I am a veteran of the telecom industry – and I can tell you – not everyone in telecom is a dickhead. But I can tell you that there are those in the higher echelons of the big three – Rogers, Telus and Bell – who definitely are dickheads. And unfortunately – because they have the power – they force their minions to be dickheads just like they are. Take this case for example. Here’s the situations. I was on…
There is a secret most digital marketers try to keep to themselves. That is just how much data is available to the likes of us on individual audiences online, enabling us to micro-target populations to be influenced by whatever it is we are trying to peddle. The reason we keep it (mostly) to ourselves is, beyond the creep out factor, if the whole truth got out, the crackdown would be swift and as a result, less work for us. Talented…
It’s a common scenario: You drop into the local coffee shop and having a few extra minutes on your hands, you pull out your phone or your laptop and fire it up. Then the next thing you do is look for the free WiFi, and then you… should stop! Unless of course, you feel like sharing everything you have on your computer or phone with a hacker that is. Then, knock yourself out. Wi-Fi hotspots are seemingly everywhere now and…
*Okay, it’s not really free, but in the end, you’ll save more than you’ll spend so technically… let’s just get into it and you’ll see. Winters are the hardest season on our homes, and our wallets. Keeping us warm and cozy costs money and potentially not just in our energy bills as repairs from seasonal damage are never cheap. Yet, the cost of owning a home in Canada can be lessened by taking some time, expending some energy and spending…
Originally posted on the aha insurance blog: The days are getting shorter, and this means it’s holiday shopping time. Whether you love Christmas shopping or loathe it, it’s always a nice idea to stock up on some enriching toys you know your kids will use all year, and to eat all the delicious holiday food, of course! If you’re looking to make your Christmas present shopping a little smoother, read on for our take on the must-have toy and gadgets…
Nope! It’s not. Unless you choose to self-medicate, and heavily, there will be stress, simply due to the nature of the beast. Preparing a meal for a large number of people will always be stressful. Have you ever met a professional chef? Were they in any way calm? Point made. So, what can you do, to at least take the edge off and get to the point where you’re not contemplating finding a nice dark spot to hide and assume…
For aha insurance: We’ll never make you feel as though terms like All Perils or Risk Location are words that we all use in our everyday communication. This insurance jargon is what we’re calling “insurance-ese”. Some industries have jargon that is fairly well known and can even be used in a fun and playful manner, like when we say “10-4” which is the stereotypical police term for affirmative. When it comes to insurance, we haven’t seen too many people (besides…
As a marketing guy, I can’t help but apply that lens when observing the shitstorm that is sweeping our southern neighbours, and that is the presidential campaign of Donald Trump. While everyone is trying to figure how it is possible that a disastrously spray-tanned xenophobic, misogynistic racist is leading the GOP field, it’s pretty obvious why. It’s all about marketing. More specifically, Trump is a direct reaction to a remarkably effective, all-encompassing branding strategy run by the Republican party for…
TechCrunch writes a great article for today’s tech companies letting them know, what is old is new again, finally. But, not really. The premise is a simple one. Regardless of new terminology like “inbound”, “content” & “social media” marketing, what they all mean, is what they have always meant… and that is, it’s all just marketing. “Imagine that it is the year 1996. What did traditional marketing departments think about? The four Ps. The promotion mix. Communications strategies. SWOT analyses. The five forces. Building…
The first step in any content marketing strategy is seeing where a site is at SEO-wise. Consider this: A proactive business person, wants to stay on top of their business, their competition, their customers and leads. So, they go out and hire an SEO consultant or company and have them go over the company’s complete online presence. They are given access to Google analytics, and any Adwords campaigns. They are allowed to peek under the hood of the blog, keyword…