April 29, 2011
As we say goodbye to a cold, bitter winter and welcome the fresh, new spring weather we’ve noticed that two things haven’t really changed around our offices. First, clients are still knocking on our doors because they realize they need to learn to better engage with their customers, and second, talented people are flocking over to join our team to help forge a new frontier.
With great new clients comes great new talent, and the new guy in town is Mark James Lucas, our Art Director extraordinaire. Not only does he have three first names, he also brings with him over a decade of experience in the digital space and a specialty in mobile UI design.
Mark’s extensive experience with some of North American’s biggest brands, including Dell, AT&T, Best Buy, Harley Davidson and USAA, will certainly be a great benefit to our clients. He will help by adding a keen sense of user-centric design and insights into information hierarchy and architecture.
“After spending six years at a large digital agency, I needed a change,” explains Mark, “I had heard nothing but great things about Suitcase, and after meeting with the executive team and learning of the new direction Suitcase is going, with a paramount goal to be leaders in social media and mobile technology space, I was hook, line and sinker.”
Mark’s insights and knowledge can already be felt around our offices, and we’re excited to fill his plate with new projects for SportChek, Atmosphere and Mark’s Work Wearhouse, along with dipping his toe in all the work here at Suitcase.
Want to personally congratulate him? Email him at mark@suitcaseinteractive.com because I’m sure he’d love to hear from you.
Category: Appointment Notices, Suitcase News, Uncategorized
It is a simple question, one that I encounter often.
How should we (DMO, destination, hotel, resort, etc.) keep up with the latest social/tech/digital trend?
With so much innovation in the digital space, it can seem overwhelming. A new social site launches each day, flash travel sites arrive and disappear in a flash and the entire time you are simply trying to keep up.
So, how do you?
Category: Destination Marketing, Tourism Marketing
April 8, 2011
As part of their Modern Media Agency Series, Mashable has posted this interesting infographic that shows how brands are moving towards more diverse touchpoints and social media strategies.
Category: Engagement Marketing, Location Based Marketing, Location-Based Experiences, Mobile Marketing, Social Media Marketing
March 31, 2011
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
March 22, 2011
In 1981, the Buggles’ 1979 single Video Killed the Radio Star, became the first song played on the fledgling cable network MTV. Almost masochistically, radio stations started playing the song in high rotation, in a move that many saw as the broadcasters’ take on rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.
Yet, here we are 30 years later, and radio is still here, albeit minus a few stars, but still going strong. Which begs the question: what are the Buggles up to these days?
As is often the case, with premature pronouncements of any media’s demise, its finality is often exaggerated.
The main reason is an audience’s desire for relevant, high-value information. In social media it’s been said that content is King, but quality is Queen and seasoned media outlets have been producing that for years.
Case in point is National Public Radio (NPR) out of the United States. Instead of collapsing in the face of the rise of social media, or seeing it as a threat, NPR embraced the chance to offer another point of contact for their incredibly loyal audience. Continue reading
Category: Uncategorized
Even with the long winters, the vast expanse of our frontier, or our collective, ahem, socialist tendencies, it’s still amazing that once again Canadians have taken the honour as the world’s top internet users.
The study, released by digital measurement firm comScore, found that for the fourth quarter of 2010 Canadians spent an average of 44 hours online each month.
Canadians lead the world in great beers and time spent online.
Category: Uncategorized
March 1, 2011
It is a popular question from our social media strategy clients: So, what tourism/destination/DMO social media campaigns do you like?
Typically, very few…aside from the often cited Tourism Queensland example (still a brilliant campaign from Chris and the TQ team).
This is not to say that our DMO peers produce poor social campaigns, but unfortunately many use the proverbial copy and paste button a bit too often.
But, there are several standouts.
Those executions, integrations and campaigns that warrant a tweet, “like” or post. For your reading enjoyment, we have four of our favorite tourism / destination marketing social media campaigns.
Category: Destination Marketing, Engagement Marketing, Geo-Social, Social Media Marketing, Tourism Marketing
March 1, 2011
While not a complete representation of overall brand effectiveness, a destination’s marketing name is typically one of the first interaction points for a consumer. And for the destination, a critical first impression of their brand story.
Category: Branding, Destination Marketing
February 22, 2011
Being digital marketers at the core, we obviously believe strongly in the power of the web as a communication tool. What’s interesting though is that as we work with more retail brands, we’re discovering that the web in conjunction with social media tools, is a marketing platform that actually allows your message to grow and spread to the masses on a large scale. Continue reading
Category: Branding, Location Based Marketing, Mobile Marketing
February 18, 2011
Loyalty programs have been slowly moving into the mobile space, but three recent developments, Facebook Deals, Starbuck’s Mobile App, and the Clip coupon app, show that this trend is picking up steam.
Facebook Deals was recently launched across Canada as part of the Facebook Places feature. Now, by using a smart phone to check-in their location to Facebook Places, consumers are provided with a list of nearby stores offering deals.
Category: Location Based Marketing, Mobile Marketing
