tactical Value

Equally valuable is public relations’ ability to follow up with carefully selected tactics designed to reach target audiences with effective communications. Additionally PR must create and also tailor persuasive messages designed to influence consumers’ perception/behavior, and to gain momentum and impact by implementing those tactics with pinpoint accuracy and timing. These tactics can include social media, news releases, media interviews and numerous other tactics initiatives to increase the company’s profile.

The Bottom Line

When you measure the real effectiveness of PR and social media, you should be satisfied with the results when your “reach, persuade and move-to-action” efforts produce a tangible change in the behaviors of those people you wish to influence.

Primer on Social Media

2010-11-15T08:16:00.000-08:00

Today's cutting edge businesses use social media to reach customers, build brand reputation, engage with stakeholders and create buzz. Thanks to new tools this is easier than ever before.

Starbucks is among the world's best social media success stories. It uses Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, a consumer forum and a blog; all very interactive, creative and engaging. Starbucks has more than 705,000 followers on Twitter and over 5,428,000 fans on FaceBook.

Learn more at:
 http://thenextweb.com/2010/01/11/starbucks-formula-social-media-success/ 

In March last year Coke had the second most popular FaceBook page on Earth after Barack Obama. There were more than two hundred Coke fan sites with low traffic and one with a lot of traffic. The FaceBook policy is that owners of a trademark can choose to shut down independent sites using trademarks without permission. Coke was wise enough to make the successful bloggers into partners instead. This speaks volumes about what works online and what works in business.

Learn more at: 
http://outspokenmedia.com/social-media/what-coke-knows-about-social-media-that-you-dont/

Ford understands that media is in the hands of the people and that engagement is about unlocking the creative genius of their customers. We're talking video, "Know what I'm sayin'?"

Learn more at:
http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/2010/09/30/ford-one-ups-itself-with-global-focus-launch/ 

SOCIAL MEDIA CASE STUDIES

Client:
Leading North American manufacturer of bath and kitchen products

Project:
An online portal for Canadians to rate public and restaurant bathrooms. We established a profile for our client on Twitter and FourSquare, two leading social media platforms. We are also using adwords to continue to drive qualified traffic to its portal. In early 2010 we completed a three-phase interactive, online consumer bathroom contest in which YouTube* video links, stills and descriptions were provided by customers of their unhappy bathrooms. The most deserving of an $30k designer upgrade was judged, again by consumers online.

Results:
Increased web site traffic. Exposure in social media circles and Increased awareness of our client and its products, as well as the importance of well-designed, well-groomed bathrooms.

*YouTube is a registered trademark of Google Inc.

Client:
National industry professional association

Project:
Client sought membership increases through deeper engagement with its members, most of whom are scattered across the country and accessible via mobile devices. Implemented Twitter Program.

Result:
More and more qualified traffic is visiting the association’s site on a daily basis and membership enquiries from the profession and public enquiries have increased significantly.

SOCIAL MEDIA SERVICES
Social Media works best to engage customers and form a integral part of an overall search effort. It can also be used as an independent strategy.
One of our Social media experts* notes that social media is a process that can take many directions, which might include:
•               Social bookmarking (eg. Delicious, Google Bookmarks)
•               Social news (eg. Digg, Reddit)
•               Social networking (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter)
•               Social tagging (eg. StumbleUpon)
•               Ratings and review sites (eg. TripAdvisor, Yelp)
•               Social answers and collaboration type sites (Yahoo Answers, Wikipedia)

SOCIAL MEDIA BENEFITS
•               Creates awareness of great content – some forms of social media may generate10,000, 20,000 even 30,000 unique visits in a day.
•               Increases traffic, RSS subscriptions and more to a site – while traffic is a benefit, sites need visitors to take some sort of action, are RSS subscriber counts are often a sound metric.
•               Builds the authority of the content publisher – done properly, others in the space will begin to view the article publisher as an authority on the topic of the social media submission, which leads to further opportunities and sales.
•               Helps develop a network of similar interest individuals – many of those supporting social media submissions will have some interest in the topic, and therefore make good allies for future submissions.
•               Ultimately builds links, which leads to improved search engine positioning. As this form of link creation is completely a function of quality of content, it is a very search engine friendly ways of building links.
* From Search Engine People and CVC Social Media partner

Big picture-it's all about three things

2010-11-15T08:05:00.000-08:00

Musings from Texas -Business & Marketing. It's a simple concept.   Another US client, another USA city, another business dinner…Tonight after a day long series of corporate meetings with our USA client, we embarked on dinner. After spending an entire day with our clients (even though we love our clients), we wanted to have a quiet off-line meal.   Wouldn't you know it, we met an interesting lady, dining alone on steamed clams and mussels right next to us in the bar. After chatting casually about the restaurant and the food, I asked her if she was there on business. "Of course" she said and informed us that she worked for the same global empire that we did.

We discussed the big picture world of communications and business and I passed on Rob's simple rules of business. It's about three things:

1. Selling the product 

2. Making the product

3. Controlling the money 

It doesn't matter what product or service you're offering, how brilliant your product or service is, or how complex your company politics or the bureaucracy you have to deal with on a day to day basis. It's about these three things.  

Robert Angeloni , President

Build the Brand From Within

2010-11-15T08:03:00.001-08:00

A few years ago someone coined the term 'MarComm' signaling the coming together of external customer marketing and internal employee communications; and for good reason.

Just as you would brand a product or service before launching it in the marketplace, internal communications and training requires branding as well.

The importance of building the brand from within continues to be ever more important. Your employees (like your customers) are bombarded daily - hourly in fact - by internal company media, emails, newsletters and now social media, with company Facebook sites and corporate Twitter accounts.

Today's most successful brand builders see clear, high impact communication as every bit as important as sales. That means, communicating effectively both to customers and to employees. Because in a social media-driven society, employees as a group bring your story -good or bad- to the marketplace.

Our job as "key-holders" of all company communication requires clear brand identity for the most important messages. Cut through the clutter of disjointed programs, outdated process documents, miscellaneous PowerPoint presentations; and organize everything to one on-line environment - one place. The one stop every employee knows where to go for all their company information.

Create it. Build it. Launch it. Then promote it - internally - as you would any product or service. Give it an identity, a logo, a presence. Get employees motivated and excited to use it by giving them what they want - easy to navigate, rich media, video and animation, music, mobile versions--One place to go for all their training and information!

-Robert Angeloni, President

CVCGroup: Bring your story to life

2010-11-15T07:57:00.000-08:00

CVCGroup: Bring your story to life: "Bring your story to life on-screen . on-line . on stage My world includes a diverse group of friends and business people who have o..."

Bring your story to life

2010-10-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

Bring your story to life

on-screen . on-line . on stage

My world includes a diverse group of friends and business people who have one thing in common: They are being affected more and more quickly by change. Our lives and our businesses evolve so fast that the way we were living and operating just a few years ago now seems old fashioned. I have always tried to keep current and the CVC Group has always been involved with the newest ideas and technologies to help our friends bring their stories to life. Customers have come to rely on this, so to keep pace we have undertaken a serious transfusion of fresh blood and new ideas.

In April 2010 we announced that VCR Active Media Inc. has become part of the CVC Group of Companies. This new dream team provides more expertise in creative, design, brand strategy and content development; combined with the finest in web design, video for web, conferences and events, audio & video production, eLearning and digital media.

SOCIAL MEDIA

In September we welcomed social media and PR specialist John Sacke to the CVC Group of Companies. John's group is a valuable addition, with the increasing role of social media and public relations in today's marketing. Progressive companies use social media to reach customers, build brand reputation, engage with new stakeholders and create buzz - And thanks to new tools, this is becoming easier than ever before.

FAST WEB VIDEO 2.0
Today's web video is different. Video 2.0 still has production values but it must be shot, edited and posted to a site quickly and economically. One of our clients helps doctors maintain training with video bedside manner and treatment demos, and digestibly edited lecture segments. Medicine is changing fast, so several pieces are developed each month by our local camera people across the continent.

eLEARNING
eLearning is finally blossoming. The pendulum swung way out into experimentation and big costs and now it has swung back to the practical middle. Rich online media can now provide very effective learning, while saving a lot of travel and accommodation cost. This is especially true when eLearning is blended well with good classroom and on-the-job programs.

Clients are creating shorter learning modules that can be updated or replaced quickly, and organized into learning paths for a variety of different employment positions, channel partners or customers. The newest eLearning modules avoid 60 minutes of content memorized and quizzed. Instead retention is increased with fun, interactive exercises every few minutes throughout modules. Module completion itself means high retention and assures a high pass mark on the final test.

MOBILE DEVICE WEB SITES
Size matters, especially screen size. One of our clients helps tradespeople who work mostly on building sites or in their trucks. They carry Blackberries, iPhones and other mobile devices. They need immediate technical information for installations, product price information for estimates; and order information for organizing the rest of their work week. We built a mobile device site in record time for thousands of relevant products. It feels good to be at the forefront of a wave.

QUICK RESPONSE TECHNOLOGY
QR technology might seem like science-fiction but it's not. It's a hot new marketing technique that our film company client used to promote, yes, a sci-fi movie. The QR code was printed on the movie poster and 7,000+ mostly 18-34 males, took a scan of the code with their mobile device and were immediately linked to the trailer for The Fourth Kind.

QR codes link to mobile sites, store locations, mobile catalogue sales, coupons, business cards to sites, print articles to sites, RSS feeds, blogs, deliver product info, link flyers to contact forms, Find me maps, promote events, collect them all games, ring tones, music, video, ticket sales, and a lot more.