Browsing Tag

humour

Promotions Around Downtown Toronto

Yonge and Dundas Square is a popular destination in downtown Toronto and therefore a prime location for companies that want to raise brand awareness among a large audience of pedestrians. No matter how often I shop at the Toronto Eaton Centre, I seem to miss some of the most exciting experiential marketing stunts. To compensate, I rely on YouTube and industry publications to get my fix and find out what’s happening.

Thanks to YouTube pre-roll, I discovered two cool campaigns that were executed recently by Koodo and Keurig. The alliteration of these brand names is unintentional, but noted.

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November 26, 2014 by

Grumpy Cat Visits Toronto

Hot On The Street - Grumpy Cat Indigo

Photo Source: Indigo

You know how point and shoot cameras have a ‘kids and pets’ feature? Well, if you like pets and have a camera (or a smartphone!), then head over to Indigo at the Toronto Eaton Centre TODAY.

Grumpy Cat is in Toronto and this is an event you can’t miss if BuzzFeed is your homepage.

Cats are cute and memes are funny. Say hi to the famous cat—no excuses!

Afterwards, find a place to sit down and brainstorm ideas for the perfect Instagram caption. There are lots of seats available at Richtree. Or just go to Aroma on the lower level and order an iced chai latte. You won’t regret it.

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August 9, 2014 by

Connect Online For A Better Bottom Line

Establishing a presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube is a necessary step in promoting new productions, but it is not enough. Effective social media marketing is complex and posting a few links on Facebook or fun facts on Twitter each week is just the beginning.

Using social media management tools to monitor relevant online chatter and respond to patrons’ feedback is very important. For instance, if there has been more buzz about rude front of house staff than the cast’s acting abilities, but that’s unbeknownst to management, then that’s a serious cause for concern.

To stand out amongst the noise, which characterizes social media, stay up to date about industry-wide best practices and assess competitors’ social media activity. If you want to improve your Facebook page, then find brand pages that frequently share interesting content that has high-quality visual elements and understand the approximate 80/20 split between being conversational and promotional. Viral videos like Will It Blend? demonstrate how easy it is to produce engaging content at minimal cost.

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January 13, 2014 by

Stephen Colbert’s 3 Favourite Things

There is “so much [comedic] talent out there and not enough time to show it all,” Sandra Bullock astutely said during the People’s Choice Awards. The award-winning star of The Heat and Gravity took home four trophies on Wednesday night, while I sat at home wishing I had her brown wavy locks.

Kat Dennings, my other favourite brunette Hollywood star, dazzled in her role as co-host. When she quoted fans’ tweets and introduced which song Beth Behrs would sing next, she quickly made that segment a highlight of the 40th People’s Choice Awards. I promised my Facebook friends that I won’t blog more about the dance move Miley popularized last year, so let’s just say Beth’s rendition of Wrecking Ball was epic. Matt LeBlanc joked about singing a song too, but claimed that he couldn’t due to time constraints. The former Friends star then announced that The Big Bang Theory (the show with a Barenaked Ladies theme song) was named Favourite Network TV Comedy.

Kaley Cuoco AKA television’s sweetest newlywed accepted the award for Favourite Comedic TV Actress. She started the year with a bang by wearing a pink Vera Wang dress to her wedding, which she decorated with an upside-down cake hanging from a chandelier. Watching her in the opening sequence on the set of 2 Broke Girls was amusing. Remember, stars are just like us. They’re busy people who care about loyalty programs at Jamba Juice.

Whereas Justin Timberlake spoke about his team in the context of how they’re obligated to deal with his neuroses, Jennifer Hudson brought her sister into the spotlight to emphasize the importance of teamwork and family. “My mother always taught us that without family, you have nothing,” she said. Cover girl material right there. Sponsorship-related pun intended. 

Photo: Billboard

Photo: Billboard

Surprisingly, last night marked the first time Britney Spears won her a People’s Choice Award. Britney celebrated her prize and comeback in a dress that screamed Las Vegas style and reminded me how much I want to return to the west coast.

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January 9, 2014 by

The Meme-ing of Life According to Second City

Second City Toronto Cast

Second City’s new show, The Meme-ing of Life, which examines technology’s impact on modern relationships, induces nostalgic feelings for a time when people spent more time talking than texting. From sifting through online dating profiles on Lavalife’s website to coping with YouTube addictions, The Meme-ing of Life essentially covers everything in today’s zeitgeist.

One wonderful sketch features a driver (Jan Caruana) intensely frustrated with a border crossing guard (Nigel Downer). The majority of Torontonians seem to have a funny story about discretely indulging in shopping sprees abroad or hiding beer in the trunk, so this is remarkably relatable material. Next time you and your partner drive to the United States and they ask if you have anything to declare, perhaps you should test out the following line as your response: “Yes, officer, our love.”

While it’s easy to bond over stories about crossing the border, few local experiences compare to encounters with sketchy people on the TTC. Another sketch effectively pokes fun at how single people can potentially find love amidst all the smelly commuters. Through interactions that gradually become flirtatious, a man’s efforts to sit in the seat a woman reserves for her purse eventually lead to a make-out session on public transit. Local newspapers are filled with stories of missed connections, so theirs is perfectly suitable for a dating story about Generation Y’s hook-up culture.

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March 24, 2013 by