Michael Zipursky | FreshGigs.ca - Part 5

Author Archives: Michael Zipursky

Daphne Damato is a Bay Brand Manager at the Hudson’s Bay Company in Toronto

Daphne Damato is a Bay Brand Manager at the Hudson’s Bay Company in Toronto. She’s a graduate of Sheridan College and worked at Dot Patio and Home as a Marketing and Sales Retail Coordinator before joining HBC. 

What does the ‘average’ day of a Brand Manager at HBC look like?
Apart from assisting with managing the Bay’s branding and marketing initiatives, my job is mostly focused to broadcast advertising for the Bay, specifically within radio.

I am usually on the hunt for great stories, brand launches and new products from our merchant and marketing teams, which are then developed into great radio ads and recorded in studio with Bonnie Brooks or other celebrities and radio talent.

I think the key to getting your dream job, (or getting into your dream company) is really wanting it. You have to show that you deserve the job and that you are capable and willing to make it happen.

What is the most challenging and the most rewarding part of your job?
They seem to be both in same…choosing what we are going to talk about on air is extremely important to us here at the Bay, which in turn makes it the most challenging.

The hardest part of my job is making sure we pick the right story and angle to present to Bonnie Brooks. We ensure that each ad reflects The Bay’s Pride, Passion and Integrity while presenting our customers with exciting and relevant content. What we record has to be something that the Bay really believes in and something that our customer will believe in as well.

Getting to this point takes a lot of time, effort and creative energy, but once the final record is complete, there is great satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. I love hearing the final spots on air! Continue reading →

Career Fair in BC Going Virtual

BC Tech Career FairOn July 24th, a new kind of career fair is taking place. Organized by GrowLab and Karma, the BC TechFair will showcase Vancouver’s growing tech companies.

Job seekers will be able to virtually ‘attend’ the booths of participating employers. Check in, have live chat sessions, ask questions, and read more information about current employment opportunities.

FreshGigs.ca is happy to be a part of this event along with great companies like Sophos, Hootsuite, Top Producer and many more.

For full details on the BC TechFair visit the event website.

FreshGigs.ca Now Integrated with SmartRecruiters Recruiting Software Platform


We are happy to announce that FreshGigs.ca is now a featured jobsite that has been integrated into the SmartRecruiters recruiting software platform.

Employers using the SmartRecruiters platform are now able to post their jobs on FreshGigs.ca through the SmartRecruiters website.

SmartRecruiters platform offers free applicant tracking, collaborative recruiting and more to employers. According to SmartRecruiters, over 13,600 businesses use their platform.

FreshGigs.ca is Canada’s leading jobsite specializing in marketing, communications and creative jobs.

Blogging and Social Media Conference: Northern Voice

If you’re in Vancouver (or anywhere close by) on June 15 and 16, 2012 consider joining us at Northern Voice. The Personal Blogging and Social Media Conference is one of Vancouver’s longest running.

The two days are packed with sessions, speakers and networking opportunities.

For a full schedule visit: http://2012.northernvoice.ca/schedule

Here are some highlights:

  • Blaine Cook, one of Twitter‘s first employees, and a one time lead developer of the popular social networking site will look at the Wild Future of the Internet.
  • Members of OpenMedia.ca will show how social media can make it easier to share information on new legislation and tally support for political action.
  • PhotoCamp returns offering creative and focused talks on all aspects of photography for the beginner or the pro. With your personal voice let your picture tell 1,000 words.

FreshGigs.ca is happy to be a sponsor of the conference along with Hootsuite, Chevrolet and Mount Lehman Credit Union.

For more information about Northern Voice, visit http://2012.northernvoice.ca/about

For the latest updates on Northern Voice follow them on Twitter at @northernvoice

 

Marketing Conference: BCAMA Vision 2012 in Review

Leonard Brody

I just got back from the BCAMA Vision Marketing Conference held at the Westin Bayshore in Vancouver. It was a great event and I thought I would share some of the highlights from it with you.

The day was broken down into talks given by successful marketers from across Canada and the US, including a panel discussion and a comedy break.

Shane Gibson (the event MC), Steve Kim and Lindsay Smith opened up the day with an introduction about the event and this year’s theme: Liquid Content.

Leonard Brody

Leonard is a VC, business executive and author. He gave a great talk looking at the Myth of Generations.

Some key points:

  • 5 year plans suck. Most businesses should be focused on what’s happening within the next 365 days or less.
  • More content is being created now each year than what was created in the last 3000 years combined.
  • People say “humans haven’t changed”. Wrong. Human behaviour has changed.
  • Don’t focus on just the “how” of social media and online activities. Consider the “why” in why are we doing this?
  • The web allows millions to speak to millions at low to no cost.
  • The web destroys the idea that we can “predict the future by looking at the past.”
  • Marketers challenge is that time is shrinking.
  • The next major economic/financial crash will be within 8 years of 2008.
  • By 2015, 50% of all marriages will originate by meeting online.
  • People are more trusting with their virual IDs than they are with their IDs in the physical vs. online world.
  • The notion of ‘retirement’ is no longer valid. People are talking less and less about it.
  • Education needs to shift. 36% of US students will drop out of school this year.
  • Digging into the data organizations have is a big opportunity.
  • Social media is not marketing, it is all about community.
  • Customer service will take over sales as a high-paid job position.

Marketing is everything you do not see, it’s what you feel.”

Terry McBride

Terry is the CEO of Nettwerk Music and YYoga. He calmed the room down by dicussing the Fluidity of Music to Yoga and how emotions are connected to brands. Continue reading →

Social Media Goes Human Resources and Vice Versa

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the Social HR Camp in Richmond organized by Jeff Waldman (founder of the event) and Geoff Webb of Toronto.

A strong turnout brought HR, social media, marketing and business professionals together from BC, Ontario, and even California.

In addition to meeting some great folks, the camp offered a variety of sessions for both beginners and advanced practitioners of social media.

Here are some highlights from yesterday’s event and the sessions I had a chance to attend…

Stephen Jagger

Stephen is a hard core entrepreneur: Ubertor, Reachd, Outsourcing Things Done, Payroll Hero

Some key points:

  • Social media is not an option anymore. Companies need to get involved.
  • Facebook is too big to ignore.
  • Stephen uses Google Sites as a wiki to keep his businesses organized.
  • He does this so his businesses can run themselves regardless of where he is in the world.
  • Google Hangouts for video conferencing is the new hit.
  • Yammer is great for internal communications within a company.

Continue reading →

Michael Hollett is the co-owner of NOW Magazine and Now Communications

Michael Hollett is the co-owner of NOW Magazine and Now Communications.  Michael has been involved with NOW since 1981 and continues to work with the magazine, website and book publishing areas of the business. For the latest on Michael follow him on Twitter @m_hollett

What was the impetus for starting NOW Magazine?
An entire political and artistic scene was going unreported in Toronto in 1981 and we were launched to cover it and the businesses that grew up around it. It was this scene that turned into the progressive political movements that spawned John Sewell, Olivia Chow, Jack Layton and David Miller and the indie cultural scene highly identified with Queen West. Papers like this existed in the US but not in Canada and we were inspired by New York’s Village Voice, Chicago’s Reader, Boston’s Phoenix and others.

We decided to go free so that we could reach non-traditional newspaper magazine readers where they hung out since they weren’t going to newsstands and were abandoning daily papers.

NOW Magazine was one of the first free newsweekly’s to hit the Toronto streets, why did you decide to make it free?
We initially had a cover price, like the Voice and the majority of US alt weeklies. We decided to go free so that we could reach non-traditional newspaper magazine readers where they hung out since they weren’t going to newsstands and were abandoning daily papers. It helped us grow quickly because we were easy to find and the retailers that distributed us saw how popular NOW was and bought ads in it.

What percentage of your readers consume NOW in print vs online? And how has the shift to digital devices influenced how you run NOW?
We have 411,000 readers weekly in print and 339,000 unique Canadian visitors online per month. The digital world has turned us into a seven day a week, 24 hours a day content generating organization. Our news cycle has changed because we report news when it breaks not just when we print. We have slightly different voices online and in print and both are fun to operate in. We are obliged to be pioneers in terms of always striving to be part of what’s next in the digital world and I’m happy to say we usually are part of the ‘Next’ here at NOW. Continue reading →

BCAMA 22nd Annual VISION Conference: Liquid Content


On Wednesday May 23rd, 2012 the BC Chapter of the American Marketing Association will be hosting it’s biggest event of the year – Vision Conference.

Held at the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver, this event brings marketers and business leaders together for a full day of ideas, learning, networking and insight into the latest industry trends.

This year the conference is about Liquid Content

Speakers from Across North America

Speakers from across Canada and the US will be presenting at Vision. They include:

  • Bruce Philp, Author, Consumer Republic (Toronto)
  • Leonard Brody, Author, The Myth of Generations (San Francisco)
  • Terry McBride, CEO, Nettwerk Music & Yyoga (Vancouver)
  • Fredrik Carlström, CEO, C&CO, Hyper Island (New York)
  • Jon Ferrara, CEO, Nimble (Los Angeles)
  • Ben Watson, VP Marketing, Hootsuite (Vancouver)
  • Panel Presentation: How brands can leverage and measure social clout
  • Entertainment: Erica Sigurdson (Vancouver)

In this digital era, how do we craft stories that provoke conversation? How do we create a message or brand that spreads organically through the power of sharing and self publishing?

Find out at the Vision Conference.

Full event information and registration at:
BCAMA Vision Conference Details

Why Come to Social Media Camp in Victoria BC

Social Media Camp Victoria Graphic
On June 8-9, 2012 Social Media Camp will be held in beautiful Victoria BC. This is an event you definitely want to check out.

Why?

Chris Brogran will be there. So will Simon Salt, Chris Breikss, Maya Grinberg and many many other thought leaders in the social media world. Not enough?

How about because you’ll get 15% off when you use the promo code “freshgigs”

Still not enough?

Check out some of the great workshops that will be held:

  • Growth, Engage, Monetize: Understanding Every Stage of Social Media Marketing Success for your Brand.
  • How to Create and Run a Contest on Your Blog.
  • Grab More Attention and Sales through Simple YouTube Videos.
  • Building Facebook Pages for Business.
  • Community Engagement and Strategies.
  • B2B Sales Essentials: Effective Prospecting & Lead Generation with LinkedIn.
  • Local Marketing and the Importance of Reviews.
  • Do or Die: Why the Adoption of Google+ is Essential for Canadian Businesses.
  • Facebook Commerce: Making Ecommerce Social.
  • 5 Steps to Train a Social Business Intern Army.
  • The ROI of Social Media, Metrics that Matter.
  • Social Location Marketing – Connecting With Real Customers.
  • And many more sessions and keynote addresses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want another reason? Some of the top minds from around North America will be in attendance and all under one roof. This is a great opportunity to network and build meaningful relationships.

Full details on Social Media Camp can be found here: www.socialmediacamp.ca

If you want to go straight to the registration page you can do so here: Here’s the registration link: http://smc.eventbrite.ca/ (don’t forget to enter “freshgigs” to get your discount)

I’ll be at the event and look forward to seeing you there. Get in touch if you’ll be there, I’d love to meet you.

Dave Fleet, VP of Digital at Edelman Toronto on Business, Life and Media

Dave Fleet Photo

Dave Fleet is the Vice President of Digital at Edelman’s Toronto Office. Dave has held roles in marketing and communications at large corporations and within the public sector. Visit www.davefleet.com or follow @davefleet to connect with Dave.

Dave, you’ve worked in both the private and public sectors in Canada. From a marketing and communications view what are the big differences when working in private vs. public?

From my perspective, communications principles are the same regardless of where you work. I’ve taken a lot of lessons from my time in the public sector and applied them to the work I do in agencies, especially when it comes to considering the needs of myriad stakeholders (something that is central to the life of government communicators).

With that said, there are certainly differences. While government communications requires you to get in-depth on a relatively limited set of topics, agency life generally you to work more broadly. Some people like that variety; others prefer to sink their teeth into a smaller set of topics. Agency life is also much faster-paced and high-pressure. Again, some people like that (I thrive on it) but it’s not for everyone.

Agency life is also much faster-paced and high-pressure

Dave, you are the VP of Digital at Edelman in Toronto. What does your typical day look like?

I work with a team of about 30 people, split between Canada and the US. Fortunately they’re all smarter than me, so from my perspective my role is to help to set the right direction for them, provide whatever support they need and stay out of the way so they can do their jobs.

My days are generally a mix of providing input on proposals, plans and reports from the team, participating in client calls on any number of topics, administration (hiring, finances, 1:1s with reports etc) and generally acting as a clearing house for information for the team. Sometimes I’ll get more heavily involved in specific projects, but one of the things I love about this team is that 99% of the time they’re more than capable of kicking butt without my involvement. Continue reading →