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.
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Category: Branding, Random
A while back, I asked myself a simple question – does technology make me more productive?
This question evolved from taking a step back, and looking at my usual day at work to see how much time I spent on checking my personal email, social media sites, chatting, texting, or talking on my mobile phone.
Between, emails (reading and responding), Facebook, and random texts, chats, and phone conversations, my cumulative time-wasted total closed in on 30 minutes to one hour per day, or up to five hours per week.
Simply turning these tools off is not really an option, especially considering that I work in a technology focused company, so I set up the following usage guidelines to see if I could find a better way to use them.
And because this experiment is still in progress, I’ve included my results after three weeks along with each guideline.
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Category: 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
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
With the increasing popularity and craze over social media, viral videos, games and location-based applications, consumers now want to be in control of when, where, and how they receive information. And according to Rick Mathieson’s latest book, it’s no longer enough for your company or your brand to be in demand, they must be on demand.
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Category: Book Reviews, Branding, Random
At Suitcase, we like to stay on top of things and show the world that we care about the latest trends and news updates. We also love sharing what we’ve learned, which is why we we’ve started our book review initiative. I recently read Strategic Mobile Design: Creating Engaging Experiences, written by Joseph Cartman and Richard Ting. Don’t let the ever popular buzzword, “Engaging Experiences”, throw you off. It’s not a book full of cliché ideas. This short, 202-paged paperback book is perfect for the newbies to the mobile industry. There are great, clear chapters in this book that allows you to skim and read the content that interests you.
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Category: Book Reviews, Mobile Marketing
