From waiting in lines to Curling..

It’s been another great day in Vancouver!

Women’s curling this morning- another CAN vs Swiss semi final.
I feel like they have bigger cowbells than us but we can still take them.

The guy in the blue is a human zamboni.

Canada takes out the Swiss in womens curling— have to say our seats were not comparable to Mondays, had a lot of trouble seeing the game.

February in Vancouver. (in front of city hall)

On the way to the flame. Thought this was a clever ad.

Flame!!!!!!!
(under security)

And this is the crowd, well part of it… Honestly it was nuts.

If you’re wondering why there have been so many posts, here’s your answer. This is the line up to get into the art gallery (for free fist pump) to see the Da Vinci exhibit. Soooo excited!

CTV roadside broadcast on Robson.

Men’s Hockey Game – USA vs. Swiss

Check out all of the cool photos we got!

Great promo in the metro this morning.

You would never know we were standing on grass here at Live City. These awesome plastic tiles have been laid out across the whole park in order to protect the park grass beneath. Ingenius? I think so. Also doubles as protection from the mud pit we most certainly would have been wading through with all the rain.

And your hockey panel this afternoon…USA vs SWISS 10 mins to game time!

It might be hard to see, but all the sponsorship ads that usually make their home in GM place, have been removed in place of all things olympics— in fact they have even had the the bands who perform duct tape off the brands on their stage equipment. If anything it’s just made for a fun game of “spot the brand covered up”

Face off!

Packed house!

Curling Day 1

Some observations:

• Lineups come only in Olympic size.
• Canadians out number American fans 10-1 which creates epic cheering war wins for us.
• Watching 4 games at the same time takes patience and concentration
• There were 8 cameramen on foot, 4 overhead cameras on each end, 3 main cameras in the broadcast area and one teeny tiny camera on a boom that stretched over the ice- impressive to say the least.
• Norway has the coolest pants in curling history (yes they are the ones in the far sheet with the multi-coloured diamonds)
• Curling fans start at a very young age

Next up: men’s hockey, tomorrow at noon US vs Swiss

Enjoy some curling photos:

Olympic size lineup at the Olympic centre. Mens curling this morning! CAN vs US

Norway has the best pants (far sheet) = WIN

Curling fans start at birth- this little guy was maybe 2mths old…

With about 24 hours to go before the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver,  we decided to check a couple web resources to see if there is any buzz building online today.  Here is what we found:

What’s Trending on Google right now…

1.     olympic games
2.     mcqueen suicide
3.     iran nuclear
4.     greece debt crisis
5.     survivor
6.     gmail buzz
7.     chinese new year
8.     arsenal liverpool
9.     the guardian
10.     dallas snow

What’s Trending on Twitter right now…

1.    #nowplaying
2.    #petpeeve
3.    #awkwardsituation
4.    MNIK
5.    V-Day
6.    iPad
7.    Haiti
8.    John Mayer
9.    #IranElection
10.    Taylor Lautner

What countries are searching “2010 Olympic Games”?

1.     Singapore
2.     Canada
3.     Czech Republic
4.     Slovakia
5.     Norway
6.     Australia
7.     New Zealand
8.     Sweden
9.     Russian Federation
10.     United States

Some interesting results. First off – why Singapore is performing more searches than Canada for “2010 Olympic Games” is a bit of a mystery.   Google does show that folks are indeed preforming searches for “Olympic Games”, but look over at Twitter and it’s not one of the highest conversational topics.  Apparently the 2010 Olympics just aren’t as exciting as the social life of John Mayer.  At least for today.

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Next week Artistech’s very own Julie Anderson will be in Vancouver Tweeting and Blogging about anything and everything artistic and/or digital she comes across at the events.  Keep a watchful eye on this blog and our tweets.

(Day 4)

It’s how it always goes – just when something gets really good, it comes to an end. The Boulder Digital Works “Upgrade to Digital” program wrapped up today with a discussion on metrics, digital out-of-home, and an interesting dissection of some successful 2009 digital initiatives like the Nike ID project and Sprint’s 3g Now campaign.

Ask me what I enjoyed most about my time in Colorado and without hesitation I’ll tell you it was the exchange of ideas with some wonderfully creative people from across North America.  Sure, natural scenery like Boulder’s Flat Irons is spectacular, but no replacement for open conversation with some genuinely passionate people.

Here is my take-away, the thing that really excites me.  When you boil down what we do in the digital space, it inevitably ends with creating emotion, surprise and enabling communication.  And it’s this that I find truly interesting.  A quote that struck a cord with me during the week was “I’m not interested in advertising – I’m interested in advertising’s effect on people“…   I don’t know where the quote originated, and I don’t even like the word “advertising”, but I could relate on some level.   Helping people communicate, share and convey their own messages and passions is just great.  It’s the emotion at the end of advertising that counts, and our digital medium is just awesome for these purposes.  There’s nothing like it.

So, it’s with these words that I pack my bags and begin the journey home.  I look forward to attending other events in 2010 and 2011 and will certainly keep in touch with those fabulous people I met at BDW.  Thankfully in our digitally connected world, that won’t be hard.

[Travel Tip - Looking to get from Boulder to Denver without spending a fortune?  You can make the trip for only $4.50 if you take local transportation.]

Mobile applications are quickly becoming the preferred method of information exchange. Almost all mobile devices now come with a web browser. This is connecting people and resources globally. You can download applications that allow you to make credit card transactions anywhere and at any time. Mobile applications are revolutionizing the way people do business.

Looking for a new home? Here’s an App for that!

Whether you’re in St. John’s, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, Kelowna, Vancouver, Victoria or anywhere in between; you can search Canaterra for that perfect Canadian property while on the go – at the park, coffee shop, airport, waiting in line – wherever*…whenever*!

Canaterra Property Pages, honoured by the Canadian Home Builder Association with their prestigious Tommie Award for Excellence in Website Design, is a collective real estate marketing system connecting buyers, builders & sellers from coast to coast. You can view their growing inventory of builders’ new home projects and re-sale properties listed on canaterra.com, which are then pushed to the iPhone App for handy, mobile access.

WORK PROVIDED

• Mobile Application Development

PROJECT DETAILS

Project Name: Canaterra iPhone Application

Client: Canaterra Date Launched: Jan 2010

A thin blanket of snow covered Boulder this morning. The word I hear from local residents is that it’s the Californian drivers – unfamiliar with winter driving – who were causing all the trouble on the interstate.    I couldn’t help but draw an equivalent parallel back to BC…  My complex ratio is as follows:

Boulder Drivers (are to) Los Angeles Drivers (as) Kelowna Drivers (are to) Vancouver Drivers

I jest.  Vancouver drivers are great…  but only when it’s sunny and the roads are dry.

Speaking of highways, Digital Media has always been on a long, fast and twisting road.  Let’s look back over the past few years.   In 2006 and 2007 online video was the big thing – sites like YouTube came about and became popular amongst web users.  Between 2008 and 2009 it was social media that emerged.   A channel that is still very much in it’s infancy.  And what might be the next big thing in 2010?   Mobile.

You say… “Uhhmm, Brad, hasn’t mobile been the ‘big thing’ for like the last 10 years?”.   You’re right, no doubt mobile has been in the media for a long time, but this year, the stars have aligned and smiled their good fortune on the mobile space.

We can thank this alignment to a few things…

Better devices
Better payment plans
Better networks
Better consumer experience
Better content

Those dreaded fabulous cellular providers (Telus, Rogers, Bell) have actually helped this along… if by only marketing the hell out of these devices because they come with higher priced plans.  The mobile device market is still certainly fragmented.  Many people still use old “feature” phones, but those who have made the jump to smart devices won’t be switching back anytime soon.  Smartphone penetration (in the US) has reached 19% and is growing.

The majority of today’s BDW sessions revolved around what the future of mobile might have in store.  On the very near horizon – expect real movement in things like augmented reality, 2D QR codes and coupons, better utility based apps and payments made through your phone.  You say – “I’ve heard this all before – nothing is going to change”.  Well, if you agree with that, I expect you probably still listen to cassette tapes.  Take this into consideration, a study by Gartner research indicated by 2013, more people will access the internet on mobile devices than desktop computers. That’s an outstanding figure that simply can’t be ignored.

In many cases, mobile calls-to-action have proved to be more effective than URL destinations.  A recent San Diego tourism campaign ran four different broadcast commercials with similar messaging.  Three commercials contained URL calls-to-action, one contained an SMS short-code call to action.  The winner?  SMS.  It outperformed the URL commercials by 325%.

Haiti is another good example.  Record breaking donations by mobile devices.  This in itself was a headline story across many major news networks.  Don’t get me wrong, the “desktop web” isn’t going anywhere – it’s just that we’ll see improving cohabitation between all the different web connected hardware.

As a person who tends to misplace things (a fact my wife will attest to), one thing you’ll want tied and tethered to your body will your mobile phone.  Even more so than today.  Simply put, it will become the remote control for your life – and you won’t want to loose that.

[Travel Tip  -  Want to sound like a local in Colorado?  Don't complete a sentence with the word "eh" as it will immediately out you as a Canadian.  Weird, I didn't even think that word was in my vocabulary!?]

(DAY 1 cont.)

I arrived in Denver in one piece and without any further security scrutiny.  In the back of my mind I had expected at least one final surprise from the Department of Homeland Security, but instead I was greeted with good old fashion Colorado hospitality.  Friendly folks with cowboys hats helped direct passengers, aircraft crew acknowledged you with a smile, even the airport terminal train chimed with greetings from Denver’s mayor.  What a nice place.  As the sun set, I jumped aboard my shuttle and was whisked away towards the silhouetted foothills of the Rockie Mountains.

(DAY 2)

I have to admit, the PDF I received from BDW just prior to leaving left me with some concerns.  For example, it contained bulleted information on things like what HTML was, and what a “Tweet” meant.  The thought that I may have signed up for a beginners course on the web engrained itself as a nagging little voice in the back of my mind.  The course was after all called “Upgrade to Digital”.

Regardless, like a true keener, I showed up to the first day of class a full hour early.  My first thought about the lecture space was that Boulder Digital Works looked more like a typical advertising agency than any school classroom I’ve ever seen.  Huge graphics covered the walls, students had personalized cubicles, post-it notes covered the walls and a large games room allowed students a temporary reprieve from brainstorming or creative studies.  Our session was held near the back of the office, er… “classroom” and included about 30 participants of all ages and disciplines within the advertising & digital world.  What kind of hardware did this skilled group use?  About 25% were deploying the latest Mac laptops, the rest PCs.  A few used smaller Netbooks that are becoming more popular these days.

As the session got underway, to my relief, this was no course for rookies.  What followed was a lively and in-depth discussion about the digital ecosystem, the real-time web, social media and experience design.  This was good stuff.

Now I always find that when listening to lengthy lecutres of any kind – it’s the key phrases and concepts that tend to resonate long after.  Those short mantras that you can work into your own practices. Here are just a few that I agreed with or that stuck out as strong fundamental concepts in digital media.

“Brand momentum – Nurture it”

“Prove it – Don’t just say it”

“Be nimble – be reactionary”

“Participation is not enough”

“You don’t kill your own ideas anymore – the web does it for you”

“Don’t create websites, create ideas – use the web to express them”

“Innovation is a basic human character”

“Social Media is Mainstream”

“Repetition? or Surprise?”

You might say “transparency” was an underlining message across all the digital topics we discussed today.  Especially in Social Media.  Matt Walsh of CPBgroup.com shared a unique inside perspective on how Dominos Pizza handled an online YouTube clip (since removed) that showed an employee, well, not making a pizza with my preferred toppings.  The clip gained a lot of attention in the media, but by using quick, honest and transparent messaging purposely placed in the same social channel that stung them, they deflated the negative momentum.  Later, lessons learned from the experience were put to good use in a new successful brand message/campaign that shows Dominos customers that they are truly listening.

All and all an excellent day.  I simply can’t wait for tomorrow.  Good night Colorado.

[Travel Tip  -  Don't sit in the back of extended cab shuttle vans, you feel every bump]

It’s a beautiful sunny morning in Seattle – I’ve yet to enjoy a cup of
Seattle’s finest but it’s on my morning to-do list. Aside from the
multiple security screenings that I was randomly selected for (yes, lucky
me, I received more than one), it’s been a pleasant day of travel. Right
now, I’ve got a comfy seat with a great view of SEATAC’s runways, free
Wi-Fi and a Mimosa in my belly. Ahh, the joys of modern day travel –
minus the groin searches of course.

I’m half way to my destination of Boulder Colorado to listen to some
leading experts in the web marketing field discuss the ever changing
digital landscape. The Boulder Digital Works program offered through the
University of Colorado will feature lecturers such as Scott Prindle,
Interactive Technical Director with Crispin Porter + Bogusky whose team
created (among other things) the phenomenally successful Facebook “Whopper Sacrifice” campaign, and guest speakers like founder and crowd-sourcing poster boy Jake Nickell of Threadless.com.

Anyway, over the coming days I’m excited to hear what these inspiring folks have to say, and I look forward to some in-depth discussions. Stay tuned for tips, industry insights, best practices and perhaps the odd travel tip.

What Mrs. Laura Doncom (Former President of Ballet Kelowna) had to say …

“…I would like to thank you for all the fun and excitement that you and your company, Artistech, provided for us and all our friends, families and supporters over the month of December with your Christmas Sweater contest, and we are absolutely thrilled to have been proclaimed the Winner of your very generous prize of $1,000.00.  Thank you for a wonderful start to our New Year!

Thanks to your beautiful website and innovative Christmas Sweater campaign, thousands of  people shared this fun!   It was neck and neck frequently, creating literally a frenzy of excitement world-wide, and at midnight Dec. 31st it was a classic “photo-finish” at the end.   It is incredible how many people were contacting all their contacts who in turn contacted theirs, and on and on, via email, text-messages, facebook, twitter, etc. all over the world, at the same time sending their Christmas and New Years greetings back and forth and reconnecting with old friends and relatives they otherwise may have overlooked at this busy time of year. Thank you again for holding your exciting (and very social) contest, providing us with the awesome opportunity to promote Ballet Kelowna extensively, internationally, and your very generous donation at the end of the nail-biting race!”

All my very best to you for the New Year,
Laura Doncom
Past President
Ballet Kelowna