Earth Hour - A year of coffee savings

It's hard to believe that a year has passed since 2008's Earth Hour (scene from our house pictured above). We'll be turning off the lights again tonight for the 2009 affair, but the lead up to this year's Earth Hour has made me reflect on one of the simple things I started doing about a year ago to reduce my carbon footprint and save some cash at the same time. I started using an enviro mug.

I know, I know - it's not revolutionary, but it's still a feel good story.

Here's my story:

I take my dog Jack on a walk every morning - and most days I stop by my local Starbucks. It's a great way to start the day as I have blogged about before. Each morning I leave with my favorite tumbler which fits nicely into my hooded sweatshirt pocket.

 

I ask for a Tall Bold (12oz), but the barista invariably tops up the tumbler which is more like a Grande (16oz). The charge for a Tall coffee is $1.68 (after the enviro mug discount). The cost of a Grande coffee in a regular Starbucks cup is $2.02.

So, here's the math on annual basis:

($2.02 - $1.68)  x 52 weeks x  5 average weekly visits

= $88.40 per year

While I am not going to get rich doing this, $88.40 is better than nothing. It's also nice to know that I am not sending 260 Starbucks cups and lids into the landfill every year.

There you go - I still get my morning coffee treat, and I save cash and reduce the landfill in the process.

My take on Twitter

There has been a lot of hype of late about Twitter and the debate still rages: "Is Twitter a soapbox for useless chatter or a legitimate communication medium"?

I have followed Twitter's rise since it started 3 years ago though it took me a while to really get into it. I suppose my hesitation had to do with finding my true voice on Twitter vs jumping in haphazardly and using it because all of the cool kids were hyping the heck out of it.


I wrote an article in 2007 on the value of social media for a business within a traditional industry. Twitter was left out of the post as I did not have a lot of personal experience with it at the time. As I have now jumped into the Twittersphere, I have come to learn a few interesting things about the service and its value as a social media tool, especially for businesses struggling to find their footing amidst all of the social media noise out there.


Here are my top 9 lessons learned:


1. Twittering is less time consuming than blogging. As opposed to spending hours on a blog post, you can jot down some whimsical thoughts and presto! you have joined the twittersphere. There is a reason they call Twittering microblogging.


This also means it's easier to be profilic and develop a following relatively quickly (note: this assumes your tweets are interesting, relevant and not full of narcissistic drivel). When you Twitter, you are publishing to the web which also raises your profile on Google ("Googlejuice" as Jeff Jarvis would say). If you google "rightsleeve", our Twitter feed is the 3rd result, second only to the RIGHTSLEVE blog and the main web site http://www.rightsleeve.com/.


2. Twitter is a very quick way to learn about breaking news. Depending on who you follow, Twitter is a great way to stay in the loop. The other thing is that the stories are also highly relevant (ie. if I am following tech blogger Michael Arrington, I know I can get up to the minute updates on news I am interested in).


Another example was the way I learned about the FedEx crash in Japan on 3/22/09. I saw the following on my feed from Mathew Ingram. Without Twitter, I likely would not have known about this until the following morning when I read the paper.


3. Twitter's news feed is an amalgam of your specific interests. If you follow 100 people whose opinions you respect, your news feed becomes your own personal newspaper. Instead of content being delivered to you by a predetermined number of journalists (as you would with a newspaper), you are able to read articles/musings/updates by those you are interested in following. The neat thing about Twitter is that you can access the feeds of total strangers (ie. Lance Armstrong, Barack Obama, etc) and get the low-down on what's interesting to them. This is fundamentally different than Facebook where the other person has to accept your friend request before you get access to their personal information.


4. Someone's feeds annoying you? Get rid of them! If you follow someone who spends their time yammering on about something boring, irrelevant, or just downright narcissistic, then remove them. You don't have to listen to anyone you don't want to.


5. Twitter is an amazing distribution channel for your content. As mentioned above (and in my previous post on blogging best practices), if your content is interesting and relevant to others, people will follow you. As Seth Godin discusses in Permission Marketing, having a group of people who actually want to listen to you is an incredibly powerful asset. If this privilege is abused, people will leave you as I point out in #4. In today's crowded marketplace, getting people's attention is getting harder and harder to do.


One of my favourite people to follow is Mark Evans, one of the co-founders of the Mesh Conference. Mark uses the platform to share his expertise on a wide range of web marketing and technology topics. As a social media consultant, this is an invaluable tool for building his credibility online.


6. Twitter makes it easy to follow and join in on the conversation. Millions of people on Twitter are having conversations about everything from brands to music to swag. All points of view are discussed - the good, bad and the ugly. As a marketer, it goes without saying that following this conversation about your brand is critically important. The bigger your company, the greater the liklihood that people are talking about you online. One of the things I have come to learn over the years is that a disgruntled customer can be turned into a fan relatively quickly if they are listened to by someone who cares.


Twitter allows marketers to quickly gauge what people are saying about them. If customers are crying bloody murder online, then smart marketers join the conversation and show the customer base they are listening and hopefully doing something about the problem. Twitter is a great tool for getting your finger on the pulse of this conversation.


Two great tools you can use to see what people are saying about you are Twitter Search and IceRocket (twitter tab).


JetBlue is a great example of how a company can use Twitter to listen to its customers. Check out this exchange with passenger Mark Hurst to give you a sense of how some companies are using the service.


7. Great way to discover new experts. As Twitter's news feed allows you to see people's replies as well as follow a conversation thread, it's easy to meet new people. If someone is referenced by one of the people I follow, I am likely to track that person down, check out their feed and add them to my follower list so I can get their updates. This is also a standard feature in blogging as well, but I find it to be quicker on Twitter.


8. Twitter gives your brand a personality. As Twitter is the antithesis of the polished marketing brochure, the comments tend to be more personal, off-the-cuff, and informal. Such a conversation style make consumers feel that the brand is talking with them, not at them. In my view, this can only be a good thing. Most consumers see through marketing speak and are wary of slick ads. While advertising is still an important part of the marketing mix, Twitter adds another dimension to the overall puzzle.

9. Speak your mind, but be mindful of who is reading your tweets. Yes, Twitter is a less formal environment, but it does not mean that "anything goes" especially when it relates to tweets that could be incriminating in the future. The Globe and Mail published an interesting article on Twittering (esp. at work) and highlighted an example of a tweet that resulted in the "twitter-er" losing their job offer.

Here was the incriminating tweet:

“Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.”

As tweets are searchable via Google, Cisco tracked down the comment and ultimately had this person's job offer rescinded.

The lesson? Speak your mind, but exercise some common sense.

In sum, I think my comments will be most relevant to people newer to the whole Twitter phenomenon and, perhaps more specifically, to people who are trying to make sense of this whole web 2.0 thing and how it could possibly apply to their business.

I'd be happy to hear your thoughts (as well as your experiences in using Twitter to advance your marketing objectives) - just post your comments in the section below.


To see how we use Twitter at RIGHTSLEEVE, click here

Google vs Twitter

I thought this was a very interesting post about the increasing relevance of Twitter as a search tool compared to Google. I don't think that Google has much to worry about in the short term, but the rise of Twitter and other social media properties like Facebook and Digg in the last 3 years must give the search giant pause considering their social media strategies have pretty much fallen flat.

Google is still amazingly clairvoyant and I can't imagine what life would be like without it, but I am also increasingly turning to the likes of Twitter to complement my search for relevant information. This social component gives me the added relevance I need (i.e., having immediate access to a friend's analysis on a topic is invaluable to me). That combined with what Google tells me makes me all the more informed.

It'll be interesting to see how the next 12-24 months unfold as it relates to the concept of social search.

Swag and "He's Just Not that Into You"

I admit that I went to see "He's Just Not that Into You" last night.

It wasn't amazing (surprise!) and quite frankly I am not sure what I expected other than I think that Kevin Connolly (Entourage fame) is a great actor and I like how he dropped "douche bag" into one of his lines in the movie ... but I digress.

Swag is all over this movie. I suppose I have a keen eye/ear when it comes to this given what I do. So here goes:

- Connolly's character, Conor, is accused of cheesy real estate marketing tactics for using branded notepads and promo frisbees while on a date with Gigi (played by Ginnifer Goodwin). Shortly after the date, the camera pans to an open box of full color promo frisbees (I swear I know where they were made). For the record, I think frisbees are a cheesy way to market real estate services, well, unless they are Ultimate discs from Discraft. :)

- Gigi uses a promotional pen from a dentist's office as a lame excuse to see Conor again (claiming that he had "forgot" the pen on the date).

- Alex, Conor's buddy who falls for Gigi, uses the same promotional pen to express his love for her at the end of the movie (boy produces pen, boy kisses girl). I won't get into any more details fearing I have already spoiled the movie (deepest apologies) ....

Not sure the movie is a must-see, but it was amusing to see the use of promotional goods as a tool for landing a date.

Impact

A good friend of mine, Tyler Gompf, forwarded me this amazing video on the meaning of customer service and the impact that any employee - regardless of rank or experience - can have on their organization.

http://www.stservicemovie.com/

Swag 2.0 is back

On May 7, we will be hosting our 2nd annual Swag 2.0 product launch party. Like last year, we will be having the event at the Century Room on King St West in Toronto.

For some event pics from 2008, take a look here

Registration for 2009 is now live

King for a Day - My Zappos Visit

I was in Las Vegas for Magic last week. On my last day, I paid a visit to Zappos, the wildly successful online shoe retailer.

I was drawn to Zappos after reading so much about them in the press. I had heard they offered tours of their offbeat company and I was keen to see it in person. So I emailed CEO Tony Hsieh about being in town and whether I could drop by to see his company. Within 10 minutes, I had a personal response from Tony saying I was more than welcome and that his tour leader would schedule a time for me ... and by the way what hotel was I staying at as the Zappos shuttle would come and pick me up. Wow!

I was picked up at 8:30am by a friendly Zappos staffer named Jo who told me about her previous job as a waitress at a local restaurant steps from the Zappos office. Looking for a new challenge she submited her resume to Zappos (after restaurant regular Hsieh urged her to apply). She told me she had been at the company for 13 months and had never felt such a close affinity to a job before.

Zappos front desk staff cheered (literally) when I arrived at reception. My name was advertised on a flat panel monitor and to set the stage for the tour, I was offered a bag of popcorn from their vintage popcorn machine (circa the vaudeville theatre era). I was then greeted by their Training Supervisor, Loren, who enthused about his 5 years at the company and how he left a job as a dive instructor in California to join Zappos in Vegas.

He spent the next 2.5 hrs showing me around his company.

He grabbed a Zappos flag and off we went around the office. We weaved through a series of departments (legal, finance, marketing, purchasing, merchandising and customer service). 90% of the office is open concept, including the executive corridor which is festooned with jungle vines.

As we passed from department to department, staff would jump out from their cubicles with pom-poms and party horns welcoming me to their section of the office. I was dumbstruck. This was the furthest thing from a typical office environment. This was camp, albeit one with $1 Billion in annual sales.

I ended my tour with a stop in the office of Zappos' in house coach, Dr Vik. A tall man with a beaming smile, Dr Vik explained that he was a resource to staff to help them plan and achieve their goals. I suppose if Zappos can be described as camp, Dr Vik would be its head counsellor. He directed me towards an upholstered throne in the corner and asked me to select my choice of headwear for a polaroid photo (between the tiara and the crown, I opted for the crown). I was given one copy and the other one was pinned to his office wall. There were hundreds of photos of past visitors covering the wall. (and yes, I know the pic is super nerdy)!

Upon my departure, I was given a 2008 Zappos Culture Book. This is the company's yearbook celebrating the past 12 months of company life. The focal point of the Culture Book are the employee comments about their experiences at Zappos. I browsed through the book on my flight home and the word "family" was mentioned in almost every sentence. It was a deeply personal tribute to the company.

The Culture Book is handed out to all visitors, business partners and employees. It is also an amazing marketing piece that speaks volumes about what Zappos is all about and why you would want to work with this company. The fact that I have told this story to about 50 people in person (and many more on facebook, twitter and my blog) is a testament to the power of viral marketing.

I would strongly encourage others to visit Zappos and see first-hand how they are re-writing the rules of how to run a 21st century business. Just drop them an email at tours@zappos.com

Thank you Zappos!

What Would Google Do?

I just finished Jeff Jarvis's fascinating book, What Would Google Do?.

I loved this book on so many levels:

1. It's a quick and entertaining read.

2. Jeff takes us on a journey on how Google's model of transparency and collaboration could disrupt almost every industry we know (health care, real estate, education, banking, politics, insurance, etc). Not coincidentally, the sectors most in need of a fix today.

3. He pulls no punches, and is unsparing in his criticism towards old school business models.

Most importantly, it was refreshing to read a book that focused on how an innovative business model like Google's can be applied to a range of businesses. This book could very well be the prescription on how to get us out of the economic mess we find ourselves in today.

My key takeaway from this book? People should spend more time innovating, and less time complaining!

RIGHTSLEEVE.COM featured on ITBusiness.ca

I donned my suit and tie on Monday for an interview with ITBusiness.ca.

We discussed how RIGHTSLEEVE has been able to use web technology to transform our business model - both for the user (on the front end of our site) as well as for our employees (through our web-based production management and CRM system).




The transition has not been an easy one, but it's been worth the time and effort. Three years ago, we moved from a traditional paper-based company to a paperless web company that runs the entire business off our web site. This has allowed us to expand into other markets across Canada and the US, as well as differentiate ourselves from more traditional competitors that have yet to wrap their heads around the web.

As we built the site using open source software (MySQL), our costs have been limited to development time. The advantage of building our own site (vs outsourcing to a white label promotional site) has resulted in a customized interface specific to our supply chain intensive business. Updates and modifications are done on the fly as we receive feedback from employees and customers about what can be improved.

Having a dynamic web model has allowed us to expand our supply chain and product selection exponentionally, without having to add a commensurate number of staff.

RIGHTSLEEVE wins!

On Jan 25, RIGHTSLEEVE won a silver Image Award for our work with Softchoice Corporation. The Image Awards are the "Oscars" of our industry, so we were super excited. This is the fifth Image Award we have won.

A big shout out to Julia and Jackelyn for their efforts in putting together the award entry ... and, of course, for a stellar job in designing and executing the promotion!

More details on the specific promotion design can be seen here

Live Webcast - Technology for Competitive Edge

On Feb 2, I will be participating in a live roundtable discussion on technology and its impact on small/mid-sized business. The session is called "Technology for Competitive Edge: How SME’s can use technology to their benefit."

The webcast is free. Please register here (scroll 1/2 way down to the "webcast" link)

Start time - Feb 2 @ 12:30pm EST

I was asked to join the roundtable given my experience in harnessing technology to differentiate RIGHTSLEEVE within a crowded industry.

I will also be discussing my experience as a member of the Entrepreneurs' Organization where I am exposed to a number of businesses that have used technology to revolutionize their business model.

The panel is made up of the following people:

• Honourable Harinder Takhar, Minister of Small Business & Consumer Services

• Mark Graham, CEO, RIGHTSLEEVE.COM & President, Entrepreneurs' Organization (Toronto)

• Noel Hulsman, Editor, The Globe & Mail’s Small Business Magazine

• Michael McAvoy, Director, Commercial Marketing, Hewlett-Packard Co.

• Janeen Stodulski, CGA, Founder & Partner, Powerwatch.ca and former past Chair of Peel, CGA

A Web Marketing and Social Media Primer for Traditional Industries

I just returned from the PPAI (Promotional Products Association International) convention in Las Vegas. I made a presentation to industry colleagues on how RIGHTSLEEVE has used a myriad of web and social media tools to help transform our business .

Please see my presentation here.

Jakers & Me

Cath and I saw Marley & Me last night, the popular movie about Marley the lab and his doting master. I loved it. Just thinking about the last 1/4 of the movie still brings tears to my eyes. I admit that there are many striking parallels between the movie and my life as the doting owner of an equally gregarious lab, Jack (Jakerton, Jakers, etc).

I created my own version of Marley & Me (Jakers & Me?) in 2004 - produced on a shoestring budget, but heartwarming nonetheless.

The purpose of this post? Well, I never really thought that I could be so influenced by a relationship with a dog. Over the past 6.5 years, Jack has seen much evolution in our family as well as at RIGHTSLEEVE when he first bounded into our office as a 6 week old pup in the summer of 2002. I remember him bombing around the office, sniffing every garbage can, playing tug of war with a T-shirt before crashing in a heap on the reception floor. The pics from the old days (2002) are hilarious.

Today, he is our VP of Customer Experience. He keeps us grounded. He keeps things light, especially in the midst of the drama we deal with on a daily basis. He has left an indelible mark on our office culture. Friends, clients and suppliers alike are enthusiastically greeted by him when they visit our offices in Toronto.

As he's grown up, he's become my silent mentor. We have tackled many business challenges together as we have walked the pre-dawn streets of my neighbourhood.

As John Grogan states in the book Marley & Me , "A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his."

What more could you want in a VP?

2008 in review

What a year!

There were a number of exciting developments at RIGHTSLEEVE in 2008. Here are the top 8 moments that defined our year.

1. Swag 2.0 - our inaugural product launch party held in May at the Century Room.

2. New office space in June. This involved a "back to the bricks" design project to create a fully customized space specific to our needs.

3. We welcomed a number of new staff (Lynn, Anna, Ashley, Jackelyn and Lyndsay) - each one an addition to our growing team.

4. Our reality TV debut. In August, Simon and I were filmed pitching the founders of BeautifulPeople.net on merchandise they could use to promote their Canadian site launch.

5. We made a splash at the Incentive Works trade show by driving our RIGHTSLEEVE Mini Cooper onto the show floor and into our booth.

6. Soft launch of the new RIGHTSLEEVE.COM in December. The new site focuses on our value added work for clients through our various case studies.

7. RIGHTSLEEVE Holiday Fest - our first holiday party hosted in our new office space. One guest was so smitten that he had trouble deciphering our office from a typical Virgin Atlantic Guest Lounge.

8. We were awarded an Image Award from the Promotional Products Professionals of Canada (PPPC) for our promotional work with Softchoice Corporation.

Thank you to our friends, clients and trusted partners for making 2008 such a spectacular year. We look forward to building upon this tremendous momentum to carry us to new heights in 2009.

The power of alternative media in uncertain times.

The Globe and Mail published an article today on the marketing power of promotional products in uncertain times. The survey by the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) referenced in the article can be found here.

It's no surprise that marketers are taking a hard look at the ROI they get from expensive TV, radio and print ads (defined as traditional media). There is no question that there is a role for traditional media, but it is much easier to cut when it represents such a large part of a marketer's ad budget.

Compare this with an effective promotional campaign. The overall budget on a promotional campaign is typically a fraction compared to that of a traditional ad campaign (Superbowl ad prices, anyone?). Promo campaigns can be focused on the target client and, best of all, the recipient gets to keep the advertising message, something that is not possible with traditional media. Swag - when done well* - offers significant advantages over traditional media because the marketer is able to create an emotional connection with their target client. I will never forget the reaction one of our clients had after receiving a piece of underwear we gave away at a tech conference. Hardly forgettable. Cost per impression? About $10. ROI on the overall promotion was 900% in 12 months (though we still get value from this campaign, 2 years after it was launched).

*see my earlier post about the difference between a well planned out swag campaign vs a poorly planned campaign. I acknowledge that a bad promotional campaign, like a bad ad campaign, is akin to throwing money away.

Movember

Why?

Through my involvement with Entrepreneurs Organization, I had the good fortune to meet Simon Sinek, a marketing expert whose teachings are focused on the Why (vs the What and How) of your business.

He has developed a concept called The Golden Circle: a model based on "human decision-making that guides organizations on how to inspire people to buy or support, with cult-like loyalty, any product, company or idea."

Simply put, loyal customers don't buy "what" you do or "how" you do what you do, they buy "why" you do it.

To quote Sinek:

The Why is the single driving motivation to do things

The How is the specific action that is taken to realize the Why.

The What is the tangible manifestation of the Why

Let me use Apple as a recognizable example.

Apple's "what" is to sell computers.

Apple's "how" is to design computers that look nice and are easy to use.

Apple's "why" is to inspire people to think differently.

Companies that focus on the Why of their business are able to appeal to their clients' emotional side, as people love to buy based on what makes them feel great. When done successfully, client relationships are built on loyalty vs price.

Simple, isn't it? Yet as simple as this is, many companies (including us over the years) have stumbled their way through a pitch by telling a prospect What they do. Quite simply, do people really care?

I used to get a lot of glazed expressions when I told people that RIGHTSLEEVE sold promotional products to companies looking to enhance their image in the market place. The common reply was "Oh, I get it, you sell swag. Ya, we get lots of that stuff at our company. People call us everyday and send the same catalogs. Competitive business, no?"

We have spent a lot of time recently focusing on the Why of our business. Over the years, we have learned from client interactions that product is product is product. However, what is truly special is the way in which product is used to solve a specific marketing challenge.

The way a product is used to cement an emotional bond between the marketer and their client is the RIGHTSLEEVE Why. This is the philosophy that underpins our rallying cry Friends don't let friends buy bad promo.

One of my favourite examples of this Why can be summed up in this photo posted on flickr. These boxer shorts were all the rage at the mesh conference. The emotional bond was, ahem, clearly evident.

Selling the product is just the What. Offering great service is the How.

Inspiring clients is the Why.

Mark Cuban's view on swag is half right

Mark Cuban writes about the dubious value of promotional products in his Rules for Startups.

Mark Cuban's Rule #10 for Startups

NEVER EVER EVER buy swag. A sure sign of failure for a startup is when someone sends me logo polo shirts. If your people are at shows and in public, its ok to buy for your own folks, but if you really think someone is going to wear your Yobaby.com polo you sent them in public, you are mistaken and have no idea how to spend your money

An endorsement for our industry if I ever heard it!

However, he is (half) right.

My experience in this industry has taught me that a number of promotional product vendors are simply in it for the sale. And the easier the better. The client picks what they want from a catalog. The vendor asks no questions other than the size breakdown, and 2 weeks later polo shirts arrive at the client's office.

I don't know the circumstances behind this promotion, but I can comment on the suspect marketing value of sending a branded polo shirt to someone like Mark Cuban. Do you really think Mark Cuban - or any customer of Yobaby's - is going to wear your branded polo shirt?

This really strikes at the core problem with the promotional products industry. This industry is generally populated by vendors unwilling/unable to go the distance when it comes to truly understanding how to identify the right products (media) to satisfy a client's marketing objective. When this happens, the client is left to fend for themselves, often flipping through a range of supplier catalogs before honing in on something they like. This usually results in a lacklustre promotion and ends up on blogs like Mark Cuban's, a jaded recipient of junk over the years.

Imagine if Cuban (or any Yobaby target customer for that matter) received a relevant piece of merchandise that promoted Yobaby's brand promise. Yobaby is an organic yogurt line made for babies and toddlers. A polo shirt? Maybe for a staff uniform at a trade show. But for a client facing promotion? I don't blame Mark Cuban for his views on the value of promotional products and their ability to create excitement.

Let's look at this closer. Would the results be different if the promotional gift was a light yellow and lavender receiving blanket, coupled with an organic cotton baby one-sie and baby toque, each tastefully decorated with a subtle screen print? (not embroidered as this requires a rough pellon on the other side of the garment to hold the stitches - too rough for a baby/toddler). Such a promotion focuses on the brand's color palette and, more importantly, the needs of its target customer - parents with messy babies! You can never have enough baby clothing. I imagine most parents would line up to receive such a gift of high perceived value.

The cost of such a bundle would be approx $25. Imagine if this promotion helped create a loyal customer for years (Yobaby graduates to Yokids which graduates to Stonyfield's adult line of yogurt). What is the value of a lifelong customer? Certainly more than $25.

A branded polo shirt being sent to someone like Mark Cuban seems just silly to me. However, Cuban is also a parent (he has a toddler). Despite his billions, I am sure he would have a use for a tastefully designed baby gift package from the yogurt brand he uses to feed his child. Now there's an emotional connection between the marketer and the customer.

If I was to re-write Cuban's rule to startups, it would go something like this:

DON'T WASTE your money on swag that is ill-suited to your ultimate marketing objective. Think of promotional items like you would any other advertising medium (TV, outdoor, print, etc). If you were developing a TV ad campaign for Yobaby.com, you would not air the ads on the NASCAR channel. Oprah would be your better property. If you are going to spend money on promotional goods, be sure that the goods speak to your audience and will resonate with them in such a way that you build loyalty. If you have no intention of being strategic with the medium, NEVER EVER EVER buy swag!

RIGHTSLEEVE-BeautifulPeople.net Reality TV Segment

On Friday, Simon and I were filmed for a reality TV segment with Greg Hodge and Robert Hintze, the co-founders of the controversial online dating site Beautiful People. The site's controversy stems from how one joins the site. Members decide whether you are "beautiful" enough to join. Controversial .... yes. Successful ... yes.

The duo is preparing for their Canadian launch this Fall (they have successfully launched in 16 countries to date). As part of their launch, they are developing a reality TV show that showcases them getting the site off the ground in Canada. The show will air on the Slice network later this year.

We were asked by Slice to go on the show as they were looking for a promotional company to pitch them merchandise for the launch. They wanted to film the pitch with Greg and Robert at our offices.

We focused our pitch on skimpy lingerie and attention getting gift bags filled with brand relevant products (body butter, super soft bamboo apparel, photo frames, condoms, chocolate, etc).

This was our inaugural TV shoot. It was a pretty cool experience as it was shot 90% live with limited re-shoots. All in all, it was a lot of fun as we are naturally drawn to working with interesting brands, regardless of their market segment.

Simon's band opens for The Tragically Hip

Simon's band just played the concert of a lifetime. On June 21, Five Star Trailer Park opened for the Tragically Hip at the Big Music Fesival in Belleville.

There were several other great acts on the bill including Attack in Black, Sarah Harmer and Sam Roberts. Five Star played a fabulous set in front of fans who had gathered on this enormous lawn at Zwicks Park. A once in a lifetime experience, no doubt.

Take a peak at the pics from the event.