BSL Helps QNX Recruit Ottawa’s Hottest Talent

Responsible for developing the world’s leading real-time operating system technologies, QNX Software Systems harvests the most talented technical and business teams in the embedded software industry. Those who are lucky (and skilled) enough to join the QNX team are awarded a career that has them pushing the boundaries of innovation, and developing solutions that truly make a difference in the world, all over the world. QNX approached BSL to design and develop a recruitment campaign that would:

• generate buzz around the exciting possibilities of a career at QNX.
• acquire 200 high-quality software developers over a six-month period.

Our approach to the campaign theme was to acknowledge the ol’ “been there/done that” many developers are faced with when looking for a new job. Software development positions can be dry and uninspiring – but a job at QNX offers more. It offers excitement and impact. Nowhere else in Ottawa is a developer able to work on systems for brands like Blackberry, Corvette or NASA.

Campaign elements included print (Ottawa Citizen, Metro, OBJ, 24Hours) and outdoor media (king bus boards and vinyl headliners) as well as on-campus advertising (backlit signs, large banners and floor decals at Algonquin College, Carleton University and University of Ottawa). Elements also included larger-than-life video projections displayed on walls in high traffic areas in the Byward Market during Winterlude 2011. These projections were featured in May at FITC, a Design and Technology Conference held in Toronto.

The number of qualified applicants has tripled since campaign launch, which also translates to a three-fold increase in the number of subsequent interviews and hires. During the campaign’s peak advertising spurt, visits to the QNX Careers page doubled – averaging approximately 2500 to 3000 visits per week, with one week reaching 3500 visits.

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Iridium Makes Their Mark at SAT 2011

Since 2008, BSL has played right-hand man to Iridium Communications in helping to shape its image on paper, online and in person – all over the world. When it comes to translating the brand in person, nothing lets us flex our marketing muscles quite like a good event.

BSL is often asked to help Iridium plan for key industry events like tradeshows and conferences. Many weeks, sometimes months of planning are required – all to ensure that every single element is ready for one specific day (events are the very definition of a drop deadline).

Held in Washington DC, SATELLITE 2011 is one of the industry's largest global conferences and welcomes vendors from around the world to network, conduct business and share some of the exciting things that are happening in communications right now (and some that aren’t even happening yet). Iridium is known for breaking convention, so it was only right that their presence at SATELLITE 2011 reach beyond the traditional.

As such a global powerhouse, we really wanted Iridium to get the most bang for their booth. The final structure featured two levels, equipped with a conference room on the second floor. Beyond the functionality of the booth, we also took great care in developing its form. We enhanced the structure with product displays built into the exterior of the booth, and featured a series of looped promotional videos (also developed by BSL), displayed dynamically throughout the space.

No booth is complete without your standard fare of signage and collateral including roll-up banners, welcome signs, brochures, fact sheets and giveaways. We also helped brand a series of PowerPoint presentations that were used by Iridium executives at the event. BSL was able to successfully deliver all pieces to Washington, intact and on time.

“I am extremely proud of the way (BSL) organized and executed this event. Everything went off without a hitch. (BSL’s) efforts made Iridium look like the professional and successful organization that it is. I received many compliments on this from both inside and outside the organization.”
Don Thoma, Executive VP of Marketing, Iridium Communications Inc

To get a closer look at the booth, check out our Flickr page.

Putting The Calgary Stampede on the Map

The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth will soon be celebrating its 100th anniversary, and to prepare for the big birthday, BSL and Canadian Geographic are helping to draw even greater attention to the massive world festival.

The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta. The ten-day event attracts over one million visitors per year and features the world's largest rodeo, a parade, midway, stage shows, concerts, agricultural competitions, chuckwagon racing and First Nations exhibitions.

The Calgary Stampede will officially hit the hundred-year mark in 2012, and to commemorate such a significant milestone in Canada’s cultural history, Canadian Geographic asked BSL to develop an online, interactive map of the fairgrounds (also known as Stampede Park). The map is designed as a tool for visitors to plan their visit and learn more about the many venues that the Calgary Stampede has to offer.

Designed and developed by BSL, the colour-coded map invites users to click on each venue to learn about its history, what to expect at this year’s Stampede, as well as a list of specific events. The interactive tool provides visitors with information on the best dining and shopping spots in the city, as well as a gallery of images from past Stampedes. The tool also features an online function for visitors to purchase tickets to the event.

BSL began work with Canadian Geographic in 2005 on the award-winning Canadian Geographic Online Atlas, a national educational tool that is still successfully expanding today.

Place d’Orleans Gets Personal

On the heels of the recently released Place d’Orleans App for the iPhone, the shopping centre is continuing efforts to enhance its interaction with audiences, by way of a few facelifts on the Place d’Orleans Facebook page. To better personalize the conversation between fans and hosts of the page, BSL has designed a dedicated ‘Team’ section, giving fans a few snapshots into the personalities behind the posts.

These personalized profiles have already had an impact on user interaction, with wall conversations increasing in casual tone and fans becoming more frequently inclined to share their thoughts, ideas and opinions on a variety of topics.

Establishing this stronger connection with fans has also facilitated some unique approaches to contest engagement. The recent Father’s Day ‘Who’s Your Daddy’ contest invited fans to share insights about what kind of dad they’re lucky to have, and these insights determined which prize they would be entered to win.

Another way Place d’Orleans was able to successfully leverage their dialogue with fans was through Facebook polls, asking fans to choose which movies they would like to see at the shopping centre’s ‘Saturday Free Movie Nights’, happening throughout the summer.

BSL has worked alongside Place d’Orleans throughout all development phases of these new social media engagement tactics.

Social Media – the “shoot-out” of marketing

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that social media is to marketing, what the “shoot-out” is to the NHL.

See if you agree…

Purists don’t like it

In 2005, when the NHL introduced the shoot-out to decide regular season tie games, purists didn’t like it. They felt it cheapened the game. It wasn’t real hockey. To some of us who’ve been in marketing for a while, social media is unsettling in the very same way. Older, more traditional marketers rejected it. “All this weird sharing. It’s just not right. I want it to go away!”

Fate in the hands of individuals

The shoot-out transforms a team game into an individual match-up. You have the same basic elements, people and environment, but it doesn’t follow the same rules… Sound familiar? With social media, instead of “women 18-49”, you need to take on “blogging millennial yummy mummy”. Scary.

It’s Exciting

You can’t deny it. 20,000 fans are on their feet screaming about what might otherwise have been a "meaningless" regular season game. Similarly, on social media platforms people are expressing their passions more than ever before, and inspiring incredible action. Just look at what happened in Egypt.

The conclusion that I’ve come to is the following. I love and support the NHL shoot-out, especially since I’ve seen it live and experienced its sheer excitement. And when I look at social media the same way, I feel inspired and intrigued. It’s exciting and people love it, so how might I make it work for my clients? As in the shoot-out, the same basic skills and principles apply – be clear on your objective; analyze your target; leverage your strengths… and then just decide whether to deke, dangle or shoot!

Iridium Pure Reach: Engagement, Pure and Simple

Clean water is critical for the health and survival of individuals, families and communities – everywhere on the planet.

With your help, Iridium Communications is donating to GlobalMedic. The non-profit organization brings emergency relief to devastated areas all over the world – and right now with just a few clicks, you can help the cause. For each social media interaction – including @testsatphone on Twitter, liking Test Your Satellite Phone on Facebook, sharing relevant photos and stories, and more – Iridium will make a donation to GlobalMedic, supplying water purification units to families recovering from disasters in Haiti, Japan, Pakistan and beyond.

Developed by BSL, the Iridium Pure Reach program is running in conjunction with Iridium’s annual Test Your Satellite Phone emergency preparedness initiative. It highlights the flipside of emergency preparation, and addresses the pressing need for emergency response.


BSL designed the program to be simple, effective and to harness the power of social networks to meet this real need in the aftermath of a disaster. But beyond the cause itself, the program is also effective at achieving greater interaction, which drives the relevance of Iridium’s Test Your Satellite Phone initiative. What’s more, the invitation for users to provide stories and photos gives Iridium insight into those who interact with their brand.

The Pure Reach program is simple. All you have to do is get engaged, and you can help give clean water to those who need it most. So what are you waiting for? Follow @testsatphone on Twitter, like Test Your Satellite Phone on Facebook, and visit www.iridium.com/purereach for more information.

Get Your Business Blogging (Successfully)

For many businesses, a blog is considered an absolute marketing asset, and is treated as a long-term investment toward driving traffic and leads over time.

To truly make the most out of your business’ blog, there are a few important points to consider:

What are your resources?

Who will be blogging and how much time can they dedicate to the initiative? Knowing this up front will help you plan your blogging approach in terms of topics and frequency. It will help you to set realistic goals and expectations.

Who is your audience?

Your blog can achieve success if you have a clear understanding of whom it is you are writing for. Tailor content to meet the needs of your readers, so that it is relevant and helpful to them. Take time to understand what they’re interested in. Test and tune. Try out different subjects and track the results in terms of visitors and comments. Be sure to note, however, that sometimes posts with the lowest traffic will generate the most leads.

How are you going to promote your blog?

To existing customers

If you are writing for a community of existing customers, use existing internal channels or client communications such as emails and e-newsletters to cross-promote your blog. It is also wise to take advantage of your website and social media pages such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Don’t be shy to push out blog post links to networks of people you think it might be relevant to.

To new customers

If the aim of your blog is to acquire new customers, try to determine influencers that already exist by becoming active in online communities. By participating in spaces where potential customers are, you will be more successful in driving traffic back to you. Playing an active role in their world will make them far more likely to support you.

It has also been proven quite effective to integrate online and social media activities with other traditional marketing activities. You can inspire action by promoting the opportunity to get important news first through your blog, or win a prize in an online contest. For campaigns, you can carry messaging across all media, and incorporate a call-to-action to visit your website or social spaces in offline communications.

All in all, building an effective blog requires patience and persistence. It can take one to two years to establish successful blog readership. So keep at it! And stay tuned for more posts about B2B blogging, including content generation tips, editorial calendars and more.

Three Thumbs Up for BSL

Together with our clients, BSL is thrilled to announce that we have been awarded three trophies from the 17th Annual Communicator Awards, judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts.

Our work on the ng Connect Program’s Solutions Concept Video Series won us a Silver Award of Distinction in the category of Online Video: Technology. While our work on Alcatel-Lucent’s LTE Video is still getting recognized two years later, achieving a Gold Award of Excellence in the category of Film/Video: Visual Effects. For both projects our responsibilities ran the gamut from initial creative approach and scriptwriting to casting, shooting and final production.

BSL was also fortunate to be given a Gold Award of Excellence in the category of Outdoor Advertising: Tradeshow Exhibits, for our work on the Iridium Communications booth displayed at SATELLITE 2011. A striking, two-level structure with several dynamic features, the Iridium booth was a testament to maximizing space, while simplifying the message.

BSL is very grateful for these three distinctions from the Communicator Awards, and would like to thank everyone involved who worked tirelessly on making these projects a success.

About the Awards:
The Communicator Awards are judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of acclaimed media, communications, advertising, creative and marketing firms. IAVA members include executives from organizations such as Alloy, Brandweek, Coach, Disney, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Estee Lauder, Fry Hammond Barr, HBO, Monster.com, MTV, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sotheby's Institute of Art, Victoria's Secret, Wired, and Yahoo!

Congratulations to ng Connect and BSL!

We are very pleased to announce that the ng Connect Solutions Concept Video Series has earned a Telly Award, in the category of Online Video.

The Telly Awards honor the very best television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and work created for the Web. Since 1978, the Telly Awards has existed to strengthen the visual arts community by inspiring, promoting, and supporting creativity. The 31st Annual Telly Awards received over 13,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents, and are judged by CEOs, executive producers, creative directors from corporations, media and production companies across the United States.

In this new world of network-driven content, the Solution Concept Video Series illustrates how demand is the driving force behind emerging opportunities in consumer technologies and solutions. Each video details how the multi-partner, multi-discipline ecosystem approach of ng Connect is ideal – not only for conceiving and developing solution concepts, but for quickly evolving them from ideation to market reality. If commercialized, these solutions have the potential to revolutionize many industries, from professional photography to advertising, to perhaps most critically – our health sector.

A tremendous thank you to everyone who helped make the ng Connect Solutions Concept Video Series an award-winning success!

How to Survive a Press Check

Whether you are a Production Manager, Designer or even an Account Executive, a time will come when you are needed at a press check – the final and all-important step in the print production process. But does the thought of a press check make your heart race, and not in a good way? You are not alone. It can be pretty intimidating walking into a pressroom with the huge presses humming along at a fast pace, with everyone waiting for your sign off. If you break it down to a few simple steps it won’t seem so daunting to sign off that press sheet.

By the time you get to the press, the pressman should have the sheet pretty much ready to go based on the colour proofs that you approved earlier in the process. These proofs should be at the press. Once the pressman is happy he will pull you a sheet for your approval. Oh and feel free to bring another pair of eyes, it doesn’t hurt to have two people reviewing things and it can take a bit of the pressure off. Now for the checklist…

• Is it the right stock? Seems obvious, but mix-ups can happen.
• Take a good look at the overall sheet, for a first impression of how it looks.
• Check for registration and trapping, and ensure everything is lined up properly (and that any knocked-out type is legible).
• Does the overall colour need an adjustment? If it does – give honest, straightforward feedback (e.g. looks too red or whites look dirty) and let the pressman worry about how to fix it.
• Are you using spot colours? If so check against a PMS book for accuracy.
• Make sure no copy is missing and that the images are all positioned correctly.
• Is the colour consistent throughout the sheet? Colour match the proof and determine if it’s what you expected.
• Check for flaws, hickeys, imperfection, hairs, or broken type.

If you do make changes to the press sheets it is a good idea to number them so you can keep track of where you have been. Once you have a sheet you are happy with, sign it off and ask for a couple of sheets to take back to the office and you are done!

Want to learn more about graphic arts production? Choose from one of the many helpful books available on the subject, like this one.