We expected that our move towards becoming an engagement agency was going to attract the attention of a number of innovative companies looking to better connect with their customers.
And, for the past few months that’s been happening with the addition of several new clients here at Suitcase.
We also expected that our new direction, and new client acquisitions would attract new, talented people who have signed up for the ride.
The latest arrival is Gordon Ellis who is Suitcase’s shiny, new, account director. Joining from Taxi, where he handled top brands such as Tourism Jasper, the University of Calgary, Southcentre Mall and a little airline known as WestJet. Gordon’s relationship focus, strategic acumen and keen eye for creative opportunities will be huge assets for Suitcase.
“To me, Suitcase is one of those agencies that gets it,” Gordon explains, “Advertising and communications is now about engagement. It’s about having a conversation with the consumer. It’s about finding out what they want and how they want to receive that information. Once you know that, your ROI is going to increase.”
Not surprisingly, starting conversations and increasing ROI are at the top of his list as he takes the reigns of our Jayman, and Mark’s accounts. He will also be collaborating with the rest of our team on digital marketing and engagement strategies for every client here at Suitcase.
If you want to pass along your congrats, or to confab with him about your company’s digital and engagement strategies, you can email Gordon at gordon@suitcaseinteractive.com
Category: Appointment Notices, Suitcase News, Uncategorized
Ad Age posted an excellent piece the other day that I think is long overdue. At the root of the article is rallying call for digital agencies and practitioners to collaborate on a standard for online measurement.
Now as I recall, the initial hyperbole about the internet’s marketing effectiveness (or as one seminar called it e-ffectiveness – seriously) was that it was supposed to deliver true measurement, unlike the various mug’s games perpetrated by the broadcast, out-of-home and print industries. And trust me, if there are industries that need to answer for their laissez-faire approach to statistical analysis and measurement, this trio might be at the top of the list.
Continue reading →
Category: Branding, Random
So when I read this story about how Twitter was all set to become a reliable source for news, I admittedly shook my head at the author’s breathless lack of foresight or insight.
Don’t get me wrong, Twitter is great for a lot of things like promotion, communication and mostly it’s an online expression of existentialism – I tweet, therefore I am.
But, a news source? I think the balloon boy should have illustrated the myopia of that point of view.
So with the news that the media had once again erroneously reported another death of a well known person, this time hockey coach Pat Burns who is living with cancer, I am once again amazed at how far our standards have fallen.
To review, Twitter is great for reporting what you had for lunch, or what a killer price you found on the cutest pair of shoes, it can even be great for identifying trends or leads for a news story, but without verification and basic follow up – standards that newsrooms used to base their reputations on – it is not a news source on its own.
And neither are bloggers for that matter.
Category: Random, Uncategorized
After months of stories and conversations about smart phones and apps and their claim to being the title of the next big thing, maybe it’s time for us to reconsider the relative merits of the modest, reliable, albeit less sexy phone-next-door.
No one it seems is penning ballads, let alone slick TV spots for text-based phones anymore, but according to an article on GoMo News, we may want to reconsider the effectiveness of non-smart phones and customer engagement.
Continue reading →
Category: Branding, Destination Marketing, Mobile Marketing
For right or for wrong, the stereotype of the average web developer is that of an ashen-skinned-jacked-up-on-red-bull-and-Doritos individual who strives for order and consistency among lines of code. Let’s be honest here and say that creative expression is not normally a term tossed around between web devs.
Unless you’re talking about Igor Barbashin, Suitcase’s very own developer/designer. Along with his wife Daria, Igor created the Order in Chaos clock.
The Madness of the Shattered Clock
You’ll have to check out the demo to see how it works, but trust us when we say that it’s amazing. And there seems to be a some others who share our opinion, with Igor’s little website averaging more than 6000 hits a day, and even Beautiful Life has reviewed the Shattered Clock for their readers.
As for Igor’s inspiration – well, we’re pretty certain that the number of all-nighters and insane deadlines he’s faced as a web developer are somehow creatively expressed in the Shattered Clock.
Category: Random, Uncategorized
It was a lot of work, and some extra hours buttoning everything up, but having seen the finished United Way Calgary and Area and BeCause websites make it all worthwhile.
The Shiny, New United Way Website
Sure the new look and improved user experience are points of pride, but knowing that both these websites will play a major role in the United Way Calgary and Area’s annual fundraising campaign and help make Calgary a better city is something the whole team here at Suitcase can get behind.
While the main United Way website is focused on Calgary issues at large, the BeCause website focuses on engaging 20 – 40 year-old Calgarians in volunteerism, community development and finding solutions to local social issues. It’s a pretty cool idea, and one that is coming at exactly the perfect time here in Calgary.
The Youthful Energized BeCause Website
And, when you check out the BeCause website be sure watch the video Calgary: an Owner’s Guide that features some sweet work from our friends at MacLaren McCann.
Category: Random, Uncategorized
Let’s step back into TV history for a bit and visit Cheers, the fictional Beantown pub where everyone knew your name.
Each episode would typically open with the entrance of the show’s rotund raconteur Norm Peterson
“Norm!” the ensemble would shout in unison before the actor delivered a hilarious and often self-effacing punch line to a softball query tossed his way. For example:
“What’s shaking Mr. Peterson?” Woody the bartender would ask.
“Everything that isn’t taped down,” Norm would reply.
Cue laughter sign in the studio, and the show was off and running.
Continue reading →
Category: Branding, Location Based Marketing
Suitcase Account Manager Rob Howard sent the following link to my email the other day. It’s a pretty cool location-based marketing idea called TriOutNC that links the “Triangle”, which consists of three North Carolina tourism areas, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.
TriOutNC lets web site and mobile users to interact with the community, connect with people and help find local hot spots which drives foot traffic to cafés, bars, restaurants, clubs, etc.
With both a mobile and a web component, users choose the level of their participation. They use the web site to learn about a location and get a feel for its vibe. Then when they’re out and about, they participate via the TriOut mobile application.
Users can interact with local businesses by submitting photos and posting reviews of locations. TriOut users have logged more than 2,000 locations have been logged, and posted over 1,600 photos and 900 reviews. Users earn points by “checking in” at each location, and businesses offer their own specials or rewards for checking in a certain number of times to their establishment.
Check out TriOutNC
Category: Location Based Marketing, Mobile Marketing
I’m not sure why, but the above headline seems to be lost on many of my compatriots in the digital industry.
Instead, we’re addicted to coating simple concepts in divergent babble about conversations, deepening experiences, and extensions, all goals that sound more like marriage counselling than leading-edge marketing. It has to be said though, that on the upside, thankfully, we’ve stopped pitching (well, most of us have) dashboards.
Perhaps this fluffing results results from nothing more than our professional insecurity with an awkward juxtaposition; a hot, sexy new technology or platform that has, at its root, nothing more that the oldest profession on earth – selling.
Continue reading →
Category: Location Based Marketing, Mobile Marketing
Sometimes it takes society a bit of time to catch up with the real meaning of new things. At the turn of the last century radio was like the newspaper being read to you; television was radio with pictures; computers were electronic filing cabinets (hello folder icons); the Internet was TV that you controlled etc. You can probably add to the pile of evidence the dearth of banner ads that amounted to little more than print ads that jiggled.
Continue reading →
Category: Location Based Marketing, User Experience
