Enough bashing already of Canada’s Own the Podium (OTP) strategy.  It was the right thing to do and elevated Canada’s performance in Turin and will likely lead to the most Gold medals ever for Canada at an Olympic Winter Games. So which marketers raised their performance during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics?

While I usually don’t weigh in on things like this … I have watched so much of the Olympics on TV and online … that I thought I’d share my picks:

Podium Performances

• The best piece of marketing comes from GE for sponsoring the SuperBodies series narrated by Dr. Greg Wells. This segment has been highly instructive and entertaining.  GE’s healthyimagination initiative is a perfect fit for this placement. The supportive campaign by GE also hits the mark.
• Bell Canada’s The World is Here  is a cleverly scripted campaign.  I particularly enjoy the Canadian-German exchange.  Bell has run numerous spots throughout the campaign, each tying in nicely to its visual look that took so much heat when it was first launched.  Best piece of original Canadian advertising work in this Olympic campaign goes to Bell.
• Another winner is Air Canada’s Go Far campaign.  Set to snappy music, it’s inspired advertising.  My favourite clip is of the young lady dressed in black out for a night on the town in London wearing a Canadian toque.

Honourable Mention

• Bombardier for its design of the Olympic Torch
• Purolator.  It’s media strategy was highly sound, leaving a strong impression pre-Games where it was not lost with the bigger advertisers (disclosure:  Purolator is a client)
• Molson for its online efforts for the Made from Canada campaign

Off The Podium

The biggest disappointment comes Chevrolet.  Talking cars just don’t cut it.  Especially talking cars with lousy scripts.  Also disappointing is the effort from McDonald’s.  They had a clever pre-Olympic campaign with Cindy Klassen and the McWorker … but failed to deliver anything inspiring during the games themselves.

There you have it.  Now back to the Games!

Some bittersweet news.  AgencyLink co-founder Sheila Corriveau has a new gig.  She starts January 11 at the KPMG Global Resource Centre in a very senior global marketing role.  It’s a sad day because I will no longer work with Sheila on a daily basis.  It’s a sweet moment because she is taking on a fabulously challenging assignment. Read the rest of this entry »

A butcher, a baker and a candlestick maker — these honourable professions require little explanation. When people ask me what I do for a living, I keep it simple and usually say: we conduct marketing agency searches and consult to improve client-agency performance.  

While this business model is new for the Canadian market, I am surprised by the industry’s reaction:

·         More often than not, we get rave review about this ‘new’ concept.  The truth of the matter is that the US has more than 20 agency search firms that have been operating for about two decades, including our American partner Joanne Davis Consulting in NYC;

·         Others will appear puzzled and ask if we are like executive recruiters or marriage counsellors. To simplify the role of an agency search consultant, we are a mix of both to maximize client and agency partnerships;

·         A few enquiring minds will ask why a marketing team can’t just do the search themselves.

Read the rest of this entry »

For the past few weeks I’ve begun research into buying a new car.  I really like my Volkswagen Passat, but thought I’d look into the year-end model season for an upgrade.

Despite the fact many automakers (GM for example) are cutting back their brand lines, I still find the marketplace saturated with way too many models from too many manufacturers.  Choice is a good thing, but not if it becomes overwhelming.  Right now, I’m feeling stress from having too many choices and not being clear on exactly what I want in a new automobile. Read the rest of this entry »

Prior to launching AgencyLink in January 2008, the first document that Stan and I created was a code of conduct.  We believed that by establishing our moral compass early in the process that we would be better equipped to develop a business plan, set our priorities and shape our goals.

Defining a moral compass is valuable for a company, agency or department. In an earlier blog post, I referenced the importance of being discreet and sharing company values and expectations with business partners to ensure no surprises.  Does your department or marketing agency team understand your code of conduct? Do you have one? Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, the International Association of Business Communicators held a shin dig at The Madison in Toronto to recognize and thank its volunteers. The networking event featured a BBQ, cocktails and door prizes to celebrate a successful year of collaborative teamwork.

The celebration got me thinking about the importance and need for clients and agencies to take the time to commemorate results and their partnership.

All too often, clients and agencies forget or get too busy to celebrate when they meet and hopefully exceed expectations. We encourage our clients to celebrate the successes they have combined to deliver. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the toughest decisions for client-side marketers and communicators is determining whether their agency can properly deliver specialized services.

Here’s a scenario.  A company wants to evangelize its positive environmental record but it needs agency resources to help with the strategy and develop a campaign.  Should the company choose its generalist agency or should the client find a firm that specializes in environmental communications? Read the rest of this entry »

Pssst.. if you hear gossip, don’t pass it on.

Our marketing clients confirm that the number one reason to fire a marketing agency is if its employees disclose confidential information about their company. Thankfully, many marketing agencies include a code of conduct to reinforce confidentiality within employment contracts.

In an online poll last year, IABC Toronto asked its members: What are the key attributes of an effective business relationship? About 550 members replied that ‘trust’ is the single most important attribute of a strong business relationship. Trust is a very powerful term in a business context. It means that there is two-way respect and that both partners in a business relationship are working effectively toward the same goals. In other words, you have each other’s backs! Read the rest of this entry »

I attended a breakfast roundtable Thursday morning with senior marketers from RBC, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp (OLG), and The Home Depot.  What made it doubly interesting is that two CFOs also participated.  The most stimulating part of the discussion had to do with “agency math” versus “CFO math.”

That point was most clearly illustrated by Rob Moore, SVP at OLG.  Rob spoke about his days as a senior marketer at HBC, where he said the retailer compared favourably to Wal-Mart in consumer preference surveys, brand favourability and the like — yet Wal-Mart was killing HBC in sales.  The lesson:  marketing metrics don’t always align with business metrics.  Therein lies a prominent disconnect between the CMO and CFO. Read the rest of this entry »

Never conduct a fishing expedition or cattle call of agencies to simply improve the performance of an incumbent agency or to gain new creative ideas without compensation.

We recommend that your RFP and presentation discussions require agencies to highlight their proven track record with relevant case studies. This will enable you to enquire more about how they would use a best practice for your organization. Read the rest of this entry »