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Another First From Indigo

From a heads up on contest giveaways to exclusive invites, I’ve truly been enjoying all that Twitter has to offer, including the opportunity to connect with people in real life who I would have never met otherwise.

Indigo’s first tweet-up get together in February epitomized the power of Twitter when Cammy (@indigogreenroom) invited 9 of his loyal Twitter followers to an exclusive fun-filled evening at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. The tweet-up brought new meaning to the term ‘reading week’, which had brought me home to Toronto at the time, as it shows how reading is not merely a solitary activity; it brings people together.

Given that the event took place back in February, I won’t go into much detail about the event, except to say that I met some lovely ladies that evening and enjoyed the opportunity to meet Cammy in person! Chef Jason Bartenger served some delicious treats at LUMA, including this tasty desert pictured below:

For more insight into the Indigo tweet-up, you can check out Sara Hamil’s rave review, from which you can learn why Ivey should consider creating a case study about Indigo’s thoughtful marketing strategy.

As much as I love Indigo, someone else scrawled this on an Indigo notebook for the record. On a previous page, you can find other girls named Sarah doodling their name with the pencil. It’s such a common name!

After brainstorming similar events geared towards bloggers and trendsetters while working at Matchstick, I finally was able to attend a fall preview tonight at Indigo’s headquarters downtown at King and Spadina.

Walking into the brightly lit room on the sixth floor, I found a room filled mostly with women, all of whom were booklovers and Indigo rewards members. For the first time, Indigo granted rewards members the opportunity to preview Indigo’s fall lifestyle collection, just hours after opening their doors to magazine editors and TV show producers. Lack of media accreditation aside, everyone seemed pleased to mingle and browse while munching on appetizers from Chef Michael Smith’s recipes.

While librarians discussed the potential looming strike, teachers and students tried to hide their anxiety about going back to school and Indigo employees worked the room to chat up event attendees about Indigo’s reward programs and stunning new products. It wasn’t salesy at all, but ideally they should have introduced guests to each other rather than approaching them individually without helping them to forge new connections. Then again, it’s more difficult to make that happen without the luxury of a private dining room, like there was at the tweet-up.

My friend Cora, an English major, is eager to start reading the book by Phillip Roth she received in her gift bag!

Speaking of giveaways, one of my lucky friends from the Indigo tweet-up took home a new touchscreen Kobo e-reader and other guests will soon delve into The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, which is a highly anticipated book according to Indigo’s team. Check back soon to see which purchases will be bought with my Indigo gift card!

I must also discuss the strategic layout of the room used for the fall preview event. Entering the room mirrored walking into a foyer at a neighbour or friend’s home, whereas this is usually where you would find a branded step and repeat used for photography. The most sales-forward component was a display of leather Kobo cases, but for a company responding to consumers’ adoption of digital readers, that was to be expected and nothing was lost as a result.

The entire room maintained a good balance that showcased how Indigo’s products can be used to create either a classic, sophisticated look throughout your home or quirky, fun atmosphere, depending on the decorative items you prefer. For example, you can easily add colour to a home office with accessories as small as yellow moustache paper clips!

You likely wouldn’t expect such playful decor in a professional setting, but there’s lots of room to experiment with Indigo’s merchandise. For instance, their eco-friendly message wasn’t limited to the tote bags in which goodies were distributed at the end of the night, as a transparent display case set on a desk held pop tabs. Some collect these to donate to charities, while others use them to accessorize I suppose! Meanwhile, vases of flowers and throw pillows offered a feminine touch, while sleek picture frames and modern clocks had mass appeal.

Leaving the event, I realized I may need to return a lamp I bought for my apartment in London because Indigo clearly has a better selection than I realized!

Thanks again to the Indigo team for another great event. Fortunately there were no wristbands required for entry this time!

Waiting in line to meet Shania Twain at Indigo

August 30, 2011 by

Interior Design With A Twist: #exhibitIKEA

As the city gears up to host the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival, much of the commotion on King St. right now is focused on what’s happening at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Everyone’s favourite Swedish home store, IKEA, managed to create some buzz of its own however, by launching a pop up art exhibit at the corner of King and John St.

IKEA recruited four of Canada’s top artists for event: Thrush Holmes, Bruno Billio, David Dixon, and George Whiteside, each of whom drew inspiration from IKEA’s furnishings and decorative items to create installations. Thrush Holmes brought an interesting perspective to IKEA’s product offerings that require self assembly by emphasizing that their packaging can inaccurately reflect their quality. His liberal neon-coloured paint strokes on a cardboard makeshift shack portray his clever insight into IKEA’s business model by relating it to a “don’t judge a book by its cover” message.

IKEA may be a top destination for cash strapped students and newlyweds, but all of their items can be contextualized by creatively integrating them into a home and adding personal touches, as the artists proved at the exhibit by adding personal items to create a homey vibe.

exhibitIKEA had a much more welcoming atmosphere than typical art galleries, thus making it a worthwhile attraction for Torontonians who opted to stay in town rather than escape to cottage country. Without their uniforms, the IKEA sales associates seemed friendlier than usual, although perhaps that’s because there weren’t shoppers bombarding them with questions about measurements, pricing or shipping arrangements.

Installation by George Whiteside, fashion and portrait photographer

Pop up events require a great deal of planning in order to ensure that visitors will be pleased to visit and the brand’s objectives are met. A live Twitter feed of tweets featuring the #exhibitIKEA hashtag, which was promoted on black business cards distributed to visitors, was streamed to four flat screen monitors next to the stacked chairs in the centre of the venue, without sacrificing the atmosphere. IKEA is a modern brand indeed and this live feed was an effective tactic for digital integration that successfully encouraged visitors to spread the word about the event. I initially thought that the screens were showing a collection of tweets from Thursday’s launch party, until I saw that two of my own musings were already on the screen. The sales associates didn’t expect it to be so up to date either, but sure enough, comments by @missprincen were posted shortly after I hit enter on my BlackBerry.

Great job, IKEA. Surprise us again next year?

August 22, 2011 by

Samsung Presents The Midway State and The Arkells

On Thursday night, Samsung leveraged the ever-increasing popularity of pop-up stores to host their second pop-up concert in Toronto’s downtown core. Last August, Metric played for a crowd of about ten thousand outside of Union Station and it seems that Samsung is making these concerts annual events, this time expanding nationwide to include dates in Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal too. The bands delivered stellar crowd-pleasing performances, so I’m glad I went to see The Midway State once again and to hear the Juno award winning Arkells play live.

 

 

 

Through an effective marketing campaign that included a #samsungsecret Twitter hashtag, press releases and a full page colour print ad in the Metro, Samsung invited Torontonians to see The Midway State and The Arkells, no tickets required. The concert was held in a parking lot at Blue Jays Way and Wellington Street West. The twentysomethings living in condos across the street, some of whom made Bristol board signs, were delighted to have a great view from their balconies.

Reaching out to local influencers, such as Casie Stewart and Lauren O’Neil, who are active on Twitter, ensured that the event remained at the forefront of their followers’ post-work plans. Twitter further played a role in generating brand awareness because retweeting Samsung Mobile Canada granted people like myself, curious as to what they would giveaway, a snazzy Samsung swag bag. Well, let’s not embellish their water bottles and pen too much, but all the items were branded in blue colours and Samsung logos. The only item that directly relates to their Android phones and tablet that the event was meant to promote, is a screen cleaner, which is certainly a useful freebie. Everyone at the event was friendly however and the distribution of free water bottles on a humid evening was certainly appreciated.

Perhaps the product demonstrators should have received better training, given that the Samsung representative I spoke to lacked knowledge about the Galaxy tablet’s camera functionality. After watching videographers capture the performances using the tablets, I was interested to see how they worked, but was unimpressed by his brief explanation.

Overall, the pop-up event organized by Communique was a hit and it put the event planning agency on this marketing intern’s radar. I’m eager to see what other exciting events pop up unexpectedly in the city this summer.

August 6, 2011 by

The Digital Handshake

As nepotism and personal connections continue helping people land employment, taking the initiative to introduce oneself to others can be highly beneficial. Blogging may not establish the same connection as shaking someone’s hand, but it’s a great way to introduce yourself and share your opinion. With sophisticated search engines, it is ignorant to think that any online diary or website is too obscure to be discovered, especially as more companies acknowledge bloggers’ social capital.

In the realm of social media, people who utilize online tools well are taken seriously regardless of their birth date. New graduates and mommy bloggers alike are considered coveted influencers by major media corporations and brands who distribute advance copies of books, cosmetics samples and even gadgets like iPads to people who comment on consumer goods online.

If that media-savvy librarian wearing glasses hanging from her neck posts book reviews online in her spare time, there’s a good chance publishers are asking her to preview upcoming releases. Don’t underestimate who’s the best candidate to receive free stuff for promotional purposes – someone with the power to influence their social network is someone who marketers want to contact.

Whether it’s a rant or rave, blogging about the smartphone you just upgraded to will probably catch the attention of its manufacturer’s marketing department because scouring the net for buzz about their products is in their job description.

Keeping in mind the likelihood of being discovered online for writing about certain keywords, it remains crucial to be cognisant of online behaviour in all forums, especially for job hunters. For people who rely on social networking websites as an alternative to attending professional networking events where strangers strike up conversations in person, there is no excuse for carelessly sharing content online.

If you wouldn’t want to give a wimpy handshake, then don’t be negligent about the impression you can make online either. Regardless of your Klout score, expect to have some unexpected (and anonymous) followers and post accordingly.

May 20, 2011 by

Word on the Street

The following is inspired by a Microsoft commercial (see post below) and recaps some lessons learned in MIT.

Hey there, you may know me as Prince. I loved this past New Years Eve because who doesn’t like partying like it’s 20Ten and playing with meaning? That’s what Derrida promoted back in his day and I can see why. It’s exactly why I released some songs through a newspaper this past summer, as I like to do things differently.

People in this world need to be courageous and creative. Being a follower won’t get you anywhere but being called a copycat and I don’t want a CC of anyone else’s ideas. I prefer to spread my own ideas and I love how Web 2.0 lets me do just that.

That’s why I turn to the blogosphere to rant about whatever I feel like. Democratic communication is a beautiful thing and I think more people should recognize how they can use it for progressive social change. So many opportunities, yet so little time, but we got to stop procrastinating already and put an end to all this marginalization. There are simply way too many stereotypes circulating the WWW and it’s time that somebody does something about it!

It’s great that Kylie has the tools to capture, edit and share her photos, but let’s not forget that her distant relatives aren’t all as lucky. There’s some major social injustice in this world; someone’s got to fix that digital divide. When there are journalists who think a university campus could be ‘too Asian’, it seems impossible for everyone to be like one happy family in a global village. Kylie seems optimistic though. Hopefully her online habits won’t make her become the sad caricature of the computer enthusiast (you’re the man, Vincent Mosco).

The keyboard is like a sword sometimes; Kylie should be careful what she does with those little fingers. As Alan Turing says, communication is war continued by other means. So whether it’s for employment purposes, personal branding, or just an attempt to get a date on Saturday night, people should be careful what they say.

By creating a whole campaign based on binaries, Apple makes it seem like every day is national suit up day in uptight Seattle. You know what Microsoft should really do? Develop an app or add a feature to MS Word that helps people develop their craft in spoken word. It’s such a cool art form, yet many people don’t recognize that. It must be because they’re spending too much time fooling around with their shiny iTouch screens.

I’m thinking about booking a trip to Mexico so I can strengthen my muscles in one of Madonna’s new gyms. What a material girl, trying to put her name on everything. She’s always touring the world to reinvent herself. Well, wish me luck on my upcoming globe-trotting adventures (and come see the show if you can).

That white kid Bieber thinks he can take my place? He can try, but he can’t replace me or the king of pop, may he RIP. Michael was a fabulous performer. Plus, he practically named his son after me. Everything’s so pre-digested these days. We need more originality. Come on, you indie musicians, let’s hear it. Put your cultural capital to good use. You’ve got your freedom and I don’t see anyone handing you death threats, so get to it! I’m curious to see what bricolage budding musicians will mash-up next.

Here’s to making great cultural texts,

Cheers!

January 4, 2011 by