HOPE 2010: The Do-Over

BSL hit the beach this weekend for HOPE Beach Volleyball Summerfest, and karma was upon us. We had fingers crossed for good weather, to make up for last year's epic bust (the first ever rainout in HOPE history), and to the delight of thousands it was pretty close to perfect.

Despite a few excess degrees in temperature (certain areas felt like we were all standing in a giant frying pan), the day was a smashing success. Without much practice, BSL won four out of the five games played, and had a wicked good time doing it. But perhaps the greatest victory came first at 7am, when a select group of us early birds secured some prime real estate by our beach court, just before the droves of partiers began trickling in.

Friendly faces were everywhere (even from the teams we shamed with our skills), music was blaring, and for those of you who can't resist a good day of people-watching, it was a marvelous circus of DIY uniforms, scantily-clad men AND women (of all shapes, sizes and ages) and a hilarious mix of every game face you can imagine - from the ultra-competitive (many of my teammates) to the staunchly recreational (me).

Over the years HOPE has raised more than $3.5 million for over 110 charities, with 2010 proceeds going to Operation Come Home, Ottawa Humane Society, Sheperds of Good Hope,

Camp Quality Canada and CHEO.

(The full album of photos will be posted to our Flickr account soon).

Hat Trick for BSL

BSL has had much to celebrate already this year, with the news that we won two Telly Awards, an IABC Excel award, and a Platinum Creativity International award.

Early this month we brought home an IABC award for our rebrand strategy of Iridium Communications Inc, while the centrepiece Corporate video we developed for their 2008 brand launch has brought us two bronze Tellys.

We have also received a Platinum Creativity International award for our work on Alcatel-Lucent's "LTE: Redefining the Wireless Experience" video, which will appear in their 40th Creativity Annual Book in 2011.

BSL is extremely grateful for this significant recognition, and couldn't have done any of it without the vision and support of our clients at Iridium and Alcatel-Lucent.

Another Sold Out Success for Bon Appetit!

The lovers of food and drink united this past Tuesday, as a crowd of thousands packed into the Aberdeen Pavillion for Bon Appetit Ottawa 2010. With tickets sold out weeks before the event, the highly anticipated "best cocktail party of the year" delivered on its reputation, yet again.

Over 90 restaurants, wineries and breweries were in fine form on Tuesday, having spent hours, days, and even weeks preparing their finest gourmet samples to present to the public. And present they did! Vendors were seen impressing guests with more than just their gastro delights - points for presentation were awarded (by me) to those who went that extra mile, including Lago's gigantic ice cubes dispensing Mojitos, the wondrous towers of mini gourmet cupcakes care of Isobel's, and the dozens of vendors who took special care to don their own cultural touches to each booth.

And of course - there were certainly points awarded in the food category. Petit Bill's Bistro introduced me to the dangerously delicious concept of lobster poutine (where have you been all my life!), while Epicuria stole my heart with their succulent samples of pulled pork on bite-sized potato latke crisps. And those are just two examples of dozens upon dozens of knee-weakening samples, offered by spots like Fresco Bistro, The Works, Culinary Conspiracy, and Scone Witch - to name but a fraction.

On the beverage side of things, guests were surrounded by some of the finest wineries and breweries in the Region. Palettes were wet by samples from Beau's Brewery, Trumpour's Mill, Yellow Tail, Mill Street Organic - which again are but a fraction of what was available.

As an event sponsor and employer of one of Bon Appetit's board directors, Carolyn Eaves, BSL understands fairly intimately the scope of work required to pull off such a high caliber event. But to witness everything come together so perfectly - from the hardworking volunteers, to the efficient setup and waste disposal, to the enthusiastic turnout of so many vendors and guests - it was a real heart warmer to know that such a hugely successful event was all in support of those in need (with all proceeds given to over 20 local charities in the Ottawa Region).

And one final note - I couldn't help but notice that my more seasoned peers were armed with strategic plans of attack, to maximize their sampling opportunities (highlighted maps of the Pavillion, predetermined priorities for their favourite foods, etc.). Now that I am officially in the know, I have to ask: is it too early to start planning my own strategy for 2011?

Thanks to everyone who made it a night to remember!

Bon Appetit Ottawa 2010

Over 20 charities, 90 top restaurants, and 2000 friendly faces. Combine these ingredients, in one stunner of a Pavillion, and presto! You’ve got the best cocktail party of the year.

There are many reasons to attend Bon Appetit Ottawa. With all proceeds being donated to local charities that provide hunger and poverty relief in Ottawa, supporting those in need is certainly enough of a draw. But it isn’t the only attraction.

Every year Bon Appetit Ottawa welcomes scores of some of the finest restaurants, caterers, wineries and breweries province-wide, to set up shop and show off their tastes to a crowd of thousands. For many guests, rubbing shoulders with friends while sampling from top chefs serves as much more than just a silver lining. This night offers a feast for the senses, and a chance to get acquainted with the gourmet food industry.

And for those craving a little something to take home, Bon Appetit Ottawa gives its guests the chance to bid in between bites, with a silent auction sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa.

Despite the varying palette of priorities among those who attend Bon Appetit Ottawa, all guests can agree on one thing – how much they love it. BSL has proudly sponsored the non-profit event since 2006, and continues to see the incredible effect it has on everyone involved. From the beneficiaries and sponsors, vendors and volunteers, to of course, the guests – Bon Appetit Ottawa leaves us all feeling full – in both heart and stomach alike.

Last year’s event was a sell-out success. And as for this year - May 4th is so close, you can almost taste it. So are you getting hungry? Then get your tickets today!

www.bonappetitottawa.ca

Mad Men Revives Vintage Ad Campaigns

The award-winning drama series Mad Men, now in its third season on AMC, follows the lives of advertising executives in the 1960’s. It is safe to say that no other television program glorifies the excitement and challenges of the advertising world quite like it.

Although the characters and storylines of Mad Men are fabricated, the campaigns pitched throughout the series are not. Creators of the show have brought authenticity to Sterling Cooper ad agency by resurrecting actual campaigns from that era - forming parallels between the real world and 'Mad' world.

Popular examples of these vintage marketing campaigns include Kodak’s Carousel slide projector, which Don Draper (played by John Hamm) pitches as a wheel of memories, and the famous print ad for the Volkswagen Beatle with a caption reading “Lemon”.

Not only is it refreshing to see art imitating life, but it is just as awe-inspiring to see how far the ad world has come since the days of typewriters and hand-drawn storyboards.

Neuromarketing: How the Brain Makes Decisions

For centuries, marketers have employed scientific techniques in an attempt to determine precisely what it is consumers desire. However, in more recent years, industry experts have been forgoing tedious qualitative research methods and are delving into the human brain – literally.

Neoromarketing is an emerging field whereby scientists use brain imaging, skin-moisture levels, heart rate, depth/pace of breathing, and posture to determine the human brain’s instantaneous reaction to stimuli.

Using these tests, neuroscientists have determined the exact cluster of the brain responsible for decision-making, the reptilian brain. Buried deep within the prefrontal cortex, the reptilian brain is believed to be one of the most primitive cranial structures. Though the reptilian complex seems basic, its role in logical reasoning is far from it.

According to author of “How We Decide”, John Lehrer, the neocortex surrounding the reptilian brain can only process approximately seven pieces of information at one time. Therefore, when someone is faced with a multitude of options, like which ice cream to buy, their neocortexes may become overwhelmed. This internal tug-of-war is exactly the dilemma marketers and advertisers are attempting to avoid by presenting their product as the easy choice.

Experts also emphasize the role that emotions and feelings play in a consumer’s decision-making process. For instance, when someone feels comforted by an ad for hot chocolate, the brain releases the “happy” neurotransmitter, dopamine. The release of this chemical is a predictor of a consumer’s compliance to buy.

As Carl Marci, founder of Innerscope Research Inc., elaborates, “Typically, consumers show simultaneous blips in most of their biological metrics when they decide to buy something. These indicate the emotional reward they feel for making a choice and may help drive future purchases”.

Campbell’s Soup Co. is the latest brand to take advantage of neuromarketing research. By exploiting the aforementioned techniques, scientists uncovered that emotions experienced by consumers at home were inconsistent with the feelings experienced by them in the soup aisle of the grocery store. The data sparked an entirely new design effort and marketing strategy.

This revolutionary research demonstrates the invasive measures marketers/advertisers are having to go to in the hopes of breaking through the clutter, while also demonstrating the effect such clutter has on the human brain.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704804204575069562743700340.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_business

Green Touch: Shrinking the Internet's Footprint (by a lot)

As the threat of climate change continues to loom, and our energy consumption increasingly examined, the world is starting to pull up their socks.

Individuals around the world are building a collective conscience to live more efficiently. We idle less, recycle more, buy better light bulbs, and produce less waste. And as important as these personal changes are, we are also seeing entire industries make larger-scale changes that are having unprecedented effects on how the world consumes energy.

Companies in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry are launching numerous initiatives to achieve more sustainable development. ICT usage is expected to expand rapidly over the coming decade, especially in developing countries. If nothing is done, the ICT contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is projected to nearly double by 2020.

Enter the Green Touch Initiative.

"Green Touch is a consortium of leading ICT academic and non-governmental research experts dedicated to fundamentally transforming communications and data networks, including the Internet, and significantly reducing the carbon footprint of ICT devices, platforms, and networks."

Launched by Alcatel Lucent Bell Labs, the Consortium is working to address the current and considerable inefficiencies of the ICT sector, examine insights drawn from fundamental theories of communication, and subsequently develop the technology needed for a new generation of high capacity, super low-energy networks.

But Green Touch isn't just looking to change a little. They've got a vision to change a LOT. By 2015, the Consortium has a goal to reduce energy consumption within the ICT sector by a factor of 1000. In other words, Green Touch tells us this: In five years, it will be possible for the global ICT industry to operate for three years, using the amount of energy we currently use to power it for one day.

For this vision to become a reality, leading experts from around the world are collaborating within Green Touch to deliver innovative new ideas, products, and solutions to the market, contributing to the inevitable reinvention of today's communication networks.

To learn more about the ICT carbon footprint, and how Green Touch is working right now to make a change, visit their website (designed and developed by BSL).

Dwayne Brown strikes again!

Dwayne Brown is a wicked photographer.

Not only is he one of the nicer guys you'll meet, but he's also packing some serious talent behind the lens. Having first officially met Dwayne when I was a student at Algonquin College, I can tell you that the kids definitely think he's alright (Dwayne has also shot for the University of Ottawa, Ashbury College, Elmwood School and Carleton University). And the tourism industry sure has benefited from Dwayne's talent (his photography has helped promote Ottawa, Ontario and Calgary Tourism, as well as a few resorts and hotels peppered here and there). Apparently seeing a city through Dwayne's eyes can have a pretty enticing effect.

BSL has had the good fortune of working with Dwayne on several occasions, for clients like the National Arts Centre and Alcatel Lucent (I've even been a subject!). But just this past week, Dwayne and BSL teamed up for our client, the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa. The YSB is a non-profit organization responsible for working with young people who face various challenges, and is focused on helping them make healthier lifestyle choices towards a brighter future. This week it was Dwayne's job to capture some portraits of these youth for an upcoming campaign. The end result turned out to be a batch of really great photos, from what Dwayne says was a really great experience. See for yourself!

Dwayne Brown is a name that pops up everywhere. And this is no joke. I recently discovered (via Facebook!) that Dwayne even captured the magic at my sister's wedding, years ago! I would chalk this up to a small world circumstance - but I suspect it just comes down to how good he really is. Everyone wants to see the world through Dwayne's eyes.

dwaynebrown.com

Let the Games Begin!

How do you feel about the Olympics? Much of the world loves them, many are bored to tears by them, and an equal many seem to hate them, for whatever reason. Personally I was in the middle category for a long time, until I discovered that every Olympics, whether Winter or Summer, do feature an event that excites me – Marketing!

As the 2010 Games approach, it seems like marketers everywhere are getting involved (even BSL teamed up with the RC Mint last year to develop their Olympic Collector Box Sets). For months (sometimes years) leading up to an Olympic Games, marketers worldwide try to get a piece of the Olympic pie. Some do it properly, like the 35 official suppliers of the Games, ranging from Coca-Cola – the official soft drink of the Olympic Games (shocking!) – all the way down to T36 Alda Pharmaceuticals – the official hand sanitizer of the Olympic Games.

But it is most entertaining when marketers go about it the wrong way. Known as ambush marketing, tons of marketers take the risk of associating their brand with the Games, despite their glaring lack of presence on the official sponsor list. Aware of this tactic, organizers of the Games are equipped with an army of legal heads whose very jobs are to catch and combat these attempts. This forces marketers to get pretty clever in their ambush.

Lululemon Athletica is not an official sponsor of the 2010 Winter Games. But recently they decided to test the limits of this technicality. In December the company introduced a winter clothing line of toques, hooded sweatshirts, and t-shirts promoted as the line for the “Cool Sporting Event That Takes Place in British Columbia Between 2009 & 2011 Edition”. The products are offered in the national colours of the US, Canada, Sweden and Germany.

This attempt was met with angry faces from Games organizers, but (uncharacteristically) they chose not to sue. Perhaps they figured the effort was so overtly foolish that there was no need for further punishment. But my very favourite part of the story is when Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee Management Director (how’s that for a title) Bill Cooper was disappointed that Lululemon “has broken the spirit of Olympic trademark regulations”. The Olympics have so much spirit! Even their trademark regulations have it!

But of course, Lululemon is not the only brand in question. Roots (once an official sponsor for the Games) has released a Canada Collection clothing line that has Games officials raising an eyebrow. But it seems that they have an airtight alibi – in that their brand has been Canada-centric for years.

“It’s to capitalize on celebrating the country, which is in vogue now,” Michael Budman, Roots co-founder.

Trademark infringement of the Olympic Games is such a complex game of intellectual property that official organizers have even released an “Olympic Trademark Infringement Calculator” on their website, to clarify some of the more tricky guidelines. The Calculator scores various marketing scenarios on a point scale that determines the marketer’s likelihood to infringe.

Don’t you see? Ambush Marketing is a game full of winners and losers, triumphs and losses, success stories, and now there is even a scoring component. It is officially the best event by FAR, of the Olympic Games.

Well, that and maybe the luge.

Happy New Year!

It is official. First Monday of 2010. Feelings are mixed around the office, as you can imagine. Some of us (me) are feeling relieved that the parade of yuletide excess is over. But rest assured that many others are feeling they could have used just one more sleep-in, or just one more day of shopping, or just one more tray of those chocolates with booze in them.

Regardless of the wide spectrum of Monday enthusiasm here at BSL, one thing is for sure: 2009 rocked. Last year at this time, our gloomy economy had us preparing for quiet times ahead. But any of us can tell you – these quiet times never came. As the seasons passed, we found ourselves knee-deep in tradeshow booth designs, new websites, promotional videos, multimedia presentations, social media, wikis, and so much more. In addition to the ongoing stream of new projects, we also had the good fortune of welcoming a list of new clients as well.

This December, amidst the chaos of year’s end, the team at BSL managed to balance out all of our hard work with a little playtime. We gussied up and really wound down at this year’s Christmas party, hosted by Foundation in the Market. Shortly after we welcomed our friends from the National Arts Centre to BSL, to join us as we reflected on the year’s successes and gorged on some delectable holiday fare. And as one final reward, our generous clients at Iridium Communications treated all of us to lunch at Lago restaurant on Dow’s Lake. Indulgence was the theme of the month, without a doubt. And we earned it.

So here’s to a great year, a great holiday, and a great feeling about what’s to come in 2010.