Noise Digital Creates Desktop Experience for CTV Viewers

Digital ad agency creates CTV widget and Facebook application

Vancouver, BC; July 15, 2009 – Noise Digital has officially unveiled their latest digital initiative, the CTV Primetime widget: a desktop application with integrated Facebook extensions. The application will push CTV-branded content onto users’ desktops allowing them to stay connected to their favourite CTV shows and characters.

“These digital applications create a much richer TV-viewing experience for fans,” said Trevor Carr, President & CEO, Noise Digital. “Users can access content that is relevant to them and connect with their friends around their favourite shows. This initiative creates the forum for ‘water cooler talk’ for the next generation of TV viewers.”

Noise has designed the desktop widget with a dynamic skin that can be changed based on the show users’ identify, providing access to special interviews, show previews, games, and access to catch-up episodes viewable online at ctv.ca.

The widget can deliver content in various forms including text, text and image, video, flash and animation. To help viewers track their favourite shows, the application offers program schedules for upcoming episodes. There is also a feature that permits users to sign up for reminders and receive news about special promotions or contests. The widget is available online at www.ctv.ca/primetimewidget.

The Facebook application provides users with the ability to connect with their friends around CTV’s content. Users are given the opportunity to create fan pages for their favourite shows and participate in quizzes and polls. It also allows users to receive updates on their friends’ quiz scores and view which shows their friends are watching.

“The CTV Primetime Widget demonstrates CTV’s steadfast commitment to reaching our audience on their terms,” said Stephan Argent, CTV’s Vice-President, Digital Media. “As an industry leader, we recognize the importance of using evolving technologies to engage with consumers in new and innovative ways.”

About Noise Digital:
Noise is a digital advertising agency providing online marketing solutions for leading national and global brands. The company’s success stems from its belief in truly integrated marketing strategy, cutting edge technology and breakthrough creative design. Noise was founded in 1998 and has offices in Vancouver and Toronto. Its clients include: Nokia, adidas, Sony PlayStation, Johnson & Johnson, Ferrero Brands, Canadian Direct Insurance, Maple Pictures and CTV. www.noisedigital.com

simpleview Teams Up With Meetingmax

Duo to Provide Online Group Reservation Technology to Destination Marketing Organizations

Tucson, AZ and Vancouver, BC; July 14, 2009– simpleview, North America’s fast-growing provider of technology solutions to the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) industry, announced today a partnership with Meetingmax Systems. Through the relationship, simpleview will market Meetingmax’s flexible and cost-effective online housing reservation system to its roster of DMO clients in North America.

“This new relationship presents great opportunities for our clients as well as for both companies,” says Ryan M. George, CEO, simpleview. “Meetingmax’s comprehensive online housing system rounds out our product offering and will provide our clients with new abilities to win group business.”

As part of the agreement, the two companies will begin integrating simpleview’s content and customer relationship management software with Meetingmax’s online housing system. This will help clients avoid the cost and hassle of working with independent systems and create a seamless experience for the user.

“This relationship makes sense on every level,” says Jeff Duncan, COO, Meetingmax Systems. “simpleview has established relationships with an extensive list of DMOs, but housing system technology hasn’t been their focus. With our background in meeting and event planning, we have been able to build a system that meets the needs of DMOs, event planners, and hotels.”

While the companies will initially focus their marketing efforts on the U.S., the organizations are also jointly pursuing growth opportunities in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

About Meetingmax:
Meetingmax Systems provides the travel industry with the most flexible and cost-effective online housing reservation system. Initially developed to meet the needs of Meetingmax’s meeting and event planning arm, the system provides convention and visitors bureaus, event planners and organizations with a simple yet powerful means to manage conference and event room bookings. The system boasts real time processing for hotels, a dynamic pricing model based on the length of the booking, and customizable features to meet each client’s needs. Meetingmax is based in Vancouver, BC and can be found online at www.meetingmaxsystems.com.

About simpleview:
Inc. magazine ranks simpleview #2 among the fastest-growing, privately held U.S. companies in the travel and tourism sector. Since 1991, the company has maintained a 99% client retention rate while capturing the largest market share in its field, helping 125+ destination marketing organizations (DMOs) get the most out of technology, the web and interactive marketing. At the highest level, simpleview develops big-picture strategies for DMO sales, marketing and operations. On a tactical level, they offer integrated products and services tailored to destination marketing: dynamic websites and content management, search engine optimization, interactive marketing services, social media management, design, content and multimedia production. To date, the company’s Web-based destination management system has driven $6.8 billion in economic impact for its customers, which includes destinations ranging from New York City to Portland, Oregon, Boston to Jacksonville, Toronto to the Bahamas. simpleview employs 60+ people in Tucson, Arizona and San Diego, California.

New Noise appointment echoes growing digital convergence

People Moves

by Gariné Tcholakian
Media in Canada

Noise Digital has just appointed Michael Milardo as its co-creative director. The move, which follows the opening of Noise's Toronto office earlier this year, is part of the agency's efforts to strengthen its resources to address the needs of an ad client base that is seeing increasing convergence between traditional and digital.

The award-winning copywriter's first project with the agency, "Zombie Singles", won the Bronze Cyber Lion at Cannes last week. (Milardo, who worked on the campaign on a contract basis at the time, helped set the tone and a unique sense of humour to the zombie dating profiles which contributed to the user experience.)

The newly created role is being shared with Noise's current CD, Brock Ellis, with whom Milardo will be working to develop campaigns for clients including Nokia, Sony PlayStation, Ferrero, Tic Tac and Johnson & Johnson.

"We believe that ideas dictate the media," Mark Nishiguchi, managing partner at Noise Digital tells MiC."Media and creative are becoming one strategic and planning entity, and technology is the reason why these lines are blurring. It reflects the fact that digital is not a singular communication channel: it's the thread that links all media channels together, so Michael's knowledge and expertise in traditional channels is critical to our strategic positioning as a full-service digital partner."

"It's pretty clear where the industry is headed, and I wanted to be a part of that," said Milardo, in a release. "A great idea can live in any form; moving online with Noise just made sense. They work with global brands, and there's a ton of opportunity online."

Formerly of Rethink and TBWA, Milardo's past experience also includes working for BBDO Berlin and Ogilvy Copenhagen, and with clients like Bell Mobility, Vancity, BC Lotteries, HSBC, Volkswagen, Sobeys Foods and McDonald's. He's won over 30 awards, including Communication Arts, One Show Interactive, the Clio Awards and London International.

"Digital agencies are no longer just adapting existing creative for the web," said Nishiguchi in a recent release. "We now have a lead role in overall campaign development. Michael's expertise strengthens our ability to deliver breakthrough creative, strategic insight and technical ability."

Expanding further on the statement, Nishiguchi later tells MiC: "In order for truly integrated executions to be successful, media needs to be at the centre of planning and strategy. In a more fractured media landscape it is becoming more important to acknowledge that earned media vs. paid media is becoming the norm vs. the exception. Truly successful agencies will create time, not buy it."

Single, male, undead

Susan Krashinsky

Globe and Mail, Thursday, Jun. 25, 2009 05:56PM EDT

"That’s one thing about zombie fans: they take it really seriously. So it had to look really good. We couldn’t just take a picture and put a hole in somebody’s head." - Mark Nishiguchi, managing partner at Vancouver-based firm Noise Digital

There are some markets Lavalife and eHarmony just don’t serve. Zombies, for example. The undead need love too. Luckily, Zombie Singles fills that void. The site includes listings from Gorey Gretta, “a female zombie seeking a male for casual feeding.” and Guhhhhhh, who likes “blocked exits” and “people buffet,” and dislikes “the hunger.” In truth, Zombie Singles is the award-winning brainchild of Noise Digital, which created the faux dating site last year to advertise zombie-themed mobile phone-based video game Resident Evil Degeneration. The campaign won bronze in the cyber competition at the International Advertising Festival in Cannes this week. A particularly attractive candidate is Kiki from Indonesia, whose “fiends” list is positively gutted – er, glutted. We hope he finds love. The bar scene can be such a meat market.

Noise Appoints Michael Milardo as Creative Director

Vancouver, BC; June 24, 2009 – Following its Bronze Cyber Lion win this morning, Noise Digital has announced the appointment of Michael Milardo as Creative Director. The award-winning copywriter will join Noise’s current Creative Director Brock Ellis in this newly created role. The pair will act much like creative teams at traditional advertising agencies, developing campaigns for clients including Nokia, Sony PlayStation, tic tac, and Johnson & Johnson.

Milardo’s expertise, gained from years at tier one advertising agencies such as Rethink, TBWA, BBDO Berlin, and Ogilvy Copenhagen, will add significant weight to the creative resources available to Noise clients.

“We created this new position to further address the convergence of traditional and digital advertising,” said Mark Nishiguchi, Managing Partner at Noise Digital. “Digital agencies are no longer just adapting existing creative for the web - we now have a lead role in overall campaign development. Michael’s expertise strengthens our ability to deliver breakthrough creative, strategic insight and technical ability.”

Milardo has won more than 30 awards during his career – including Communication Arts, One Show Interactive, the Clio Awards, and London International. Milardo has worked with numerous clients including Bell Mobility, Vancity, BC Lotteries, HSBC, Volkswagen, Sobeys Foods, and McDonalds.

In recent months, Noise has invested significant resources in adding to its capacity. In February it opened an office in Toronto to meet the growing demand for digital advertising services across Canada.

“A great idea can live in any form; moving online with Noise just made sense,” said Milardo. “They work with global brands, and there’s a ton of opportunity online. It’s pretty clear where the industry is headed, and I wanted to be a part of that.”

About Noise Digital:
Noise is a digital advertising agency providing online marketing solutions for leading national and global brands. The company’s success stems from its belief in truly integrated marketing strategy, cutting edge technology and breakthrough creative design. Noise was founded in 1998 and has offices in Vancouver and Toronto. Its clients include: Nokia, adidas, Sony PlayStation, Johnson & Johnson, Ferrero Brands, Canadian Direct Insurance, Maple Pictures and CTV. www.noisedigital.com

***FLASH***Cannes hands Canada four more Lions

by Carey Toane and Mary Maddever
Media In Canada

If zombies make your heart pound in a good way, then the news of Canada's only Cyber Lion will set you a-flutter. Vancouver-based Noise Digital won Canada's only Bronze Lion for "Zombie Singles," an undead dating site to build buzz for Resident Evil: Degeneration on the Nokia N-Gage platform.

Dubbed the "official dating site of the walking dead," ZombieSingles.com invites lonely brain-cravers to upload photos to be "zombified," browse and rate other gruesome profiles or let the matchmaker take a crack at finding love for them.

"It was a big hit," says Canadian jury member Stephane Charier, ECD at Taxi Montreal. "We laughed, had so much fun. Juries are human - just because of that I think it inspired a lot of love."

"Zombie Singles" was the only win out of the eight entries shortlisted yesterday, and Charier notes that the Canadian work submitted "was very good, but Cannes is like the Olympics...We're still doing safe work, still doing microsites, not involving the consumer enough."

The jury awarded three Grand Prix, the only category required to do so, for the top Website and Interactive Campaigns, Online Advertising and Other Interactive Digital Media, and Viral Advertising. Entries dropped more than 500 from last year, with a total of 2,205 entries this year. Out of the 208 shortlisted, 80 went home with a medal.

All three Grand Prix went beyond the limits of the typical microsite, involving consumers in real-world conversations and collaborating with other kinds of marketing and media says Cyber jury president Lars Bastholm, chief digital creative officer of Ogilvy, North America. "Digital no longer lives in a vacuum, it's part of larger campaigns."

SPARC BC and Tourism Industry to Bust Myths

On June 4, 2009, the Social Planning and Research Council of BC (SPARC BC) will mark Access Awareness Day with Conversation is the Key, a round table discussion focused on dispelling myths about employing people with disabilities. The event will bring together voices from the tourism sector and is part of a campaign to increase the number of people with disabilities working in tourism.

During the event, SPARC BC will welcome representatives from organizations including Flight Centre, Delta Burnaby Hotel, TransLink, and Tourism Vancouver, as well as individuals with disabilities and employment agencies specializing in placing people with disabilities. Together, they will uncover and address the discouraging myths that can prevent an employer from hiring someone with a disability, or prevent an individual with a disability from applying for a job in tourism.

“The best way to tackle these myths is to talk about them,” says Emese Szücs, Manager of Accessibility Programs at SPARC BC. “We recognize that it’s not always an easy issue to discuss, so we’re so pleased to see that so many businesses and individuals have the courage to talk about the myths and find creative solutions.”

Research gathered by SPARC BC shows that, despite a myriad of resources that exist to help employers hire people with disabilities, and despite evidence of the benefits of hiring people with disabilities, the employment rate for people with disabilities is still significantly lower than for those without a disability.

A January 2009 report from BC Stats shows that in 2006, the employment rate for people with a disability was significantly lower than the rate for those without a disability (59.1 per cent vs. 74.3 per cent, respectively). The same report also states that 12.8 per cent of British Columbians of working age have a disability.

According to go2, BC’s tourism industry human resources association, the tourism industry is projected to face a labour supply shortage that could become acute. People with disabilities represent a talent pool that can help fill these jobs.

“We have chosen to focus our campaign on the tourism sector because it has the potential to demonstrate to the world that British Columbia is an inclusive and accessible society,” continues Szücs. “But there is also a solid business argument for it. People with a disability can play an important role in easing the anticipated labour shortage in the tourism industry. And businesses that offer an accessible workplace to employees are also accessible to travellers and residents, which is simply good for business.”