Canadian Chef Returns to James Beard House with a New Menu

Calgary's Avenue magazine got the James Beard House Experience last Thursday.

Check out Kelsey Mulyk's review of Chef Chris Mills' dinner here.

Ultimate airport souvenir: $200,000 bottle of gin

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure this would take MY martinis up a notch....

A unique bottle of gin that was unveiled for sale at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) last week. The bottle is Bacardi’s Bombay Sapphire Revelation, a remarkable $200,000 decanter of super premium gin.

Read all about it in Harriet Baskas' Stuck at the Airport blog:

http://stuckattheairport.com/2010/10/26/ultimate-airport-souvenir-200000-bottle-of-gin/

Chef Chris Mills on Tour

Joey Executive Chef Chris Mills is currently on a media tour to share the five-course menu he has created for his upcoming appearance at James Beard House in New York City. This will be Chris' second appearance at James Beard House....which is often referred to as the Carnegie Hall for chefs.

From the reports we're hearing from media in Edmonton and Calgary, the menu is to die for! Seattle and Vancouver tastings are up next.

Chris visited Global Calgary over the weekend to share the delectable dessert course from his menu...a Vietnamese Banana Cake.

Airport's school tour is a soaring success

Richmond students among the first to get look behind the scenes

by Alan Campbell

BC's Best Young Designer

Designs on Winning

By Nick Greenizan

Film fest green-lights company’s hospitality software

Vancouver-based firm develops online system for finding accommodations, with a discount

By Marke Andrews

Elettra enjoys a night out...

...at the Western Living Design Awards.

From BCBusiness magazine's The Social List:

The Future Lands Here

Vancouver International Airport's 2010 School Tour Program - The Future Lands Here - has launched.

Visit the YVR Connections blog to meet Elettra Communications' Siva Sivarajan, Heather Chang, and Emily Williamson, who will be guiding more than 2,700 Lower Mainland school children through tours of the airport this autumn.

BC's Best Young Designer

South Surrey, BC; September 28, 2010 – Organizers today announced the launch of the BC’s Best Young Designer competition. Participants will compete for the title and a trip to the design mecca of New York City by applying their creative design skills to decorating and furnishing newly built suites in the Morgan Crossing village.

Up and coming designers - both professionals and amateurs alike - are encouraged to upload a personal video to www.bestyoungdesigner.com explaining why they deserve to win the BC’s Best Young Designer title. The deadline to submit is November 30, 2010.

The public is encouraged to visit the website to vote for their favourite entry before November 30. From the top 15 entries, a panel of judges will then choose six finalists who will be given a $10,000 budget and five weeks’ time to decorate and furnish a one-bedroom + den suite in Morgan Crossing.

In early January, once all six suites have been decorated, the competition units will be available for public viewing and voting. The public will determine one “fan favourite” winner who will win a $2,000 cash prize. The judges will also choose one overall winner who will receive a grand prize package that includes the title BC’s Best Young Designer and an all expenses paid trip to attend one of the world’s premiere design events, the Architectural Digest Home Design Show in New York City.

“We’re seeing a trend today with people from all walks of life becoming interested in and passionate about design,” says Michelle Hughes, Design Competition Director, Morgan Crossing. “Morgan Crossing is providing a blank canvas for those young designers who would like to experience decorating a residence with their own inspiration as their guide and a generous budget at their disposal.”

“Winning the title BC’s Best Young Designer will give a young interior designer credibility,” added Hughes. “To know that your peers and the public voted your design as the best will certainly provide an up and coming interior designer with an edge over others.”

The competition is open to all BC residents 30 years old or younger as of contest close on February 19, 2011. The competition is open to students, young designers, interior decorators, homeowners; anyone who wants to demonstrate their creativity. All entries must be creative, original and not violate copyright law.

Books for BC Babies in the Tri City News

by Diane Strandberg

Credit unions urge B.C. youth to 'be remarkable'

September 23, 2010
By Eve Lazarus

Vancouver-based Central 1, the trade association for B.C. and Ontario credit unions, has launched a $2.5 million marketing campaign in B.C. aimed at youth.

The "Be Remarkable" campaign includes an online media buy, guerrilla marketing, and a tent pole Facebook application all created by Noise Digital of Vancouver.

Noise Digital came up with the idea to ask Facebook users to help distribute $100,000 to local charities on Central 1's behalf. Each time program participants tag themselves or their friends in a Facebook photo in their region, $1 goes to a charity in that region. So far, more than 63,000 tags have been generated and the page has more than 22,000 "likes."

Noise Digital also had two ATMs placed on university campuses that, instead of dispensing money, played video games. The idea, said Reed, is to show that banks are not the only option for students.

The online and guerrilla work is supported by television ads from Wasserman + Partners Advertising.

Martin Reed, director of marketing and creative services at Central 1, said the year-long campaign targets 18- to 29-year olds and aims to differentiate credit unions from banks through their values.

While that age demographic makes up 27% of B.C.'s population, it accounts for only 8% of credit union members, he said. "We need to attract some youth."

Reed said research shows the values credit unions want to project–honesty, integrity, trust and loyalty–match those of younger people, as does their interest in community and local initiatives.

"We found that there is a lack of awareness of what credit unions are about and how they can match up with what youth are trying to achieve," he said, adding that youth tend to bank where their parents bank.

Facebook fundraiser through credit union

By Cameron Orr
Smithers Interior News

Sixteen regions in B.C. are going head-to-head to find out which online community will reign in a credit union fundraiser.

The province’s 45 credit unions are using the power of social media juggernaut Facebook to donate $100,000 to local charities.

Each region has two charities eligible to receive funds. The Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter in Smithers is one of the two for the North, while the University of Northern British Columbia is the other.

The trick is, people have to tag themselves in a photo album on the campaign’s Facebook page. Each community has their own photo. Just find the photo of the Alpine man, with the word Smithers written across it, and tag yourself.

Per photo only 50 people can be tagged but there are multiple Smithers images, just find one with a free spot.

For each person tagged in a photo a dollar will be donated.

The campaign launched on Sept. 7 and so far over 60,000 tags have been generated, while the page itself has been liked 20,000.

Northern B.C. was in third place as of last week with 6,663 tags.

The page can be found at www.facebook.com/beremarkable or visit www.beremarkable.com.

Tacoma Regional CVB Launches Online Housing Reservation System

Software expected to help region secure convention business

Tacoma, WA and Vancouver, BC: September 22, 2010 – Tacoma Regional Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB) announced today the signing of an agreement with Meetingmax Systems to handle its online housing reservation needs. The CVB made the decision in order to meet the growing calls from meeting planners for a simplified housing solution.

“Meetingmax’s system has an excellent reputation within the travel industry,” says Shauna Lunde, Director of Sales and Marketing for the Tacoma Regional CVB. “Meeting planners have had positive experiences with the system in other destinations and have been requesting the service from us.”

With 87 hotels and 6,000 hotel rooms, the Tacoma Regional CVB was looking for a system that could simplify the process of reserving room blocks at a variety of hotels. Instead of having to use each hotel’s system to track bookings, a meeting planner can secure blocks of housing through the CVB and manage their bookings through one central portal. Conference attendees are sent a link which allows them to explore participating hotels and book their own rooms.

“In today’s competitive market, having an online housing reservation system is another service that CVBs can offer their meeting planners,” says Jeff Duncan, COO, Meetingmax Systems. “It’s a value added benefit that can help Tacoma and Pierce County attract business.”

Meetingmax’s system was selected based on its user-friendly interface and the fact that it does not have minimum booking requirements. The system has received positive feedback from other Washington destinations and is now used by CVBs in Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Yakima.

Located just 18 miles south of the Seattle-Tacoma Airport on the I5 corridor, Pierce County is an easy to reach destination for convention attendees. The region offers a wide variety of activities ranging from fine dining and harbor tours, to kayaking and hiking at Mt. Rainier. Visitors can easily explore Tacoma’s historic and cultural attractions on foot, including the Museum of Glass featuring the work of renowned glass artists.

Credit unions go back to school

Media in Canada

by Craig MacBride

Central 1, the organization representing credit unions in BC and Ontario, is going to school.

Spanning TV, social media and on-campus OOH, the "Be Remarkable" campaign targets 18- to 29-year-olds with the goal of explaining the difference between credit unions and banks, Martin Reed, director of marketing and creative services, Central 1, tells MiC.

"Most people this age don't know how credit unions are different," he explains. "This shows how we [as an organization] align with the values of people this age."

In BC, the on-campus OOH includes banners and bathroom stall ads at universities and colleges across the province, as well as fake promotional ATMs at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia. Designed to look like typical ATMs from a distance, up close they are revealed to be video consoles, complete with joystick and retro games such as Donkey Kong, Frogger, and Pac-Man.

The ads and the machines, which will be on-campus until mid-October, drive students to the microsite BeRemarkable.com, where humorous stop-motion videos talk up the benefits of credit unions. One of the main messages of the videos is that credit unions have "members," not customers and as such, are more community-minded and less profit-oriented than the big banks.

In their first campaign for Central 1, Vancouver-based Noise handled the OOH and online creative, as well as the online media plan and buy. The online strategy includes Google, Gorilla Nation, Olive Media, and Rouge Media online networks, as well as inventory on Sympatico.ca and via Microsoft Messenger. Video pre-roll and rich media banners were also placed on Break Media, Tremor Media and Tribal Fusion networks.

Vancouver-based Wasserman and Partners created the television ads, which are airing around Glee, The Simpsons, The Office, So You Think You Can Dance (US and Canadian versions), Hockey Night in Canada, and Grey's Anatomy. The ads will run, with a break over the Christmas holidays, until April 2011.

There is also a charitable focus to the campaign, harnessing the power of Facebook to allow anyone to tag their friends on the Central 1 page. With each friend a person tags, the credit unions donate $1 to a charity in the tagger's region.

To date, there have been 63,000 tags from across BC. The Facebook campaign continues until the $100,000 is used up.

Books for BC Babies needs $250K to survive

Burnaby NewsLeader
By Wanda Chow

A program credited with encouraging parents to read to their babies and boosting early literacy needs more than $250,000 to continue after the provincial government cut its funding earlier this year.

Since 2005, Books for BC Babies has provided free kits to every baby born in the province, each of which include a board book, a CD of rhymes and songs and information on library resources and how to promote early childhood development.

In 2009, the program distributed more than 40,000 kits, mainly during the first visit by a public health nurse to a home after a baby’s birth. While organizers have enough materials to produce kits for the rest of the year, they need to raise more than $250,000 in donations and sponsorships to carry on in 2011. Each kit costs about $7 to produce.

But while the materials are an integral part of the program, Edel Toner-Rogala, Burnaby’s chief librarian, stressed it’s not just about the free book.

“Reading to your baby isn’t just about the book,” said Toner-Rogala, of Burnaby Public Library, one of the provincewide partners in the program.

“It’s about exposing your child to language and the importance of speaking to your baby. People underestimate that. Children learn to speak by being spoken to, spoken with.”

It’s an introduction to language skills that is fundamental to all future development and learning, she said, adding when parents read with their children it also builds the bond between them.

“It’s all about getting them ready to read. It’s about recognizing the magic. There’s this sense that these markings on this piece of paper somehow translates to sounds and ideas that I can understand.”

A 2008 survey of parents in the program showed some had not thought of reading to newborns before. As a result of Books for BC Babies, more than 60 per cent were looking at books with their babies more often, 60 per cent were checking out baby materials from the library and 91 per cent planned to attend library programs for parents and infants.

The survey also showed the program impacted parents directly as well, with 50 per cent saying they were using the library more often, and 34 per cent joining the library for the first time.

Toner-Rogala noted that when babies are spoken and read to, benefits such as language skills take place no matter what language it happens in. Books for BC Babies even provides bilingual books in several different languages to promote an improved sense of cultural identity and for non-English-speaking caregivers, such as grandparents, to participate.

For more information or to donate, visit http://books4babies.bclibrary.ca/for-supporters.

VIFF Attendees Get the Sundance Treatment

Meetingmax Systems to provide housing reservation technology for film festival

Vancouver, BC; September 16, 2010 – While organizers of the Vancouver International Film Festival have countless details to worry about, this year they won’t be worrying about hotel reservations. As a festival sponsor, Vancouver-based Meetingmax Systems will be providing its online housing reservation technology to manage room bookings for visiting filmmakers, VIPs and guests. This follows the successful use of the online platform at last year’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

“We were looking for a way to make sure that housing arrangements for our guests would run seamlessly and were impressed with the results that Meetingmax produced at Sundance,” said Betty Verkuil, Director of Development, VIFF. “Having the support of local companies for our festival is critical for our success. We’re pleased to have technology developed by a Vancouver business play a key role in the festival’s logistics.”

With eight hotels providing rooms for the festival, VIFF organizers wanted to simplify the process of reserving rooms for VIPs and guests. Instead of having to use each hotel’s system, organizers can manage all hotel bookings through one central portal.

While Meetingmax is based in Vancouver, the organization primarily works with convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), meeting planners, and organizations in the United States. This will mark one of the first times that the system will be used in Vancouver by local hotels and event planners.

“Our partnership with VIFF will allow potential clients to explore the customizable features of our online booking platform,” says Jeff Duncan, COO, Meetingmax Systems. “In turn, our system will streamline the housing reservations process for festival organizers, which can otherwise be an unnecessarily time-consuming element of event management.”

Duncan developed Meetingmax’s online housing reservation platform after years of organizing events and conferences. Given the time required to manage rooms at various hotels for events, he began looking for an existing software solution that could streamline the process. After an unsuccessful search, he spearheaded the development of Meetingmax’s own software in 2007.

Since then, the company has seen steady growth. The software is now used by CVBs in more than 20 destinations across North America. In 2009, Meetingmax was responsible for processing more than $7 million in hotel transactions.

“Our CVB clients have responded with positive feedback on their experiences with the Meetingmax system,” continues Duncan. “We are hearing that conference planners are now asking for the service from CVBs before making a final decision on which city gets their conference business.”

Books for BC Babies...

...in Okanagan Child Magazine.

Books for BC Babies

Books 4 BC Babies in today's Vancouver Sun.

Author's 'uncle enzymes' fuelled bestselling book for newborns

BY DARAH HANSEN, VANCOUVER SUN
Richard Van Camp knew he was on to something special from the moment he began writing Welcome Song for Baby.

The Edmonton-based author was commissioned to write the book in 2006 just as close friends announced they were expecting their first child, followed quickly by news his brother and sister-in-law were also about to become new parents.

"I had uncle enzymes coursing through me," Van Camp recalled of his literary inspiration. "I wanted to put all that love, all those good wishes into this little lullaby.

The result was a Canadian bestseller, with parents and newborns across the country responding warmly to the board book's stunning photography and endearing storyline.

"Hey-yah-hey. Hey-yah-hey. Heyyah-hey. Dear one, cherished one, loved one. You have made the world beautiful again," the story reads -- its refrain a rhythmic tribute to Van Camp's aboriginal roots as a member of the Dogrib Dene from the Northwest Territories.

For Rhian Piprell, co-chair of Books for BC Babies, Welcome Song's unexpected success was one more reason to celebrate the importance of early literary.

Piprell's organization commissioned the story as part of its continuing mission to supply new moms and dads in the province with tools they need to engage their children in reading, as early as possible. Each year the organization releases a book by a Canadian author to about 42,000 families across B.C., along with a CD of songs and an information guide encouraging parents to read to their newborns.

"Reading, talking and singing to newborns are the best ways to build early language and literacy skills -- skills that impact a child's lifelong development," Piprell said.

"By providing a parenting resource at a crucial stage of a child's life, we can give kids the best chance at future success."

Hillel Goelman, an education professor at the University of B.C., said there is significant research to support the notion that children can learn much from books, even at a young age.

Early on, Goelman said, children associate positive emotions from the sensation of being held and cuddled by their parents or caregivers during storytime. "It creates an expectation that reading is a very pleasurable activity. It's fun," he said.

Reading is also a critical element in a child's vocabulary development. "They are building up a comprehension, the ability to understand what words mean," Goelman said.

Van Camp said he's thrilled to be part of a child's lifelong love of literacy.

"The things that you are passing on to a growing miracle have to be chosen really carefully so that's where Welcome Song for Baby really came from.

"It's really from that deep love that I have for humanity and wanting to pass on a great spirit every night it was read, wherever it was read." To learn more about Books for BC Babies, and how to contribute, go to http://books4babies.bclibrary.ca/

Read more:http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/Author+uncle+enzymes+fuelled+bestselling+book+newborns/3521453/story.html#ixzz0zX0hD36t

Books for BC Babies in Jeopardy

Vancouver, BC; September 14, 2010 – Books for BC Babies (B4B) is urgently seeking financial support in order to continue operations. B4B is an early literacy and parenting program that seeks to address developmental challenges at the earliest stages in the lives of all BC children, including the twenty-nine per cent that arrive at Kindergarten developmentally vulnerable.1 In order to operate in 2011, B4B needs to raise more than $250,000 through private donations or sponsorships before January.

B4B was launched in BC in 2005, and had been fully funded by the provincial government until recent cutbacks. The program is based on extensive research that supports the correlation between positive newborn environments and children’s future success rates. The program delivers learning resources directly to families of all newborns in BC and connects them to additional resources in their community. In 2009, more than 40,000 resource kits were distributed.

“Reading, talking, and singing to newborns are the best ways to build early language and literacy skills – skills that impact a child’s lifelong development,” says Rhian Piprell, Co-Chair, Books for BC Babies. “By providing a parenting resource at a crucial stage of a child’s life, we can give kids the best chance at future success.”

Research conducted by The Council for Early Child Development has demonstrated that newborn experiences matter. The relationship between caregiver and infant plays a pivotal role in influencing neural pathways for language and higher cognitive functions, especially within the first 12 months of a child’s life.2

“Early childhood development depends upon the experiences children have in the environments where they grow,” says Dr. Clyde Hertzman, Director, Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) UBC. “The Books for BC Babies program provides families with the resources they need early in the child's life to begin to create the positive experiences that influence the child’s subsequent life chances.”

In most communities, public libraries work with public health nurses and health centres to deliver the Books for BC Babies Resource Kits to families of newborns. The kits include tools to get families started in reading, singing, and playing with their babies. Materials include a guide for parents, a board book, a CD of rhymes and songs, and information about local library and community resources.

In order to save the program, the B4B Steering Committee is looking for donations from the public and has developed a full range of sponsorship opportunities for the private sector. Given that the program is delivered by existing resources, one hundred percent of funds raised will be used to purchase Books for BC Babies kits. Each kit costs approximately seven dollars.

Donations can be made online at http://books4babies.bclibrary.ca/for-supporters. Companies interested in sponsorship opportunities can contact program co-chairs Rhian Piprell at 604-937-4132 (or via email rpiprell@library.coquitlam.bc.ca) or Jim Looney at 604-435-1551 (Jim.Looney@shaw.ca).

---

1 “15 by 15”, The Business Council of BC. www.earlylearning.ubc.ca/for-you/business/

2 “The Science of Early Child Development.” Council for Early Child Development. April 2010.

Be Remarkable

The Prince George Citizen picked up the Be Remarkable Facebook community campaign.

South Shore CVA Teams With Meetingmax

CVA signs agreement to streamline housing reservations for visiting sports teams

Hammond, IN and Vancouver, BC; August 25, 2010 – As part of its ongoing investment in technology, the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority (CVA) has engaged Meetingmax Systems to handle its online housing reservation needs. Through the agreement, South Shore CVA will use Meetingmax’s system to manage housing bookings for conference and event attendees, including teams traveling to the region’s numerous sports tournaments.

“While convention traffic is important to us, our region’s core strength lies in our ability to host major sports tournaments,” says Speros Batistatos, President and CEO of the South Shore CVA. “But this type of business requires that we book teams and their families into numerous hotels across the region. Meetingmax’s system helps us streamline that process for our customers and hoteliers.”

By using Meetingmax’s system, instead of having to call different hotels and reserve rooms with their own credit card, a coach or event planner can make one call to the CVA to secure room blocks. Each tournament attendee is then directed to log onto the system to book and pay for their own room.

“Instead of spending our budget on visitors’ guides, we are investing in technology and improving the efficiency of our marketing efforts,” continues Batistatos. “By having people reserve their housing through us, we can break down the demographics, learn more about our customers, and build a targeted email database.”

Meetingmax’s system ties directly into the CVA’s award-winning email marketing program. Once guests have booked in, the CVA sends them their room confirmation along with information about what to do when they arrive and coupons for partner restaurants and attractions. After checkout, the CVA emails visitors a survey to gauge their satisfaction with the hotel, local restaurants, and sports facilities. South Shore then provides this feedback to the other organizations.

“Our system helps South Shore build relationships and alleviate their clients’ stress by not having to run around and contract with different hotels,” says Jeff Duncan, COO, Meetingmax Systems. “We can provide their event planners with quantitative data that they can use to plan next year’s event. For example, by tracking bookings, we know that their teams want to book at hotels with a pool, that offer continental breakfast, or are close to certain facilities.”

As part of its selection process, South Shore looked at several other housing systems but ultimately selected Meetingmax for its user-friendly interface, customizable features, and affordable per-reservation fee.

In addition to deploying online housing, South Shore has also embraced other technology to improve service and efficiency. Recently, the organization launched a mobi site for mobile phones and has deployed advanced database marketing tools to help drive tourist traffic.

About South Shore CVA:
The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority is the sales and marketing organization leading the hospitality industry and supporting its partners in the development and promotion of tourist attractions along Indiana's south shore of Lake Michigan.

Nimby Burger Opens in Vancouver

In addition to all the buzz about Nimby Burger in town, Canada's foodservice industry has also been paying attention. Check out this morning's feature on Foodserviceworld.com.

Canadian Direct Insurance makes some Noise

June 22, 2010

By Eve Lazarus

Canadian Direct Insurance has appointed Noise as its agency of record. Noise has worked as the Vancouver-based company's digital agency for the past six years, while Publicis Vancouver most recently handled creative.

Trisha Tyrrell, senior manager, business development, said Noise will handle all creative including television, print and radio, as well as develop marketing strategies to increase brand awareness.

"After working with multiple agencies for the past few years, we wanted to find one strategic partner to handle all of our needs," she said. "With the way lines have blurred between traditional and digital advertising, we needed an agency capable of executing any kind of integrated campaign across any platform."

Trevor Carr, president and CEO at Vancouver-based Noise, said he's seeing more digital agencies in the U.S. leading marketing strategy and believes that trend will continue here in Canada. "We've always viewed ourselves as an agency first," he said. "We think everything is digital and it doesn't make a difference if it's television, radio or print. These days everything needs to be through a digital lens."

Canadian Direct names Noise as AOY

Media In Canada

News Briefs
by Katie Bailey

Canadian Direct Insurance has named Vancouver and Toronto-based digital agency Noise as its full-service agency of record.

The move, announced yesterday, brings all of Canadian Direct's marketing initiatives together under one provider. Noise will now handle traditional and digital campaign strategies, as well as media buying and planning.

The companies have been working together for six years on digital strategies, and in the past two years, the lines between traditional and digital media campaigns were blurring, so it made sense to go with a single agency for both, Trisha Tyrrell, senior manager, business development, Canadian Direct, tells MiC.

"They've been involved with our traditional campaigns for the past couple years and since they've been involved, I've found that their creative ideas and way of thinking were taking the lead," she explains. "[Going forward] I wasn't interested in working with two different agencies and I felt that Noise could do the job on both sides."

Canadian Direct's digital strategies have been almost too successful in recent years, Tyrrell says. When the insurer started driving people to its website to book their auto insurance online, it quickly consumed 60% of their business, she explains, which was too much for the company to handle. They've since dialed back their marketing creative drive-to-web and that part of the business now sits at a more-manageable 30%, she says.

Online tactics will continue to be a priority for Canadian Direct's media planning, a release on the announcement stated, but TV, print and radio will remain in the mix. The company declined to comment on its average media spend.

Canadian Direct Insurance Appoints Digital Agency as Lead

Noise hired as advertising AOR for insurance company

Vancouver, BC; June 14, 2010 – Canadian Direct Insurance announced today that it has named Noise as its advertising agency of record. Noise has been working as Canadian Direct’s digital agency for the past six years and has now been tasked with providing full service to Canadian Direct.

The bold move comes as agencies and clients around the world are trying to determine whether marketing efforts should be led by traditional or digital agencies. In this era that Forrester has dubbed the Adaptive Marketing Era, significant confusion has arisen for marketers as to the roles of different agencies.

“After working with multiple agencies for the past few years, we wanted to find one strategic partner to handle all of our needs,” says Trisha Tyrrell, Senior Manager, Business Development, Canadian Direct. “Ultimately with the way that lines have blurred between traditional and digital advertising, we needed an agency capable of executing any kind of integrated campaign across any platform.”

Canadian Direct’s goals for Noise are to develop strategic marketing initiatives and increase brand awareness. While online tactics are a priority, the agency will be responsible for all creative execution including TV, print and radio.

The announcement is notable as it is rare to see digital agencies offered the opportunity to lead. According to Sean Corcoran, a Senior Analyst with Forrester “most interactive marketers don't trust their traditional agencies with digital work and yet most don't believe their interactive agencies are ready to lead yet either.”

One of Noise’s strengths is its mix of in-house talent. The agency’s creative team is lead by co-creative directors Brock Ellis and Michael Milardo. Ellis’ background lies in digital, while Milardo’s experience was gained at tier one advertising agencies such as Rethink, TBWA, BBDO Berlin, and Ogilvy Copenhagen.

“I have a great deal of comfort with Noise’s ability to deliver offline work,” continues Tyrrell. “Given their team and their track record with us, I am confident that they will deliver. In six years of working with them, they have never failed me.”

“This opportunity proves what we have been preaching for years: ultimately all work is digital,” says Trevor Carr, President and CEO, Noise. “Our clients are now giving us more opportunities to lead their entire account. It is a vote of confidence in the model that we have created and the teams that we have built in Vancouver and Toronto.”

Collector Takes Home $34,000 Souvenir from YVR

Last week a rare bottle of Rémy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl cognac was sold at the Aldeasa Duty Free store in the International Terminal of Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The bottle of Remy Martin cognac sold for $34,000 to a couple who were on their return home to Mainland China.

Anthony Gismondi writes about the significance of the sale in the Vancouver Sun.

Elettra is hiring a summer intern

Elettra Communications is looking for a star intern. This position will appeal to students or recent graduates who are looking to start their Communications career. Ideally, candidates will be enrolled in or will have completed a public relations or communications program.

The chosen candidate will gain valuable experience in media relations, event coordination, and account/office administration.

The ideal candidate will have strong writing skills, an impeccable work ethic, and a demonstrated interest in public relations.

This position is four days per week (Monday- Thursday). It is an unpaid internship with a monthly honourarium of $500.

Interested candidates should send their resume and cover letter to simone@elettra.ca no later than Monday, June 7.

Sweetspot visits Nimby Burger

Burger Alert

Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards - Okanagan Chapter

The Okanagan's new GoGo magazine also covered the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards.

Click here for the full article.

The Socialist: Vancouver Parties & People

by: Sheryl Kristie Yen

BC Business Magazine has posted their shots from the Official Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards Afterparty at the Joey Bentall One Wine Room.

Here are a few, but you can check out the rest here.

Everyone's Going to Nimby Buger

Summer is almost here (if only someone would tell that to the sun!) and everyone is craving burgers at the beach. It's the perfect time for the opening of Nimby Burger...check out some of the coverage below...

Vancouver Foodster

Nimby Burger Opening

Foodists

Nimby Burger

Vitamin Daily

Beachside Burgers

Kitsilano.ca

Nimby Burger to call Kits Beach Home

(photo: Foodists.ca)

Noise puts fun into Tic Tac Revolution

Hollie Shaw, Financial Post

Noise Digital has launched the Tic Tac Small Fun Revolution for Ferrero Canada, a new digital brand campaign aimed at engaging 18-to-29-year-olds through sharing videos and creating and uploading creations that feature Tic Tacs or Tic Tac boxes. "A 'small fun revolution' is a way of seeing the world," says Trevor Carr, president and chief executive of Noise Digital. "Fun is everywhere -- you just need to look for it. The campaign provides the platform to share some fun with each other." It involves the site www.tictacsmallfun.ca,a branded YouTube channel, a Facebook fan page, Twitter, display advertising, two iPhone applications and social media. Noise also conducted a cross-country search to find artists to become Tic Tac Ambassadors, resulting in a video of a musician performing with Tic Tacs and their cases and a stop-motion film of two Tic Tac cases playing tennis.

Van mag honours best of best

24hrs Vancouver picked up the results of Tuesday's Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards.

Vancouver Magazine Announces Winners of 21st Annual Restaurant Awards

More than 700 of the city’s chefs, sommeliers and food critics gathered yesterday at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel for the 21st Annual Vancouver magazine Restaurant Awards. The gala brought them together to celebrate excellence in B.C.’s culinary industry.

“Between the Olympics and the recession, it’s been a whirlwind year in the food and beverage industry,” said Vancouver magazine editor-in-chief, Gary Stephen Ross. “Yesterday’s event offered everybody a well-deserved break and an opportunity to socialize, have fun, and reflect on their successes.”

Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar took top honours, being named Restaurant of the Year and winning Gold in the Best Seafood category. It was also a finalist in Best Service, Best Regional and Best Formal Japanese (Raw Bar at Blue Water). And Blue Water’s chef, Frank Pabst, was recognized as Chef of the Year, having played an integral role on Vancouver’s culinary scene since 1993. Originally from Germany, Pabst worked at Lumière and Pastis before joining Blue Water in 2003.

Sinclair Philip was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, while his Sooke Harbour House won Best Vancouver Island. Since opening their restaurant and inn 31 years ago, he and his wife Fréderique have been internationally lauded for their pioneering use of fresh, local ingredients, many from their own garden.

In a year that saw a variety of exciting new openings, Campagnolo won the title of Best New Restaurant. Thai hotspot Maenam took Silver, while Jean-Georges’s Market won Bronze as well as nabbing Design of the Year.

Perennial favourites Vij’s, Le Crocodile and Tojo’s won as Best Indian, Best Formal French and Best Formal Japanese. CinCin and Araxi reclaimed their titles of Best Last Course and Best Whistler. Uva Wine Bar took Gold as Best Bar/Lounge.

For a list of the full results, please click here.

It’s not just a mint, it’s a Small Fun Tic Tac Revolution

Noise Digital leads integrated campaign for Ferrero Brands

Toronto, ON and Vancouver, BC; May 12, 2010 – Ferrero Canada has launched the Tic Tac Small Fun Revolution, a fully integrated digital brand campaign for its Tic Tac brand. The national campaign was created by Noise Digital and is part of a brand re-launch that is seeking to engage youth aged 18 to 29.

“A Small Fun Revolution is a way of seeing the world. Fun is everywhere; you just need to look for it. It may not change your life, but it’ll definitely make it a bit more fun," says Trevor Carr, President & CEO, Noise Digital. “The campaign provides the platform to share some fun with each other.”

The campaign is designed to engage the target audience with ‘small fun’ moments whether that is by sharing videos created by Tic Tac Ambassadors; creating and uploading their own content using Tic Tacs or their iconic boxes; or by downloading one of two iPhone games.

The campaign asks visitors to join the Small Fun Revolution by submitting their own Tic Tac creation for a chance to win 24 hours of small fun with $5,000. The first 1,000 submissions also receive a Tic Tac T-shirt.

“The goal of the campaign was to re-engage consumers with the Tic Tac brand by tapping into an existing online fan base and sharing that sense of fun,” continues Carr. “By turning Tic Tacs into a whimsical piece of entertainment content, we are activating social media network platforms and encouraging users to share content with their networks.”

The Tic Tac Small Fun Revolution is supported across numerous digital platforms: www.tictacsmallfun.ca, a branded YouTube channel, a Facebook fan page, Twitter, display advertising, two iPhone applications, SEO and a comprehensive social media outreach program.

Another facet of the campaign is a unique partnership with Much Music. There is a co-branded microsite on muchmusic.com, VJ mentions, a Much On Demand takeover day (May 10th) and three ten-second branded promo commercials.

“The engagement strategy that Noise developed is innovative in that we are not depending on a large paid media component,” says Gabriel Verkade, Sr. Brand Manager for Tic Tac. “Rather than spend large amounts of media dollars on driving traffic to a brand site, we understand that consumers want to engage with quality content on their own terms, meaning when they want and, more importantly, where they want. So we focused on creating engaging content and making it available on a variety of social media network platforms."

To seed the site with content that could easily be shared across multiple social media platforms, Noise conducted a Canada-wide search to find artists to become Tic Tac Ambassadors. The result was three videos: one that features a musician performing using only Tic Tacs and their cases; a stop-motion film of two Tic Tac cases playing tennis; and a mousetrap-style, domino-effect featuring the mints.

The campaign launched on April 26th and has already gained significant traction. The two iPhone games, Small Fun Hockey and ‘Mazing have been downloaded 9,000 times in more than 90 countries. Despite the fact that paid media didn’t start running until May 10th, there have already been 10,000 social media mentions.