Well, it has been quite sometime since I have posted. I have been keeping busy with a variety of new things, particularly my new position at ECHO Weekly as an Advertising Representative, also I have been accepted by Rogers Kitchener Radio Group to work as a part time Promotions Coordinator after the completion of my internship. On the freelance side of things I have been working with a few different companies - Bikram Yoga Kitchener - Waterloo, La Gospoda Inn (website pending), and Harry’s Grill.
Anyways, I will try to maintain this blog but in the meantime if you are looking for an advertising opportunity in the Waterloo, Hamilton, or Niagara regions please feel free to contact me through the contact page on ECHO Weekly.
Cheers!
Good news for all Canadians, including myself. Rogers Communications Inc. said Tuesday it has reached an agreement to bring Apple Inc.’s iPhone to Canada later this year.
But the company declined to give pricing details or say when it would begin offering the popular mobile handset, which has drawn praise for its sleek design and internet capabilities since it was first launched a year ago in the United States. Earlier this week, Apple said it expected to sell 10 million iPhones worldwide this year.”We’re thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada later this year,” said president Ted Rogers in a brief statement. “We can’t tell you any more about it right now, but stay tuned.” Rogers has long been rumoured to be the wireless carrier most likely to offer the iPhone in Canada, as it is the only Canadian carrier using the GSM (Global System Mobile) communications standard needed to run the iPhone.
Canada’s two other main cellphone providers, Bell Canada and Telus, use the competing CDMA standard.But both Rogers and Apple had been tight-lipped about a possible Canadian release date. There has been speculation that part of the delay in bringing the iPhone to Canada was a dispute over pricing between Apple and Rogers. Apple has also been involved in a year-long trademark dispute with Toronto-based Comwave Telecom Inc. over the rights to the name “iPhone.”There are thousands of iPhones already in Canada, but most of these have been bought in the United States and unlocked to work on Rogers’s network.
The iPhone, which earlier this year added a number of features designed to make it more business friendly, is expected to compete with Waterloo, Ont.-based Research in Motion Ltd.’s line of Blackberry smart phones.
Well perhaps for all of us Canadians with outrageous cell-phone bills, especially us blackberry users (myself included) will receive some better options once the iPhone hits the market.
Apple has recently released iPod Software Update 1.3 for the fifth generation (5G and 5.5G) iPods. Unfortunately the only information from the package is that it contains “Bug Fixes”. Some owners have reported it fixes a problem where the iPod would stop displaying songs or device content.
Personally I believe this is Apple’s attempt at polishing off an older product before letting go and moving on, however others have speculated this update addresses some of the new iTunes features such as movie rentals. If any readers have installed the update and discover anything new let us know by commenting.
Well, as of yesterday I (Quinn Battersby) am officially an intern at Rogers Kitchener Radio Group. A company that holds a variety of local stations; 96.7 CHYM FM, 570 NEWS, and KIX 106. I am working in the Promotions department helping with anything I can get my hands on. I think it holds an exciting future and I believe there will be a fair amount of community involvement! I can only look towards the future and what it holds!
Exciting news so I had to announce!
I thought this was great! Called the Newton Virus, it brings you back to a time when viruses weren’t malicious and rather they delivered cherry popsicles, unicorns and nuclear beams of joy. This one comes in the form of a dongle you pop in and pull out only to surprise the unsuspecting victim. It may give them a chance to grab a coffee break or at least a good laugh.
The virus was coded back in 2005 but is now being shown at the MoMA’s Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition.
It may be not be the only bot on the block for long but, for now at least, the Canadian-built Dextre robot has the spotlight to itself, with it set to blast off Tuesday on board the shuttle Endeavor for delivery to its new home on the International Space Station. As USA Today reports, the robot has been some ten years in the making (at a cost of $210 million), and is designed to handle many of the tasks that would otherwise be done by astronauts on spacewalks. Those astronauts will still have a job for a while yet, with one of the main tasks during Endeavor’s mission obviously being the assembly of Dextre, which is currently broken down into nine parts. Even after that’s done, however, Dextre apparently won’t start work until sometime in 2009, at which point it’ll be able to replace nearly 140 parts on the ISS, and be controlled either by mission control or the crew on the space station.
- Credit to Engadget
Well, I have switched servers so I will not be experiencing anymore downtime. Initially I was hosted by AmpedHosts, which appeared to be a great host from the outside, although after nearly thirty days I experienced about eight full days in total of downtime. When you compare this to their promise of 99.9% uptime it is fairly frustrating. I am not going to continue to vent my frustrations I am just offering a word of advice from experience.
I am now hosted by Servage, a very reliable host with great features check them out!
Well according to this years Best New Product Awards that are based on a BrandSpark International survey of 10,000 Canadian consumers the food marketer’s new products should have a check beside each of the following.
Better value for money.
Is healthy.
Tastes good.
And if you add benefits such as “good for the heart and bones” and “is as natural as possible” then you might have a real hit on your hands. If you don’t believe it ask the winners from the awards.
In its fifth year, the awards recognize the best in food, personal care and household products. This year, there were 35 winners out of 106 products entered in the three categories. The awards were handed out at a gala in Toronto on February 7th.
Ocean Spray 100% Juice Blend Cranberry & Pomegranate was named Best in Show and Best in Food category. (Last year Ocean Spray’s cranberry and mixed berry juice took home the top honours.) The product “was all about the combination of 100% juice with ingredients that were felt to have health benefits,” says Robert Levy, founder of BrandSpark International.
The top purchasing motivators in the food category were, “fresh”, “healthy” and “great tasting”, it was discovered that nearly one third of Canadians look for foods that are beneficial to specific parts of the body, such as the heart and bones. For example green tea that provides natural antioxidants that have proven to reduce heart problems.
The importance of “organic” is still fairly low compared to other factors, with just 13% of consumers agreeing it’s “extremely important” when buying food. Apparently it still appears to be niche market after the study.
Regardless, 58% of Canadians are trying to buy products that are as natural as possible, while 82% are concerned about chemicals in their food. Just over 70% are concerned about chemicals in household products followed by 61% who are concerned about chemicals in skin-care products.
Overall this shows marketers a lot when considering how to promote or “sell” a product to Canada’s consumers - it’s still a toss up between value and healthy, but if you can bring both together you have yourself a winning team. Some of the winners from this years awards include;
BEST IN PACKAGING, FOOD
Del Monte Fruit (in plastic jar), CanGro Foods
Why it won: Consumers liked that they could see fruit; easy to open and store after opening
BEST IN PERSONAL CARE
Dove Ultimate Clear Antiperspirant, Unilever Canada
Why it won: Doesn’t leave marks, has a pleasant scent and is atrusted brand
BEST IN PACKAGING, PERSONAL CARE
Dove Ultimate Clear Antiperspirant, Unilever Canada
Why it won: Simple white packaging is consistent with brand image of being “clean”
Revlon 3D Extreme Mascara, Revlon Canada
Why it won: Sleek and eye-catching tube
BEST IN HOUSEHOLD CARE
Charmin Ultra Soft bathroom tissue, Procter & Gamble
Why it won: It’s soft, absorbent and double rolls means less frequent refilling of the toilet paper dispenser
BEST IN PACKAGING, HOUSEHOLD CARE
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser with Foaming Cleanser, Procter & Gamble
Why it won: Mr. Clean is a recognizable icon and the graphics imply the cleaning will get done quickly and easily
Welcome to my newly improved and refined blog. I have not uploaded my previous posts yet, although I plan to in the future. Just made the move to a new server and haven’t had a whole lot of time on my hands. Please check back often for the newest posts!