Connecting the Dots / An Agency Blog

Before we begin please put your headphones on and press play on the above video.

Good times here at Engine Digital H.Q. in Gastown! We just found out that Engine Digital has been named to the “Biggest Ad Agencies in Metro Vancouver” list by Business In Vancouver Magazine. Check out the current issue here.

We’re also in the midst of full on Olmypic fever since the horn in the harbour just signaled more gold for Canadian Maelle Ricker in Women’s Snowboard Cross.

What a great afternoon. We’ve got the Daft Punk on while working hard at getting to the top of that list, and we’re cheering on Canada for more gold!

Wow! We’re so busy with 2010 that we’re having trouble keeping track of the accolades that are still rolling in from 2009. Which, in all honesty, is just fine with us.

The SWISS WATER® Process, along with Engine Digital, was featured in the December 2009 issue of Direct Marketing Magazine for our “Relax. Enjoy. Awaken.” campaign as being one of the best of the year. Our relationship with the fine folks at Swiss Water started back in 2008, and the campaigns that we’ve launched since then have far exceeded expectation from both a marketing perspective and as a heavy hitter on the awards circuit.

Unfortunately, Direct Marketing is a print only magazine, but you can still download a copy of the issue that features The Swiss Water campaign via PDF with this link.

We’ve been following Foursquare on this blog since it was introduced to Vancouver because we knew that even if Foursquare isn’t around in the future, location based digital experiences will be.

As we said earlier, this technology is in its infancy, and it’s evolving. On November 16th, Dennis Crowley from Foursquare announced in Amsterdam that Foursquare would be teaming up with the Augmented Reality app, Layar. Now you’ll be able to hold up your phone to a real world setting and have the benefits of both apps at your fingertips. Get all the details here.

Inevitably, this story will be continued.

The basketball court in the new Woodward's complex.

With rumors of possible free hotdogs and the need for more X-Box controllers, the Engine crew decided to duck out of the studio for an hour to size up our new neighbor, the Woodward’s development.

Freshly opened to the public, we finally got a chance to see what’s been going on behind that metal fence for the past few years since they blew up the whole block. The architecture of the complex fits in nicely with Gastown’s industral vibe. The main courtyard, with a glass roof and a huge open area that features a basketball court in between a London Drugs and Nestor’s, is a unique touch that’s going to see a lot of local rivalry manifesting itself next summer. There’s a huge photo installation by Stan Douglas that overlooks everything too, a nice nod to the political battle that is an undeniable part of this locations history. (More photos after the jump.)

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It’s starting to feel a bit like award season around here or something. First Beck & Gallagher tamed the “lions” of the media industry and were rewarded by being “Ones to Watch” over at Marketing Magazine, and now Business in Vancouver is throwing accolades our way by citing Engine as the 11th biggest Web Development Agency in British Columbia.

So shame on us for thinking our new 7-inch bullet proof glass, complete with hot tub, laser alarmed, temperature controlled, disaster proof trophy cabinet that takes up a large part of our Gastown studio, a bit over the top. It actually might not be big enough, especially since the Lotus Awards are tomorrow night.