The Do-Good Power of Blogs and Social Media

Pedigree is promoting their brand of dog food with an interesting viral web marketing campaign. They're taking advantage of social media and the blogosphere to get some attention and do some good. As Amber Macarthur of the Globe and Mail reports, Pedigree will donate a 20-pound bag of dog food to an animal shelter every time a blogger writes about their adoption program. Over 300 bloggers took advantage of this opportunity. Unfortunately, this blog post won't count as the campaign ran from September 16th through the 19th only. If you'd still like to help, become a fan of the Pedigree Adoption Drive on Facebook and they'll donate a bowl of food to shelter dogs on your behalf.

This is a great example of the power of blogs and social media for businesses in Ottawa and around the world. Macarthur explains the possibilities:

Ever so gradually, companies are recognizing that social media success isn't so much about what consumers can do for them but what they can do for consumers -- and the world. There are plenty of excellent examples from brands south of the border that are leading this trend. In Canada, big businesses are little slower at finding the connection between social media and corporate responsibility, but there is no reason we can't play catch-up, help a few animals in the process, or even better, make this country a better place to live.

My New Favourite Place for Summertime Fun in Ottawa

This summer, if you are wondering what to do in Ottawa to beat the heat, look no further than Canada's newest and largest theme waterpark, Calypso. Those in Ottawa, Montreal, and everywhere in between are in luck as this water wonderland is located in nearby Limoges, Ontario!

The park opened earlier this month and I can vouch for its awesomeness, having spent the day there this past weekend. Oddly enough, I heard about the park via the Globe and Mail in a recent article profiling owner Guy Drouin. I haven't personally seen or heard any marketing and advertising for the park around town, but I imagine that word of mouth for this destination will soon take off like wild fire.

All you need to do is check out the Rides and Attractions section of the website to get a sense of the excitement that this place generates for kids of all ages. My advice would be to arrive before the gates even open to avoid the lines!

Friday Breakthrough: Clotaire, Conan, and Stephen

The Friday Breakthrough is Ottawa's weekly roundup of some of the Internet's best marketing and social media articles for a less-than-intense day at the office.

1. Clotaire Rapaille is a fascinating character in the world of marketing. He is currently working for a "completely neurotic" "sadomaschist[ic]" client with a "primal reptilian core"... aka Quebec City. His words, not mine, I assure you. The Globe and Mail reports that Rapaille is getting a $300,000 paycheque for his analysis of the city and a resulting strategy to give its image a facelift. That's a whole lot of money, but apparently this guy gets results. Some happy customers include Dubai and Signapore. The website for his company "Archetype Discoveries Worldwide" describes his "Archetype Studies" approach: striving to find the answers to the question "why do people do what they do?" by combining "a psychiatrist's depth of analysis with a businessman's attention to practical concerns". Want more of an explanation? So do I. However, according to the Globe and Mail's article, "it can cost as much as $135,000 to get information contained in the studies has has already done". Fascinating.

2. The Internet is a buzz due to the fact that Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) is randomly following one young lady named Sarah Killen (@LovelyButton) on Twitter. Her world has been turned upside down in a very short time for simply being the only person this very famous person is following: "she [now has] nearly 19,000 followers, a new iMac, a free wedding gown, wedding rings, $2,600 in donations for her cancer walk, and the chance to meet Ludacris". As you read this blog post, I believe her 15 minutes are just about up.

3. Stephen Harper is taking a page from Barack Obama's book, reaching out to younger voters and interacting with them using using social media. The TalkCanada YouTube channel enables Canadians to submit their questions for the Prime Minister. He will answer a selection of top-voted questions on YouTube next Tuesday. So far there have been 65,080 votes on 873 questions from 2,496 people.

Based On A True Story

Tim Hortons is in a bit of hot water due to a marketing misstep. Their latest television commercial is a touching one, so much so that many viewers were moved to learn more about the featured family, the "true story" that this commercial was based on. The problem there is that there isn't one.

Dakshana Bascaramurty of the Globe and Mail burst everyone's bubbles today, reporting that Tim Hortons spokesperson David Morelli says the commercial was in fact based on "an amalgamation of stories". Cue eye-rolling by cynics everywhere.

Does this fib take away from the commercial? It is still heartwarming and patriotic, but it would definitely be even more so if we knew that it was 100% authentic. What do you think? Are you disappointed in Tim Hortons for misleading the public or should we expect such little white lies in today's advertising realm? Let us know what you think!

Friday Breakthrough: Tigers and Ketchup and Comebacks, Oh My!

The Friday Breakthrough is Ottawa's weekly roundup of some of the Internet's best marketing and social media articles for a less-than-intense day at the office.

1) I have a new favourite commercial (and not surprisingly, it's a Super Bowl ad). How cute is that baby tiger? Simon Houpt of The Globe and Mail explains that Cars.com is one of many Super Bowl advertisers that are connecting their ads to social media (in this case, YouTube) to build anticipate and start a dialogue. For more on Super Bowl ads, check out this previous Daily Breakthrough post by our own Casey O'Brien: "My Most Memorable Super Bowl Commercials".

2) The Globe and Mail reports today that the ketchup geniuses over at Heinz have revolutionized the ketchup packet. 40 years after they were first invented, the packets have been redesigned so that it "has a base that's more like a cup for dipping and also a tear-off end for squeezing, plus it holds three times as much ketchup than a traditional packet", reports Sarah Skidmore. On behalf of all ketchup lovers out there, I say "hallelujah!"

3) I received an email from Club Monaco in my inbox this morning and experienced major flashbacks to grade 8. The email announced the return of their iconic crest - "back by popular demand!", available in select Canadian stores only.

They say that if you wait long enough, everything will come back in style. Back in the late 90's, every girl I knew had a Club Monaco sweatshirt with the big crest. If memory serves, mine was a dark navy blue hand-me-down from my older sister. I would hope that my fashion style has progressed since back then, but I've gotta say... the more I look at those comfy looking sweatshirts, the more nostalgic I feel. I may have to get one, just for kicks, but I promise I won't pair it with a scrunchie.

"The Death of Old Marketing"? Sorta... Not Really.

Last Tuesday, the Globe and Mail hosted an online Q&A session with Ryan Caligiuri, a marketing specialist from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Caligiuri is a proponent of "emotional marketing" and employing the following strategies:

• Communicating powerfully with the goal of evoking emotion;

• Building movements and engaging communities;

• Creating products and services that are worth talking about;

• Breaking current models and introducing solutions;

• Storytelling.

Although his pitch in the Globe and Mail was entitled "The Death of Old Marketing", Caligiuri admits in the Q&A session that this phrase was an exaggeration to attract readers to the discussion. While he does argue for "new" approaches to marketing, he acknowledges that if traditional marketing means are working for you, you should stick with what you're doing.

In my opinion, the Q&A with Caligiuri didn't really live up to the hype. Case in point, here's a direct quote from the expert: "Marketing directors to new graduates are all stuck in 1960" (emphasis added). Another direct quote:

"The interesting thing with ‘new marketing’ is that it’s not new at all. It’s been around for many years. However, new is all in the mind of the CEO, CMO or new graduate who might be learning about these principles for the first time. And through hundreds of conversations with marketing professionals and business owners calling it ‘new’ is still very much appropriate. Now, they are not new, but how many organizations really follow strategies of finding those with similar biases and build a product and story for them?"

I found it disappointing that Caligiuri used such absolutes and unsubstantiated claims, because such inaccuracies weakened any legitimate arguments he may have had, such as the merits of emotional marketing. Give the session a read and let us know what you think!

Recession-Proof Your Business By... Hiring Dwight Schrute?!

According to Professor Katie Liljenquist of Brigham Young University, by adding a "socially distinct newcomer" like Dwight to your team, you can achieve added diversity and make your group-work more efficient (efficiency being especially significant in the midst of this recession). The Globe and Mail's Sarah Boesveld reports that mixing up the social dynamic of your office can help to deter groupthink and result in critical thinking and richer decisions.

I don't think diversity and cohesiveness are necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, the team here at MB is composed of individuals with unique backgrounds, plus we really are a cohesive, successful and social group. I think the key is having team members with the confidence to speak up and voice their ideas. Most importantly, if your staff cares about your company and achieving your collective goals, they won't allow complacency.

Is Twitter a Matter of Life and Death?

The following is taken from this morning's e-version of The Globe and Mail. It provided interesting food for thought this morning as I munched on my toast, so I thought I would share:

"It occurred to me the other day that people like to Twitter because they're afraid of dying.

Twitter, once solely the concern of technophiles and new media pundits, is now a firm part of mainstream culture, both online and off. What does the mass adoption of such a seemingly simple tool say about our values? Is it an exercise of pure vanity, or does the microblog serve some need?

At noon eastern time, Globe feature writer Ian Brown will examine our urge to tweet, 140 characters at a time. Follow his thoughts and share your own using the live blog below, or via his Twitter account @Brownoftheglobe."

I'll be following along with interest. Will you?