Not Your Average Dad

Recently I presented a case study at the Digital Media Summit in Toronto about the Zombie Escape video I executive-produced for Ford Canada. My presentation was recorded and will be available online sometime in the near future.

While we wait for the video, I thought I would share my presentation with you as it was interrupted by the audience on Twitter.

Below is a chronological list of tweets about my presentation as told by the people in the audience. Video to come soon!

Thanks to @suesthegrl for the awesome photo!

Social media and marketing are changing everyday. It is almost impossible to keep up with everything that is going on. It is for that reason that I really value attending conferences. It gives me a pulse check on the news that is coming out by tying it to real world examples from people who have executed the tactics.

Recently I attended the Digital Media Summit in Toronto where I presented a case study on the Zombie Escape video I executive-produced for Ford Canada. There were quite a few interesting keynotes, panels and discussions at the Summit. I’ve compiled my top 5 takeaways from the conference below. If you attended #DMS2013 let me know what your big take aways were in the comments below!

1. Word of Mouth Marketing is the next big thing – WOMM was around long before social media, but the importance of word-of-mouth has been brushed aside in favour of social media and it’s flashy platforms and fancy apps. The truth is that as much as 90% of word of mouth still happens offline. To succeed in social media is to succeed in getting people to talk to about you outside of social media, not getting them to rebroadcast your message to their friends and family who will likely ignore it.
2. The traditional purchase funnel is dead – it’s been replaced by a loyalty loop that is built on 1-to-1 connections and conversations with customers. Getting personal creates lasting value and builds trust which leads to consideration, purchase and advocacy. Advocacy is word-of-mouth marketing.
3. Be FLAWsome – this one came from Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics and Digital Leader. It means – handle your mistakes with class. Take advantage of mistakes, and turn digital lemons into lemonade.
4. Create social influence at scale – this came from Facebook’s Alfredo Tan, and while he was speaking in reference to Facebook, I think these 4 key’s to success are true across the board – (1) Put people at the centre of the experience; (2) Connect with the right fans and build critical mass; (3) Engage them with stories though compelling content; (4) Empower them to influence their friends.
5. Make social content – social media channels are about engagement, creating conversations and developing relationships with the people who use your products. So your content needs to reflect this by having what Jason Fallis calls a “Holy Smokes Factor” – something that makes your audience stop and say “that was useful or fun and I need to share it with someone”.

Wedgease picture courtesy of Amazon.com

To help teach our boys to ski, my wife purchased the Wedgease children’s ski tip connector from Amazon.com. We bought one for each boy, but only our youngest, Racer, used it.

This ski instructor approved device improves upon traditional ski tip connectors by providing an effortless clamping system that is easily applied and removed. It doesn’t damage skis, it’s durable and has the attributes of a quality product.

In our experience, the Wedgease has done a phenomenal job of teaching our son how to make a “pizza” aka snow-plow and turn. Week over week we have observed his technique improve. Towards the end of our ski days we remove the Wedgease and are blown away at his control over the skis. His skill level is more advanced than his older brother who learned along side him without the Wedgease.

The Wedgease varies in price, we’ve seen it go for between $19 and $50, so shop around. We purchased ours from Amazon.com for $19.99. The shipping was very fast. We ordered on a Monday or Tuesday and had it by the end of the week so that we can take it to the hill on the weekend.

The Verdict

If your teaching your young ones to ski then you do yourself and your child a favour and pickup a Wedgease. It makes learning easy and skiing more enjoyable – for them and you.

Eating ridiculous food is a hobby of mine. Long before Man vs. Food I was was challenging myself and friends with new combinations of food like the “chicken/beef Whopper” and the “donair/BBQ chicken/poutine pizza”. As I’ve gotten older and with advent of Food TV shows and the fantastic iPhone app “TV Food Maps“, I’ve moved from creating new foods to sampling some of the best restaurants television has to offer.

A short history of the Buffalo Wing

A few years ago I rediscovered the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY. The Anchor Bar is the birth place of the Buffalo chicken wing. 49 years ago today, the Buffalo wing was invented by Teressa Bellissimo. Her son and his friends were looking for a late night snack, so she deep-fried some wings, added some secret sauce and the rest is history. My first taste of the Anchor Bar’s famous wings was as a kid growing up in the Niagara region. My dad would travel to Buffalo for business and I remember him bringing wings home for the family.

Recently, the Anchor bar has spread it’s wings and opened its first Canadian franchise in Hamilton. Visiting the Hamilton location has been a priority for my wife and I, so when our second wedding anniversary came around this past week, we couldn’t resist celebrating the occasion at the Anchor.

Five year old Hunter and his three and half year old brother Racer hit the terrain park at Glen Eden and rock some serious tricks.