Connecting the Dots / An Agency Blog

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…

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?

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The Vancouver Sun recently paid us a visit, speaking with Dean Elissat, Engine’s VP Client Engagement on Vancouver’s turbulent advertising agency market. Sighting recent cuts and reorgs in some of the city’s top creative shops, 2011 seems to be the year that digital caused some real trouble, changing the way marketers spend, and the way agencies staff.

Engine Digital continues to thrive however, adding new staff, new clients, along with some pretty amazing projects. Take a look at our current career ops here.

Take a peek at the full article here. Mac/Safari users click here.

It’s been floating about for just over 2 weeks now, but in case you haven’t heard about it, here’s a 16 page PDF that culminates digital and device usage studies from users 15 to 56 years old in 11 countries. Complete with attractive and intelligent looking stock photos of people looking inquisitively off into what we presume to be the far reaches of the internet, Living With The Internet: A Global Study of What’s Driving Web Behavior was released on June 2nd. The document confirms everything we at Engine Digital already knew (wink, wink). A joint venture between Microsoft, MEC, and Mindshare, the study’s findings highlight behavioral shifts in internet and device usage when compared to a similar investigation that was conducted in 2007.

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When you’re a brand as big as Coca-Cola, a room to house all your past memorabilia isn’t enough. No! You need a museum! Which is exactly what Coca-Cola has, and now you can skip the price of admission and have full interactive access to that museum. In celebration of Coke’s 125th anniversary, a new full-screen video experience that resembles Google Street view (except indoors walking around a warehouse crowded with coke bottles and other stuff) was launched just last week.

The site has some cool functionality based on exploration and discovery (when you find something you like you can learn more about it and then post it to your Twitter feed or Facebook wall.) Each item, and there must be thousands here, keeps a tally of how many likes it has so you can see how original you are with your…. taste!

Now, had we have built this thing I would have lobbied for the ability to create ones own “Collectors Room” to share and invite your friend network into, like all the other Cola freaks out there have. Still this site taps into the sentiment of hoarding collecting quite nicely and Coca-Cola did provide the nuts with the ability to upload your favourite Coke item, it’s just not quite as cohesive as the rest of the site.

Here’s the link. Fave fun! And if you get lost, just close your browser window.