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YouTube

Promotions Around Downtown Toronto

Photo Source: Toronto Grand Prix Tourist
Photo Source: Toronto Grand Prix Tourist

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.

Keurig

When Tim Hortons celebrated their 50th anniversary at Yonge and Dundas Square, they demonstrated that it’s a smart place to promote coffee. Keurig followed their lead in October with more spontaneous entertainment for passersby interested in a free cup.

Unbeknownst to customers, Keurig had grand plans brewing. Keurig’s method of surprising caffeine-deprived people reminds me of the flash mob craze, as you’ll see that performers popped up to make pouring coffee more of a celebration than a chore. It’s as if a jukebox was attached to the Keurig 2.0 machine and only a few select people had the right change to turn it on.

Koodo

When you’re on the go, mobile charging stations are a lifesaver. Just ask any of the ladies at Spark Sessions who used one supplied by Best Buy. Recognizing this pain point, Koodo hired a guy to dress up as a neon green battery, approach Torontonians in the summer and offer to give their phones a boost. The ambassador’s personality is cheeky and on brand. Kudos to him for walking around in that costume in the heat.

The video captures close-ups of potential customers’ reactions and reminds viewers about the importance of mobile accessories that will prolong your battery. Considering how long it takes to leave the maze that is The Ex, I imagine that those people appreciated it the most.

Now that there’s snow on the ground, I’m curious to see how marketers will make a similar effort to engage customers indoors, such as through a unique vending machine at the Toronto Eaton Centre. While you’re looking at decorated store windows, take a look around when you’re walking downtown and keep an eye out for noteworthy branded experiences!

[2025 Update: Unfortunately, the YouTube videos for these ads have been removed.]

November 26, 2014 by

5 Questions With Familiar Strangers

Familiar Strangers

Familiar Strangers (Ryan Peters, Josh Gladstone and Daniel Draper) put on a great show Sunday night at Drums N Flats. Their set list included original songs like Bar in Seattle, as well as covers of Avicii’s Wake Me Up, Barenaked Ladies’ Pinch Me and The Lumineers’ Ho Hey. 

Which band do you want to reunite this year?

Ryan: Groove Street

Josh: On The Rocks

Daniel: Dispatch

Who would you like to see win big at the Grammys?

Ryan: Taylor Swift

Josh: Mumford and Sons

Daniel: Daft Punk or Robin Thicke

Do you think music videos are still important?

Ryan: Videos are a good way to get to know the band’s personality. OK Go have a really cool music video with them walking on a treadmill, which showed off their quirkiness. I think [music videos] are still important.

Josh: I think we’re in an age of visual people because of YouTube etc., so if people want to get famous, they have to go down that route, or else they won’t have a presence. But in my opinion, music should always be primary.

Daniel: I don’t think they help artists sell music, but they’re good for artists that want to make a statement. I like Lupe Fiasco and Macklemore because they recently came out with some interesting videos. What Beyoncé did by putting out a video for each song was incredibly unique and made a statement. They’re not just dancing videos; they’re telling stories.

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January 20, 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

Maria Aragon Was Born To Be A Star!

In her interview on Friday with 104.5 CHUM FM’s Joey Brooks, Lady Gaga said that her intent with her latest single, ‘Born This Way’ was to create a song with an “un-apologetically positive and strong and empowering” message.

Each time the station introduces her song now, they refer to her performance on the Grammys, when she emerged onto the stage from an ‘egg’ before launching into a highly choreographed dance.

Lady Gaga always gives something people to talk about, but now that she has broken records for digital downloads, she is making headline news. ‘Born This Way’ is the fastest selling single on iTunes – quite an accomplishment for a 24 year old. Speaking of young talent, Lady Gaga also intends to invite YouTube superstar Maria Aragon to join her on stage at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on March 3rd. I can’t help but think about how Avril Lavigne once joined Shania Twain on stage and look where that punk princess is now…like what the hell! Imagine what the future holds for 10 year old Maria, especially once she has some professional vocal training.

February 20, 2011 by

In the News

– Nearly 250,000 Germans have requested that their houses not appear in Google Street View, which “shows that citizens want to decide which data about themselves is published on the internet”, said Peter Schaar, the head of Germany’s data protection watchdog. FULL STORY

– Bell will release the new Blackberry Bold 9780 on Tuesday November 2. T-Mobile will release the phone in the U.S. next month as well.

– Lady Gaga hit 1 billion views for her YouTube video, thus beating Justin Bieber. “We reached one billion views on YouTube little monsters!” she tweeted.

– In addition to adding more disturbing graphics to cigarette packaging, BBC has reported that the government may ban smoking in private cars in the UK. FULL STORY

– About 30 years after losing their son, Myron and Berna Garron have donated $30 million to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto for cancer research. According to The Globe and Mail, their contribution is the largest private gift in North America for pediatric cancer care.

October 26, 2010 by