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

Concert Review: Lionel Richie

If the stadium had a roof, then everyone would have been dancing on the ceiling Tuesday night at the Rexall Centre. Soft rock and R&B legend Lionel Richie’s performance marked the third concert in the BlackCreek Summer Music Festival’s inaugural season.

The former Commodore had the crowd on their feet and singing along from the moment he took the stage at about 10 pm. Lionel’s arrival on stage was delayed due to rain, but the opening set by Michael McDonald was unaffected by the weather. By the time Lionel started, most of the audience was already wearing BlackCreek ponchos and eager to hear him open with “All Around the World”.

Radio stations tend to exaggerate when they claim to play all your favourite hits, but Richie really delivered, by performing many of his chart-topping hits from the 80’s to present, such as “Ballerina Girl” and “Running with the Night”. Recognizing that the crowd ranged from university students to retirees, he ensured that his set list included a balance of ballads, dance numbers and remixes.

Unlike concerts at other amphitheatres that are filled with preteens constantly snapping photos, there was relatively little fan photography. When Richie and his band members joined together for a photo op at the front of the stage during “Brick House”, this was of little significance to the crowd who preferred to continue dancing. There was even a couple off to the corner of the stage who swing danced to Richie’s music and made the most of being at an outdoor concert in a spacious stadium.

Richie shared that he expected a quiet and mellow group to sit back and listen to love songs, but loved how the crowd was “going in another direction.” Some of his comments admittedly sounded scripted, but fans didn’t seem to care as they danced in the aisles and near the entrances alongside event staff – it was like a timeless dance party Tuesday night.

Richie opined that he hasn’t seen audiences dance like that “since ’84,” a time before I was even born! Speaking of flashbacks, Richie seemed to get a kick out of looking at dated promotional photos of himself that fans standing at the edge of the stage motioned for him to sign (a few of which he did). “What was I thinking?” he joked, assessing his fashion choices and past hairdo, insisting that it was a photo of his father. As for his current tour wardrobe, Richie accessorized his all-black outfit with a chunky gold necklace and watch.

Lionel Richie’s show was the liveliest in the BlackCreek Festival to date. In some ways, I find it hard to believe he’s the father of a reality TV star known for her foolish behavior on The Simple Life because there’s such a contrast – this Richie seems to really know what he’s doing. You could’ve had an obstructed view sitting behind the stage and still enjoyed listening to Richie singing and playing the piano, while accompanied by his outstanding band.

June 30, 2011 by

Purple Streak

It doesn’t take a large survey of tween girls to realize that feather hair extensions are the latest craze. This new trend is popping up across North America, including in L.A. and Toronto, although very few hairstylists have been trained in Canada to date. Demi Lovato is one of many celebrities sporting the new trend and rocker Steven Tyler is another fan who has been seen wearing them on American Idol. Demand for the feathers remains high as people search online beauty shops and salon owners scramble to find suppliers.

I was able to act as a guinea pig, so to speak, for a local hairstylist just hours after she received her training. I couldn’t test out the blonde/black feather weave that she was wearing, but for the past week I have had a purple/black feather in my hair. I probably wouldn’t be able to find it if she had inserted a solid black feather, so this ‘purple streak’ seemed to be the most suitable option. It doesn’t make nearly as bold of a statement as the skater chicks who eagerly don bright pink streaks in their hair at Avril Lavigne concerts, but it certainly adds a unique touch to my ‘do. Pink hair is trending right now too, by the way.

Unless I put my hair half up or clip some of it back, it’s hard to notice because it blends in with the rest of my dark hair. The same goes for my naturally blonde friend (whom I share initials with), as she was given a light blonde feather extension that blends in with her highlights. The extension is expected to hold for 2-3 weeks, at which point it will simply fall out.

Growing up, I occasionally got a colourful hair wrap while at a theme park or all-over braids at a summer festival, but haven’t done anything like that for several years already. If I were to try out this trend again, I would definitely choose to get multiple extensions scattered throughout my hair so that it’d noticeable and look more playful.

Until posting this online, I’ve remained discreet about the addition to my hair, which has had no chemical treatment or colouring to date, and now I find myself tempted to experiment further. I also recommend it as a birthday party activity idea for girls – just envision how that group shot will look in the end!

Jennifer Love Hewitt    Selena Gomez

June 7, 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