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.

Blogger Relations

Has your brand been invited into the Blogosphere yet? Or do you have to ask what the Blogosphere is? If you fall into the latter camp, then its time to learn the importance of Blogger Relations and how it relates to your brand.

Blogger Relations is becoming a standard strategy used by marketers to establish relationships with popular bloggers, who will in turn relay the brand story to their audience. If a marketer is able to successfully make a connection with said blogger, then the results can prove incredibly valuable.

Bloggers are not hired journalists. They volunteer to express their opinion, and earn respect and credibility over time as they build an audience who values their perspective. This creates an entire online ecosystem of opinions being shared and appreciated by readers who want to hear what their favourite blogger has to say – versus absorbing a message that’s been pushed onto them through a more traditional media channel.

A company that successfully taps into this world, and persuades a specific blogger to jump aboard their brand’s bandwagon, is no accident. Marketers and bloggers worldwide are weighing in on the best practices of such a tactic.

Be Relevant

Many marketers will attempt to make a connection with a blogger, having barely read any of their posts. Some marketers will try and make contact based on the title of a blog alone. Make no mistake, bloggers are being approached by marketers every day, and if they get one whiff that you haven’t done your research on what they write about, your effort is pointless.

“Stop thinking about PR in terms of pitches and audience. The pitch is dead. The audience is dead. It’s all about trust and respect.”

Be Part of the Community

The world of social media has paved the way for an infinite number of online communities to surface, where people with similar interests join in conversation and share stories, opinions, interests, etc. A truly new-age marketer will appreciate these communities and become part of them to better understand their audience, and in turn deliver a better message. But take off the marketer hat. Show an honest investment in what’s being said, without any hidden agendas.

“You’ll find that more often than not you’ll change your story based on the insight garnered from simply observing. It’s the difference between speaking in messages and speaking with relevance and, most importantly, honesty.”

One tactic for getting a blogger’s attention is to comment on their posts. And to do so every couple of weeks. Show interest in what they’re saying, and do NOT make the comment about your product. Bloggers are known to check out who their repeat commenters are, so showing genuine interest in their posts could be your first stepping stone to building that coveted relationship.

“Comment before reaching out with meaningful content—participation is marketing.”

Be Strategic

Although honesty is paramount in an effective Blogger Relations strategy, it doesn’t hurt to go for the gold – also known as The Magic Middle.

“The Magic Middle is defined as the bloggers who have from 20 to 1,000 other people linking to them. It is this group that enables PR people to reach The Long Tail, and its effects on the bottom line are measurable.”

The ultimate goal is to establish relationships with those key voices in the Magic Middle, as they directly host valuable insight and discussion among your audience, in an authentic and thriving peer-to-peer environment.

To learn more on Blogger Relations, try these:

toprankblog.com

mediabullseye.com

Denise Takes the Cake

This past Thursday BSL reached the end of an era. We bid farewell to our beloved Production artist, Denise Irvine, as she prepares for her next chapter in Kingston. Having worked at BSL for 16 years, Denise was more than just an employee, but an undoubted influence on the entire culture of the agency.

Always smiling, and always wearing at least one piece of vibrant attire, Denise was known to brighten up any room upon arrival. She was also known to keep that famous smile gleaming during even the most panicked projects brought her way (as a stand-in Traffic Manager, I know she sure made my job easier).

But beyond the sparkly attitude, and staunchly diligent work ethic, Denise was the Birthday Hero! In a staff of just over thirty, Denise took on the incredible task of baking each and every staff member a cake on their birthday. As nothing more than a colossal gesture out of the kindness of her heart, Denise truly brought the BSL family closer together, by making each of us feel acknowledged and appreciated on our birthdays, and of course - giving everyone else the excuse to eat a generous piece of layered chocolate cake at 10 in the morning.

There is much to miss about Denise, and I speak for everyone when I say she better show her face whenever she's in the area... possibly with a carrot cake for old time's sake?

Here are some highlights from her bittersweet send-off:

How to Manage a Cast of Hundreds

BSL has just launched a campaign for Canadian Geographic to promote their Canadian Atlas Online – now with History added! The first two videos can be found on YouTube, with the following two in the can awaiting post production. In an effort to spark a conversation amongst the audience, we have embodied History and Geography into two characters, who spar across the country to determine who holds more importance.

Telling the epic tale of History vs Geography has literally taken a cast of over 100 characters.

To begin, we needed to bring some real life to Geography and History, by recruiting some real life talent. We searched for the crème de la crème of character faces, voice talent and hand actors. When it was all said and done, a total of eight people were required to bring our two crusaders to life.

As for the stories themselves, over 100 cutouts were constructed to set the scenes. Our monstrous cast was made up of characters that ranged from Queen Victoria to Godzilla-sized beavers (see how these fit into the debate in “Montreal Mixup” – to be posted on October 1, 2009).

The action was filmed in one take (with many rehearsals and much sweat under very hot lights) to capture the spontaneous and irreverent style we were going for. This resulted in some hilarious mishaps. We may even have to release an outtakes video to show just how many fumbles we made. The end result seems so simply put together, but the concentration required to match the voices to the action was surprisingly challenging.

And a huge shout out goes to Bill, our Mock-up Master! You sir, are the man!

Be sure to check out the first two video installments online, and be on the lookout as the story progresses, with new videos to be posted over the next few weeks!

Dashed HOPE

HOPE Beach Volleyball. A booze and bikini fest that draws mobs of people every year to give selflessly to charity – by partying! And to play a little volleyball too, of course. Whether your team is a force to be reckoned with, or a complete calamity, HOPE is a guaranteed good time – rain or shine

Except for this year.

This year BSL rustled up some of its finest athletes and put together a long overdue team for the charity event. We were ready to represent.

Old school BSL team name: Check!

Custom team shirts: Check!

Grueling practice to ensure victory: Partial check!

Game-faces on: Check!

Optimism over intimidating weather forecast: Partial check!

Let's do this.

After playing one disgraceful (albeit fun!) match against Nav Canada, and having our dignity served up to us (overhand!), we were about to find out that Mother Nature was not in the mood for any fun, or fest of any kind.

At first we were only slightly discouraged by the rain, and the heavy blanket of dark clouds overhead. I know I sure had my party hat on (at a shamefully early hour I might add). So we spent our first batch of downtime blowing up branded beach balls and taking in the wide range of scenery.

By the time we headed over to play our next game, the conditions had apparently been upgraded to extremely-dangerous-to-be-on-a-beach. So our game was cancelled.

A brief glimmer of hope arrived, thanks to a break in the rain, and we scarfed down our complimentary team lunch (yes!). But the torrential downpour soon returned, and we were left no choice but to take that party under the table!

So after another bout of time-killing with those blessed beach balls, the dreaded announcement echoed across the crowd and officially killed the buzz – every single game was cancelled. And a whole beach’s worth of people – from those dressed up in costume to those who were barely dressed at all – were ushered off the premises like a herd of crestfallen, half-drunken cattle.

Getting Bums in the Seats

What is the big deal about attending an orchestra performance? What causes such excitement when listening to live music?

When developing this year’s subscription campaign for the NAC Orchestra, these were the questions we needed to answer. Rather than just focusing on the world-class caliber of music performed, we wanted to frame the complete experience of attending an orchestra performance. Each element – from the venue, to the programming, to the performances – is cause for a real visceral, emotional experience. And what’s most important about these feelings is that they are universal, recognizable and resonant within all of us.

SUSPENSE. PASSION. INTRIGUE. SURPRISE.

In short, we want to demonstrate the emotional scope that NACO performances evoke.

Working with Ottawa photographer Tony Fouhse, we wanted to highlight certain elements that would vividly illustrate these emotional experiences. We didn't want to overburden with words. Instead, we wanted to make bold, impacting statements that are associated with these core emotions.

We also took into account that a successful campaign depends on frequency of the message. So we devised a strategy that would give the campaign a strong presence, along with a strong message. Over the next few months, we will be rolling out a wide range of campaign elements including bus shelters, wild postings, brochure distribution, web marketing, and more.

We want people to feel something when they see this campaign. We want them to imagine themselves experiencing these moments. And it is through this vital connection that we can cut through the clutter, build a sense of anticipation, and inspire a real willingness to subscribe... to get those bums in the seats!

Chalkbot: Creative Win

Nike and Lance Armstrong's cancer foundation Livestrong create a robot called The Chalkbot that paints user's messages along the streets of the Tour De France.

You can send in your message via the campaign's website, text messages, or Twitter.

Watch the Chalkbot in action or submit your own message here.

QR Codes a Great Marketing Tool

Since 2007, QR Codes have been a mainstay on billboards and print advertisements in Japan. Here in North America, it appears that only highly tech-savvy people have shown interest in this potentially groundbreaking marketing tool.

QR or Quick Response Codes look like this:

Application developers have created mobile phone apps such as BeeTagg, that allow you to snap a picture of a QR Code that in turn will send you to a URL or display some text. The code above will take you to Wikipedia's main mobile page.

Campaigns that include billboards with QR Codes are being used in North America, but not with nearly as much frequency as in Japan.

The National Post has recently printed small QR Codes in their publications to encourage those who have abandoned reading a traditional paper to read their news articles via a mobile phone. See the National Post using QR Codes here, or watch this video for further explanation.

Takin' it to the Tweets

Microsoft has upset a certain group of people, and this time it's not Mac fanboys. The Email Standards Project has integrated Twitter into a campaign, to let the software giant know just how unhappy they are. Their problem is that the Word rendering engine will be used to display HTML emails in Outlook 2010.

"This means for the next 5 years your email designs will need tables for layout, have no support for CSS like float and position, no background images and lots more."

The campaign has been successful in getting a response from Microsoft, but who knows if they'll get what they're after. Microsoft is pretty good at "not getting it" and assuming they know what's best for everyone.