Guest Author | FreshGigs.ca - Part 8

Author Archives: Guest Author

Ron Bremner, CEO at UNISYNC and the owner of Gold Medal Consulting Group

Ron Bremner is currently the CEO at UNISYNC and the owner of Gold Medal Consulting Group. Ron is known across the country from his 23 years as a broadcaster and his induction to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Broadcast Hall of Fame in 2000. Ron was also the president and CEO of the Calgary Flames.

I had no intention of leaving broadcasting but at end of day, I asked myself: Do I want to look back some day and wonder what it would be like to run an NHL team?

How did you move from being inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of fame straight into the sports industry and then starting your own consulting company? 

Well I was in broadcasting for 25 years, 23 of them in Vancouver. From 1974-1990 I worked with a radio station in Vancouver, starting at sales and moving up to President and General Manager. Out of blue one day back in Ottawa for a new service hearing, I was asked to run BCTV television which was the largest TV station west of Toronto. I then worked there for five years and one day a head hunter in the sports business called and asked if I was interested in a position which several of my colleagues recommended me for. The position was the President of Calgary Flames. I thought about it. I had no intention of leaving broadcasting but at end of day, I asked myself: Do I want to look back some day and wonder what it would be like to run an NHL team? So I ended up in the hockey business for 5 years—it was extremely challenging. The Canadian dollar was worth about 63 cents against the US, and the significance of this is that we pay all our players in US while earning in Canadian. This was one of the reasons why the Quebec and Winnipeg hockey teams had left at the time. There just wasn’t enough revenue to support a team.

My wife and I then took a 2-year sabbatical.  It was a great time in our lives to do all the things that people plan to but never do it until they have 6 months to live. We travelled all over Europe, and after the trip I went back to school and took French immersion at Laval University.

When I came through Toronto, I was introduced to Larry Tanenbaum—a successful businessman who is the Chairman and part owner of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. He offered me a job with Professional Sports Publications in New York so we worked out a deal where 15 days each month I would help run the company down in New York. We then sold it to one of the largest competitors for a very healthy return.

Today I’m undertaking various projects as President of Gold Medal Consulting, where I retain most of the time to mentor and coach company executives.

The challenge is to go into each business to learn a little about the business, and trying to gauge the key people in each company to help them be the best.

Your experiences include President/CEO of BCTV in Vancouver, President/CEO of Calgary Flames, CEO of Professional Sports Publications NY, and Founder of Gold Medal Consulting Group; it seems like you have lead a trail of success since 1990’s.What is by far your proudest moment, and what was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome in any of these jobs?

Well not to be evasive, but each project has its own proud moment for me. They are each like a child and I have a great affinity for them in different ways. I had a special moment with each of them such as in New York City when we sold PSP for great profit, or getting new distribution for our products in the broadcasting digital business. The challenge is to go into each business to learn a little about the business, and trying to gauge the key people in each company to help them be the best. I would never consider myself an expert in any particular business.  My job is to be the captain of the ship and to steer the boat—not to row. The Captain doesn’t tell the cooks how to make good food, or how to work the engine room. The key thing is making sure you have good people in key positions, challenge them, and eventually let them do their job. Continue reading →

Taking the Design World By Storm at Age 51!

Tina contacted FreshGigs.ca wanting to share her story about getting into the design world. Here’s her story…

By Tina Spalding

Two years ago I could barely turn a computer on; no, seriously, I didn’t even know what a folder was or how to use one. I had avoided computers like the plague for twenty years, determined to become a fine artist, painter of renown! Well, in the last eighteen months I’ve learned nine computer programs and I can whiz around between Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator like know one’s business! The entire experience has been enlightening, frightening and incredibly empowering….oh yes, I should mention I’m a 51 year old divorced mother of two, confirmed Luddite and technophobe.

It was good art, but it was clear to me that physical galleries were no longer a viable way to make a living. I needed to go digital!

I had been inspired to go back to school by two events. The first, corny as it is, was seeing the movie Avatar. Looking up at that big screen I could only imagine what those artists must have felt seeing their work flying around the world so beautifully! “If I was 20 years younger” I said, “I’d do that!” Compared to 3D digital art, mine looked flat and sterile. I wanted to create these luminous and moving images too!
I wanted to go global!

The second event was sitting in a gallery a couple of summers ago, hour after hour trying to sell art. It was good art, but it was clear to me that physical galleries were no longer a viable way to make a living. I needed to go digital!

A series of synchronous events and an EI claim long forgotten, led me down the path to design school. I qualified for a mature workers retraining program, and after much research, painful delays with student loans, and a whole lot of courage, I went back to school. Continue reading →

MIXX Canada Conference Review Toronto by Tripti Ninan

Set in the gorgeous Carlu downtown Toronto, the MIXX Canada Conference had a great blend of inspiring and informative presentations, delectable food and fantastic company packed into a one-day session on March 27. I was greeted by friendly people and a well-organized registration area and coat check. Right when I walked into the breakfast area, there were acrobats playing twister to the right and a beautiful array of food in front of me. The breakfast menu was on the lighter side with a mix of croissants, danishes, muffins, bagels, preserves, cheese and frittatas as a protein option.

marketing now has to be more about attraction than distraction- if your product is authentic and good, customers will tweet, Facebook, etc about you and become your “fan” base.

I made some great new friends as the first lady watched my bag at the cocktail tables as I brought my food back. I connected with energetic and friendly people from Yahoo, Marketing Magazine, Top Drawer Creative, Tribal and more.  There were displays and great giveaways set up by multiple sponsors like Kijiji, Acuity, etc. Eventually it was time to filter into the main presentation room and I ended up sitting at the Yahoo table with my new-found friends.

The day started off a little late and was MC’ed by Paula Gignac, the president of IAB Canada, who  informed us this was a carbon-neutral event- all waste collected from the event was calculated and the equivalent number of trees would be planted by IAB.  The day was set up to have about 2-3 sessions with breaks in between running from 7:30am to 4pm. Most sessions were followed by a Q&A session mediated by Gignac .

Filmmaker Jeff Rosenblum, the keynote speaker, was dynamic and magnetic as he caught our attention by introducing us to the evil men (Fred Flintstone) and evil corporation (Crayola) of marketing. The main message he was conveying is that marketing can no longer lie or fudge the truth about their products due to the power the consumer now have through social networking sites, providing good and bad reviews. It is finally time now to actually ensure you have good products and services by investing in R&D and professional development.  He was followed by another very interesting presentation by Geoffrey Ramsey who complemented his topic about the top 6 Hot Digital trends.  One of his insightful points is that marketing now has to be more about attraction than distraction- if your product is authentic and good, customers will tweet, Facebook, etc about you and become your “fan” base.

The main message he was conveying is that marketing can no longer lie or fudge the truth about their products due to the power the consumer now have through social networking sites, providing good and bad reviews.

Next Steve from TAXI showed us the interesting case study of Canadian Tire “House of Innovation” and how this truly has resulted in results for the brand and generated incredible publicity.  His presentation seemed more spacey and not very connected at all times. Continue reading →

Fresh Event Alert: MIXX Canada Conference Series

In this exclusive one day conference, Canadian marketing professionals and entrepreneurs will have the chance to learn how to stay ahead of the crowd as the marketing race intensifies. Learn how to amplify your brand, how to magnetize the minds of consumers today, and how to determine the ROI for Social Media campaigns. Bring home with you the latest trends in marketing AND the advice of some keynote speakers including Jeff Rosenblum, (Co-founder of Questus), Geoff Ramsey (CEO and co-founder of eMarketer), and Randy Weyersberg (VP of marketing for Canadian Tire).

Date: March 27th, 2012
Location: Carlu Theatre, 444 Yonge Street | Toronto, Canada
Website: http://www.mixxcanada.com

Fresh Event Alert: The National Business and Technology Conference 2012 Toronto

This prestigious event brings together 300 young leaders and numerous industry professionals from across North America to participate in interactive workshops, listen to inspiring speakers, compete in the Business Consulting Case and the Entrepreneurship Competitions, and enrich their networks.

Their goal is to inspire the next generation of Canada’s innovative CEOs, Founders and Leaders in the business and technology industry. This year’s speakers include Eric Gales (President of Microsoft Canada), Jordan Banks (Managing director of Facebook Canada), Michael Serbinis (CEO of Kobo), Peter Aceto (CEO of ING Direct Canada), and many more leaders in the business technology industry!

Date: March 23rd– 24th
Location: South Building of the Metro Toronto Convention Center, 222 Bremner Blvd. |Toronto, Canada
Website: http://nbtc.nspire.org/

Fresh Event Alert: The Multicultural Marketing Conference 2012

The third annual Multicultural Marketing Conference in Toronto, Calgary, and Montreal is dedicated to teaching audiences about marketing in the face of Canada’s ever-evolving ethnicity and culture. This great event, new in Calgary this year, will feature never-before-reported research, in-depth case studies and actionable insights into marketing to a more unfamiliar consumer.

Date: March 20th– 23rd
Location: Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary
Website: http://www.marketingmag.ca/microsite/multicultural-2012

Fresh Canadian Event Alert: Entrepreneurship 101 Workshops in Toronto

Entrepreneurship 101 Workshops

Entrepreneurship 101 is a great series of weekly workshops, free-of-charge that introduce aspiring entrepreneurs to the basics of building a new venture. They feature lectures targeted at social innovators, technology and life sciences researchers and trainees. Want to get the basics down, such as funding, marketing, recruiting, and intellectual property? This is the perfect place to be.

Date: Throughout March-May
Location: MARS Auditorium, 101 College Street | Toronto, Canada
Website: http://www.marsdd.com/events/event_series/entrepreneurship-101/

Five Things Advertising Newbies Need To Know

You’re fresh out of school and itching to be a part of some boundary-pushing advertising. You can’t wait to put all that learning into practice and you’re on your way to making your mark in the industry.

That is, until you get your first job at an ad agency. That’s when things come to a screeching halt. You find yourself being the official note-taker in meetings. Refilling the coffee pot. And photocopying everyone else’s stuff. You’re getting passed around from one person to another, and all of them are just trying to “keep you busy”.

You’re getting passed around from one person to another, and all of them are just trying to “keep you busy”.

Congratulations. You are now officially paying your dues. And it sucks. It’s uncomfortable and frustrating, because you know you can do so much more. But realizing that this isn’t going to last forever and having a plan will help set the course for your career and maintain your sanity. (The latter is not guaranteed.)

Here are five important things you should know when starting your advertising career:

NOT ALL AD AGENCIES ARE THE SAME

Most new advertising grads want to work for the “big agencies”. Anything with an acronym will do, really. TBWA, DDB, JWT, Y&R, whatever. But with the economy still recovering, small-to-medium sized agencies are thriving thanks to their ability to be nimble and cost-efficient for their dollar-conscious clients. What’s more, they provide the perfect opportunity for newbies to cross-train and experience a broad range of roles in an agency. They are dynamic and non-traditional and provide a totally different experience when compared to their mammoth counterparts.

Most new advertising grads want to work for the “big agencies”. Anything with an acronym will do, really. TBWA, DDB, JWT, Y&R, whatever.

Do your research on the ad industry in your market. Follow agencies and creative shops on Twitter. Subscribe to their YouTube feeds. Fan them on Facebook. Understand which agencies you want to work for and why. And remember, just because one doesn’t work out for you, doesn’t mean others won’t. Continue reading →

What’s the ROI of social media?

A different business owner asks me this question almost every day. The answer depends on how you’re using social media. You might think your $6 sandwich and soup daily special is a big deal. But if you’re tweeting about this special expecting it to create a lineup out your door within a few hours, then you’ve probably missed the boat on social media. Nobody cares.

Getting Involved

Let me paint you a picture. It’s a random Monday night and you’re browsing Twitter and you see that your friend Joe is eating out at @XYZRestaurant. You’ve never been there, but you’re always on the hunt for great places to eat. Half an hour later, you see another tweet from Joe, and it’s a picture of his delicious pulled pork poutine. You love poutine and pulled pork, but you’ve never had them together. Meanwhile, your now cold microwaveable dinner doesn’t look so good anymore. That night, you decide to check out @XYZRestaurant’s Twitter feed. You see they thanked Joe for stopping by, and also retweeted Joe’s picture. You also see that they have Caesars on special on Sundays. You love Caesars, and now you can’t wait for the weekend. They seem to also be involved in numerous conversations with other people now, also commenting on Joe’s poutine. You think to yourself, this place is on the ball. They’re providing great service online, and you’re hoping it translates offline as well. Although it might not happen today or this week, you’ve already made a mental note to check them out the next time you’re in their neighbourhood. Wait a second, did you just get marketed to? No.

Four out of five people search for and read customer reviews about restaurants before making their decision on where to eat

Thinking About ROI

If you’re @XYZRestaurant thinking about ROI, you’re probably asking yourself, how many people did my tweet reach? How many people did Joe’s tweet reach? And how many people will act upon Joe’s tweet? How do I know that you came in to eat as a result of Joe’s tweet? How much did Joe’s friend spend eating there? If you go down that path trying to quantify ROI, you’re going to lose your mind. Just take it for what it is. You just got great publicity, and it cost you nothing.

The Research and Numbers

As an avid “foodie”, I love going out to try new restaurants, especially those recommended to me by my friends. Gone are the days of “Honey? Where’s the Yellow Pages? Do you feel like Chinese food today?” According to a Nielsen global survey, only 14% of consumers trust advertising, whereas 87% of consumers trust recommendations made by others. This should come as no surprise. These days, more than four out of five people search for and read customer reviews about restaurants before making their decision on where to eat. Much of this chatter takes place on review sites like Yelp and Urbanspoon, but also on social media networks like Twitter. Before I go any further, yes, I’m like Joe, I tweet pictures of my food. If that annoys you, do yourself a favour and just unfollow me. Have I ever been influenced to try a restaurant based on someone else’s tweet of their delicious meal? Absolutely. For me, this happens all the time. And I personally know of many other people that are the same way. Like it or not, this is how decisions are made nowadays. If you’re a restaurant, it’s boils down to the quality of your food and service that determines how successful you are. Social media is simply the megaphone that allows people to tell the world just how good or bad you are.

According to a Nielsen global survey, only 14% of consumers trust advertising, whereas 87% of consumers trust recommendations made by others.

Generate Real Results

We recently put on a media event for one of our clients. We invited about a hundred people, all active Twitter members. The crowd was a combination of lifestyles and food bloggers, journalists, and local power Twitter users. Many people in attendance had never even heard of the restaurant despite it being open for well over a year. Most people were just happy to have been invited for a night of good food and company. Not only did the event hashtag trend nationally on Twitter that evening, they also received so many blog reviews and posts from the event that the restaurant soon ended up on the front page of Urbanspoon as one of the most blogged and talked about restaurants in Vancouver. We also ran a Facebook campaign, giving away over 500 gift cards to all those who ‘liked’ their page. Over a quarter of these gift cards were redeemed within one month. As a result of these two campaigns, the restaurant’s profits have increased by over 30% from where they were last year. And it all happened in less than two months.

Just Stop It Already

My point is, stop trying to quantify ROI of social media. Entrepreneur and author Gary Vaynerchuk said it best, “Asking about the ROI of social media is like asking about the ROI of your email.” You can tie in ROI to specific social media campaigns that you’re running, but when it comes to the daily community management, it’s difficult to attach a dollar amount to it because building relationships and trust doesn’t happen overnight. Continue reading →

How to get a Job in Online Marketing

If you’re looking to break into online marketing but don’t have any experience, getting your first job can be tough.

But it doesn’t have to be.

With some work and hustle you can separate yourself from 95% of the other job applicants out there. Here are some tips to help you land your first online marketing job.

With some work and hustle you can separate yourself from 95% of the other job applicants out there.

Passion

Don’t fake the funk. If you don’t genuinely get excited about online marketing, don’t bother looking for work in the industry. Why?

  1. It requires constant education, self-directed study and research. And if you don’t love it, you’ll burn out quick.
  2. You’ll never truly succeed in online marketing without a burning passion. Those who do succeed live and breathe this stuff, and you won’t be able to compete with them in the long-run.

If you have a real passion for online marketing, you’ll find it much easier to find a job. Because so many aspects of online marketing are new, it can be difficult to find people with good experience – which means attitude and passion are often the things that get you the job. If you can find a way to communicate your passion in an Continue reading →