Unless you’ve been holed up in North Korea, you know that content marketing is hot. No matter if you’re in B2C or B2B, “publish or perish” has become the clarion call of the 21st-century marketer. Experts trumpet content marketing as the end of interruptive advertising, as prospects rebel against the brutish “push” of advertising and submit to the gentle “pull” of content. Marketing, they say, will never be the same.

But visit the websites home to such content and you’ll see that few marketers are actually getting a return on their investment. Virtual tumbleweed blows through the sites, and the likes, shares and Tweets can be counted on your hands and (sometimes) your toes.

And all that money spent on fabulous content? Wasted.

Getting traction for your content is hard work. First and foremost it has to amuse, inspire, amaze, warn, unite or reward readers (even better, some combination of all of these). And it must be relevant to your brand. No easy tasks.

But even if your content is on-brand comedy gold, there’s no guarantee it will go “viral” (there, we used the v-word). Too often, brands new to content marketing expect a tidal wave of traffic the moment they hit the publish button. Instead, they see barely a ripple. And they blame the content.

That blame may well be misplaced. Content marketing doesn’t mean you can turn your back on advertising. In fact, it means you have to do more of it. Every. Day. Of. The. Year.

Back in the old days of 2009, you could publish a link to your content on Facebook, and a good portion of your fans would see it in their news feeds and share it with their friends. No ads required. Today that seems quaint. Facebook users’ feeds are now slammed with content from the over 100 brands they like. And post-IPO, Facebook makes you pay if you want your post to reach more than 10% to 15% of your fans (which you paid good money to get in the first place).

That’s why smart content marketers create a mini-advertising plan for each and every piece of content they create. These plans include paid advertising on social platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. Pay-per-click search engine marketing on Google, or content discovery networks like Outbrain. Old-timey display ads on sites frequented by prospects. And labour-intensive outreach efforts to traditional media outlets, bloggers and owners of like-minded Facebook Pages.

It all costs money. And if you are publishing content several times a week, those costs add up fast. But – ironically – the only way to get a decent ROI on your content is to spend this money.

So the next time you hear someone say that content marketing will kill advertising, go ahead and correct them. Tell them it’s the best thing to happen to advertising in a long time.

Cloud handled the concept and design for the site, as well as the social media strategy.

Check out the site and LIKE it on Facebook too (she’s already gotten 1,700 fans)!

However, as is the case with most industries these days, 3D artists are under significant cost and deadline pressures. The good folks at SES realized they could help by giving artists access to a wide variety of quality 3D assets via a new online store.

That’s where we came in. SES asked us to create a brand for the new store.  We used our WorldStorm® creative process to develop the store’s positioning strategy as well as a name and unique visual identity which communicates the store’s key attributes.

Ladies and gentlemen, the envelope please.

Introducing Orbolt, the key to a whole new way of working.  At Orbolt, members of the global Houdini artistic community use their knowledge and expertise to help stock the store’s growing inventory of completely customizable 3D assets.  Artists can join the community for free. They set their own prices for their assets and let Orbolt deliver them to the community at large for a modest fee.

The store was launched at the annual CG’s industry annual shindig, SIGGRAPH, on August 5 to enthusiastic reviews.

For more information, or to buy or contribute a 3D asset, go to www.orbolt.com.

(September 10, 2012, Bracebridge)…As part of a long-term strategy to build shoulder season tourism throughout Algonquin Park, the Almaguin Highlands, Muskoka and Parry Sound, Regional Tourism Organization 12 (RTO12) has launched a major fall marketing campaign and enlisted some big Canadian names to help promote it.

In a multi-media campaign that includes radio, online and out-of-home advertising, and social media, RTO12, also known by its consumer brand name as Explorers’ Edge, hopes to distinguish itself from other Ontario destinations that are also marketing fall by highlighting an additional colour that exists in abundance in its own region – blue.

“The thousands of sparkling blue lakes that carpet this region really amplify the fall colours,” said James Murphy, executive director of Explorers’ Edge. “If you look at a photo of our region in fall, mostly likely you will see a lake in it, and blue will be the dominant colour amongst the red, yellow and orange. It’s our spectacular blue lakes that heighten the brilliance of the traditional fall palette. In Explorers’ Edge, we’ve got red, orange, yellow – and we’ve got blue too.”

To raise awareness of this unique feature, Explorers’ Edge turned to Roots co-founder Michael Budman and world champion kayaker Adam van Koeverden, two well-known Canadians who have strong ties to the region: Algonquin Park inspired Mr. Budman and co-founder Don Green to create their company, and van Koeverden has long trained on Tea Lake in the iconic park.

“We are thrilled that Michael and Adam are lending us their support,” said Murphy.  “Their involvement will help us build new audiences for the region by changing the perception that we are primarily a summer-only destination, and will help to distinguish us in a crowded fall tourism market.”

The campaign, created by Cloud AdAgents of Toronto, includes an intensive radio campaign targeting the GTA featuring Budman and van Koeverden, as well as a video for distribution online via Youtube and Facebook.  Other components include digital advertising via Cineplex Media, online advertising and a “Fall Blue” contest.

About Explorer’s Edge

One of 13 Regional Tourism Organizations (RTOs) funded by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, RTO12 includes Algonquin Park, the Almaguin Highlands, Muskoka and Parry Sound.

RTO12 is a not-for-profit agency that is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. The mandate for RTO12 includes providing industry leadership and strategic planning, developing the workforce and skills training.  RTO12 is the administrative name for the region that is known in the consumer marketplace as Explorers’ Edge.

About Cloud AdAgents

Cloud AdAgents is a new concept in advertising agencies. Built on the premise that the “World is Our Office,” the agency combines local full-time talent with a network of traditional and digital advertising professionals.  Cloud AdAgents’ proprietary creative development process, Worldstorm®, engages creatives from around the world in the search for breakthrough ideas.

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For more information contact:

Kate Monk
Communications Manager
Explorers’ Edge
Tel: 705-706-4353
Email: kate@explorersedge.ca
explorersedge.ca

OR

Peter Coish
President, Cloud AdAgents
Tel: 647-291-5567
Email: pcoish@cloudadagents.com
CloudAdAgents.com

TORONTO, Aug 13, 2012 – Side Effects Software Inc., developers of Houdini 3D animation and visual effects tools, and Orbolt Inc. just announced the beta launch of the Orbolt™ Smart 3D Asset Store at the 39th International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Los Angeles.  The store, located at Orbolt.com, gives digital artists access to world-class 3D assets from a source they can trust.  The store’s branding strategy and visual identity, including the name and logo, was developed by Toronto-based agency Cloud AdAgents.

With CG projects under significant cost and deadline pressures, 3D artists need access to a wide variety of 3D assets. Orbolt holds the key to a whole new way of working.  At Orbolt, members of the global Houdini community apply their knowledge and expertise to help stock the store’s growing inventory of completely customizable 3D assets.

“Houdini is used by artists at some of world’s top studios to create the best animation and visual effects for feature films, commercials and video games,” says Kim Davidson, President and CEO, Side Effects Software. “The Orbolt Smart 3D Asset Store leverages the collective expertise of these talented artists.”

Orbolt provides a forum for artists to sell the 3D assets they create. Artists can join the community for free and become asset authors. They set their own prices for their assets and let Orbolt deliver them to the community at large for a modest fee.

“The Orbolt Store is about the creation and sharing of top quality 3D assets,” says Peter Coish, president of Toronto-based agency Cloud AdAgents, “We used our WorldStorm® creative process to develop the store’s positioning strategy as well as a unique visual identity which communicates key brand attributes.”

For more information, visit www.orbolt.com.

About Side Effects Software

Established in 1987, Side Effects is a world leader in the development of 3D animation and VFX software. Side Effects Software has been recognized three times with Scientific and Technical awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, including one at this year’s Academy Awards.

PR Contact: Bill Self (bill@sidefx.com)  416-504-9876 Ext. 215

About Cloud AdAgents

Cloud AdAgents is a radically new concept in advertising agencies. Built on the premise that the “world is our office,” the agency combines local full-time talent with a network of traditional and digital advertising professionals.  Cloud AdAgents’ proprietary creative development process, Worldstorm®, engages creatives from around the world in the search for breakthrough ideas.

PR Contact: Peter Coish (pcoish@cloudadagents.com)  647-291-5567

“The thousands of sparkling blue lakes that carpet this region really amplify the fall colours,” says James Murphy, executive director of Explorers’ Edge. “If you look at a photo of our region in fall, mostly likely you will see a lake in it, and blue will be the dominant colour amongst the red, yellow and orange. It’s our spectacular blue lakes that heighten the brilliance of the traditional fall palette. In Explorers’ Edge, we’ve got red, orange, yellow – and we’ve got blue too.”

Explorers’ Edge tasked us to create a multi-media campaign that includes radio, online and out-of-home advertising, and social media.

For help spreading the message, we turned to Roots co-founder and agency friend Michael Budman and world champion kayaker Adam van Koeverden, two well-known Canadians who have strong ties to the region.  Algonquin Park inspired Michael and co-founder Don Green to create their company, while van Koeverden has long trained on Tea Lake in the iconic park.  Adam and Michael appear in radio and video spots we created.

Listen to the radio here. Or watch the video here.

So it seems reasonable to conclude Canadian brands have big followings on Facebook, right?

Wrong. We took a look at 105 of the top Canadian brands (based on lists developed by Marketing Magazine and the Report on Business) to see just how big their Fan bases are. The results surprised us:

• 55% of brands studied have fewer than 50,000 Fans, and 66% of those have fewer than 10,000 Fans
• Only 30% have more than 100,000 Fans, and just 14% have more than 250,000

Only 2 brands in our analysis have more than 1,000,000 Fans. Not surprisingly, one is that most iconic of Canadian brands, Tim Horton’s. The other, Blackberry (alas).

But having small audiences doesn’t mean brand managers aren’t active on their Pages – fully three quarters have posted within the last 5 days (as of June 14, 2012) and 65% have posted on their Page within the last 24 hours.  Even brands with relatively few Fans (i.e., less than 50,000) are very active, with half having posted within the last 24 hours.

So how do we interpret this?

We think it means too many brands are wasting resources on Facebook.  While we can’t knock the effort, we question why brands would invest in expensive Page features and content without having first built an audience on the platform.

Consider this: on average every message posted by brands actually reaches only 15% of their Fans (that’s the reality of Facebook’s newsfeed algorithm), and less than 2% of Fans actually interact with these messages (click, share, etc.). If you’re the manager for a billion-dollar national brand with just 50,000 Fans, that means fewer than 1,000 people are interacting with that content you’re busy creating each day.  Even fewer still are actually buying something from you as a result of seeing your Facebook content.

Our advice to these brand managers? The next time your agency pitches you on a “cool” (and expensive) Facebook app, just say no – at least for now. You won’t get a return on that investment when you have so few Fans.

Instead we say spend your money on growing your Fan base. There are two ways to do that:

• Organically with superlative Page content and promotion of your Page at all brand touch points
• Through pay-per-click marketplace ads on Facebook itself

In fact, unless your brand is an icon like Tim Horton’s, you’re unlikely to ever achieve critical mass without first paying Mr. Zuckerberg for advertising.

That’s why we created a Facebook Timeline App which allows movie lovers to share their favourite “Movie Moments” with their friends, family and the world.

Building on our recent brand campaign for Cineplex, My Movie Moment is a celebration of the shared cinematic experiences that shape our lives. Users can share such moments as their favourite movie quote, scene and song. And because it taps Facebook’s social graph, it’s easy for users to tag friends, share photos and comment on other people’s moments. And each time a Facebook user posts a moment, they get a chance to win movie tickets.

Post your movie moment here!

1. We sell hams. Obsessed with driving sales of Sugarberry Hams, copywriter Peggy tosses aside conventional agency thinking and proposes a risky PR stunt that generates little revenue for the agency, but a lot for the client. In this and many other episodes, the people of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce never seem to forget that they are in the business of making their clients’ cash register ring.

We now ply our craft in an age of shiny new technologies, where it’s easy to lose sight of that purpose. And like many agencies, we too have become obsessed with “engagement” in social media. But is that engagement ultimately selling hams? To paraphrase a former colleague, if it’s not, we’re just telling jokes – at the expense of the client.

2. Flip-flops are for the beach. Style has been one of the most tantalizing aspects of Mad Men. The way in which Don and Roger curate their look to sell themselves, establishes them as authorities on what…sells.

We mourn the loss of that attention to appearance. Informality in agencies is becoming a point of pride. At the risk of sounding curmudgeonly, we believe if you can wear it to the beach, it has no place in the agency. Attention to style shows respect for your client and for yourself. Don Draper reminds us there’s always something to be said for the man, or woman, with an identifiable style.

3. Saying “no” is (sometimes) better than saying “yes.” Don is never afraid to tell clients exactly what he thinks. Sometimes the clients appreciate his candour. Sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they get thrown out of his office (as the Jantzen swimsuit people did, to the horror of the account people). For Don, the work comes before the money.

While we certainly don’t advocate Don’s occasionally disrespectful approach, it reminds us that agencies driven by the bottom line become warehouses of sycophants and yes-men, people who sacrifice what they believe in to get paid. Fortunately, there are lots of clients out there who respect an agency that shows conviction in its beliefs.

That said, only agencies who listen to their clients earn the right the to say “no”.

4. We work in theatre. In defense of persuasive and entertaining ads, David Ogilvy said that you can’t bore your customer into buying from you. Draper innately understands this – in some of the best scenes in Mad Men, he holds a room full of clients spellbound with a pitch. And no scene better illustrates Don’s flair for the dramatic than his “Nostalgia” pitch to Kodak, in which he left the client speechless…and some of his own staff in tears.

So why is it that when presenting our own ideas to clients, we forget that we too must entertain in order to make the sale?

5. No man is an agency. As good as you – or your Don Draper – may be, an agency built on the talent of one person is like a stool with a single leg. After all, what if that person turns out to be a shady impostor with a sinister past? Sterling Cooper Draper Price is a case study on how an agency can be eternally fragile when it depends on just one person; cultivating talent across all levels – not just the top – is critical for an agency’s survival as the years turn into decades, and the decades into an exquisitely realized television series.

Photo via AMC.

Our latest spot for Cineplex (directed by Shelley Lewis and produced by Clare Cashman) is the first salvo in a brand campaign to communicate Cineplex’s passion for movies. It shows how movies bring us together through beloved moments. The spot features average people in everyday situations retelling their favourite scenes from memorable movies. Each vignette comes with a subtle visual nod to the actual movie — can you name the movies?

Additional executions of the campaign, including print, digital and social, are coming soon.