Colour Social
digitalmedia for a connected culture
  • Work
  • Services
  • About
  • Colour Health
  • Team
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Work
  • Services
  • About
  • Colour Health
  • Team
  • Blog
  • Contact
January 11, 2021
Why Quality Content Is More Important Than Ever
  • Posted By : Web Admin/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Digital Marketing

Anyone that has worked in an agency has noticed a growing trend of brands developing their creative in-house. Apps, user-friendly, integrative software and platforms make it easy for anyone and everyone to become their very own content creators and publishers. 

Evolution of quality content

In the 1960s, the creative concept was king, setting one ad apart from another. And with only a handful of television channels to choose from, it wasn’t difficult to reach your intended audience. As media channels became more abundant and fragmented, the creative’s overall role diminished in comparison to the growing importance of the media mix. 

Now, with social media advertising, creative rises back to the top, as newsfeeds on the most popular social platforms become cluttered with ads, all competing with organic content for attention.

Accessible authors

The result of all this is that there’s more accessible content today than ever before and this abundance is only growing. Over the last few months, online traffic has soared. Companies with an established online presence are thriving as audiences have turned to e-commerce and online venues for entertainment and shopping. 

This influx leaves advertisers with the same problem that they’ve always faced: how to stand out from the clutter of digital marketing messages. 

A flooded feed

That problem becomes exacerbated when you want to place your advertising message into the even more populated realm of consumer-generated content. Your message must now compete with personal updates, tweets, pictures and video content, memes, live feeds, and competitors’ messages. That means obtaining a meaningful share of consumer attention is becoming more and more difficult. 

The answer to having your message stand out is quality. Due to the quantity of brand messages and overwhelming content, an impactful message created around (or paired with) quality content will ensure that your ad gets shared. 

This is key to social media advertising. Ads or posts that inspire engagement are shared or saved, often resulting in a greater likelihood of being seen. This makes them extremely valuable on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. 

Consumer perception

With the incredible uptick in online shopping and overwhelming saturation of brands having a presence on social media, many consumers are using their feeds to find products. The look, tone and feel of your advertising helps relay the message to audiences that your brand is just what they’re looking for: authentic, reputable, engaging and worth the money they’re willing to spend. 


Hands typing on laptop keyboard
April 14, 2020
Digital Marketing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Why Some Companies Should be Focusing on Upper Funnel Tactics
  • Posted By : Colour Media/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Digital Marketing

Those of us working in media who are old enough to remember Fraggle Rock probably also remember the 2008 recession; most industries were hit hard, and clients pulled back on their ad spending in an effort to cut costs and ride it out while maintaining profitability. Around the agency hallways, VP’s could be heard echoing the party line of the times: “When the economy is good you should advertise, but when it’s bad you need to advertise.”

What We Learned From 2008

An article in Forbes that came out in September of last year, titled “When a Recession Comes, Don’t Stop Advertising,” hit that idea on the nose by outlining four reasons to continue advertising during a recession:
1. The “noise level” in a brand’s product category can drop when competitors cut back on their ad spend.
2. Brands can project to consumers the image of corporate stability during challenging times.
3. The cost of advertising drops during recessions.
4. When marketers cut back on their ad spending, the brand loses its “share of mind” with consumers, with the potential of losing current – and possibly future – sales. An increase in “share of voice” typically leads to an increase in “share of market.”

These pro-awareness campaign arguments clearly supported an agency’s position, yet many advertisers didn’t buy into it back in 2008, as it was tough to rationalize an expenditure that generally contributed to long-term objectives like brand equity and awareness. When revenue takes a hit for a prolonged period of time, any expenditures not directly tied to generating short-term sales are going to be under scrutiny.

How is This Relevant Today?

Fast forward to today, where this pandemic-induced recession has caused many advertisers to behave as they did in 2008, and with such a rapid decline in revenues amidst so much uncertainty, many are right to cut their ad spending. There are two key differences that exist now, however:

1. The economic impact of this pandemic has been disastrous for a number of industries, such as travel, hospitality & automotive, while being a huge boost for other industries, such as e-commerce, health & wellness, grocery, pharmacy & pizza delivery.
2. Digital media in 2020 is light years ahead of where we were in 2008, when programmatic had yet to change the way online ads were bought and Facebook advertising was only in its infancy. Measurability across all levels of the marketing funnel has become the norm, and brands can easily set campaign KPIs and track everything at the awareness, engagement or conversion level of a consumer’s journey.

What’s mind-boggling is that many of the industries that are currently thriving are reducing their spending as well. With products flying off the shelves and demand far exceeding supply, most grocery stores have scaled back on advertising. When their Amazon storefront is sold out of product, health supplement companies have stopped advertising. Both of these examples highlight a train of thought where advertising is viewed only as being linked to the lower funnel activities of driving sales, and that’s where these companies are making a huge strategic misstep.

Shifting Strategic Focus

Any company whose revenues are not only being sustained but are growing amidst this global health crisis is lucky. While it might be true that advertising need not be used to drive sales right now, the overall financial health of these companies should motivate them to spend differently, as strategic priorities shift to adapt to current market conditions. Now is the perfect time for upper-funnel awareness-driving advertising. Here’s why:

Online traffic is skyrocketing as a result of people self-isolating and working from home, creating more available impression inventory across a number of sites*:

– Media sites up 33%
– Finance sites up 29%
– Food-related sites up 22%
– Healthcare up 15%
– Pharma up 5%
Key takeaway: The supply of online advertising has increased.

I’ve already mentioned how certain industries, like travel, hospitality and automotive, have taken the biggest hit, and as a result have significantly cut back their ad spending, if they haven’t stopped spending entirely. Think about what happens when global advertisers like Toyota, Delta, Marriott and every tourism bureau hits pause on their campaigns – there’s a major effect to ad ecosystems around the world as these key advertisers stop bidding on inventory in open exchanges.
Key takeaway: The demand for online advertising has decreased.

It’s a basic economic principle: an increase in the supply coupled with a decrease in demand results in falling prices, and over the past few weeks we’re seeing CPMs fall across a number of verticals:

-52% on News sites
-22% on Medical Sites
-21% on Portals

Everyone is now hoping for the same thing: that this “new normal” reverts back to the old normal as soon as possible. When this happens, we can expect an opposing scenario, where people abandon their screens and race back outdoors and advertisers feel comfortable enough to resume campaign spending.
Key takeaway: The current market conditions that favour upper funnel advertising are temporary.

No one knows for sure how long we’re going to be cooped up indoors, but as long as these conditions exist, and as long as companies can afford to continue advertising, then they need to shift the strategic focus of their marketing to aim higher up the funnel, widening the top and filling it with more high value potential customers who can be engaged with and moved along to purchase once the current economic trajectory changes. So for any advertiser that never had the budget to get video views, collect emails, publish whitepapers or blanket the Internet with display ads…well, there’s no time like the present.


November 19, 2019
#TheFuture100
  • Posted By : Web Admin/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Digital Marketing

This past Wednesday, President Barack Obama spoke to a sold-out crowd in Halifax. Within that crowd was a specially selected group of 100 youth, from over 290 who applied to the Future Leaders Initiative.

As part of the initiative, applicants answered a section of questions on how they demonstrated leadership in the community, that included elaborating on a social justice issue that matters to them and what they would ask President Obama if they had the opportunity. This initiative was sponsored by law firm Stewart McKelvey, Business is Jammin’ as part of the Black Business Initiative, and the Delmore ‘Buddy’ Daye Learning Institute here in Halifax.

As part of the historic event, Colour hosted The Future 100 at a pre-event networking reception, at Colour’s Halifax office to help make this event a lifetime memory for many that attended.

“As a board member of the BIJ, I’ve had the privilege to read all of the applications and I must say it was so rewarding and inspiring to learn more about the young black leaders we have emerging right here in Nova Scotia,” said Shaq Smith, one of the members of the panel that selected attendees, and a Senior Strategist at Colour. “As a committee, we spent two days reading through hundreds of applications, and after reading about all of the remarkable things going on across the province, I’ve never been more confident in the future of our Black communities than I am right now.”

The event was truly inspiring and an unmistakably motivating opportunity. It brought together some of the province’s future leaders, to connect on shared visions for the future, and for many, to see a role model who has been inspiring not just those in attendance, but people around the world for over a decade. The event demonstrated the compelling impact these initiatives have had on the province’s youth.  

“It meant a lot to me as a kid, and now I’m getting to live out a childhood dream in a sense,” said Tyler Nadolny, one of the selected attendees.“It’s just kind of a glimmer of optimism going into the future, getting to hear his story a little bit more, see how far and how his journey brought him to become the President of the United States, and hopefully find a few little things to implement into my life to hopefully help me better achieve my goals in the future, so that’s why I’m excited personally.”

The DBDLI is an Africentric Institute, providing support for people of African descent reach to their full potential through education, and creating opportunities to help them thrive. With education being so key to their purpose and vision, they help inform society and government at large on how best to achieve these goals.

BIJ is a charitable initiative in Nova Scotia, focusing on developing education and programming that helps Black and racially visible minority youth through mentorship, education and entrepreneurship, enriching their lives and the business community at large.

 “Colour generously opened their space to host The Future 100 and to provide a real VIP experience,” said Ashley Hill, Youth Program Coordinator at BIJ. “As storytellers themselves, Colour immediately took action to provide youth from across Nova Scotia the opportunity to share their own stories and make lasting connections. Youth were recognized for their excellence and leadership; we acknowledge and thank Colour for such tremendous support. There couldn’t have been a space more perfect, or an organization more dedicated to partnering with BIJ to share our youth’s stories!”

Our thanks go out to Business is Jammin’, the Delmore ‘Buddy’ Day Learning Institute and #TheFuture100 for an unforgettable evening.


June 18, 2019
Colour acquires social shop, names president and CCO
  • Posted By : Web Admin/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Digital Marketing

The agency looks to beef up its strategy chops by acquiring Bright Blue Wave and making a handful of senior appointments.

Originally published on strategyonline.ca

A number of changes have come to agency Colour Creative Persuasion in recent months, including an acquisition and the appointment of a president and chief creative officer.

Most recently, Martha Stevens joined the agency as VP of strategy in Halifax. She will provide strategic counsel and lead client relationships for Colour’s clients across Atlantic Canada, including Nova Scotia-based neutraceutical company Nature’s Way and New Brunswick-based bakery Fancy Pokket.

Her appointment follows other significant hires at Colour. About a month ago, it hired Paul Lockhard as president and Julie Martinson as chief creative officer. The pair have stepped into the newly created roles and will be based out of Toronto.

Lockhard (with whom Colour CEO Chris Keevill had a pre-existing working relationship) will lead strategic initiatives for clients, while focusing on strengthening industry partnerships and building out the agency’s CRM and data insights capabilities, according to Keevill. He joins Colour after serving as president of Proof, where he led a brand repositioning and was responsible for growing revenue and expanding the communication agency’s creative and digital capabilities. He has also worked on digital and CRM initiatives at Labatt.

Martinson follows Lockhard from Proof, where she was creative director (with prior experience in CPG marketing at Union Creative) and will lead creative across Colour’s Toronto, Halifax and New York offices. Keevill, who says the pair wanted to continue working together, describes their hiring as a “two for one deal” for Colour.

The new hires are the result of a shift in client needs, according to Keevill. “More of the complex work that our clients are looking for requires deep strategy work,” he says. “So strategic creative through Julie and strategic planning and digital through Paul is further developing and strengthening our strategic consulting practice.”

Colour refers to that planning work as system planning. “We’re taking the complexity of the customer journey across fragmented channels and we’re distilling that complexity into a synthesized system plan, which then maps the customer journey against media and against storytelling,” Keevill says. “Baked into that sometimes is advertising, so we can still look like an ad agency. But it’s not the biggest piece any more by a long shot.”

In recent years, Colour has added a programmatic media planning and buying department that operates out of the New York office.

A recent acquisition also speaks to the shop’s evolving priorities.

In March, Colour expanded its strategic capabilities with the acquisition of Toronto-based social media agency Bright Blue Wave. As part of the agreement, it now works with Bright Blue Wave’s roster of clients, including Mercer, EQ Bank, Embark Health, Parkin and Knowledge First Financial. Meanwhile, the acquired company’s founders, Sharad Verma and Brenda Verma, were appointed to senior roles within the agency.

Until around 2007, Colour partnered with Radian6 (which was acquired by cloud computing giant Salesforce in 2011), on social listening, according to Keevill. From there, it developed a community management and content marketing practices.

Bright Blue Wave operates in similar spaces, but with more of a focus on content and social media strategy for B2B clients, he says. “We just added the heft and the scale of their clients to our roster, and just grew the business that way.”

The acquisition has already helped Colour pitch and win the business of Canada 411. In addition, the agency is continuing to develop its cannabis practice, having already served as AOR for Aurora Cannabis for a few years.

Following the acquisition, Sharad Verma was named VP of strategy and Brenda Verma as VP of social media within the parent agency. Prior to Sharad’s arrival, strategy was led by other senior strategists within the agency’s consulting practice.

Both Sharad and Brenda started their careers as consultants at PwC prior to launching Bright Blue Wave, and Sharad had prior experience as president of Digital Cement, the former creative and advertising arm of tech company Pitney Bowes.

Meanwhile, VP of strategy Stevens was previously VP of sales and marketing at Atlantic Lottery Corporation and acting CEO and director or marketing at Tourism Nova Scotia. She got her start at Hawk Communications and has held various marketing roles at telco NBTel, Aliant and Bell in both Canada and the U.S., through which she previously worked with Keevill.

Individual Photo: Martha (Marty) Stevens, (VP Strategy)

Group Photo: From left to right, Paul Lockhard (President), Julie Martinson (Chief Creative Officer), Sharad Verma (VP Strategy), Brenda Verma (VP Social Media)


October 16, 2018
Local McDonald’s Restaurant Owners Step Up to Help Youth in North Preston
  • Posted By : Web Admin/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : PR , Press , Programmatic Advertising , Social Media Marketing

Halifax, Nova Scotia – Four local McDonald’s franchisees are stepping up to support the dreams and aspirations of youth in North Preston. The four owners collectively will be the named sponsor of the initiative that supports the refurbishment of the basketball court in North Preston to give youth – through basketball – the opportunity to continue their education.

On the weekend of October 19th – 21st, $1 from every Big Mac sold at participating restaurants in the Halifax Regional Municipality will go directly to the North Preston Basketball initiative.

McDonald’s has a long history of building stronger communities and recognizes the role that sport and education play in fostering development of individuals in the community.

This gift was inspired by the initiative of Shaquille Smith, who grew up in North Preston. Shaquille drove this project with the help of a $100,000 grant from Nova Scotia Communities, Culture and Heritage, $100,000 from the Halifax Regional Municipality and $10,000 from the community fund of local Councillor David Hendsbee.

“When we first met with Shaquille, his passion to make a difference in his community through basketball was something we wanted to support,” said Peter MacIsaac, local owner of McDonald’s. “Shaquille’s vision to help youth was built on his own experience. He got to attend university because of a basketball scholarship to Acadia University. By recognizing the importance of sport and education, we knew we could make a real impact for youth in the community.”

The McDonald’s North Preston basketball court will also provide education programs to better prepare youth for university or college. North Preston basketball alumni will play an important part of the education program.

“Although I am excited to bring a new basketball court to the community, this project is not just about basketball – it’s also about ensuring players who get to attend university or college are prepared for what’s to come. Finishing their degree is the goal,” said Shaquille Smith. “With the new basketball court, players from North Preston will have the same opportunities I did. With the addition of preparatory programs, we can help them be better positioned to finish their degrees.”

Smith added, “I want to thank the local McDonald’s owners for stepping up to build a stronger community in North Preston. I’m proud of their commitment to the community by fostering the development of youth.”

To recognize and acknowledge the best of community leadership, McDonald’s has invited Shaquille Smith to Atlanta for the 2019 McDonald’s All American in March. Shaquille will get to choose one high school player from North Preston to join him.

About McDonald’s

In 1967, Canadians welcomed the first McDonald’s restaurant to Richmond, British Columbia. Today, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited has become part of the Canadian fabric, serving close to three million guests every day. Together McDonald’s and our franchisees, proudly employ nearly 100,000 people from coast-to-coast and approximately 90 per cent of McDonald’s 1,400 Canadian restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent entrepreneurs. Of the almost $1 billion we spend on food, beverages and packaging, more than 85 per cent is purchased from over 100 suppliers in Canada.


December 13, 2017
Colour Congratulates Aurora Cannabis on Winning 2017 Canadian Cannabis Award for Social Media Account Work
  • Posted By : Jason Agar/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Digital Marketing , Programmatic Advertising

HALIFAX – At the recent 2017 Canadian Cannabis Awards ceremony in Toronto, Aurora Cannabis won first prize in the Social Media Account – Facebook category.

Aurora was chosen for this award based on votes received from the general public. Voting was held online between September 1 and September 30, 2017. The award ceremony took place on November 30, 2017.

“Since the summer of 2016, we have seen Aurora’s Facebook page grow to become the largest and most engaged of any licensed cannabis producer in the country,” said Savior Joseph, President of creative digital agency Colour. “We are very pleased to see Aurora receive recognition for this achievement and congratulate them on winning this award.”

Aurora Cannabis now has over 40% more “likes” than its next closest competitor and works closely with Colour to create content, with the goal of creating engaging, educational and relevant posts.   

Colour’s digital engagement team also collaborates with Aurora’s client care team and monitors comments through the work day in both official languages, plus evenings, weekends and holidays, helping to facilitate and foster an inspired community.

“The cannabis industry is complex, involves strict compliance and is rapidly evolving,” added Joseph. “This community initiative is a testament to our client’s trust and our team’s ability to make sense of the complexity and to execute within it in a socially responsible way. This is especially important to us as the law around recreational cannabis use is changing in 2018. Our continuous focus on responsible use is something to which we hold ourselves accountable.”

A publically traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: ACB), Aurora today operates state-of-the-art facilities – Aurora Mountain in Mountain View, Alberta and Aurora Vie in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. The company is also building a new production facility called Aurora Sky at the Edmonton International Airport, with a fourth facility being completed in Lachute, Quebec. Aurora is also pursuing new growth opportunities in Western Canada, Australia and the European Union.

“Colour is amazing to work with. The team is knowledgeable, constantly curious and fully focused on supporting our teams and our patients. They’ve been a vital partner in providing leading edge support across a variety of community initiatives,” said Neil Belot, Chief Global Business Development Officer for Aurora. “Our Facebook page has become one of the largest online medical cannabis communities and a safe place for patients to voice their opinions in a respectful way and to engage in meaningful conversation with our company and each other.”

With offices in Atlantic Canada, Toronto and New York, Colour is exporting creativity to markets everywhere.


November 16, 2017
Colour’s new Creative Director takes the reigns a week early
  • Posted By : Jason Agar/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Digital Marketing , Programmatic Advertising

TORONTO – Creative digital agency Colour’s new creative director Chad Raymond is excited to get started helping Colour’s clients.

The former associate creative director for Canopy Growth Corporation and senior art director for Bensimon Byrne started at the agency’s Toronto office last week. His original start date was Tuesday, but he couldn’t wait to get started.

“With the growth that Colour has seen over the last year, it’s important for us to invest in a creative director that is able to lead our work across all digital channels,” said Savior Joseph, Colour’s President. “We’re very excited to have Chad join the Colour team. His expertise in all things creative and experience with technology, as well as in leading teams, will greatly benefit our clients.”

At Canopy, Raymond was responsible for building, evolving and maintaining the company’s three major brands. At Bensimon Byrne, Raymond was creative lead for such brands as Scotiabank, iShares, and HollisWealth. Raymond also worked three years as senior art director for Loyalty One / Air Miles. He began his career as art director of Digital Cement, where he worked for such global clients as Kraft, FedEx, John Hancock and AstraZeneca.

“Colour is working in a great space for clients, connecting creative with social, digital and PR,” said Raymond. “In week one, I really enjoyed getting to know the team and clients and I am looking forward to helping our clients achieve results with great creativity.”

Raymond holds diplomas in multi-media design and fine arts from Fanshawe College.

With offices in Atlantic Canada, Toronto and New York, Colour is exporting creativity to markets everywhere.


October 13, 2016
Why, hello world
  • Posted By : Team Colour/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Digital Marketing

Well, it’s happened. We’re taking the next step and moving from sharing our opinions across the table to sharing them across the ‘net.

Read More


Recent Posts
  • Abstract technological background in vibrant colors with blur
    New Year, New You, New Tools: Leveraging AI in 2024 February 21, 2024
  • Why work at Colour?
    The Unbeatable Benefits of Joining Colour March 29, 2023
  • The Value Of Proper Social Media Planning And Asking The Right Questions April 22, 2022
  • Social Media Industry Update: Facebook Analytics April 13, 2021
  • Why Quality Content Is More Important Than Ever January 11, 2021
Tags
agency accountability agency transparency branding colour media content marketing creative design digital digital marketing digital marketing agency digital media agency Halifax New York online advertising press programmatic media buying social social media agency storytelling Toronto
Archives
  • February 2024
  • March 2023
  • April 2022
  • April 2021
  • January 2021
  • April 2020
  • November 2019
  • June 2019
  • October 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
Categories
  • Digital Marketing
  • Digital Media Buying
  • PR
  • Press
  • Programmatic Advertising
  • Social Media Marketing
Subscribe
RSS
  • Contact
  • Jobs
  • Privacy Notice
© Copyright 2024 Colour
Colour New York

newyork@colour.media

85 Broad Street
17th Floor
New York, NY 10004, USA
t: 917 717 8555

Colour Toronto

toronto@colour.ca

Colour Halifax

halifax@colour.ca

1701 Hollis Street
Suite 800
Halifax, NS B3J 3M8
t: 902 421 1777