OCMC Thank You

The final class for OCMC took place this week, and for all who were lucky enough to take part in this great experience, it was a little sad to see it all end. I think I can speak for my fellow classmates and say that none of us could have imagined how much fun and how fulfilling of an experience this was.  We all walked out with so much more than just a credit from Humber; we left with some great memories, amazing new friends, more confidence, and with a greater understanding of how to prepare ourselves for what lays ahead after graduation.

For those who aren’t familiar with OCMC, it stands for Ontario College Marketing Competition, which is a marketing competition that takes place at a different college every year. This year it was hosted at Seneca College – and they did a wonderful job at doing so. The competition began with an event called the Quiz Bowl, where a panel of judges test students on their knowledge about business marketing. Humber was represented by five amazing students; Felix Carapaica, Kevin Carino, Christopher Channell, Graiden Vanderveen and Hlina Woldeselasie; they made very Humber proud by placing 1st, 2nd and 4^th in the competition.

The next day, the Case Study Competition took centre stage. This is the part of the competition where students are given a half an hour/hour (depending on which category) to read and analyze a marketing case, and prepare a PowerPoint presentation for a panel of judges. Humber was represented by some of our top students, who did a fantastic job; in Direct Marketing we had James Adams and Jonathon Norgard, Entrepreneurship Barbara Crescentini and James Adams, IMC Ashley Dann and Aidan Sykes, International Marketing Tim Brilhante and Olga Maracheva, Marketing Anthony Bailey and Cameron Downs, Marketing Research Alexander Emelyanov and Mike Pastyr, Retail Tim Brilhante and Rachel Kennedy, Job Interview Randall Baker, the Sales Presentation 4th Place Aldredge Pinto and for Sales Account Place Management 3^rd Melissa D’Alessandro Jonathon Norgard.

 The past three months of practicing early in the morning and late at night was all worth it. I want to thank all the teachers who took time out of their crazy schedules to help prepare all the students; we could not have done it without you and my most sincere ‘thank you’ goes out to you as the confidence you instilled in us over the past few months will last a lifetime. This was such a great experience for all that took part and offered us so much more than our other courses. It was a moment in our lives that will stay with us forever and the lessons we have learned will help us throughout our careers.

For all who have the opportunity to be at Humber next year, try out for OCMC it’s a memory you’ll never forget.

How Sponsors of the 100th Grey Cup are the Real Winners

            The celebration of the 100^th Grey Cup starts in Toronto, and as the players take the field around 6:30 Sunday night to battle for Grey Cup supremacy, you can bet that sponsors and local businesses will be battling as well. As fans are glued to the action on the field, major corporations and businesses are going to be keeping an eye on their wallets and the impact they are making with fans.

         The battle began a little earlier for corporations and local businesses this year, as sponsors of the Grey Cup Festival tried to find ways to stand out from the ordinary. From a 40-metre high Toronto Sun zip-line, Nissan Family Fun Zone, the Telus Street/Tailgate Festival, MBNA Adrenaline Zone, to the Scotiabank 100^th Grey Cup Gala - which featured the biggest names in the CFL; there is a little something for everyone. Local businesses geared up as well, offering giveaways of CFL merchandise and tickets, drink and food specials, local advertising on the radio and newspapers in an attempt to attract CFL fans. Even musicians are aware of how big the 100^th Grey Cup is to Canadians, with some of the biggest names in Canadian music performing during the halftime show, such as Justin Bieber, Gordon Lightfoot, Carley Rae Jepsen, and Sam Roberts.

Corporate Canada sees the importance that the CFL has on Canadians and our history. Canadians are loyal to their teams, like they are loyal to their brands. The game has been sold out for weeks and downtown Toronto is an event marketer’s dream waiting to happen. Sponsors have a chance to be part of the history that is the 100^th Grey Cup and be part of history with consumers by their side. While we all await the results, we can be sure that Canadians will be impacted by what they see in this historic night. Go Argos GO.

Branding Bond

                I had the misfortune of being sick off and on for the past two weeks. That meant a lot of time in bed, and a great deal of time watching movies. With the new release of the James Bond film happening this weekend, networks were trying to take advantage of the excitement of the movie release by playing the preview over and over. I have always been a huge fan of James Bond films, and being excited for the new film I really couldn’t stop myself from watching.  I had the pleasure to go see Skyfall and am happy to report that Bond hasn’t change too much, still defying all odds, wearing his customary the black tuxedo  and product placement in the movie was once again front and center.

Product placement has been a staple in Hollywood films for a long time now, ever since E.T ate his first Reese’s Pieces getting lured into Elliot’s home, or Tom Cruise wearing Ray Bans in Risky Business.  Product placement has come along since then, but the goal hasn’t changed; companies trying to obtain maximum exposure for their brand. Product placement and James Bond go hand and hand, starting in the original films with the Aston Martin (Sean Connery as Bond); of course that has shifted throughout the years of Bond films from the BMW Z3 (Pierce Brosnan), to the Audi A6 (Daniel Craig) and now, the new Jaguar XJ-L. What I was most shocked to see watching Skyfall was James Bond shifting from his classic martini to Heineken beer; which reportedly cost Heineken a whopping 45 million dollars. Heineken has also added a commercial 007 campaign in correlation with the release of the movie. But the company credited for making the new Bond, Sony, I think has made biggest splash. First, by having singer/songwriter Adele pen and sing the movie’s theme song (which is incredible by the way), and simultaneously releasing the new Xperia T Sony smartphone; which coincidentally has commercials running before the movie and offers exclusive Bond content when purchasing the phone.

Now that DVRs are in almost every household, TV viewers are fast forwarding through commercials, which means companies rely on product placement in movies and television shows to showcase their products. With the new release of any big motion picture, especially with franchise movies such as 007, you can expect big corporations to be all over the big screen. Movie-goers have grown accustomed to seeing the latest that companies have to offer, and I for one enjoy the product placement. I enjoy seeing creative ways marketers have slipped in an advertisement - successfully. Marketers work collectively with agencies, writers, producers and directors to incorporate product placement through various outlets, and with Skyfall grossing 90 million dollars worldwide on opening weekend alone, you can expect it to continue.

Spooky Marketing

      With another consumer holiday coming up, consumers can be certain that businesses want to take advantage of potential sales. Halloween is a big business and has become a true retail goldmine; in Canada, spending on Halloween candy alone was $331 million (2009) but that pales in comparison to our southern counter-part who spent a whopping 5.8 billion dollars (2009). Around 68% of Canadians plan to participate in some sort of Halloween activity. Halloween isn’t just for kids anymore, adults are the ones driving consumer spending habits as they celebrate, buy costumes, visit haunted houses, and decorate their homes.

    The Halloween market is growing, and that makes it very attractive for business opportunities. In 2006, a research survey by the Retail Council of Canada found that Canadians planned to spend an average of $60, but Value Village’s 2011 annual Halloween shopping survey found that the average Canadian spends about $300 annually on Halloween products. With annual spending habits increasing every year it is time to get creative with business marketing plans.

       The obvious retailers have an advantage over average sales-driven businesses. Retailers such as Value Village and Party City have no problem attracting customers this time of year – the product sells itself; even online costume retailers sit back as Google draws in their customer base. But this time of the year also presents marketing opportunities for retailers that aren’t directly related to the holiday; this spooky day dares to challenge businesses to get creative with their marketing tactics. Companies such Netflix, Bath & Body Works, Pizza Hut advertise in some form, but smaller businesses may have to get a bit more creative. By hosting a Halloween party, printing t-shirts, getting employees to participate by dressing up, or baking Halloween-themed cupcakes. Whatever the plan, they must be sure to incorporate some of that Halloween spirit and not miss out on one of the most profitable holidays of the year. Happy Halloween!

Will Blackberry ever be the “Crackberry” again?

     Remember when Blackberry was coined the “Crackberry”, and you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing someone glued to one? Now it seems like everyone (including myself) has kicked that habit. Research in Motion (RIM) only owns 3% of the smartphone market today; that has changed from 2010 with a high around 20%. The biggest problem for RIM today (Apple, for one) is rebranding the image of Blackberry and what it meant to have one only a couple of years ago. With the release of the Blackberry 10, Research in Motion hopes to change that, but will it be too late?

     RIM has a difficult job to do; to make a Blackberry owner feel proud again. Not all RIM consumers have abandoned ship; there is still a core group of customers loyal to their Blackberry smartphones. They have gone through network system crashes, the use of out-dated software, product launch delays, and heavy competition from Android, Samsung, and Apple. With the Blackberry 10 just around the corner, they hope to regain the “Wow” factor.

    For years now, RIM has been behind the curve with new advancements in mobile technology. Believing that the Blackberry is built for the corporate world, RIM has failed to keep up – sticking with their core group of customers (business people); supplying them with the ability to send and receive emails and instant messages while offering them the highest level of security has been RIM’s promotional objective. However, as the smartphone phenomenon quickly increased, it wasn’t just the corporate world that became interested – other companies were starting to catch on. Apple made as much of an impact in the mobile phone market as they did in the portable music player market – and that was the start of bad news for the makers of Blackberry as Google released its Android operating system, they simply could not keep up. With each release customers (myself included) were hoping for RIM improvements; slowly losing customers to the competition with every disappointing new release. Now after 3 years of decline, RIM believes they have something to compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple, the Blackberry 10. But has too much time gone by to retrieve the “crackberry” addicts? Or has one of Canada’s most recognized companies reinvented into something worth talking about in the smartphone market?

Why the iPhone 5 isn't all it is cracked up to be

        I want to start off by saying that I love Apple products as much as the next person; their customer service is outstanding and their product line is second to none. The cult following that Apple receives is well deserved, but some die-hard Apple followers are highly unimpressed since the release of the new iPhone 5. The highly anticipated release date drew the usual public excitement as with its predecessors, but has so far failed to live up to its expectations. Although demand for the iPhone 5 still remains high, there are some factors you should consider that may make you want to hold off until the next release.

        Customers of the iPhone 5 have been complaining about horrible battery life, which lasts an average of about 4 to 5 hours from a full charge with regular use. Those who have already purchased the iPhone 5 were lucky enough to have the iOS 6 map app installed for them, but that has people running back to Google Maps because of missing locations, poor graphics and sending you to places that no longer exist. Problems have ranged from a “purple haze” on photos that have been taken with the new camera, no external or upgradable memory storage, and no replaceable battery. Apple still adopted NFC technology to the capacity of Samsung’s Galaxy S III. Instead of building NFC into the iPhone, Apple is making you use it’s very own Passbook app, which can prove to be handy, but still doesn’t allow you to exchange content between two devices just by tapping them together, or use the pay-pal system for wireless payments and money transfers.

                As avid technology lovers, we learn to get used to some let downs; but these issues arising with the iPhone 5 has some people wondering if the release was rushed in an attempt to make rapid sales in lieu of the 2012 Christmas shopping season. Apple certainly did not expect such bad reviews, as their demand for the new phone is not nearly as high as it has been with previous releases; their market share dropped by $70 billion within the first two weeks alone. All we can do now is patiently await the updates and solutions to these problems, and hope that Apple’s response to these issues only proves to be an improvement. But on a side note, I recently purchased a iPhone 4S to replace my stolen iPhone 4 and i couldn't be happier to have it by my side again.

A Little Bit About Me

     Hello everyone! My name is Cameron Downs, and I am the new intern responsible for all of Humber Marketing’s social media. What this means is that I will be updating the Marketing Humber Twitter, Facebook, andPinterest accounts, as well as blogging. I am taking over this position from Rachael Kennedy, and wanted to give a big ‘thank you’ and a ‘job well done’ for all she has done with these social media pages. Before I tell you a little bit about myself, I also wanted to thank Christina Clements for giving me this wonderful opportunity in support of the Humber Marketing program.

 I am a third semester marketing student at Humber, in the 2 year Marketing diploma program and I will be competing in this year’s OCMC (Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition, representing Humber College (Hawk What?! – Hawk yeah!!). But I don’t want to bore everyone with all my like’s and dislike’s and my history of how I got to Humber, because who really cares that I coach little league baseball and have played baseball for 20 years? Nobody! Everyone wants to hear that I will be writing and posting the latest in marketing, consumer trends, the newest in technology, and what’s new in business; just to name a few.  That’s what I am going to do; I am going to give you the best, and the worst that the world of marketing has to offer. So be on the look for all my tweets, posts and my next blog; where I discuss what’s wrong with the iPhone 5. 

Students attend IAB MIXX Conference 2012

The IAB MIXX Conference took place at the Carlu in downtown Toronto last week and Humber students were once again invited to attend. The theme of the 2012 conference was Fighting for Attention: How Brands Win which focused on how brands are using new and interesting ways to make sure that they remain current and "front and centre" (http://www.mixxcanada.com/)

The conference featured some great speakers who are truly embracing the new ways that they can reach customers. These are companies that are not afraid to put the gloves on and fight to gain customer trust and loyalty.  This year's fearless speakers included:

• Bryan Johnston, CMO, The Ultimate Fighting Championship, ZUFFA (LLC) USA 
• Justin Kingsley, VP Strategy + Partner, Sid Lee (CAN)
• Sherrill Mane, SVP Industry, IAB US (USA) 
• Joan Fitzgerald, Vice President, TV and Cross-Media Solutions, comScore (USA)
• Mark Greenspan, Community Director, Next Media (CAN) 
• Tom Fotheringham, Director, Digital Solutions, OMD (CAN)
• Tara Walpert Levy, Global Director of YouTube Ads Marketing, Google (USA

While each speaker talked about the importance of the use of new technologies to reach potential and current customers one of the speakers that I found to be the most engaging  was Tara Walpert Levy of Google. Walpert Levy discussed the importance of video for reaching customers of today. In fact, according to Levy "90% of internet traffic next year will be video." (Levy, IAB MIXX 2012) 

During her presentation Levy told attendees that they have to make video work for them. They need to: 

• move hard to reach audiences
• act on new consumer insights 
• drive loyalty in an active community in an ongoing way

She gave the audience the perfect example, Justin Bieber. Bieber is the perfect example of making video and the internet work for you and ensuring that the web is what you make it. According to Levy, and I'm sure that Bieber's millions of fans would agree; Justin Bieber is "a master brand builder in today's digital age and he has built his brand almost entirely in digital." (Levy, IAB MIXX 2012)

Along with Walpert Levy, another highlight of the conference for many students was the presentations from Justin Kingsley and Bryan Johnston of Sid Lee and The Ultimate Fighting Championship.
It was interesting for students to learn that both UFC and Georges St. Pierre do not attract the audience that most precieve them to. In fact, "UFC attracts the second most affluent audience after the PGA and airs in more than 500 million households."(Johnston, IAB MIXX 2012).

Not only has UFC created a extensive world wide following but so has Georges St-Pierre by teaching his fans seven important lessons:

• Surround yourself with people better than you so you can become better
• What gets measured gets done
• Love the haters, fans will take care of them for you
• Give your fans something to do 
• Show your weaknesses 
• Be honest and generate more love and appreciation from your fans
• Turn struggle into an opportunity

Take a look at this video to see how Georges St- Pierre and Sid Lee have helped fans connect with Georges brand. 

-Rachel 

Welcome Back!

As the last weekend of summer draws to a close it is time to start thinking about back to school and what the 2012/2013 school year has in store. There is always a lot to think about as the new school year begins; what classes to take, how many classes to take, what books to buy, what events to attend, what clubs to join and if you are new to campus how to find out where you have to go!

Humber has some great resources for new and returning students to help with all of these back to school questions:

1) The registrar and program coordinators can tell you what classes are required for your diploma or degree or you can also go online and take a look at your specific program. See the Business Marketing Program link below:
http://www.humber.ca/program/business-marketing#curriculum

2) The bookstore has a list of required textbooks for each program and you can also order your textbooks online and pick them up from the bookstore once classes start!
http://www.bkstr.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?catalogId=10001&langId=-1&demoKey=d&storeId=10303

3) Finally, the Humber Students' Federation or HSF offers many events and clubs that you can participate in throughout the year. The events are listed in a calendar on the HSF website by month. In September, be sure to check out Frosh Week from September 4-7 and Clubs Fair at North Campus September 19 and at Lakeshore Campus September 20.
http://humberlife.com/

For marketing students, there are a number of great conferences and events that can be attended depending on which classes you are taking in a given semester, but each year Humber participates in The Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition or OCMC, which takes place each year in the fall semester with recruitment taking place each April. The team for OCMC 2012 has already started actively preparing to show off their skills at this year's competition in November!

The Humber OCMC team is selected each year in April and the selection process consists of 'tryouts' or presentations for each event toward the end of the winter semester. Those interested in joining the Humber OCMC team must attend a mandatory information session where they are told about the competition and what each event entails. From there, each person selects the top two events that they wish to participate in. The audition process differs for each event. For the case events each person must present a solution to a problem with a given marketing case to a panel of faculty followed by a short Q&A session. The entire presentation can only be 5-7 minutes. For the job interview and sales presentation, students are given a job posting or item that they must prepare a presentation or interview for. Quiz Bowl consists of tryouts where the top 4-5 people who acquire the most points are selected for the team.

OCMC takes place over two days in November and allows students the opportunity to improve their public speaking, presentation and networking skills through a series of events. The two day competition consists of the following events:

• Quiz Bowl: this event is kind of like Jeopardy. This year's team consists of 5 members. 
• Sales Presentation: 1 member of the team is responsible for this presentation. 
• Job Interview: 1 member of the team is responsible for the job interview. 
• Case Competitions: there are 8 case competitions  which take place on day two of the event. Each case topic is prepared by a team of two.  The topics for the case competition include:
• Marketing 
• Retail 
• Entrepreneurship
• Integrated Marketing Communications
• Account Management 
• International Marketing 
• Market Research 
• Direct Marketing 

The Humber OCMC team is selected each year in April and the selection process consists of 'tryouts' or presentations for each event. Those interested in joining the Humber OCMC team must attend a mandatory information session where they are told about the competition and what each event entails. From there, each person selects the top two events that they wish to participate in. The audition process differs for each event. For the case events each person must present a solution to a problem with a given marketing case to a panel of faculty followed by a short Q&A session. The entire presentation can only be 5-7 minutes. For the job interview and sales presentation, students are given a job posting or item for which they must prepare a presentation or interview. Quiz Bowl consists of tryouts where the top 4-5 people who acquire the most points are selected for the team.

As a member of the 2012 OCMC team I am very excited that we are underway with this year's competition preparations.

As you can see, Humber offers students many opportunities to get involved and make the most of their time on and away from campus, so get involved and take advantage of these great opportunities

-Rachel

Career Advice for New Grads

When we are young we ask advice from our parents, friends, relatives and everyone close to us that we believe may be able to offer a solution to our problem or dilemma. But, when it comes to career advice even though we ask the same people we can get one million different solutions that confuse our path even farther. That is why recent graduates are the best option for career advice whether they are complete strangers, friends, family or alumni they know how to get their foot in the door and can tell us exactly what to expect.

There are a number of ways that graduating students can reach out to recent grads and ask them for valuable advice:

• Career websites
• Blogs
• Industry nights
• Social media 
• Networking events

Perhaps the  best way to meet recent grads and approach them about career advice is through networking events. These type of events allow soon to be graduates to meet people in their field that have already completed their job search, have their first job and can offer important insights into the industry. Humber offers soon to be graduates and opportunity just like this every year with 'Grads Give Back.'

Every March at Grads Give Back alumni of the Humber- Business Marketing program returns to offer words of advice to current students. This advice differs for each returning graduate but the important aspects remain the same:

• What interested them during their time at Humber (classes, opportunities, clubs)
• What area of the industry they wanted to get into (internet, digital, sales)
• How they started and went about their job search (Monster, Talent Egg, referral, internship)
• Challenges
• Information about their current positions

Events like 'Grads Give Back' allow students to talk to other people who were just students and get honest feedback about the current state of the industry and workforce. Watch the video below or click on the link  to see some highlights from the event last year:

-Rachel

Brandwashed

In marketing today it is so important to think of yourself and your clients in terms of an entire brand rather than just as individuals. Strong brands create an experience for the customer that creates word of mouth and customer loyalty, therefore increasing profits. My interest in how this experience is created led me to pick up Brandwashed by renowned brand consultant Martin Lindstrom.

In his book Lindstrom discusses nine tactics that marketers and advertisers use to help brands create experiences for current and potential customers that make them believe that they truly NEED a product. These nine tactics include:

1) "Buy Buy Baby:" marketing begins in the womb
2) "Peddling Panic and Paranoia:" fear and loathing can and will sell products
3) "I Can't Quit You:" smart phones, shopping addicts and brand addiction
4) "Buy It, Get Laid:" sex still sells in marketing and advertising
5) "Under Pressure:" the influence of peers
6) "Oh, Sweet Memories:" marketing using nostalgia
7) "Marketers' Royal Flush:" influence of fame and celebrity
8) "Hope in a Jar:" health has a price
9) "Every Breath You Take, They'll be Watching You:" privacy, or the lack there of

Having studied marketing for a while now I was no stranger to these tactics and had heard of many of them before so for me the most interesting part of the book was the social experiment that Lindstrom performed using a carefully chosen family, the Morgensons.

According to Lindstrom the point of the experiment was to determine the power of word of mouth marketing.This would be done by transplanting this family in "a real-life California neighborhood and then film them in every waking moment as they went about covertly persuading friends, colleagues and loved ones to buy a number of carefully selected brands."( Brandwashed, 238)

The experiment lasted one month and it proved that regardless of all the tactics that marketers use the most powerful influence by far is word of mouth. In fact, word of mouth holds more power than even traditional TV commercials. "In contrast to conventional TV or magazine advertising...an event takes place in our brains the moment other people recommend a car, a band, a makeup or a wine." (250) The brain releases emotions such as lust, pride, empathy and guilt along with the feeling of craving a certain product.

Word of mouth marketing allows our brains to fire on multiple cylinders that cannot be reached by traditional marketing tactics. Toward the end of his book Lindstorm makes what some may consider a bold statement, but one that I agree with:

Eventually, "families' like the Morgensons will be in communities world wide, hired by marketing firms to sell products because, "if you can get word-of-mouth influence behind your brand that influence multiplies the power of your brand exponentially." (251)

-Rachel

Top 10 Study Tips

Exam season can be a very stressful time for students. It can be difficult to manage study priorities like what to study, how long to study, or even how to study so with that in mind and the summer exam season about to begin here are some important tips for successful studying that may help ease that exam stress.

1) Ask your professor about the format of the exam. Knowing the type of questions that will be on the exam will help you know what and how to study.

2) Find a comfortable and distraction free space to set up your study centre. Make sure you have all the necessary supplies: pencils, pens, paper, notes, textbooks,  calculator, water and snacks.

3) Read only the parts of the textbook that cover what you need to know. If your professor tells you to focus solely on the material taught in class use the textbook as a reference for things that you don't understand.

4) Make summary notes of your class notes and important textbook chapters. Summary notes help to highlight the most important concepts that could or will appear on an exam.

5) Study in a group. Group studying can help with retention of important concepts. Take turns quizzing one another and explaining important course concepts. Having someone else explain something to you in a different way may help you better understand information that may be confusing

6) Practice the types of questions that will be on the exam. By practicing exam type questions you will be better prepared for what you will see when you open the exam booklet. If your professor has provided you with review exercises, complete those, they will give you a clue as to what questions you can expect.

7) Make a schedule so that you can maximize your study time. Often, students have more than one or two exams to study for during exam week so time management is very important. By making a study schedule you can give each course the focus that it deserves and ensure that you are ready for all of your exams.

8) Get some sleep. Pulling an all nighter does not lead to exam success. Get lots of sleep the night before each exam. This gives your brain time to rest and helps with recall of important concepts once you get into the exam.

9) Eat well. Make sure that you are eating well during your studying. Snacking during studying can help you stay focused and awake. Choose foods that are healthy such as carrots, apples and nuts.

10) Do not start studying the night before. One night of studying is not enough to learn all the information that you have be taught over an entire semester. Use your time wisely and ensure that you are preparing in advance so you feel comfortable when you walk into the exam.

-Rachel 

Networking using your "network"

Networking has always been an important aspect of the job search, whether it be searching for that first job opportunity or looking for a change in career. With new job opportunities, competition and changes in the workforce traditional networking has also changed.


Students, executives, human resources managers understand the importance of networking and there are numerous tips available to help job seekers get in touch with and stay in touch with potential employers. Some of these tips include:

• Connect with your school's alumni association 

• Have a clear idea of what you want and what you are looking for 

• Know who you are

• Use business cards

• Use business networks

Perhaps the most important of these tips when hunting for that first career and looking for helpful and meaningful connections is use business networks. Job seekers and students should "think of Facebook as a virtual cafe where people easily talk between tables and think of LinkedIn as a conference that is always in session." (http://www.randstad.ca/finding_jobs/ctVideo/successful-networking.aspx)


While communication and connections have become much easier with the rise of business networks, it is important to remember that these networks, especially Facebook should be kept private and be monitored for inappropriate content. Despite these privacy concerns Facebook remains the most popular social networking site for Canadians. Recently however, LinkedIn has begun to grow in popularity amongst professionals and students who are seeking to connect. In fact, "one in six Canadians are now members of LinkedIn,"(http://business.financialpost.com/2012/01/19/linkedin-tops-five-million-users-in-canada/) and that number continues to grow with a 66% increase since 2011.


So with such a steady increase in membership and a continually growing community of professionals waiting to network how can young professionals maximize the potential that LinkedIn has to offer?


1) Sign up for discussion groups- these groups will connect you with people in your field and allow you to remain current on what is happening within your industry.


2) Invite and accept connections from people that you know or have worked with in the past- they may be able to recommend you for a position or provide you with career advice.


3) If you feel that you may share a common interest with someone you are not connected with contact them privately to ask for a connection.


With it's growing network of professionals and openness to connecting with important industry individuals LinkedIn is helping students worldwide enter the world of networking with full support and assistance from major companies and corporations actively seeking bright and tech savvy graduates.

-Rachel

Canadians roar at Cannes Lions

Cannes Lions began in 1954, as the International Advertising Film Festival. Since it's inaugural year the festival, which was inspired by the internationally known Cannes Film Festival has grown from a festival with two categories to a festival with 18 categories and counting.

Today, in it's 59th year the festival has a new name, The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and boasts more than 28,000 entries. "The festival is the only truly global meeting place for advertisers, advertising and communication professionals."(http://www.canneslions.com/about/) With over 9000 delegates from 90 countries it is "the world's biggest celebration of creativity in communications."(http://www.canneslions.com/about/)

This year the festival was held from June 17-23 and was once again a showcase for international and specifically, Canadian talent in the advertising and communication industry. Some of the major Canadian firms who were honored at Cannes Lions in 2012 include:

JAM3
Tuxedo
Blast Radius
Grey Group
Cossette
JWT
LG2
Taxi
BBDO
Leo Burnett
Cundari
Lowe Roche
DraftFCB
DDB

Each of these firms was awarded either "Gold, Silver or Bronze in a variety of categories- including two golds in the new mobile award segment."(http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/five-canadian-cannes-advertising-winners-you-should-see/article4368322/#gallery_4048=1)

Both gold lion statues were awarded to Toronto based firm Cundari for their mobile pain app, Pain Squad, for Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. The app was created to allow young patients to record exactly how they were feeling on a daily basis. Each patient was given an iPhone with the app installed and was reminded via an alert to record their pain twice daily. To help motivate the children further, Cundari integrated a series of motivational videos as well as a reward system featuring prominent Canadian celebrities from the television shows Flashpoint and Rookie Blue. The app has been so successful for Sick Kids Hospital that it will soon "roll-out into four other Canadian hospitals and will soon be made available everywhere."(http://www.canneslions.com/work/2012/mobile/entry.cfm?entryid=8544&award=2)

See the video below or click on the link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsl9NjyVpHY to discover the reason behind the app and exactly how it works! It is an amazing way to help kids deal with painful cancer treatments!

-Rachel

Ad Buzz give advice to new grads

On June 8, lucky new graduates and current students attended the sold out inaugural Ad Buzz event "What You Weren't Taught in School." The goal of the one day conference was to teach recent advertising and marketing graduates the tips and tricks of "how to get in, fit in and be amazing in the advertising industry."(http://theadbuzz.com/WYWTIS.html)

The event, was held in downtown Toronto at the historical Arts and Letters Club . Students were provided with advice and insights from some of marketing and advertising's most influential people including:

Ron Tite: President, The Tite Group
Leslie Ehm: Principal, Three Training
Trina Boos: President, Boost Agents & Ad Lounge
Ken Dobell: President, Digital, DAC Group
Luke Sullivan: Author, Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This


The speakers spoke to students about the importance of being a brand, understanding your role, building relationships and how to figure out what you need to become the best possible version of yourself and why people should care and take notice of who you are.

But, perhaps the most anticipated and best advice came from author and instructor Luke Sullivan. Luke spoke to the attendees about the importance of tension in advertising and that creating advertising around tension "can often leverage these tensions and help creatives produce more and often better work."( Luke Sullivan, 8 June, 2012)



In his presentation he told the audience that there are two major questions that advertisers and marketers must ask themselves when looking at and starting a campaign:
1) What is the truest thing I can say about this product or category?
2) Where is the emotion in this product, service or category?

In the end the message
of all of these speakers was to create an image for yourself, an idea of yourself that people want to pay attention to, create something that is interesting because "when everything is okay, we're not interested." (Luke Sullivan)

Click on the video below to see a message from Luke Sullivan.

-Rachel

Students attend retailing conference STORE 2012

Last week Humber Business Marketing students were invited to attend Store 2012, Canada's Retailing Conference at the Toronto Congress Centre. The two day conference offered a wide range of speakers and exhibits meant to help retailers "adapt to changes within the industry and enable them to get ahead of the curve to continue growing their business and increase their competitive advantage."(http://www.storeconference.ca/index.php/about)

The theme of this year's conference was 'The Power of Engagement.' Engagement is a very powerful tool in any industry but, especially in retail. The goal was to allow retailers and retail marketers to "learn just how powerful engagement can be to recruit and retain top talent, enhance the customer experience across all channels, and understand just what your employees and customers expect from you."(http://www.storeconference.ca/index.php/about)

The conference featured some very successful and high profile speakers from all across the retail industry:

John Gerzema: Global Chief Insights Officer, Young and Rubicam Companies & President BrandAsset Consulting
Mitch Joel: President Twist Image
Christina Callas: Senior VP, e-Commerce & Digital Marketing at HBC/Lord & Taylor
Simon Rodrigue: General Manager, Walmart.ca
Yona Shtern: Co-Founder & CEO, Beyond the Rack
Ted Starkman: President, The Shopping Channel
Joanna Track: Co-Founder & President, eLUXE.ca
Jeffery F. Rayport: Operating Partner, Castanea Partners
Stephen G. Wetmore: President & CEO, Canadian Tire Corporation Limited
Corrine Sandler: CEO Fresh Intelligence
Bob Thacker: Executive Director, Adopt-a-Classroom
Jim Treliving: Chairman and Owner, Boston Pizza
Joe Jackman: CEO Joe Jackman Brand Inc
John LeBoutillier: President, Unilever Canada Inc
Frank Scorpiniti: CEO, katz Group Canada Ltd
Shelley Broader: President & CEO, Walmart Canada Corp
Bonnie Brooks: President, HBC and Lord & Taylor

Although all the speakers stressed the importance of engagement across all channels the most important message of the conference was engagement with the customer.

The best example of the current customer came from Jeffery F. Rayport who provided attendees with the profile of 'Customer 3.0.' He identified key areas where the customer has changed including:

1) Exposure to too many brands in too many sectors
2) New ways of buying such as e-commerce and mobile
3) Social commerce- customers are using products such as Groupon
4) Greater consumer voice-customers opinions have a greater affect on what other customers buy (ie) Trip Advisor

Based on these new trends he provided advice about how to attract them and others.

1) Figure out the heavy users, market to and attract them and others will follow
2) Socialize the brand by thinking of how you can create a community around it
3) Work the web because the more connections you have the more valuable your network becomes
4) Unique sales sites are important. Use devices (smart phones, iPads) to create apps for a specific usage occasion and tailor them to the specific device. This creates the environment for retail on demand.
5)Integrate the Experience across all channels. All the aspects of the campaign and process must work together.

Customers have changed drastically over the past 30 years and marketers and retailers must do the same. Using social and mobile marketing techniques represents a radical new way that we are willing to organize around customers. The brands that will be successful are extremely customer centric and will maintain a front office focus, rather than rest on what is happening behind the scenes.

Brand building using Twitter

On March 22, 2012 Twitter celebrated it's 6th birthday. Since it launched in 2006 it has grown into a business of over 800 employees and more than 1,000,000 users. It has changed the way we communicate with one another, with the media and with businesses. According to Anatoliy Grudz, director of the social media lab at Dalhousie University "it has made it easier to establish the connections we naturally want to make."(http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1149710--twitter-s-birthday-six-tweet-years-already) and businesses are taking notice.

In reaction to the popularity of Twitter many multi-million dollar companies have begun to employ specific and very successful strategies to increase brand awareness, loyalty and popularity using Twitter. In fact, according to The Content Strategist and it's Twitter for Brands Series companies such as McDonalds, American Express, Taco Bell and Whole Foods are perfect examples of how to use Twitter to build a brand.

The series features "winning strategies from the top brands on Twitter and provides tips on how to emulate their success." (http://contently.com/blog/tag/twitter-for-brands-series/) The series found that all these brands have certain things in common that make thier campaigns successful;

1) Customer Service: All of these brands realize that customer service is paramount to success, even on the internet. For example, the majority of tweets from American Express (@American Express) and McDonalds (@McDonalds) are replies to customer questions and comments.

2) Provide customers with ideas: Whole Foods (@WholeFoods) offers it's customers recepies and food information via Twitter because they understand that Whole Foods customers are conscious of what they eat and where it comes from.

3) Target specific customers: Along with excellent product knowledge Whole Foods also targets specific customers by focusing on communities. Currently, the company has more that 250 neighbourhood specific Twitter accounts that they use to target specific customer groups.

4) Damage Control: Recently, Taco Bell experienced a PR nightmare that could have drastically affected their business, but the company took to Twitter and other social media to help revamp their image and foster customer loyalty. In 2011, Taco Bell was sued claiming that it did not use real beef. It fought back using Twitter. The company used Twitter to offer customers one free taco in order to prove that the meat was real. According to Mashable "the unique and sharable format of the company's messages made them easy for consumers and reporters to digest", ensuring the return of loyal customers.

Many people, businesses and brands use Twitter to reach out to current and potential consumers, some more successfully than others. Clearly, the key to successful brand growth using Twitter is understanding the customer, providing them with meaningful perks, rewards and feedback and taking responsibility for mistakes both in the real and digital world.

Facebook launches IPO

Facebook's foray into openly trading on the stock market began on February 1, 2012 when it filed papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission and was given a valuation of approximately $5 billion dollars. Potential investors were not told the cost of the stock or how many shares would be available for purchase, only that trading would begin in late May 2012.

Trading of Facebook stock began this past Friday allowing anxious investors to finally own a piece of the Facebook empire. The stock opened on the Nasdaq at $38/share and did break at least one record according to the Wall Street Journal, volume. In fact, "Facebook had traded 460 million shares by 3:07 EDT. The most ever for a US stock on the day of it's IPO."(http://stream.wsj.com/story/facebook-ipo/SS-2-9640/) But the record breaking has not continued.

As the market closed on the first few days of trading, the price of Facebook stock has started to fall. On Monday (May 21, 2012) the stock closed at $34.08 down 9.4% from the IPO price of $38. On Tuesday (May 22, 2012) Facebook stock was valued at only $31 when trading ended for the day. As the stock price continues to fall both current and potential investors are asking if Facebook is indeed a good investment.

Experts are wondering the same. In fact, IPO expert and professor of finance at the University of Florida Jay Ritter cautions that the IPO market is very unpredictable. Ritter argues that perhaps the price to sales ratio of the stock is too high, but he still invested. Other experts agree with Ritter and believe that the initial price of the stock was too high and did not account for other risks associated with an IPO such as:

*Many marketers have not figured out how to use Facebook
*There is a lack of strategy that has been established for using social media
*Content investment is difficult
*Consumers are not caring about brands in a social context through Facebook.

For more expert opinions on the IPO take a look at the video below or click on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIm9EsPFX6c

Less than a week into trading there are still many questions about whether or not Facebook will be a stock market success or utter failure but it sure does have some work to do.

- Rachel

A NEW Perspective

Summer has arrived and with its arrival there are changes in the weather as well as to the Humber Marketing blog. With that said, let me introduce myself. My name is Rachel Kennedy and I have the pleasure of taking over from Tim Hendry and continuing to manage and write the official blog for the Humber Marketing Diploma Program. I was excited when I was asked to continue where Tim left off because social media and communication with students and colleagues is so important in the marketing field and I love to tell people about the great and innovative things that are happening! Throughout the summer the blog will be filled with personal anecdotes, events news and reviews and insights on interesting articles, posts from other blogs or newsworthy marketing stories that I hope you will find informative and entertaining. Share, comment, subscribe and tell your friends!

With the arrival of the summer, I have finally started to think about graduation in December and I have realized that there are a lot of things I like but only really three that I could think of as offering me a fulfilling career in marketing: music, traveling and the arts. To be honest, three is not that many so I started talking to friends about their interests; comic books, Star Wars, Star Trek, urban planning and medicine, so I decided to do some research. I read some comics, watched Star Wars and Star Trek, went on some Jane Walks and read A LOT.

With new found likes and my true areas of interest (somewhat) confirmed I looked into events and activities that would allow me to meet people in marketing, travel, the arts and music. The following are just a few of the things I am really excited about:

1) I was accepted to the Humber OCMC team for 2012.
2) I am volunteering for NXNE one of the best summer art and music festivals that Canada has to offer. (www.nxne.com)
3) I am hoping to volunteer for orientation at Humber in the fall.
4) I am attending STORE 2012 June 4-5, one of Canada's largest retailing conferences. (http://www.storeconference.ca/)
5) I am attending the AdBuzz event "What You Weren't Taught in School." Check out the event details here: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3323824649?ebtv=C

What I realized from all of this is that I still haven't figured everything out but I am excited to be moving in the right direction. I guess overall, the two concrete results that came out of this mini experiment were that I am excited, and nervous for graduation but that through it all I am going to have a great time and meet some amazing new people.

-Rachel

Almost A Year Later ...

Its 3 o’clock in the morning, the bar is shutting down, and the servers are kicking you and your friends out. You then stumble down the street to Mickey D’s and wolf down a handful of cheeseburgers before you go home to pass out... Sound familiar? We’ve all been there before, and someday we’ll all be there again - just not quite as often as we once were.

Just over a year ago, like many of you, I had no clue where or what I would be doing in 2012. I didn’t know if I was going to be a business owner, a university student, a Humber student, or a “nobody” working for a “somebody”.

Now, thanks to the hard work and dedication of many, I can say that I know who I am, what skills I hone, and I have a clear picture of where I want to be in 5 years. As someone with a passion for marketing and communications, finding the right mentorship to guide those skills towards success is what I truly lacked. Humber proved to be a valuable resource for me. I was able to create strong relationships with many industry professionals, and I was able to get the support and mentorship of a few professors that would be instrumental in finding me opportunities when I graduated.

There was one course in particular that helped me to raise the bar more than ever, and that was the Internet Marketing course that so many students are excited to take. Whether it was providing special pricing at major marketing events or engaging in real life projects that build valuable experience, the Internet Marketing course pushes even the least motivated students to get their hands dirty. I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without it!


Working with many of Canada’s largest corporate institutions has proven to me that the skills that I picked up in this course are incredibly valuable – skills that are really a “need-to-have,” not a “nice-to-have.” Skills that I am using everyday to stay current and to develop in my career in digital marketing.

In today’s rapidly changing environment, those plagued by FUD (fear, uncertainty, and denial) do not succeed. In the digital world, we are preparing to enter a dynamic period in time where hardcore developers are going to get an opportunity to showcase their talents like never before and as marketers we need to stay on top of these trends and opportunities.  As creative marketers, it takes a strong knowledge of new technology, communication channels and of course people to be successful.

With this being said, I hope many of you decide to make the right choices, and respect the right people. Because, you will find that as you get older, your life can change pretty quickly after a year goes by. I wish you all the best of luck in your ventures – and look forward to seeing you at future Humber marketing events. Cheers!

Zac

My final thoughts

Two years ago I enrolled into the Marketing Diploma program at Humber College. At the start of the program I was completely undecided upon what I wanted my future career path to be. Now, nearly two years later and it’s hard to comprehend that my time at Humber is coming to an end. Within this blog I am going to share some of my final thoughts and experiences that I believe could be beneficial to future Humber students.

The transition from growing up in a small town in Northern Ontario to living and attending College in Toronto was one of the most difficult aspects to deal with. I never thought that I would face culture shock only three hours away from home. The entire experience has been extremely valuable. Not only have I developed a sound set of business and marketing skills, but I have networked and created an array of opportunities and strong contacts throughout various industries.

So what now?

Two years ago if you asked me what I wanted to do after college, I simply wouldn’t have been able to give you an answer. Now, I can tell you with ease that I want to work within Digital Marketing. However, I don’t want to start working just yet. A few months ago I began exploring my options for after I graduate. I thought about working, volunteering, and travelling and then I came across Humber’s transfer options that they hold with various Universities. As soon as I saw it, I knew that it was for me- Griffith University in Gold Coast, Australia. I immediately contacted KOM Consultants and sent in my application. In January of 2013, I will be living and going to school in Australia, working towards my Bachelor’s Degree. 

Whats next?

As you can imagine, the cost of continuing my studies overseas in Australia is fairly expensive. I spoke with a few of my teachers and reached out to some of the contacts that I met while at Humber. As of now, I have secured an internship and I have valuable leads for two possible jobs, all without ever looking at a job search website.

My advice

If I could offer one piece of advice for current or future Humber students it would be to GET INVOLVED AND NETWORK! Two years may seem like a long time but before you know it- it will be over. The professors at Humber have an immense amount of knowledge and contacts, the one thing that I learnt is that it never hurts to ask for help and advice! The key is to get involved; here are a few examples of how to make the most out of your Humber experience:

•  Attend the events that the business school hosts and makes available to students such as: Grads Give Back, IAB Conferences, and Marketing Now

• Join groups and teams such as: OCMC and Toastmasters.

• Attend job fairs and information sessions

• Pay attention to the Humber Student Federation- They host some amazing events.

Writing blogs and managing the social media for Marketing Humber has been a valuable learning experience. I would like to extend a very special thank you to Christina Clements and everyone else at the Humber College Business School for making this opportunity possible.

Before I sign off I would like to leave you with some proof that networking at Humber actually works. A few weeks ago Humber hosted the annual Grads Give Back event, the final speaker Steve Lorini offered students to apply for an internship with the radio station Z103.5 in Toronto. I spoke with Steve after the event and he shared some insight into the position and helped me set up an interview. Earlier this week I found out that I will be working on the Z103.5 Summer promotions street team!

So remember to get involved and network, but most importantly don’t be hesitant to ask for help!  

-Tim 

Humber Students attend the IAB Mixx Conference

Last week students from the Humber College Internet Marketing class were invited to attend the IAB Mixx Conference downtown Toronto. The annual conference welcomed the students to learn about the trends within Digital Marketing from respected industry professionals. The full-day conference focused on the areas of: innovations in efficiencies, creative ideas and consumer experiences within Digital marketing.

The event featured innovative and insightful information from six industry professionals covering all areas of digital marketing. The presenters included:

·         Jeff Rosenblum, Documentary Filmmaker "The Naked Brand", Co-President and co-founder, Questus

·         Geoff Ramsey, CEO and co-founder, eMarketer

·         Randy Weyersberg, Vice President Marketing, Canadian Tire

·         Steve Mykolyn, Chief Creative Officer, Taxi

·         Sheldon Owen, CEO, Unified,

·         Wendy Robertson, CEO and Co-founder, Kneebon

Throughout the day, all of the presenters touched upon key areas within the world of Digital Marketing. The importance of transparency, social responsibility, trust and creativity were highly stressed by each presenter. In order to touch upon all of these areas I would like to refer to the presentation from Randy Weyersberg on the Canadian Tire House of Innovation.

The House of Innovation

Last year Canadian Tire purchased a four-bedroom, two-bathroom fixer-upper home in Toronto. The purchase made Canadian Tire the first major brand to ever own a home in Canada. Upon purchasing the home, Canadian Tire launched their ‘Bring it on’ campaign, which focused on trying to better understand the struggles and duties that typical Canadian homeowners face. The campaign kicked off with a large banner advertisement on the homepages of Youtube and Facebook along with a micro site, which contained twenty videos featuring various products that are available for sale at the massive Canadian retailer. The goal was to feature the various products as they made everyday repairs and replacements to the home. Canadian Tire pledged that once the home was completely fixed up, they would sell it and donate all of the proceeds to their national charity ‘Jumpstart’.

I wanted to share this example as I feel that the House of Innovation covers all of the key areas of: transparency, social responsibility, trust and creativity. Not only did Canadian Tire make their brand truly transparent and trustworthy by replicating a level of similarity between the average Canadian homeowner and the brand; but also they were extremely creative in their approach to target and educate the average homeowner. In addition, they even pledged to be socially responsibility by donating all of the proceeds to their charity.

The entire conference was filled with extremely valuable and insightful information. The House of Innovation was only one of the many examples that helped unify all of the main points throughout the event. Again, I would like to extend a very special thank you to the IAB Mixx Conference and Humber College for not only inviting the students but for also making opportunities such as these available. I truly believe that keeping up-to-date with industry trends is an essential ingredient for success; I highly encourage all students to take advantage of the various networking and conference opportunities that are available to them.

Check out this video for more insight into the Canadian Tire House of Innovation: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXvTDHtXAIM

-Tim

Humber Graduates Share Their Expertise

Last Friday Humber College was proud to host the annual Grads Give Back event at the North Campus. Humber College marketing students attended the event to gain industry insights and professional advice from past Humber College marketing program graduates. Humber College understands the importance of students remaining up-to-date with industry trends and opportunities; as such, Humber frequently makes these types of opportunities available to students. to further expand knowledge and learning out of the classroom.

The event featured insights and experiences from seven graduates within various industries:

Presenter #1: Zac Stanley- Digital Agency

Presenter #2: Dylan Morrow- Sales Account Management

Presenter #3: Natasha Persad- Social Media Marketing

Presenter #4: Lakshmi Mani- Office Administration

Presenter #5: Marc Boileau- Digital Agency

Presenter #6: Grace Vanden Heuvel- Retail Marketing

Presenter #7: Steve Lorini- Social Media Marketing

Each presenter shared his/her own personal insights and experiences since they graduated from Humber. Throughout the event, each speaker touched upon a few common areas including: education, job search, employment and future opportunities. Three key topics came to light:

1. Job Search

Nearly each of the speakers touched upon the issues, challenges and opportunities associated with searching for employment. One of the most apparent messages pointed out that applying for a job should be taken seriously. It is not simply a passive activity that you do while sitting on the couch watching a movie. Similarly, the presenters stressed the importance of getting out there and pushing through the clutter to find a job that truly suits your skill set and abilities. The most common sources that the graduates used to find jobs include: monster.ca, careerbuilder.com and the school employment centers.

2. The Transition

Managing the transition between college life and professional life can be very difficult for many students. Zac Stanley and Marc Boileau discussed the importance of managing the differences between school projects and work projects. Marc explained that the main issues within the transition are due to the increase in the level of stress and responsibility that new graduates face. Similarly, Zac stated that, “Everyone likes to have fun, but once you start working; it’s a different type of fun.” Both the graduates clarified that you don’t have to put your social life on hold - you simply have to alter it to suit your new professional life.

3. Be Realistic

Being realistic in finding your first job was one of the main points that appealed to me. Marc Boileau did an excellent job in conveying the importance of setting strong but realistic job search criteria. Marc says that the most important aspect is to, “Get your foot in the door,” even if it requires taking a job that pays less or has longer hours. If you are able to get started within your industry, then you are a step in the right direction. In addition, Steve Lorini not only agreed with Marc but he also explained the importance of taking advantage of the various opportunities and contacts that are available.

Overall, the event was a huge success. I would like to extend a very special thank you to the returning graduates for sharing their personal insights and industry expertise. If you have the opportunity and are able to attend the event next year, I highly recommend you do so. Not only will you gain insights into career options, but you may also uncover new trends and opportunities to kick start your professional life.