Browsing Tag

food

Happy Birthday Tim Hortons

“It’s like Mad Men around here.”

Even though Tim Hortons never had a chance to work with Don Draper, they’ve done quite well in the last 50 years. According to Marketel, Tim Hortons is Canadian women’s favourite brand and it ranks high on my list too.

To celebrate its 50th birthday, Tim Hortons threw a huge bash at Yonge & Dundas Square today. Actors wearing vintage garments created a vibrant scene set in the 60s, featuring parents with a baby carriage and a police officer who was delighted to put people in his black and white cop car. They put on quite a show and a caffeinated audience ‘ate it up,’ as my grandmother likes to say.

May 15, 2014 by Sarah Prince

Behind The Brand: Jack Astor’s

Name: Jason Cassidy

Position: Community Manager

Education: Political Science and Journalism, St. Thomas University; Professional Communication, Ryerson University

Professional role model:

Amanda Nelson was my supervisor at Radian6. Similar to myself, she began as a journalist and turned those foundational skills of writing, editing and storytelling into an up-and-coming role based on content creation and management. I admire her because of what I learned under her guidance, but I also really aspire to work in a similar role.

In 140 characters or less, why should Canadians eat and drink at Jack Astor’s?

Jack Astor’s offers delicious food in a fun, unpretentious setting served by a team of infectiously energetic and pleasant people.

Which menu items do you recommend for first-time customers?

Without hesitation, the Holy Smoke BBQ Burger or The 10oz South American top sirloin steak. Insider tip: order the Jack’d n Stack’d garlic cheese fries on the side!

What do you love about Jack Astor’s food?

About 95% of the menu is made in-house. The Cluckin’ Fresh Chicken Fingers, for example, begin as a boneless, skinless chicken breast. They are then massaged for 2 minutes, chopped and breaded twice for extra crunch. Fresh is best and I don’t think we do a good enough job of communicating that—myself included!

April 25, 2014 by Sarah Prince

Disney’s Most Wanted Cameos

Miss-Piggy-Hollywood-Studios-Disney-Hot-On-The-Street

Whether she’s on a billboard or the big screen, Miss Piggy is always larger than life.

It’s hard to adjust to the real world after a Disney World vacation. When you’re at Disney World, everything is great. Everything is grand. You’ve got the whole wide world in the palm of your hand (it’s true – just pick up something from Epcot!). Life’s a happy song when you’re at Disney World.

When Disney released Muppets Most Wanted, they presented an opportunity to enjoy the art of animation without paying for another flight to Orlando. I went to the theatre with high hopes, as I really liked the first film and its soundtrack, but I left feeling disappointed. At least the opening song of Muppets Most Wanted acknowledges “the sequel’s never quite as good.” That’s the only track worth downloading.

March 26, 2014 by Sarah Prince

Watch Disney Movies Anywhere

Disney’s new cloud movie service inspired me to return to the happiest place on earth. Now that I’m back, I’m excited to watch my favourite animated movies – especially Mary Poppins. Let’s rewind a bit, #ThrowbackThursday style, to explain the correlation between Disney’s app and my trip.

My former colleagues at Blast Radius designed creative to advertise Disney’s new streaming service and as soon as I saw a preview, nostalgia got the best of me. A few weeks later, I went to Orlando to relax and enjoy Disney’s world-class entertainment. Staying at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort only made me more eager to watch Disney movies, so I’m excited to download Disney Movies Anywhere and tackle my to-watch list.

Disney Movies Anywhere is available to PC and Mac users through iTunes and its movie catalogue has over 400 titles. Working at Future Shop tempted me to buy Apple TV and I know that when I eventually splurge on it, Disney movies will look better than when I initially watched them on VHS sans flat-screen TV.

The launch of Disney Movies Anywhere was scheduled to coincide with the release of Frozen, which is nominated for best animated feature film at the Oscars. It was fun to see replicas of Disney’s Academy Awards at the Animation Studio and Gallery in Hollywood Studios and I hope they earn more statues this weekend.

It’s a polar vortex out there, so stay in on Sunday night and cheer for Frozen. In the meantime, check out Disney Movies Anywhere. Bonus points if you make Mickey-shaped cookies to snack on instead of popcorn.

February 27, 2014 by Sarah Prince

Happy New Year

One of my favourite sessions at CM1, Toronto’s first conference for community managers, was led by Ryan Ginsberg from Twitter Canada. His talk focused on how social content strategists can plan ahead for and respond to big moments. This includes holidays and unexpected pop culture spectacles like Miley Cyrus twerking at the VMAs.

Last year, I wrote about how Oreo mastered social media when they were quick to post about the Super Bowl blackout. Oreo’s Super Bowl post was brilliant because their team quickly produced an image with a few words that effectively made millions crave Oreo cookies.

Likeable branded content is simple. Even though digital teams can plan for holidays like New Year’s Eve months in advance, I think a minimalistic execution is optimal. Essentially all you need to do is be engaging and say something to the effect of “Happy Holidays!” with copy and visuals that are aligned with the brand. When businesses create holiday greetings with too many CTAs, they risk appearing obnoxious, as ADP Canada’s Elizabeth Williams observes.

3 brands that understand the power of brevity when celebrating the holidays are Sharpie, Ben and Jerry’s and Holt Renfrew. Look at their Instagram posts to see what I mean:

January 1, 2014 by Sarah Prince

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