Thursday, November 13, 2008

Aussie Tim Tam biscuits slam into Canada

by Adam McDowell

Aussie expatriates rejoice: No need to smuggle Tim Tams in your luggage anymore, as the chocolate treats from Down Under have arrived on Canadian shores. Now it’s time to spread your disgusting delicious biscuit-slurping habits in a new country.

Tim Tams, according to the press release, consist of “two layers of chocolate malted biscuit separated by light cream filling and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate.” They come in three flavours: Original, Chewy Caramel and Classic Dark Chocolate. Australians evidently consume said cookies employing a technique known as the Tim Tam Slam, the company’s description of which reads like an advanced course in dunking.

Based on YouTube evidence, there is indeed an established order of things. Natalie Imbruglia once showed ever-entertaining Irish-British talk show host Graham Norton how to do it. Here’s how to eat a Tim Tam like a platinum-selling recording artist:

1. Prepare a warm drink (e.g. tea, coffee or hot chocolate; tea seems to be traditional)
2. Nibble off the corners of the biscuit
3. Use your Tim Tam as a straw, sucking the drink through it (“This is the part where it gets orgasmic,” says Imbruglia)
4. Just when you start to taste the drink, flip the cookie around and slam it into your mouth (quickly — Natalie Imbruglia warns us that the Tim Tam will be melting by this time)
5. Repeat as above

Whether or not you consider buying a package of Tim Tams and trying this for yourself at home, one thing’s for certain: Dipping chocolate cookies in tea will taste much better than dunking them in Vegemite.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Noise Turns up the Heat at Nokia With Sauna Talk


Vancouver, BC; November 4, 2008Noise Digital announced today the launch of Sauna Talk, a global B2B campaign for Nokia. The campaign was created to connect with game developers and raise industry awareness and understanding of N-Gage, Nokia’s global gaming software platform.

“Ultimately we needed to find a way to communicate with the game developer community to discuss a wide range of topics, some of which can be quite technical,” says Mark Nishiguchi, Managing Partner, Noise Digital. “We felt that we could use humour to both engage and inform our target audience. The result was Sauna Talk.”

Sauna Talk is a cheeky, multi-faceted campaign that plays off Nokia’s Finnish heritage. It spoofs a tech talk show and features light, yet informative and specific topics with humorous elements that generally make fun of the ‘not so technical’ host: Arnold Faber.

The campaign includes a microsite and video interview segments designed to leverage social networks, fan pages and content-sharing platforms such as Ovi and Facebook to help spread awareness of the brand and N-Gage platform. The campaign is housed online at www.insider.n-gage.com/saunatalk/.

The campaign also features the “Sauna Talk Trivia Challenge”, a contest which is hosted on gamasutra.com, a key industry web site. Through the contest, entrants can win Sauna Talk merchandise by answering skill-testing questions about the platform. The contest is a way for Nokia to further inform its target audience.

“This campaign has given us a platform to communicate in a new way with our audience,” says Nick Malaperiman, Head of Global Publisher and Industry Marketing. “One of its best features is its flexibility - over time it will allow us to discuss a broad range of topics.”

The campaign was previewed in August in Leipzig, Germany at the GCDC (GC Developers Conference) where pilot videos played throughout the N-Gage booth and conference hall. The videos starred actual Nokia employees and discussed topics such as: community gaming, the N-Gage platform and the Nokia Research partners.

“We were overwhelmed by the initial response to the campaign,” continues Nishiguchi. “We created a lot of industry chatter and people really responded to the tongue-in-cheek interview format. They also appreciated that we were using actual Nokia employees.”

Sauna Talk is the latest campaign that has arisen from Noise’s long-standing relationship Nokia. Noise has been responsible for game branding, interactive strategy, international title marketing, design and development, and other unique global projects for N-Gage since 2002.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

The Great Trash Tip Launches Waste Reduction Pilot Project


West Vancouver, BC; October 23, 2008 –Metro Vancouver and Park Royal Shopping Centre today launched a waste reduction pilot project with an event called The Great Trash Tip. During the event, two massive garbage compactors full of waste and recycling were tipped into the Park Royal’s parking lot and examined by garbage inspectors. The event coincided with Canada’s Waste Reduction Week.

The event officially launched Park Royal and Metro Vancouver’s waste reduction pilot project, which began in September when the shopping centre’s garbage was first inspected at the North Shore Transfer Station. Following the inspections, Metro Vancouver will provide Park Royal with a report that inventories the contents of the centre’s garbage containers.

“The best way to reduce garbage is to not have garbage in the first place,” said Metro Vancouver Director Marvin Hunt who is chair of the region’s Waste Management Committee. “We are very pleased that Park Royal is demonstrating the necessary leadership in the business community to help us achieve our goal of Zero Waste.”

“Park Royal is committed to reducing waste,” says Cindy Papa, Director of Marketing & Sustainability for the Centre. “We are proud to be a part of this initiative and look forward to sharing the results with others to ultimately reduce unnecessary waste being sent to the landfill.”

The current inventory of Park Royal’s garbage will serve as a benchmark, and both the Region and the Shopping Centre hope to see a significant reduction in the amount of waste when it is inspected again several months down the road.

“Our hope is that the Park Royal waste reduction project becomes a model that we can apply at shopping centres right across the Metro Vancouver area,” continued Hunt.

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The Wait is Over: Tim Tams Finally Arrive In Canada



Vancouver, BC; October 23, 2008– Ex-pat Australians and Canadian chocolate lovers are rejoicing at the news that Arnott’s renowned Tim Tam biscuits have arrived in Canada. Concord Sales Ltd./Concord National Inc., a leading Canadian food distributor, has secured the rights to import Tim Tams from Australia. Starting this month, the biscuits (a.k.a. cookies) will be available in major Canadian grocery and drug stores.

“In my long career as Australian Senior Trade Commissioner in six countries, I and the Australian expatriate community have depended on parcels from home to supply us with survival supplies of iconic Aussie foods, like Tim Tams,” says Stefan Trofimovs, Australian Senior Trade Commissioner and Consul General Toronto. “Our life is so much easier having global distribution of these brands. I know Aussies in Canada will give thanks to Concord for now supplying this country and I am certain that discerning Canadian consumers will quickly appreciate what we have known for decades about the qualities of Tim Tams.”

Australia’s favourite biscuit is made from two layers of chocolate malted biscuit separated by a light cream filling and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate. The indulgent chocolate, created from a secret recipe, cradles a delicate cream centre of vanilla, butter and chocolate. Tim Tams are available in three flavours: Original, Chewy Caramel and Classic Dark Chocolate.

Tim Tams were first launched in 1963 and are made by Arnott’s Biscuits, the venerable Australian biscuit company that has been in operation since 1865. The biscuit is so popular, that Australians annually consume nearly 35 million packs.

“The biscuits are not simply a way to satisfy chocolate cravings, they are an experience, complete with their own ritual,” says Tina Ryan of Concord Sales Ltd./Concord National Inc. “Tim Tam enthusiasts take their love of the biscuits to the next level, even sharing online videos on how to best enjoy them.”

The Tim Tam Slam is the preferred consumption method of the true Tim Tam aficionado. The technique involves biting off opposite corners of a Tim Tam and using it as a straw to sip a hot beverage such as coffee or tea. As soon as the biscuit lover tastes the hot liquid through the cookie, it must be swiftly flipped around and ‘slammed’ into the their mouth before it falls apart.

Cookie lovers will find videos on YouTube that feature celebrities such as Natalie Imbruglia and Jennifer Love Hewitt demonstrating the proper Slam technique. However, enthusiasm for the biscuits does not stop there. Fans of Tim Tams have dreamt up many ways to enjoy their favourite cookie including the Tim Tam Martini and the Tim Tam Chocolate Sundae.

After a long wait, Canadians can finally join the Tim Tam movement. The biscuits are now available at Save-on-Foods, Overwaitea Foods, PriceSmart Foods, London Drugs, IGA, Sobeys, Federated Co-Op and Buy-Low-Foods.




Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Great Western Brewing Company Shares the Wealth With Beer Lovers


Saskatoon, SK; April 23, 2008Great Western Brewing Company is celebrating the three Gold Medals it won at the most recent Monde Selection Ceremony by giving away 24 solid gold medallions. The medallions will be awarded to 24 customers who find a specially marked can in a 24-can pack of Great Western Brewing’s premium beers: Light, Pilsner and Premium. The medallions weigh one ounce troy, which at yesterday's market closing was valued at $922 CAD.

“We are extremely proud of these awards because they signify that our beers are among the very best in the world,” says Ron Waldman, President and CEO, Great Western Brewing Company. “To share our success we wanted some lucky customers to strike gold too.”

Great Western Brewing won three gold medals at Monde Selection for its premium beers: Great Western Premium, Great Western Pilsner and Great Western Light. Monde Selection is one of the world’s most respected and difficult tests of product quality. Great Western Brewing enters the competition every second year and has been awarded gold medals in 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007.

“We believe that beer drinkers in Saskatchewan deserve nothing less than the best there is,” says Viv Jones, Brewmaster, Great Western Brewing Company. “Entering our beers into the world’s premiere beer competitions allows us to benchmark our quality and performance against our best competitors, and it is key to achieving our goal of being world-class.”

These specially marked 24-can packs will be the first from Great Western Brewing’s new packaging line. The company recently invested $400,000 in new equipment at its Saskatoon-based brewing facility. The investment represents the company’s commitment to continued growth in Saskatchewan and will allow it to provide customers with new product options including 15, 18 and 24-can packs in addition to its existing 12 can-packs.