Staying True to Your Brand in Challenging Times

6 months & over 200,000 views later there are some voices out there who seem to agree. We’re excited to see Ski Area Management Magazine recognizing the project as the Coolest Use of Video in their 2012 Annual Ad Review.

To see how things unfolded over those 6 days and nights check out Embedded Whistler.

EMBEDDED Day 6 – The Master Cut from Whistler Blackcomb on Vimeo.

A big thanks from Origin goes out to Whistler Blackcomb, Mike Douglas, Jeff Thomas and Blair Richmond over at Switchback. ‘Till next season!

We’ve compiled advice, tips and opinions for the Outdoor Sports and Tourism Industry into one sexy little tome that would enhance any bedside table.

And it’s not just good-looking. It’s got substance too.

To get your hands on a copy, connect with our man, Taylor Donohoe, on 604 992 0922. He’s new. And lonely. And waiting for your call.

For our American clients and friends, these are 10 simple tips for marketing to Canadians.

WHY BOTHER?

• Canadians seem to have a knack for avoiding recessions
• Consumer confidence is high
• Strong dollar relative to the US
• Lower unemployment than in US
• Record home prices
• Canadians are coming to the US in record numbers
• Between 2010 and 2011, visits to the US by Canadians increased by 11%
• Many US companies don’t think to market to Canadians which means less competition for their attention

Tip 1: Just Market.
Marketing is a must. Word of mouth doesn’t flow as effectively across borders, so start simply: make sure Canadians know that you exist. Understand local/regional media opportunities and readership trends. Understand the micro-geo’s in the cities you’re marketing to. Understand your key competitors in your markets. 

Tip 2: Answer questions before they arise. 
Canadian visitors are less aware and less inclined to DIY, so reduce stress of the unknown by developing packages (eg: lift, lodging, lesson). Provide clear details on how to find you and what to expect. Include basic location and contact information, including maps, and provide border crossing requirements, details and tips.

Tip 3: Canadian money is not green.
The hidden costs on shipping, customs and duty are big turn-offs for Canadian online shoppers. You can reduce shopping cart abandonment by highlighting additional costs early. Provide transparent shipping/duty cost charts prior to asking for shipping addresses, personal data, etc. Or go one better. Free shipping makes purchase much more appealing. Be transparent with exchange rates – display your prices in Canadian or offer a currency converter.

Tip 4: Geo-Target or Develop a .ca site
Add geo-targeting functionality to your website to detect Canadian visitors, and create and deliver Canadian content specifically for those visitors, by modifying language, offers, and prices to be Canadian specific. Google looks at server location, so register you site with a Canadian hosting company to improve your Canadian SEO.

Tip 5: Parlez vous français?
Canada has two official languages in English and French. The use of French in Quebec advertising is critical. Avoid online translator applications no matter what. Use professional translators who have experience in your industry niche.

Tip 6: Segment your Database.
The benefits of direct mail are huge in Canada – not only do Canadians have a much higher response rate to traditional direct mail, but there is the opportunity to drop mail in specific areas with minimal postage fees. Be aware of the language laws for postage in Quebec.

Tip 7:  Consider behavioral differences.
Canadians spend more time online than Americans do. Canadians shop more online than Americans do. Canadians are less likely to give email addresses than Americans will. Canadians also have different public holidays.

(No President means no President’s Week.)

Also, be aware of the cultural differences between Quebec and English Canada.

Tip 8: Make yourself easy to find.

Telepathy doesn’t work in Canada, either.

Don’t assume Canadians know where you are, or how to get there. And have a toll-free number.

Tip 9: Be welcoming

Tip 10:  Anything with hockey tends to work.

Flash Fans: 2012 Budweiser Official Big Game Commercial

For an English copy of the advertising rules and language laws in Quebec, please email mj@origindesign.ca.

…the goal of which is to torment the creatives with the promise that, if they get their work done on deadline, they will be let out to play.

But seriously. The wood came from an old Pemberton barn that was built by an immigrant gunsmith from Uruguay in 1946. It sat on the corner of the artisan’s property until recently, apparently hiding a bad-ass rifle collection that has mysteriously disappeared…

Thanks to Elaine Rempel Design, Ars Lignea Woodworking and to our designers, who masquerade as interior decorating consultants when it’s quiet. (And to Jenny, who keeps us organised, hand-framed all the other new art acquisitions, makes sure we don’t run out of coffee, and takes photos when blog posts need them.)

Then, it became the buzzworthy fibre for outdoor apparel… although most technical brands soon opted for Tencel, instead.

More recently, we’re seeing a revival in the 100 year old tradition of using bamboo for bicycles and ski poles, and even laptop cases and bespoke sunglasses.

Bamboo is one of the strongest materials on the planet, with a higher tensile strength than steel. But it grows like a weed. It is a grass, after all.

So, we’re claiming it now. Tomorrow’s hipsters will be propped out in bamboo.

Okay, off to order my collapsible bamboo chopsticks now.

We would like to thank all applicants for their interest in this position; however only those who are considered for an interview will be contacted. No calls please.

Now, for our long-awaited follow-up -  the 5 best tactics to make your video content go viral… (apart from being featured as Scout Magazine’s Obligatory Viral Video of the Day.)

Or being one of the world’s most creative rockbands.

 1. Enable sharing/embeds.

Post your video in a range of channels that represent the key influencers, community managers and curators in your niche. Don’t try and keep viewing exclusively in your own house. When the Sherpas realized that a pirated version of JP Auclair’s street segment from All.I.Can was becoming a viral phenomenon, they embraced it. They released an authorized edit, which subsequently saw 1.1 million views in 2 months. (And only about 40 of those views are mine… although it is on rotation on my “inspiration” playlist.)

2. Choose your channel.

Have a central base for your video content that makes sense. A branded vimeo or youtube channel that works in parallel with your website (and its video well) enables a critical mass energy to build because viewers will discover it in the appropriate context – in video sharing mode. Salomon Freeski TV now are focussing on their youtube channel, which is about to hit its 6 millionth view: “One of the things we’ve learned is that 5000 views on 20 websites is less powerful than 100,000,” says Mike Douglas. “It’s a snowball effect. So we send out the embed links to partners and friends, but we aggregate our numbers in one place through the youtube channel. In the past 4 months, we’ve doubled our youtube subscribers. And one of the more frequent comments is ‘I can’t believe this one got by me’, so we know that, through that channel, people are discovering the rest of our content.”

3.  Syndicate it.

By offering and housing content in great partner channels that apply to your niche (GoPro, the Infinity List), you can extend the shelf life of your video and explode the size of your reach. When Dendrite Studios made Parallels for the 2011 World Ski and Snowboard Festival’s Intersection filmmaking contest, many audience members thought they were robbed to not win the contest. But it wasn’t until 8 months later, when the short film became a vimeo staff pick that the film finally found its audience. All 150,000 of them.

4. Repurpose it.

Can you make a teaser, a long form, a remix from the content?

5. Don’t give up if it doesn’t get pick up asap.

(Maybe your timing was bad. If it’s good quality, keep giving little nudges). Mike Douglas speaks from experience. “We’ve had a couple of our videos get picked up by Yahoo and do 1 million visitors in one day. But you can’t predict that. When we dropped the Freedom Chair webisode, it was picked up by Yahoo’s sports page, but a big scandal broke, so we were out within an hour. Timing is everything in the internet. First Timers came out the day Sarah Burke was hurt, so it landed super softly. Ad I didn’t push it out. I couldn’t. It was meant to come out to kick off Learn to Ski week. But it went out really soft because no one was really prepared to share it. You try to time it as well as you can. But if a 9/11 happens, you kiss your content goodbye no matter how good it is.”

One final word. Decide how you’ll measure your ROI before you begin. That way, everyone knows what success means.

(Hint: if it looks like this – 1,269,837 views and counting + write-ups in BC Business magazine and mashable, you deserve champagne. Well done, Whistler Blackcomb. Well done.)

Patagonia is entering the foods industry. Debuting this month, Patagonia is excited to announce its first edible product line, Patagonia Provisions, with its inaugural product, Wild Salmon Jerky.

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While a markedly different direction from outdoors apparel and gear, this move represents founder and owner Yvon Chouinard’s mission to increase awareness on key environmental issues, and to prove that good business can also be good for the environment. From inception to distribution, Patagonia Provisions aims to provide consumers with sustenance that is sustainable in both vision and practice.

What does a clothing company know about the salmon industry?

Surprisingly, the story starts with Patagonia’s switch to using organic cotton in 1996. After realizing the detriment that conventional cotton was having on both the environment and consumers in a Boston outpost of the popular retail store, Patagonia altered their entire line of products to be made with 100% organically grown cotton. In their wake, a bevy of other industry-leading companies followed suit. It was this industry-wide change, wrought simply by leading-through-example, which inspired Yvon Chouinard to initiate Patagonia’s entry into the business of food, starting with salmon.

More than just fish, salmon have played a vital role in the survival and development of the ecology and civilization of the western United States. Their migration patterns are responsible for moving nutrients from the bountiful Pacific to the sterile interior, forming the lifeblood of coastal ecosystems, contributing to economic, trade, social and cultural channels along the way. Yet in recent years, salmon populations have become increasingly troubled, suffering from extreme overfishing, poor corporate and governmental oversight, and complications resulting from commercially farmed salmon.

With Patagonia Provisions, Patagonia aims to become part of the solution, tapping into authentic First Nation’s practices and conservationist ideals to provide healthy and sustainable wild salmon for consumption. Recognizing the serious problems facing the salmon industry today, Patagonia Provisions has created a new business model demonstrating that selectively harvesting salmon is not only possible, but is good for both business and the consumer, while protecting the future of wild stocks.

Working with Canadian conservation organization Skeena Wild, Patagonia sources their salmon from sustainable, in-river fisheries that use tangle-tooth nets, beach seines and traditional First Nations fish wheels and dip nets. These selective-harvest techniques ensure that endangered salmon populations are allowed to survive and spawn, and ultimately provide a higher-quality and sustainable fish. Patagonia Provisions Wild Salmon Jerky comes only from fully mature fish, caught in their prime in the river where they were born, and caught upstream of any tributaries that may have endangered runs.

In partnering with legendary Canadian smokehouse guru Harald Kossler, Patagonia is confident they have created the finest quality and tastiest salmon product on the market. Sold online and in their 50+ retail stores nationwide, Patagonia Provisions Wild Salmon Jerky comes in three distinct varieties: Cold Smoked Wild Sockeye, Hot Smoked Wild Sockeye, and Par Smoked Wild Sockeye. Sold in 2 oz. packages ($12.50) or a sampler pack of all three varieties ($35), Patagonia Provisions Wild Salmon Jerky is the ideal snack for anyone from outdoors enthusiasts to the most devoted couch surfer.

Patagonia’s mission statement declares their intention to “Make the best product. Cause no unnecessary harm. Inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.” With the launch of Patagonia Provisions, the company has entered uncharted waters to do just that. Providing a unique and tasty snack product, sourced and produced in a responsible and sustainable manner, Patagonia is sending a message to the salmon and greater food industries—that change is possible, and in the long run will benefit us all.