Author Archive - Brad Dykema

Getting the attention of a consumer, engaging them on an emotional level, and then stirring them to act is, it turns out, only slightly more challenging than moving an entire agency up a hill.

The Brewery Market was an incredible space. But Trampoline has found a new, larger home on Barrington Street at Blowers—on the second floor of the old Carsand Mosher Building. The fresh energy that comes with change is one of the perks of our new surroundings. Being a part of the Barrington Street Historic District is equally exciting for an agency that values community. Barrington exudes urban vibrancy, and the revitalization that’s currently taking place is bringing new life to Halifax’s downtown core.

How appropriate that an agency with an unusually forward-thinking philosophy on branding has landed in a part of the city that has such a promising future.

Trampoline is fast becoming the region’s expert in integrated, effective, and unexpected communications because of our contemporary approach. We aren’t caught up in pointless distinctions between “advertising” and “social media”, “traditional” and  “digital”. All of these add up to communications. Our 15 communications professionals distinctively weave all these threads together to create and strengthen social communities and generate positive awareness that ultimately leads to stronger brands.

As yet more Halifax businesses and citizens converge on the central lifeline that is Barrington Street, Trampoline too continues to evolve. Because our incomparable clients demand it. Because modern brands depend on it. Because today’s consumers necessitate it.

You can build yourself a community of followers so crucial to success in social media if you give them something for hopping on board. It seems like such a 1990s way to get attention in a hyper-digital age, but people continue to respond to being given the chance to win something, or to get a discount on something. Once the lure convinces consumers to “like” you or follow you, the brand can begin to communicate with them in the way only social media will allow. In other words, we create the community, then we can talk to that community. [...]

In order to make any marketing or branding initiative cost-effective, you need mass. I’m not talking about the one-on-one interaction you might have with your customers by monitoring your Twitter feed. I’m talking about the grand social media marketing campaign one embarks on to build a brand. You need enough people to see or get your message to make it worthwhile spending the money. The same goes for social media. No company is going to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a creative, engaging social media campaign to reach a hundred people. [...]

The unspoken truth about branding using social media in a smaller market.

This summer, Old Spice made a social media powerhouse out of their “I’m on a horse” guy campaign. The TV spots were already a massive hit, and the brand was successfully competing for consumer dollars with the likes of Axe across North America and the world. When they spent a day addressing fans’ tweets by video, using the actor from the spots, they got more attention for the Old Spice brand than most brands could dream of. It was brilliant, it was funny, it was a great use of social media. So what can we in smaller, regional markets learn from it? Not a whole lot. [...]

Hoping to build buzz is like hoping to create a viral video. Everyone wants to do it. But it’s not something you can just do. A bus shelter, a TV spot, a newspaper ad: you can “just do” these things. But sparking a cultural movement, seeing your message spread on its own, getting people actually excited about spending time with your brand: these things take an equal dose of luck along with the skill you bring to the project. Regardless, we approached our latest campaign for CATCH, the Nova Seafood Festival, with exactly this lofty goal. Our ambitious client, bless her heart, wanted us to go beyond getting the word out, and do something that would build that elusive buzz. [...]

I love Barrington Street. Or, perhaps I love what it could be. Yes, Spring Garden Road has better shopping, and Argyle has more to do, but no other street in Halifax comes close to the charm, the warmth, and the urban character of Barrington. And no other street says “Halifax” to me like it does. [...]

As the media landscape continues to shift dramatically beneath our feet, it can be tougher and tougher to keep standing. “Advertising”, as we’re content to still call it, is living more and more in the online world, because people, consumers, are living more and more in the online world. So everyone, in every ad agency/branding shop/media company in the world is finding themselves in the position of needing to rethink everything they think they know about the business. The bottom line is, our clients need to harness the power of the online tools at our disposal, so the collective “we” need to understand them enough to be able to offer them solutions that work. [...]

What a week to not be a celebrity. Besides shocked, the passing of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson might leave us all a little relieved that we’re as unfamous as we are. Superstitious or not, there seemed to be some sort of celebrity curse making the rounds. But to many of us branding/advertising/marketing types, the aforementioned stars aren’t the main loss on our minds. Rather, it’s the passing of legendary pitchman Billy Mays that resonates most strongly. Yup, for once he got our full attention without screaming at us that we’ll get TWO TUBS OF OXI CLEAN IF YOU ORDER NOW!! or that PHONE LINES ARE NOW OPEN!! [...]

Now that Oprah’s tweeting, your grandmother has a blog, kids are downloading their favourite shows and movies, and we all have Internet access on our phones, it’s tempting to believe the hype that standard TV advertising is going cold. That TV’s bigger, more interactive, more world-wider cousin has given it so many wedgies it can’t even sit right anymore, much less engage us. But put those defibrillator paddles down. This medium has as strong a pulse as ever. If you believe a new study, it’s possibly in the best shape it’s ever been in. [...]