Tags >> agency
Powershifter's New Addition
JP Holecka Jul 23, 2010 - filed under: Powershifter Media Comment (0)

I would like to take this time to announce that our agency has grown just a little bit more this month. It is my absolute pleasure to welcome Ryan McCormick to the team in the newly created position of Director of Integrated Production. Ryan is an industry veteran that has successfully produced award winning work while at both Blast Radius and Tribal DDB. Ryan's experience producing both digital and broadcast for such brands as Clorox, BC Dairy, BC Tourism, Boston Pizza, EA, PBS and many others.

Ryan's roll here will be to produce all digital projects that we are engaged with. He will also continue to develop our professional network of contractors and partners that are hired to execute the work. Ryan will draw on his existing large network of professionals and seek out new ones that will add to the breadth of Powershifter offerings.

More quick facts on Ryan:

  • Lives on an island in his quest to shatter the myth that no man is an island.
  • Uses almost 6 gigs of tethered data on his iPhone monthly commuting from that island.
  • Dad to 3 lovely girls that keep him pretty busy while not at the office.
  • Caused quite the stir with the co-invention of luggage stickers for The Cheeky.com
  • Gets more done in a day than most do in a week.

We are scheduled for some corporate shots in the coming weeks and will reveal what this mystery super producer looks like when they are done.

 

tags:// Powershifter Media , business , agency
Less is more - Powershifter Shifts to Mini Cards
JP Holecka May 3, 2010 - filed under: Powershifter Media Comment (0)
With a new Yaletown agency address came the requirement for new business cards. That got me thinking...I really don't use dead tree cards that much anymore but not enough to cut them out completely.

So when I was cleaning out my office drawer I found an old box of Moo Mini Cards that I used personally. I thought that these could be the solution I was looking for. The response when I handed the little cards out personally was always the same. That of wonderment and affection. Those are emotions that I would love to have associated with the brand. They are also very Web 2.0 like us and as new employees come into the fold we could order them up easy peasy. That said they are so cost effective that even contractors could get a set. Couple that with the cool key chain case and it was a no brainer.

So with that I present to you the new POWERSHiFTER mini cards. [Cool black case sold separately].

tags:// marketing , business , Branding , agency , advertising , 2.0
Do metrics really kill creativity?
JP Holecka Mar 5, 2010 - filed under: Advertising Comment (0)
In an Adage article by Patrick Sarkissian, he makes the claim that metrics are indeed killing creativity. His point is really about using metrics to make creative decisions exclusively. Metrics have always been in advertising and I suspect have driven the decisions of many clients that are too afraid to take risks in general. Metrics and measurement are always important, but so is the ability to take a chance with a creative campaign that may not have all the numbers and metrics to back it up. ROI and reduced risk for business is always an important thing to consider for campaigns, but so is taking a risk. Not taking risks will get you slow and steady returns with little ,to no loss there is no question. Risks can pay off huge when the creative resonates with the audience and in the end makes for a remarkable campaign that elevates your brand or product to new levels. 
 
Measurement is essential but the human spirit quite often surprises. During the Olympics crowds of hundreds, and sometimes thousands, would spontaneously breakout into the national anthem when they were finished quite often the crowd would do it all over again. I noticed that the anthem was notably missing from most ad campaigns during the Olympics. I am not sure if it was metrics or not but if there had been an anthematic ad campaign it would have resonated without a doubt. My point is that humans are not always predictable and great creativity connects in ways that metrics cannot always predict.
 
Metrics are important sure, but should they drive all creative choices for your campaign? Sure if slow steady returns are what you are looking for. If you want the potential of a "knock it out of the park" campaign you are going to have to take some "calculated" risks to make that happen. 

tags:// Strategy , olympics , metrics , marketing , Branding , agency , advertising