Connecting the Dots / An Agency Blog

You would think that being a wireless network provider would instantly make you the leader in mobile web, creating a destination for your brand that’s optimized for the devices being used to access the services you’re selling.

Not so with almost every major provider of wireless services in Canada. Actually, let me correct that and be so bold as to state that as of today, November 18th, 2011, there isn’t one major mobile provider in Canada that has a version of their website optimized for a mobile device. Not one.

Futile were our attempts to discover the lone wolf beaver in the stream that could connect us with wireless relevant content and functional design on our testing iPhone. Below are some screen caps from our research along with some notes on our findings. Continue…

A new year, some new toys to play with. Changes to Facebook Places, the addition of Google Plus Pages, and a big feature roll-out for brands on Twitter that we’re still in the midst of. Tumblr and LinkedIn continue to grow their user base, and new apps coming onto the scene, like Instagram continue to offer new possibilities for branded social experiences. Sounds like the perfect time for a quick survey, heading into 2012, to make sure your brand’s presence is in order. Let’s break them down into channels. Not all of these things are “page” specific, but it’s all stuff you’re going to want to put into action this year if you’re not already doing so. Continue…

With over a half million apps now available for iOS devices, it’s probably a safe bet that there’s an app for pretty much everything by now. Great apps are often built on a substantial level of technology, infrastructure, intellectual property, proprietary data, or workflow. And that’s why our recent work for Ecotrust Canada’s ThisFish program was so interesting.

Accessible across Apple’s iPhone and iPod, as well as BlackBerry and Android WebKit-based browsers, the ThisFish mobile site provides app-like functionality inside of the mobile browser, helping users trace their seafood before they purchase it.

ThisFish helps consumers make informed choices about the authenticity, quality and sustainability of the seafood they eat by tracing the catch from the water to the grocery store or restaurant, including who caught it, when, where and how. The service also aims to promote the fishing industry by highlighting fisherman, processing facilities, and retailers, creating transparency in the seafood business and rewarding those who responsibly harvest and handle each catch.

If this sounds like a complex system, that’s because it is. With multiple stops along the supply chain, each group helps support ThisFish by updating data (often through the mobile site), providing the consumer with information about their seafood purchase. See how it works.

We’re excited to have helped lend a hand, to bring this amazing project to life. Having a greater sense of what we eat and whether or not it comes from a sustainable source is an incredibly valuable proposition for consumers. We’re sure the folks at Ecotrust Canada are on to something.

Be sure to visit www.thisfish.info on your mobile device and trace your next seafood purchase!

Since launching in June (publicly in September), the question of whether or not Google+ will take market share from Facebook has been a common one for both marketers and agencies. While we collectively tend to like new platforms: new opportunities for brands to connect with their market, and new opportunities for agencies to innovate on their clients’ behalf, shifting any amount of attention away from Facebook requires Google+ to provide a very different offering, or at least a larger, more engaged audience.

Now, five months in, the big question is; has Google+ proved to be serious consideration? Will it have a chance to rival Facebook’s incredibly large user base? How will it compete in terms of time on site and user loyalty?

Continue…

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