What Happened At CrossMedia Toronto: Part Deux
We’ve received your email requests about the second part of the Cross Media Toronto coverage, and don’t fret – we’re going to deliver the goods! The afternoon started off with a bang – as we were able to hear from Ribbon.co’s Hany Rashwan.
Hany came to talk about the innovative work they’re doing at Ribbon in order to make the purchase conversion higher within the social networking space. If you’re a retailer, or even someone who’s selling product independently online – you NEED to check out the cool stuff that Ribbon is doing. As good as Hany’s presentation was, there was one thing that really stood out to us:
Jealous of @hany for scoring a super-short twitter handle #cmto13 pic.twitter.com/d0CRF8ZwYo
— Cory Stewart (@coryjstewart) February 21, 2013
@coryjstewart you should see the amount of spam at-replies I get
— Hany Rashwan (@hany) February 21, 2013
Then came bit.ly’s Brian Eoff who chatted about the BitCoin – something he claims is worth it’s weight in gold. Brian was clever enough to send some of his gold to a lucky audience member (to the tune of $50 worth). The one thing that really stood out to us from Brian’s presentation was:
RT @TessaSproule: It's not how big your data is, it's how you use it. Big data only important as the insight u get i #cmto13
— EmbraceDisruption PR (@EmbraceDisrupt) February 21, 2013
After that came Trendrr’s Mark Ghuneim who spoke to the value of social TV.
@markghuneim: “You don’t have to watch TV alone anymore” — Trendrr quantifying 2nd screen interactivity data #cmto13
— Jan Jekielek (@JanJekielek) February 21, 2013
Stages of #socialTV: Passive (old), Persistent engagement (now), Perceptive (future-your TV "knows" your likes/habits) @MarkGhuneim #cmto13
— Tessa Sproule (@TessaSproule) February 21, 2013
How many out there are binge viewers? What are you binging on? It's been Mad Men and Breaking Bad for me #cmto13
— Cory Stewart (@coryjstewart) February 21, 2013
Sadly after Mark’s presentation we had to duck out – but can say without a doubt, we’ll be back next year. We’ll leave you with something that we thought was really stand out about the conference – a LinkedIn wall. Yes, every single attendee who had a LinkedIn profile was on display near the entrance. Genius? We think so.
Genius idea to have a LinkedIn wall at the conference. Can you spot me? #cmto13 pic.twitter.com/xbtKM4RPkN
— Cory Stewart (@coryjstewart) February 21, 2013
The Benefits of Hiring a Boutique PR Firm or Agency
So you have a new project or product you need to promote. Which PR firm do you choose to help you out? The immediate thought is to go with a well-known (or larger) agency. If everyone knows about them, they have to be the best…. right? Not necessarily. Let’s look at 5 reasons why choosing a boutique PR firm may be your business’ best option.
1. Many Businesses Can’t Afford The Price Tag
A big name PR firm usually means a larger cost. The expensive figure attached to larger agencies is something that many businesses may not be able to afford. Instead, it’s sometimes best to look into hiring a smaller firm with a more affordable price tag. PR work is an important part of any business – and it shouldn’t be skipped over because of budget restrictions. There are a lot of options out there in a variety of price ranges; all you have to do is look.
2. Smaller Overhead
Since a boutique PR firm generally operates with a smaller staff, they are often operating with less overhead. The good news for you? This is a savings that they can pass onto potential clients. Why pay for someone else’s overhead, when the products and quality of services can be offered fraction of the price?
3. Specialization
A small PR firm is usually compiled of a selection of publicist(s) that offer targeted services/categories they know they are best at. This business model is advantageous for companies who want to reach specific audiences and don’t have the expertise and/or time to do it on their own. Specialized publicists make it their duty to know all the tips and tricks to have their client’s projects reach the largest audiences possible.
4. Improved Treatment
When a small business with a limited budget approaches a large PR firm for a project, it is common for their needs to be delegated to a lower account executive. Just because a smaller organization cannot pay top dollar for PR work, doesn’t mean they should get thrown to the bottom of the pile. That’s why choosing a smaller PR firm is again in a start-up/small company’s favour.
5. Better, More Meaningful Relationships
In the same vein, working with a boutique PR firm delivers more meaningful relationships between the two parties. A boutique PR firm dedicates more time and talents to its clients because of its smaller scale. Having more time to deliver quality results to a client is a win/win for both sides of the business relationship.
This post was inspired by Harvey Farr’s post which can be found HERE.
Twitter Enraged Over ‘The Onion’ Oscars Tweet Fail
In today’s edition of “These People REALLY Need To Watch What They Tweet,” satire publication The Onion is feeling the heat after the person in charge of their Twitter account sent out the following gem (the blurred word, a 4-letter word starting with ‘C’):
It took almost an hour for The Onion to delete the tweet but the backlash from the tweet was almost instantaneous with users voicing their opinions and condemning the tweet from all sides.
This morning CEO Steve Hannah took to the publication’s Facebook page posting an apology:
This glaring oversight in self-control shows that some people just don’t learn from the social media mistakes of others. A publication such as The Onion, seeing as it is in the satire business, has placed itself in a slippery position. It must always be conscious of the content it puts out, toeing the line between funny and outright offensive.
What makes the situation worse is that The Onion wasn’t the only outlet to single out Quvenzhane Wallis negatively. E! Correspondents referred to the Oscar nominee as ‘Little Q’ and ‘Annie’ (in reference to her being cast in the upcoming remake) which started a firestorm of tweets in the vein of:
And then there was Oscar host Seth MacFarlane who delivered the following during the broadcast:
“To give you an idea of how young she is, it’ll be 16 years before she’s too young for Clooney,”
For the youngest Oscar nominee in history, Quvenzhane Wallis has sure had quite a big storm of negativity surrounding her; none of which was invited or called for. Maybe this time the call for professionalism moving forward will be answered. Social media isn’t going anywhere, learn the proper etiquette and remember, once it is on the Internet, it is out there forever.
Article Sources:
http://thecontributor.com/onion-hot-water-calling-9-year-old-oscan-nominee-c-twitter
https://www.facebook.com/TheOnion/posts/10151500974969497
http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/quvenzhane-wallis-called-the-c-word-by-the-onion-on-oscar-night-website-under-fire-2013252
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2284169/Fury-The-Onion-brands-year-old-Oscar-nominee-Quvenzhan-Wallis-c–shocking-tweet-says-deserve-better.html
The 2013 Oscars On Twitter: A Total Of 8.9MM Tweets [INFOGRAPHIC]
If you were following the Oscars on twitter last night, you certainly weren’t devoid of content! With 8.9MM tweets in total, it was near impossible not to see something Oscar related when logging on to the popular social network.
Sysomos took a moment to create a quick INFOGRAPHIC outlining some of the highlights from the entertainment industry’s biggest night, and here’s some of their findings:
- There were 403,862 total red carpet tweets
- Jennifer Lawrence was voted best dressed female
- Anne Hathaway was voted worst (we have to agree)
- #Oscars was the hottest hashtag with over 800,000 tweets
- Women tweeted over double the amount of Oscar content of men during the evening
Check out the full INFOGRAPHIC below:
What Happened At Cross Media Toronto 2013: Part One
What a day! Before we begin, we must say that this was one of the best conferences we’ve had the pleasure of attending. The best part? Being able to hear from so many different speakers, thanks to the 7 minute time cap on each person.
We arrived at 8:30AM and picked up our name tag. Interesting fact: any name tags that had a blue circle on them indicated that the person/company was hiring.
FYI:
All my social media peeps – Adobe is hiring (to the tune of 200ppl) in Canada! Check them out! #cmto13
— Cory Stewart (@coryjstewart) February 21, 2013
We were then treated to a lovely breakfast: complete with fair-trade coffee, bagels, fruit and croissants – followed by a prompting by super-host Gavin McGarry to get seated. It must be said that this isn’t Gavin’s first time at the hosting rodeo, and he did a superb job honing in the audience and keeping the pace of the conference (all while injecting selections of his quick wit and sarcastic humour).
We felt it necessary to call out the wifi password – as it definitely set the tone for the duration of the day:
Ha! Check out the wifi password for #cmto13 pic.twitter.com/Frp3YyBnJ8
— Cory Stewart (@coryjstewart) February 21, 2013
Up first was Roel Vertegaal, Director of the Human Media Lab, Queen’s University to talk about paper tablet technology. We snapped a quick video for your viewing pleasure (apologies for the shaky hands – too much fair-trade coffee!)
Here you can see Roel holding the tablet in his hand: 
Corey Vidal (from YouTube fame) came soon after – offering up some sound advice for getting your brand out there in the Youtube space. Corey stressed many amazing points, a couple of them being:
Measure of success on @YouTube isn't necessarily view count, says @coreyvidal. Track + value audience engagement + your influence #cmto13
— Tessa Sproule (@TessaSproule) February 21, 2013
#CMTO13 Corey Vidal quote of the day "youtube is not really a job it's a lifestyle" I didn't even know it was a job.
— Frank Falcone (@frankfalcone) February 21, 2013
Soon after came Deborah Hall, Head of Mobile, Torstar Digital (one of our favourite clients). Deb spoke about the future of mobile, and how important it is to remain disruptive in the space.
Mobile marketiing should have some emotional connection – 70% of social marketing is mobile! #cmto13
— Cory Stewart (@coryjstewart) February 21, 2013
It became quite clear that DISRUPTION was the theme of the event, and you can imagine our delight!
Loving the overwhelming theme of #disruption at today's #cmto13 – our brand name is no coincidence
— EmbraceDisruption PR (@EmbraceDisrupt) February 21, 2013
Then came the entrepreneur lunch with the folks at Torstar Digital where we were treated to a spread of sandwiches, drinks and sweet treats! We got to meet some pretty innovative people, and fingers crossed we’ll be speaking with some of them in the near future!
About to start our #entrepreneur lunch at #cmto13 pic.twitter.com/yhADPq8R83
— TorstarDigital (@TorstarDigital) February 21, 2013
All in all, it was a fantastic morning of technology, innovation and disruption. By 1:30PM we were salivating at the thought of the afternoon’s speakers (inclusive of companies like Ribbon, Bit.ly and SavvyMom Media), and we can’t wait to share what they had in store!
Stay tuned as part two is coming your way tomorrow afternoon!
We’re Headed To CrossMedia TO 2013 Tomorrow, You Should Come Too
In a world where interconnection is quickly becoming the norm, CrossMedia Toronto is here to showcase how to make the most out of crossover in platforms to build the best business and outreach possible. The showcase will present 26 of the most innovative firms from gaming to marketing, television to mobile. The event, which takes place tomorrow, February 21st from 8am-6:30pm at the Bram & Bluma Salon, will feature speakers, demos, case studies and networking opportunities for attendees.
The speakers for CrossMedia Toronto represent leaders in their fields and include:
- Roel Vertegaal, Director of the Human Media Lab, Queen’s University
- Erik Martin, General Manager, reddit.com
- Veronika Sonsev, CEO and Founder,inSparq.com
- Jamie King, Founder, VODO
- Veronica Holmes, President, Digital, ZenithOptimedia Canada
- Andrew Macdonald, General Manager, Uber Canada
- Mark Ghuneim, CEO/Founder of Wiredsetand Trendrr
- Rhonda McEwen, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto
- Brian Eoff, Data Scientist, Bitly
- Jeffrey Remedios, President and Co-Founder, Arts & Crafts
- Peter Vessenes, Chairman & Executive Director, Bitcoin Foundation
- Rob Segal, Co-Founder, Get Set Games
- Deborah Hall, Head of Mobile, Torstar Digital
- Paul Kontonis, GM, Magnet Media Originalsand Chairman of the Board of Directors,International Academy of Web Television
- Ipsa Desai, Strategic Partnerships, Google
- Adam Clarkson, User Experience Lead,Chartbeat
- Corey Vidal, Founder and President, ApprenticeA Productions
- Hany Rashwan is the co-founder & CEO of Ribbon
- Asif R Khan, Founder & President,TheLBMA.com
- Tony Walsh, Founder, Exec. Producer & Creative Director, Phantom Compass
- Paul Sparkes, Executive Vice-Chairman and Co-Founder, Difference Capital
- Laurie Mirsky, President, 3DPhacktory
- Jeff Brenner, Co-Founder and CEO, Pressly
- Minnow Hamilton , Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder, SavvyMom Media
- Ross Davies, Director of Member Engagement, BBM
- Gavin McGarry, Co-Founder, Jumpwire Media
While this may seem like an impossibly long list for a single day event; CrossMedia Toronto is using a ‘quick fire’ method of presentation. Most of the speakers will have only 7 minutes to present their material to the audience. We’ll be posting a full run-down of the event on Friday, so keep your eyes peeled.
Here’s some more deets incase you’re interested in joining us there!
What: CROSSMEDIA TO
Who: 26 top Digital Media & Tech Companies
When: Thursday February 21st, 2013 8am – 6:30pm
Where: Bram & Bluma Salon, 789 Yonge St.
Why: Showcasing innovation & the future of crossover advertising and promotion
Burger King, Jeep & MTV Twitter Hacked: Who’s Next?
With the recent news of Burger King being hacked, followed by Jeep and MTV – we find ourselves wondering who’s next?
Incase you’re not familiar with the scenario, we’ll break it down for you:
Burger King Twitter Hack
The Damage
The hacker took over the account, changed the display picture to the McDonald’s logo, and posted some of the following tweets (Image via):
It was revealed that BK’s password was “whopper” (creative right?). Burger King later acknowledged the rogue tweets:
Interesting day here at BURGER KING®, but we're back! Welcome to our new followers. Hope you all stick around!
— BurgerKing (@BurgerKing) February 19, 2013
and released the following statement to media:
“We have worked directly with administrators to suspend the account until we are able to re-establish our legitimate site and authentic postings. We apologize to our fans and followers who have been receiving erroneous tweets about other members of our industry and additional inappropriate topics.”
The good news? Burger King saw a jump of 100,000 followers over the course of the day. Is it worth the headache? Time will tell!
Jeep Twitter Hack
The Damage
The hacker posted odd tweets, including mentioning luxury brand, Cadillac. The account has since been tamed, but looked something like this (Image via):
Cadillac later responded to ensure tweeps they were not involved:
Just to clarify, Cadillac is not connected to the hack of the @Jeep Twitter account.
— Cadillac (@Cadillac) February 19, 2013
MTV Twitter Hack
The Damage:
The hacker made promises to return Jersey Shore, changed the brand logo to BET, and continued on a wild tweeting rampage (Image via):
UPDATE: Reports are saying that MTV hacked their own twitter in promotion of their new show, Hacked. Good one, MTV..
PRDaily put together some rules of engagement that we thought we’d share – for all those managing brand twitter accounts:
1. Change your passwords regularly. And change them to something obscure that has nothing to do with the product you sell. Random numbers, letters, and symbols are your best friend. We change our passwords every month—that will probably change to every two weeks in light of this development.
2. Have procedures in place to stop an attack in its tracks. Create a fail-proof social escalation policy that can end something like this before it gets out of hand. Have the assets you need on hand to be able to restore the images on your profile.
3. Minimize the number of mobile devices that can access the account. If you look at all the apps that can access your account, you should know for certain where they’re all coming from and what their purpose is. If you’re unsure about any of them, ax them.
4. Make it mandatory that any mobile phones that link to corporate accounts are password protected. That way, if you leave your phone at, say, a Burger King and you’re signed into your brand’s account, no one can have easy access to it. Similarly, make sure that if you leave your computer at, say, a Burger King, it’s not logged into any accounts. Password protect everything that allows access to accounts that are password protected. Thinking about the computer I’m typing on, if I were to leave it somewhere and some swarthy character logged onto Facebook, they would be able to wreak havoc on about six different accounts (none of which are my personal account). That’s pretty scary when you think about it.
5. Change your passwords every time someone leaves the company—whether or not it’s amicable. Don’t trust people. There’s too much at stake here.
If you had to guess, which brand do you think is next – or do you think the hacker is done their dirty work?
Film Friday: Apple and PC Throw-down with Justin Long
You were living under a rock if you missed some of these incredible commercial spots from Apple a few years back. Candid, witty and stylishly filmed – they’re absolute CLASSICS! Revisit an assortment in today’s Film Friday below and be sure to check out the last one with supermodel Giselle (we’d actually never seen it!).
Valentines Day: Oh The Billions We’ll Spend
We all know that Valentine’s Day is big business for all the lovers out there in the world. As Canadians we fall right in mid-range of the spending chart with $169 spent on our sweeties.
And it’s not just our boyfriends/girlfriends that are getting the love, in the USA pet valentines is a $367 MILLION business! We don’t forget to show ourselves love either, with 15% of ladies sending themselves flowers.
What began as the Feast of Sainte Valentine, to commemorate the Valentines of Rome that were martyred from 200-300 AD has become a multi-billion dollar affair with chocolates to flowers and jewellery, the mission remains to spread love to those you care about most. Also, it should come as no surprise that an estimated 10% of wedding proposals happen on Valentine’s Day each year.
Check out the infographic for more interesting Valentine’s Day facts!
