Fusion Advertising, Daily Dose

How do you trust?

Dave Wilkie — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 16:12:22 -0500

I watched a very interesting short video that was sent to me by our digital media strategist, Misha. It makes you think about the future of trust in brands.

The concept of the story is that trust, so important to buying, is not as believable coming from brands as it once was. Sanjay Nazerali, CSO of Carat Global, says that the way trust is earned has changed among consumers.

He suggests that a hundred years ago, trust came from beliefs based on faith and the stories that we found in books. Then consumerism in the likes of Coca Cola and other age-old brands took the stories successfully into advertising and television, and built trust there. Now, he says, we no longer trust the stories put out by brands and look to our social networks for what we need to hear or see to trust in a brand.

An example he uses is one we all can all relate to – you see a great ad for crisp new sheets plus a better experience at a hotel but find on Trip Advisor that 200 people just like me say the experience was not so great. Peer-to-peer experiences and social media are becoming the avenue to trust by consumers.

The video starts with the idea that “ad-blocking” technologies mean something is wrong, that we’re not doing it right.

Check the 5+ minute clip here.

18+ minute version with Robert De Nero here.

When you know it’s the one

Audrey Neale — Mon, 02 May 2016 12:34:52 -0500

Another student work placement has flown by, and this time we're saying goodbye to the lovely Rhianna Saj (aka RhiRhi). She’s been a great addition to the office over the past few weeks, and I'll miss having a fellow CreCommer around! Thanks for being with us, Rhianna.

Here’s what she had to say about her time at Fusion:

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As someone that has completed 3 internships I know that it can be hard. More times than not, there isn’t enough work or the agency doesn’t trust the intern to take over. It can sometimes lead that intern to feel like they aren’t needed or wanted. I’ll admit that with previous internships there were times that I’d count down the hours till I was done. There were days that I dreaded going in but that wasn’t the case with my last one.

For the past three weeks, I have been interning at Fusion. I’ve had the chance to do everything from brainstorming a list of names for a new company, compiling articles and stories about refugees to even photographing the newest trends at St. Vital Centre. I thoroughly enjoyed the work I was doing, and felt like I was actually helping the team out rather than creating more work for them. As I was surprised by this new phenomenon, I wondered if there were any other interns out there who had felt the same, and so I started writing this article to help them through this stage of their experience.

3 Ways You’ll Know You Like Your Job

1. The work doesn’t feel like work.

Cliché, I know but for the most part I really liked doing what I was doing. I loved the brainstorms, or coming up with 30 different tweets that a client could use to promote their brand. I was ecstatic when I was handed my first brief and it was three pages long. There was so much information, and insight to write copy off of which had me very excited.

2. The office has dogs.

This is a given. If you work somewhere that has an office dog and you don’t like going to work, you are just being unappreciative. I’ve interned at agencies that have had a dog before but at Fusion there were 2 that I met. There’s something quite rewarding about a little pup coming into your office for a mid-day pat!

3. You like the people you work with.

Whenever I start a new job, I tend to be very quiet and reserved for the first couple of weeks. It’s something that I have tried to grow out of but I believe it’s how I test the waters. Although I was quiet and kept to myself at Fusion the team always made me feel extremely welcome. Whether it was offering me a drink at 4 on Fridays or taking the extra time to explain something to me, the Fusion team made me feel right at home!

I know that every experience is different but these are just a few clues for the next intern. I know they will enjoy their time at Fusion just as much as I did. How could you not?

Love Letter to Fusion

Kara Westerlund — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 13:54:17 -0500

Dear Fusion,

I’ve been working up the courage to tell you this for a while now. Maybe you’ve already guessed it — I have a crush on you.

I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but the time we spend together is amazing. You’ve taught me so many new things and now that I’ve met you I feel like I can do anything. You challenge me and I like that, because when I’m around you I want to be the best version of myself.

Most importantly, we have fun together. We’ve had adventures and made memories that I know will last me a lifetime.

I hope I’m not coming on too strong, but when I wake up in the morning, it’s you I think about and I can’t wait until we’re together again. I know we won’t be seeing as much of each other soon, and that makes me a little sad … but I remind myself that you’re not going to be out of my life completely. I hope it’s OK if I come visit for lunches, a game of ping pong, or just to see what’s new.

I guess in the end what I really wanted to say was thanks for everything, now that I’ve met you, the future looks bright.

Yours truly,
Dave Jr.

The Winnipeg Renaissance: How effective social media is driving culture & business

Jay Leslie — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 13:01:33 -0500

The Exchange District; just of the many hubs of social activity that's shaping Winnipeg's culture.

If 'man is the measure of all things', then 'the people are the measure of all things in Winnipeg', and the Peg is beaming with great people doing incredible things.

It's no secret that Winnipeg has turned a corner from down-and-out fly-over city, to must-experience, culture-hub on many travellers wish lists. Part reinvention and part rebirth, the Keystone province's capital city has most certainly renewed the creative spirits of Peggers, old and new. With boutiques, coffee shops, cocktail bars, arts, music, festivals and much more, the Peg has been stepping up its game in a big way.

However, this post isn't a love-in for all the hipsters to tweet about, haters to hate about, or scenesters to... scene about. Instead, it's an observation on the tools, technologies, and methodologies which have helped spark this Renaissance. Just as the invention of movable type began spreading ideas during the second half of the 15th century (and well beyond), a new form of communication has helped spread the word of local arts, music, cuisine, entertainment, fashion and more in today's day and age. And just as Gutenberg's printing press brought technology which had a profound impact on all areas of life for centuries to follow, so to have new technologies had a major impact on modern life. Digital marketing, specifically social media, has democratized the ability for Winnipeg's independent business community to reach large groups of people with more connectedness than ever before.

But having a soap-box isn't enough. Just because you have a mega-phone doesn't necessarily mean people will listen to what you have to say. The smart local entrepreneurs, the ones who are doing social right (see Albert St. Cocktail, King+Bannatyne, Bronuts, to name a few) are following best practices; consistent tone-of-voice and visual-style, mixed with user-generated content, customer-engagement and tasteful promotion. While start-ups may yet to have budgets that support mixing traditional media with their digital efforts, they can look to other local brands such as St. Vital Centre for inspiration through their effective use of outdoor, radio, and print advertising in cross-promoting their marketing strategy.

When integrated correctly, digital and traditional marketing can be cost-effective, interactive, and memorable in a way that doesn't focus on interrupting people, but rather on engaging with them. As a full-service ad agency with nearly three decades of experience, Fusion has seen the arrival and passing of many trends (can you xerox that for me?), technologies (remember pagers?), and fads (QR codes, just don't.) - and through it all we have helped our clients be successful by approaching each business challenge with sound strategy, smart tactics, and compelling creative.

Fusion Hip Hop Playlist on Apple Music March '16

Rob Rurak — Fri, 11 Mar 2016 13:55:48 -0600

Hey, so here's a playlist I've been working on this past week. It includes some of my favourite trap, nyc stuff, bangers by electronic producers with hot features and a few things in-between. Some old, some new. All Apple Music users need apply!

https://playlists.applemusic.com/embed/pl.502e58782cd640f68c2b014a27ad0f54?country=ca&app=music

It will bump in the whip or elevate your *cubicle; your choice!

Fire emoji.

- R

*Playlist may contain some NSFW lyrical content, depending on how relaxed your cubicle is :)

Name my baby!

Florence Ozirney — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 10:22:42 -0600

The countdown's on - only 24 days until I'm due! The Fusion baby pool officially kicked off yesterday, which means all of my coworkers will be betting on the weight, sex, birthdate, and birth time of my baby.

And just so you don't feel like you're missing out, I thought I'd extend the fun to our blog readers and see what you think we should name our baby. We don't know the sex, so entries for boy and girl names are welcome. If your name is chosen, you will receive....bragging rights and a picture with our baby. (What, did you really think I would give you money?)

Ready, set, go!

TGIF

Morris Antosh — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 09:26:07 -0600

Two great reasons to smile today.

Reason 1: beautifultype.net
Reason 2: It’s Friday!

TypoGraphy Is Fun : )

Meet Jay Leslie

Dave Wilkie — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 13:02:25 -0600

Big news! I’m thrilled to announce the newest member of our team, Jay Leslie.

Jay joins us as an Account Manager and strengthens our team with a decade of experience in design, marketing and brand consultancy. He comes to us from National Leasing, where he lead an in-house agency team of five, and focused on building their digital marketing strategy through lead generation, website development, blogging, video production, and a robust ppc platform. His experience as an entrepreneur is invaluable to me because he knows what it means to start a company, and how it feels to spend your hard earned money on marketing.

Since starting at Fusion, Jay has already been getting his feet wet with new and existing client business. I am pleased to have Jay on board and look forward to doing great things together.

Stop and Smell the Sawdust

Morris Antosh — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 09:51:10 -0600

Four easy steps to designing and building your own social media site.

If you’re a creative professional and you ever find that the ephemeral advertising/marketing/graphic design world that the fruits of your labour live and (usually pretty quickly) die in is needing a little out-of-office boost this project might be right up your alley.

Step 1: rescue castoff old headboard from your father’s woodpile
Step 2: deconstruct (discovering six beautiful oak boards and maple bedposts under the awful, thick, poop-brown stain – notice that the backs of the oak boards, unfinished, and with pronounced saw marks, are actually way nicer than the “finished” side – then while looking at your pile of wood start to imagine
Step 3: recruit a cardboard box to help hold up your deconstructed pieces and using the pictures in your head start moving the wood around (having a few clamps to hold stuff together will be an asset)
Step 4: add poplar accents in tribute to the woodpile, tweak idea, cut wood to finished sizes, assemble, paint and stain.

You’ll find that limited tools and even less experience in woodworking needn’t hold you back. Lessons learned from your career – about things like contrast, scale and proportion – will prove to be beneficial. And in the end, you’ll have a mobile social media device that could even outlive Instagram, Twitter, Facebook et al. If used correctly it will be a site where you can combine pretty much all social media – keep in touch with your freinds – talk about the news – share your likes – network – and you’ll even straighten your neck, smell smells and touch something other than a flat piece of glass – with no limits on words or characters or data.

Taking time to stop and smell the roses did me a world of good.

(I acknowledge the irony in the fact that I’ve had to resort to using social media to make a cheeky statement about social media.) (What effect will using the word poop in this story have on our search engine optimization?)

Time Flies!

Audrey Neale — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 10:45:51 -0600

We’re sad to say goodbye to our Graphic Design student, Hailey Graham. She’s been a big help over the past two weeks, and we appreciate her hard work and positive attitude. Thanks for being with us, Hailey! We wish you all the best in your studies. :)

Here’s what Hailey had to say about her experience:

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I have been excited about work placement before I was even accepted into the Graphic Design program at Red River College. Fusion has been a great opportunity to experience a design studio at work and learn about the industry firsthand. My last two weeks here have been incredibly informative, and helped in actualizing what it might be like to work at an advertising agency. It is a bright sunny workplace, full of wonderful people (and dogs), and a variety of interesting projects that the team got me involved in; all this and more has made my experience truly memorable.

Fusion’s atmosphere is inspiring. I never thought walking into an office space could be so exciting, a pool table, ping pong, couches, and a fully loaded kitchen made me feel completely at ease here. To top it all off, some of the staff bring their dogs to work with them!

I was a little bit nervous about how fast-paced the office would be before I got here, as I am still learning and only halfway through my second year. While it is more fast-paced than I’m used to, everyone here has been exceedingly kind and patient and helped to make this a rewarding experience. I have learned so much over my last two weeks here, I feel like I am already working a bit faster! A couple of the projects I got to work on over my placement were sent to print which allowed me to see a small bit of that process in action as well. Overall, Fusion has been a great learning experience. I wish I could stick around to see all of the neat projects they get to work on unfold!

Yes, I’m a hater.

Morris Antosh — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 14:08:31 -0600

As most Canadians already know, Winnipeg was in the nation’s spotlight last week as we played host to the 103rd Grey Cup game. At his state-of-the-union address in the days leading up to the big game commissioner Jeffrey Orridge unveiled a new logo and promotional video branded with the slogan “What we’re made of” for the Canadian Football League.

The image on the left is the new CFL logo, accompanied in the row by its direct descendants. The three laces in the new symbol, the unveil told, are a nod to the three downs in the Canadian game. Will anyone seeing it for the first time without explanation pick that out? I doubt it. And didn’t graphic designers already exhaust the slivered arc in logos much earlier this century? The presence of the maple leaf, the unveil also told, is proudly Canadian, though I find it disproportionately tiny and insignificant. The claim was that the new logo is modern and young (of which I am neither) so they may not care what I think. But I am a passionate fan and know that my first reaction is similar to most of the reactions I’ve heard and read – I don’t like it. In fact, my first reaction was “I hate it.”

In fairness to the league, the new logo was easy to read from a distance on the field. And though the promo spot didn’t do much for me when I first saw it on my iPad I thought it, and the logo, looked great in high def on a large flatscreen during the game.

The league hopes the brand transformation will bring new, younger fans to a game that has flatlined in attendance and dropped in television ratings of late. The new marketing efforts will include apparel from adidas (I saw a guy wearing a hat with the new logo so large I’d need a five head, not a forehead, to make it wearable), and there will be revamped websites and mobile apps for the league and its teams to better connect with fans. As a sports fan in general, and huge fan of our three down football, real-time statistical updates and league information at my fingertips is something I desire. I’ve always felt in past that the CFL was lacking in fulfilling that desire.

The league’s new website (cfl.ca) launches on Wednesday. “There will be more to come. Much more to come,” is what Orridge said at the unveil.

I’m hoping he can deliver on that promise and I’m sure I’ll eventually warm up to the new brand. I really hate being a hater.

3 Tips for Communicating with Clients

Florence Ozirney — Fri, 13 Nov 2015 14:54:17 -0600

I don’t profess to be an expert when it comes to communication. However, in the six years that I’ve been in this industry, I’ve certainly learned a lot about communicating with clients, managing expectations, and building relationships. So here are some tips I’ve learned along the way that have really helped me:

1. Recap the discussion
As an Account Manager, I have a lot of face-to-face meetings or phone calls with clients. It’s often faster to get answers or work through things with clients this way. However, sometimes these calls or meetings last an hour or more and decisions can be made and then remade, and it’s hard to keep track at the end of what’s been decided upon and who’s doing what. Which isn’t helpful if it’s your job to act on those decisions afterwards!

A fellow Account Manager used to always close a meeting by summarizing the following: 1) what decisions were made, 2) what she was expecting the client to do, and 3) what the client can expect her to do.

Ever since then, I started doing the same. I think of it as CYA and a good way to ensure you’re all on the same page. And it lets the client know that you were listening and informs them of what they can expect from you afterwards so there’s no confusion.

2. Send one email – not five!
Clients are busy. That’s probably one of the main reasons they’ve chosen to hire you! So don’t waste their time and send them five emails a day, when you could be sending one. Your client is more likely to respond to one email anyway, so summarize all your thoughts/questions into one succinct email. (Hint: it also makes it easier to find answers later, if you’re not having to wade through numerous emails!).

3. Be upfront about changes/problems/delays
They say it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Well, I don’t think that rule applies to clients. I would much rather tell my client if their poster will be delayed because of printer issues, than have them email me that they never got it the day it was due. No one wants those kinds of emails. It may be a small thing, but it chips away at the foundation of trust you’ve built up with your client. So be upfront – even if it’s hard. Your client will understand (they’re human, too!) and appreciate the proactive communication.

What are your tried-and-tested tips for communicating with clients?