kevrichard blog

Microsoft, Keep Doing Things Like This!!

I heard about this project from on the FIR podcast #418 and once I started reading about it I started salivating at the Marketing/Tech oportunities! Called the Microsoft Tag , essentially it is a barcode maker but a cool one at that. With the increased usage of Smart phones more and more people are starting to have 2 things with them at all times, a digital camera and an internet browser. With that in mind through the use of these multi coloured barcodes people can upload them to their phone using their digital camera and it is then translated into specific webcontent through the Microsoft plug in.

If you go to the site Microsoft gives a few potential uses for this product such as downloading a bus schedule, being forwarded to a movie trailer from a movie poster or getting more information from a real estate sign. I’m sure if shown the benefits of this product this can be used in so many other applications such as directing people to product descriptions at retail stores, linking interactive campaigns and paper advertising ( such as magazine, and street signage) even something as simple as a museum tour could be done with this technology.

Overall the biggest function for something like this is that it may be able to give a new form of interaction between consumer and company in a person’s everyday life. And unlike any obtrusive ad campaign out there this is something that the person opts into meaning that firms don’t waste their time with people that aren’t interested in the comodities they provide.

Kudo’s to Microsoft for coming out with this, I’m normally not a huge fan of the company (damn you Vista!) but when they let themselves be a bit more relaxed and creative they can come out with good stuff ( such as the Xbox 360, and the Zune) now if only they would actually release something like this!

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I <3 Reddit!

So I’ve been reading Grown Up Digital by Don Tapscott ( amazing book!) and have just finished the chapter on “The Net Generation as Consumers” where in one section he spoke about companies becoming essentially friends with their target consumers. Reflecting back to companies I’ve dealt with the news aggregator site Reddit comes to mind. I’m a big fan of this site and have often either forwarded links from this site or shared it with my friends and I do this not only because I enjoy the content on the site but because the site creators have essentially become my friend and have befriended the rest of the website members. Here are some of the simple yet significant ways that they manage to do this:

Interacting with members outside of the site: The creators of this site not only interact with members through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter ( ex: @ kn0thing) they have offline meetups! I’ve met with them personally last year during their Drankkit World Tour where they went to major centers and sat down and had drinks with members ( a few pics of me at that event included) but they even do it randomly including having dinner with a Reddit member who just asked if anyone were interested in going out for dinner.

They personalize: The Reddit alien is a big part of the personality of the website, almost every day a new drawing of it is posted up depending on current events or project of the site. From time to time as a result of already mentioned meet ups or requests of members the Reddit Alien is redrawn or the Reddit logo even contains relevant pictures. As well the website is in a constant state of change( much like Gmail its in constant Beta) if there are enough user requests certain aspects of the site are changed.

Not only are they creators, but they are also users: They don’t passively watch the site or attempt to moderate it , they are fully involved members. They aren’t afraid to get in there and post a comment or link and create discussions with other users. They also start side projects that encourage further member collaboration. Sometimes it can be silly such as Mr.Splashypants but even in more serious matters such as Reddits Feed A Need campaign where users are encouraged to lend their skills and time in helping out a not for profit organization.

Overall I have a major heart on for this site and its creators. As a consumer I have a choice between Digg and Reddit as they are essentially the same site and many times have the same links but as Reddit has worked harder to befriend me my loyalty is pretty cemented in place . I’ve included a few pictures from Drankkit Toronto 07 , some with me included. Enjoy!

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The 2 Reddit Creators , Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian with Jenna Landry from Wired Magazine

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My attempt at a "C" for Canada.... it ended up pretty lame!

Have any Questions/Comments? Contact me at kevin.richard@ryerson.ca or send me a twitter message.

Advertising / Event Promotions — 1 comment
22
Jan 09

Budweiser Superbowl Promo at Dundas Square

One of the reasons I enjoy taking classes at Ryerson is that its right beside Dundas Square, arguably Canada’s promotional/advertising mecca. Almost every day there is something going on from a different company, today it was a huge promotion from Budweiser.

I’ve taken some pictures of the materials and events they had going on today, overall I had to say it was pretty cool from what I could see, though I don’t necessarily know if it will get the results they want (perhaps more people will view it at night?) . Edge 102.1 was there broadcasting the contest going on which was where contestants had their hand on a Budweiser plane, whomever outlasts the rest wins a Budweiser trip to the Superbowl.

Then they had the Budweiser beauties I guess you can say, they were there to get people to sign up for the flat screen tv contest and encourage people to use the football simulator. The heat pylons where a nice touch as well, but no samples what gives! Overall it was pretty interactive and eye catching one day promotion .

Have any Questions/Comments? Contact me at kevin.richard@ryerson.ca or send me a twitter message.

General Business / Uncategorized — 2 comments
20
Jan 09

Do as I say…. not as I do?

Ok, so I saw this and thought it would be something hilarious to do :

Andy Nulman, I WANT YOUR BOOK Pow Right Between the Eyes ! (Kevin Richard Unit 3 350 Huron St. , Toronto Ontario M5S 2G3)

I feel really bad for doing this after listening and reading about how there can be a loss of credibility when taking materials from outside corporations/interests on Six Pixels of Separation but I’m also an avid reader and as marketing is my area of interest its kind of hard to pass this up.

So Blog post for a book….not a bad deal. If its any good I’ll write a follow up post, if not it this will never be mentioned again. I guess I’ll rebuild my legitimacy through puting up a good blog post very soon!

General Business / Personal / Uncategorized — No comments
16
Jan 09

I Throw Like a Girl, So Instead I Joined the League of Kick Ass!

So I’m still working out my schedule and regular routine having jumped into 2009 so I’ve been a bit slow on blogging (I’m getting there!) . On Monday I attended for the first time a League of Kick Ass Business People event! While there werent any super hero’s present like in the League of Justice or anything else you would picture in a comic book it was still pretty ‘Kick Ass!’.

Along with hearing some of the insights from members of this elite ( or L33T) group, the theme of the night was ‘The Kickass Green Event’ talking about green business, and the Canadian environment. All in all really good speakers:

-Leslie Domenico from Green Enterprise Toronto spoke about sustainable and green business within Toronto ( big focus on local sourcing and equitable business)

-Linda Mortsch from Environment Canada gave an intense wake up call about the state of global warming and how its going to affect our planet.

-Andy Thomson blew me away twice, first with his amazing presentation skills ( when you can tear 50+ business people from conversation to pay attention to you, thats what I call having presence!) and after with his presentation on green homes with the interesting idea of a green trailer park which was less trailer trash and more loft living in a forest.

I unfortunately had to dash to another meeting I had, but afterwards there was a presentation from Bikes without Borders which probably rocked as well, they sound like an inovative not for profit organization which I look forward to reading more about, perhaps getting involved sometime in the future(Linkage).

Overall, it was a good night even despite having to cut it short. I’m really exited to become more involved in the LOKBP ( for more about what they are check out here! ) this is definitely a group that while making me feel insignificant because I’m not fully kick ass (yet!) it also makes me want to learn and expand myself and bring myself to that level.

If you perhaps are a kick as business person who just happened to stumble upon my blog twitter @SeanMoffitt as not only is he the ‘big kahuna’ of the group , I’m sure he’d be happy to have you aboard. The next LOKBP event Kick ass Design, will be happening March 4th ( so far away!) and Sean is also begining to get together a group of Under 30 years KBP group as well! Pretty exciting stuff.

Thats it for me, back to my chill friday night! Got any Questions/Comments? Contact me at kevin.richard@ryerson.ca or send me a twitter message.

Advertising / Branding / Event Promotions — No comments
12
Jan 09

Sharpen your Blades! Red Bull Event Promotions

Red Bull has me really hooked at the moment with their Crashed Ice Promotion coming up in Quebec City. I’ve looked at the promotional materials and a few clips of this event and it looks like complete insanity. Upon looking at it further I’ve noticed that this is a very different sports sponsorship than what many other larger companies have been doing ( such as sponsorship of an established event or buying naming rights to the venue) .

Rather than take something proven and established , Red Bull has partnered with a host city ( locations included Helsinki, Stockholm, Moscow and Quebec City since 2006) combined popular aspects of hockey and luge and created an event that they take they can take full credit for. Risky business, but obviously for Red Bull this works as this event has been going world wide since 2000.

This isn’t the first event Red Bull has hosted and created as they’ve been involved as well with the creation of FlugTag USA ( home made gliders going over a cliff competing for the farthest distance, amazing!) . Overall I’m really excited for Crashed Ice to come around and thought this was a great case of a brand promoting itself. You can check out the Crashed Ice Website here or check out the the Youtube clip I’ve included . Crashed Ice is going to be occuring on Jan. 24th on TSN for those of you who want to watch it for yourself….. my goal is to go and see it live in 2010!

Questions/Comments?: contact me at kevin.richard@ryerson.ca or send me a twitter message.

Communications / General Business — No comments
05
Jan 09

Steve Jobs: I’m not dead yet!!

This is a pretty insane case of the CEO being part of a company’s brand. Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple has come out in a public letter stating that he is in good health and not dying! Much like earlier this year after a presentation of the Iphone 3G , rumors about his health have been circulating around the net after it was announced that Job’s will not be giving the 2009 keynote at MacWorld.

After this announcement Apple stock took a significant dive falling to $83.35 a share from $100 in mid December. Steve Jobs in his statement attempting to prevent further damage , stated that he was skipping MacWorld this year to focus on a recent hormone imbalance that has been causing him to lose significant weight over the past year and that he is OK staying on as CEO for the forseeable future.

With Job’s prostate cancer announcement in 2004 pundits and investors have taken an increased interest in his health giving rumors like this very quick legs. While Steve Jobs has been instrumental upon his return in bring back Apple co. to great success , he has now in my opinion become a liability to the firm. Being so strongly associated with the brand (among some apple fanatics he’s seen as a savior) investors and customers cannot see a future for this company without its ‘great leader’.

My prediction for the year is either while becoming fed up or slowly forced out of the company Steve Jobs will step down from his position as CEO and take a more consultative role . While he’s done such great things for this company I think this is an example of how a company cannot have a single figure head or public face to the firm because like in the case of Steve Jobs’ if they are unable or unsuitable to represent the firm , the company overall becomes weaker in the eyes of the public.

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Image source: http://www.pocketpicks.co.uk/latest/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/steve_jobs.gif

Personal — 2 comments
31
Dec 08

6 Things That Make Me Happy (C/O THE KARIN)

As I’ve been challenged to make my own list by Karin at her blog THE KARIN here goes my post about 6 things that make me happy (in no particular order):

Walks: either with the headphones in listening to the latest music I have or with a friend talking about everything and anything I enjoy experiencing the streets of toronto ( or anywhere really) and looking at all of the sights and sounds. A lot of the time I find I just zoom by things and miss all the details, but by slowing down and making yourself more conscious you notice all of the new changes and goings on around you.

Books: It can be through school reading a sometimes long winded text book or turning every suspense filled page of the the newest Koontz book ( right now reading Odd Hours!) reading is something I’ve enjoyed for a long time. My family has always been pretty big on reading and I’ve always enjoyed learning about someones new idea or creative story line. Sitting down with a good book seems to just make everything fade away and places you in the moment with every word on the page.

Reddit.com: I came upon this website 2 years ago and come back to it on a daily basis. To best describe it ,its basically a collection of stuff and just randomness. There are always links on this site that make me laugh, or links about a current events that make me think. Oh and I can’t forget about the crazy marketing campaign they had last year called Drankkit World Tour! Overall a site that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Electronic Gaming: Ok I admit it, I’m a bit of a nerd…. I can’t help it! As soon as I had my hands on Super Mario Bros for the orignal Nintendo I was pretty hooked. While I don’t have the time/money to enjoy much of this current generations games ( althought Guitar Hero rocks!) I do from time to time pick up one of the old titles I have such as Halo or SSX snowboarding. Lately I’ve been getting my electronic gaming fix at Newgrounds and for 2009 I’m looking forward to the release of StarCraft 2!

New Experiences: from learning a new topic, exploring a new area of town or hanging out with a new friend I find experiencing something new or different exciting. I guess I can blame it on not staying in one place for too long, that gave me a strong curiousity for things .

Sleep!: This is not to say I’m a slacker or anything but I always thought it was a good end to the day. The feeling of the blanket surrounding me, a pitch black room and a soft pillow under my head , I always thought it a great place to be alone with my thoughts . I actually find I do some of my best thinking/problem solving directly before and after I go to sleep.

Questions/Comments?: contact me at kevin.richard@ryerson.ca or send me a twitter message.

Personal — 1 comment
28
Dec 08

2009 Strategy

Stratigic Management had to be one of my favorite classes of the past term. I really enjoyed researching and putting together strategies for a wide range of companies ( if only Pilgrims Pride had merged…they wouldn’t be here ) I also had an awesome prof that got me thinking about where I’m going and deliberately positioning myself where I want to go instead of letting things happen passively ( Dr.Steven Gedeon is nominated for TVO’s Best Lecture, check it out here! )

I’ve had a lot of thought about it and I thought it would be important to create a strategy for myself in 2009 to ensure that I have a set direction of where I want to go with things. I think in general its also something that everyone should consider moving into the new year ( 3 more days!). Here are my 3 priorities for 2009:

1. Becoming more passionate: I’ve noticed that when I have a strong interest in a task or invest a lot of myself into something I’m much more effective and feel more strongly about it. As well I’ve been noticing that being passionate at what you do is a major success factor, I’ve seen a few cases where people just ooze passion and they are definitely at the top of their game.

So What?* On my part this is going to take 2 tactics. On the one hand I’m going to have to build passion and enthusiasim into the work I do, that means changing my attitude , having more in depth planning and building stronger focus.

My second tactic is going to be building my passion. I find exploring and experiencing new things has been something that’s always energized me, and I haven’t been doing that a lot lately. My goal for the year is going to be every week to go out and spend a few hours and try something new, maybe I’ll even build some long term interests.

2. Spend time on the right people : Something that I think was a bit of a downfall for me in 2008 was that I started the bad habit of trying to keep the people around me happy and ignoring what I needed. Despite my efforts to impress, things were very often onsided. On the other side of things, there were relationships that I really valued and never made the time to invest in them.

So What? Prority #1 for this goal is going to be reconnecting and spending time with the people I care about and value. Its going to be about breaking from the regular cycle and taking the time to be present. A side goal I would like to explore is also being with new people, seeing some new perspectives on things.

3. Taking care of my health: Being a student sitting at a desk for hours on end I’ve found that while I’m not gaining any wieght, I’m not getting any more fit either. Something I also need to watch for is a recently learned family history of heart disease.

So What? For me its going to be about setting the time and getting a routine together. This past term I bought a school gym membership and used it twice! This year I’ve got to get out of my bed ( despite how comfortable it is) and drag myself to get some exercise done. Its also going to mean building a bit more incentive in as well, my plan is to become a much better squash player in the coming year !

* Its pointless to have goals without strategies to get there, something my prof often commented on in assignments is the “So What” aspect of ones work. You can write something done but in the end what does it mean!

Advertising — 2 comments
22
Dec 08

You Stole My Virginity! Can I have another Whopper?!

In terms of advertising and promotions Burger king has been using a lot of creativity compared to their competitors in the fast food industry. This included the viral site Subservient Chicken and the creation of the “King” in commericial campaigns and even his own series of successful video games . Going in a different direction the creative minds at Burger King have come up with another interesting idea, a documentary!

Titled the Whopper Virgins a crew of researchers hired by Burger King are tasked with finding once and for all who has the better Burger ? Mcdonanlds or Burger King. This documentary created by ad firm Crispin, Porter and Bogusky goes into remote villages of Greenland ,Romania and Thailand places that have never seen a burger where the term Whopper Virgins come in. Through comparative taste tests between the Whopper and Big Mac from a taste test of these populations the researchers come to the conclusion that tasters preffered the Whopper.

While some claim that the whole idea offensive or even exploitive, I thought it was brilliant! Barring all the arguements that its intruding on these villagers, making light of hunger issues or exposing them to potentially harmful North American culture( is a single burger so bad?) it none the less sparked discussion and feelings about Burger King and its Whopper sandwhich,something that every promotional campaign builds towards.

I’m sure this documentary won’t be seen by a large portion of the population and it won’t create new markets in Greenland any time soon but more importantly it went on to instill ideas and has even sparked discussion among consumers making it more likely that BK will stay in their top of mind awareness . This is unlike general commercials from Mcdonalds and Wendy’s which may spur a quick hunger pang from the thought of all of that greasy goodness ( mmm burgers!) but will be forgotten within a few minutes of viewing like all the other commericials consumers are bombarded within a day.

I’ve included the documentary below (its short!) check it out if you can:

KevRichardTechnology and Digital Communications