Connecting the Dots / An Agency Blog

Forrester on Youth, Brands, and Social Networks

It’s clear that youth are spending considerable amounts of time online. They have, after all, grown up in a digitally connected world. But that doesn’t necessarily create a marketing opportunity for brands to connect with the so-called Millennial generation.

A report by Forrester Research, published March 2011 surveyed 4,681 young US individuals ages 12 to 17, and seeks to Understand The Intricate Digital Behaviors Of Young Consumers.

Key findings after the jump.

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Reaching and connecting with high net worth investors and entrepreneurs requires a refined presentation of principles, perspectives, and historic performance. With over $1.2 billion in assets under management, Nicola Wealth required a digital brand realignment to better match the ongoing success of the firm.

Working collaboratively with our client-side team, Engine Digital recently recreated the online home of Nicola Wealth Management, one of Vancouver’s premier Financial & Investment Advisory firms. Through an in-depth understanding of the target audience, their expectation of high-touch service and unique and proven expertise, and an appreciation for the vision, mission, and values of the firm, a creative strategy was developed to build upon an already incredibly high level of influence in the Canadian wealth management sector. The result: an intriguing online brand platform that delivers the firm’s bold messaging, addresses the needs of both individual and institutional investors, and provides the firm with a solid foundation for digital marketing and online brand experience.

Visit www.nicolawealth.com

Is Flash on its way out? From where I sit, I can’t imagine it anytime soon. BC Business recently posted an article about the demise of the Flash website due to an increased interest in HTML5. While there are a few points in this article that we can appreciate, the whole Flash vs. HTML5 argument seems to be fueled by a very narrow view of the web combined with the momentum of Apple hype. We’re all for new technologies and advancements in the digital space, but assuming Flash to be irrelevant any time soon make very little sense.

Assuming Flash will disappear this year or even in the next few years is so completely misinformed, I don’t even know where to start. This whole notion, spurred by Mr. Jobs and his crusade for full control of, well, everything, is completely hyped up and based on little to no hard data. I don’t understand how anyone is even listening, let alone participating in the debate.

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The fight for domination over location-based marketing is on, with Foursquare, Google, Gowalla, Yelp, and now Facebook pushing aggressively into the space. And if they buy in (and they most definitely should), the real winners are sure to be small-to-medium sized business owners.

This is essentially big business creating opportunity for small business – or – tech companies looking to generate revenue from the incredibly long-tail of businesses that need to market themselves, but typically do very little of it. It’s a win/win all around.

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Guess who’s going to Kettle of Fish for dinner tomorrow? You guessed it, me! Well, at the time of this writing, me and 259 other tech savvy people. It’s all part of the buzz that’s surrounding the launch of Groupon in Vancouver earlier today. Groupon is a Chicago based website that negotiates discount deals that they can bring to a huge list of followers subscribing to the site via Groupon’s daily newsletter.

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