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Moving Toronto Forward, Not Backward – Save TransitCity

It’s 5:45 am on a winter morning, and I’m standing at a TTC bus stop, anxiously awaiting the bus.  It arrives, full of other commuters making their way downtown to begin their work days.  Like many Torontonians, Joseph and I live outside the downtown core.  We love our home and our neighbourhood (Don Mills), but living outside the downtown core means that having a car is a necessity.  In an effort to be frugal and environmentally conscious, we share one vehicle.  This means that one of us is often using the TTC.  That said, it was with dismay that we heard about Rob Ford’s immediate decision to scrap the Transit City project on his first day as mayor.  We had been eagerly looking forward to the planned Don Mills and Eglinton crosstown LRT lines, as our only current connection to the subway is a series of buses that are often overcrowded and running late.

Ford’s move to cancel the Transit City LRT plan (a plan that has been in the works for years) and instead build a much smaller new subway line (at a much greater cost) seems shortsighted at best, and downright foolish at worst.  Toronto is one of the 10 largest cities in North America, and is recognized as being a major world city.  Our multicultural city and its many internationally known events (TIFF, anyone?) offer much to tourists.  However, when compared to other international cities, our transit system is severely lacking.  I have had the opportunity to use public transit in New York, London, and Berlin, all of which have significantly better-developed subway and rail systems in comparison to Toronto.

In this age of enhanced environmental awareness, Ford seems to have forgotten that Torontonians living to the east, west and north of the downtown core often have limited access (at best!) to public transit.  He has declared the Transit City plan a “war on cars”.  Should we not have a “war on cars”, knowing what we do about the importance of reducing our carbon emissions?  This is important from a public health standpoint as well as from an environmental standpoint.

While we certainly agree that the ideal solution (as Ford has proposed) is a much more extensive subway network, it certainly doesn’t seem financially feasible at this juncture.  Although LRT does have its cons (yes, it does share the same road space as cars – but wouldn’t the purpose of LRT be to help get more people out of their cars and on to public transit?), we desperately need to push forward with a transit solution to help the “out of downtown” population move around the city with greater ease.  In addition to links to York University and Pearson airport, our city needs better east-west transit lines.

My (Joseph) undergraduate studies were in the field of urban planning. I am in awe that despite planning at all levels (municipal, provincial, and federal), this one person can attempt to derail all of that work. This goes beyond simply “making a statement” when coming into office –  it is about doing what is right from an urban planning perspective and from an economic development perspective. Toronto currently has the longest median commute in North America at over 80 minutes. This eclipses traffic in LA which is a little under 80 minutes.

Ford says he wants to open Toronto for business. I would argue that by making it harder to move around, and harder for talent to commute into the core we will not be competitive as a world city.

To walk away from the commitments currently in place, we will leave $55 million on the table. This is not a shrewd business move for the city. If I were a business doing business with Toronto, I would think very carefully before ever entering into a business relationship with them again. We cannot afford to have a repeat of of the debacle of digging the Eglington subway line only to later fill it in.

Toronto needs a link to its airport that handles over 30 million passengers annually. Pearson is one of the busiest airports in the world. Continuing for an indefinite period of time without a dedicated transit connection is not only a shame, but foolish as well. We need to make it easy for tourists to come to our city and access our many attractions.

So please Mr. Ford, instead of throwing around the “gravy train” catchphrase (while wasting millions of dollars that have already been spent developing the Transit City plan and proposing a great deal more spending on a new limited subway line), consider the future of our city.  Help to continue making Toronto a true world city and making living conditions better for Torontonians.

From the Desks of Joseph Puopolo MBA, BES (Urban Planning) and Dr. Laura Puopolo MD

Let’s talk next steps. It is obvious that Mr. Ford is set in his ways but here is our advice to you.

1. Mr. Ford only represents 1 vote on council – CALL YOUR Councilor and voice your concern. These are all the councilors that are on the fence or not supporting Transit City.

For but with changes:

Jaye Robinson (Don Valley West)
Phone: 416-395-6408 – Fax: 416-395-6439 – [email protected]

Ana Bailão (Davenport)
Phone: 416-392-7012 Fax: 416-392-7957 – [email protected]

Josh Colle (Eglinton Lawrence)
Phone: 416-392-4027 – Fax: 416-392-4191 – [email protected]

Frank Di Giorgio (York South-Weston)
Phone: 416-392-4066 –Fax: 416-392-1675 – [email protected]

Against:

Gary Crawford (Scarborough Southwest)
Phone: 416-392-4052 – Fax: 416-696-3658 – [email protected]

James Pasternak (York Centre)
Phone: 416-392-1371 – Fax: 416-392-7299 – [email protected]

Vincent Crisanti (Etobicoke North)
Phone: 416-392-0205 – Fax: 416-696-4207 – [email protected]

Mike Del Grande (Scarborough Agincourt)
Phone: 416-392-1374 – Fax: 416-392-7431 – [email protected]

David Shiner (Willowdale)
Phone: 416-395-6413 – Fax: 416-397-9290 – [email protected]

Peter Milczyn (Etobicoke Lakeshore)
Phone: 416-392-4040 – Fax: 416-392-4127 –[email protected]

John Parker (Don Valley West)
Phone: 416-392-0215 – Fax: 416-392-7427 – [email protected]

Michael Thompson (Scarborough Centre)
Phone: 416-397-9274 – Fax: 416-397-9280 – [email protected]

Gloria Lindsay Luby (Etobicoke Centre)
Phone: 416-392-1369 – Fax: 416-696-4138 – [email protected]

Denzil Minnan Wong (Don Valley East)
Phone: 416-397-9256 – Fax: 416-397-4100 – [email protected]

Raymond Cho (Scarborough Rouge River)
Phone: 416-392-4076 – Fax: 416-696-4159 – [email protected]

2. Call your MPP and namely Kathleen Wynne – Kathleen came out strong in support of Transit City. Let her know she has your support and to speak out stronger  against Rob Ford.

Constituency Office
795 Eglinton Ave East, Unit 101
Toronto, ON M4G 4E4
Tel: 416-425-6777
Fax: 416-425-0350
Email: [email protected]

Ministry of Transportation
77 Wellesley St. W.
Toronto, ON M7A 1Z8
Tel: 416-327-9200
Fax: 416-327-9188
Email: [email protected]

3. Contact Dalton McGuinty – He is the Premiere of the Province of Ontario and should speak out and take definitive actions to save Transit City. He needs to be a leader on these issues for Toronto and Ontario

http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/default.asp?Lang=EN

Twitter – @Dalton_McGuinty

Why I Always get a Real Tree

Christmas soon approaches and we are all getting our holiday decorations ready. I truly know Christmas is right around the corner when it is time for us to get our tree. My wife and I moved out of our parents’ homes over 7 years ago, and going out to find a tree each year is one of our favourite traditions.  Although, I will say that as much as we love getting a tree, there have been many times when the set-up of said tree has led some some very “animated discussions”. Animated discussions aside, we have so much fun doing it and love seeing the final product. Now to the issue at hand, real tree or fake tree?

I have always advocated for a real tree over a fake tree. Now the question? Why one over the other?

1. I like the smell of a real tree

There is nothing quite like the smell of a real tree. Christmas, in my opinion, is always about senses, whether it be the smell of cookies baking, the sight of lights twinkling, the sound of singing, or a hug from someone you haven’t seen in a long time. As I write this blog, I am smelling the a beautiful real tree and it brings back memories of Christmases past.

2. Real Trees are better for the environment

There is a lot of conflicting information on this, but when I look at the facts I can’t see how fake trees are better for the environment. Now, without this devolving into a point for point discussion of the pros and cons of why real trees are better, I will make a few quick points. First, anything made in nature versus in a factory will likely be better for the environment. Nature is pretty amazing at making things, whether it be food or trees for Christmas. I can’t see how we could make it more efficiently than nature could. There is something about shipping a man-made tree half way across the world in a cargo container that just seems wrong.

3. The experience of going out to get a tree

For those that know me, I am really big on experience. I do like the destination but I really love the journey. Going out to get a Christmas tree is always a fun experience. Whenever I pick out a Christmas tree with my wife we turn into discerning experts. Like a expert jeweler evaluating a fine jewel or a wine lover swirling a glass of wine around, we are serious about our trees. Realistically though, that all goes out of the window when we see a tree and our inner child takes over. All the criteria in the world doesn’t mean anything, and all we have to say is “THAT ONE!’.   The next element of fun is actually getting the tree home. I don’t have a large car but have always found a way to get a 7 – 8 foot tree home. Whenever I put the tree in the trunk it inevitably leads to needle disaster. My inner Clark Griswold always comes to the forefront at this time of year, and I always end up with a bigger tree than anticipated, despite my wife’s protestations. I love the whole process of getting the tree and\etting it up.

4. Supporting Local Growers

Whenever I get a Christmas tree, buying from a local farmer allows me to support local business.  I feel like there is something a little bit sad about going into a department store and getting an artificial tree. Realistically speaking, buying something that has been sourced from a Chinese factory isn’t really helping the local economy. Typically, when one would go out to get an artificial tree, they would also buy tons of other goods that weren’t made by local stores or business. I try to advocate for a “hyperlocal” approach whenever possible. “Hyperlocal” means supporting the local economy while minimizing the impact of shipping goods over long distances.

5. Storing a fake tree

There is something about storing a fake tree that is just a big pain in the ass. For some reason I can vacuum up real needles, but always have a problem with fake ones. Fake trees take up space in my already crowded storage room. For me it is just an annoying process and problem I would like to avoid.

6. I am a big kid

I must say, I am a sucker for Christmas. My family always made it an amazing experience for me and it has only gotten better over the years. Our family is about to grow as our baby is due January 1st 2011. I cannot think of a more exciting tradition to share with our new child.

As a side note I was always amazed how the Peanuts characters were about to turn this tree into this one, simply  by moving their hands quickly.

Summary:

We have built some amazing traditions around our Christmas tree. Five years ago my dad started bringing us the Swarovski crystal ornaments and those have become a beautiful marker to the year. My wife Laura and I always collect 2-3 ornaments from places we travel to. Each year our tree is filled more symbols of all the things I have done with my wife and my family. It is for this reason that only a real tree makes sense to me. A combination of the smell, the experience of getting the tree and my inner Charlie Brown makes getting get a real tree the only option.

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When Video Games Were Fun

After watching Scott Pilgrim over the weekend I came to an interesting conclusion: video games used to be more fun. As I was watching Pilgrim, I listened to those beautiful 8-bit sound effects that filled my childhood. They brilliantly spliced these sounds into the movie to help set a mood circa the 1980’s. To be truthful, they really won me over right from the start when they had the 8-bit midi intro of the Universal logo. Watching the movie I realized that video games had been part of my life for over 25+ years, and it seems like they used to be a lot more fun.

Watching Pilgrim, I experienced a sort of nostalgia for the days of playing games for the first time. Whether it a puzzle game, RPG (role playing game) or an action adventure, I truly enjoyed the experience. Although the limited graphics and sounds left something to be desired, it was more than anything fun. We have now had a generation of people playing video games and over 5 generations of video game consoles. For some reason I feel less connected to video games than ever in my life.  This on the heels of renewing a Starcraft addiction, Starcraft 2 to be specific. As an aside I almost didn’t make it through first year university because of that game.

One might simply dismiss this by saying that I am getting older, I have other priorities in my life or that the thrill of accomplishing something in a game pales to completing something in real life. While those are all contributing factors, I think part of the reason is that simple games are just more fun. As much as I like belting out my favorite songs on Rock Band, it still lacks something.

Many game designers have put a lot of their focus on making games more realistic, but realism doesn’t necessarily make the games better. This has been reflected by the wave of games from Wii and on the iPhone trying to bring gaming to the masses. While there have been attempts to reach out to the masses with console games, the Wii fad appears to be waning. In that time, Apple has quietly emerged as a serious contender in the gaming space. That said, as much as Angry Birds strives to fill my this void it doesn’t quite cut it.

Facebook is another emerging platform for games. However, it feels more like a casino, as very clever gamers try and extract far more than a traditional game via micro transactions. I fell victim to a certain game where I ended up spending 40 dollars on power ups. Again, this game seemed to lack some of the “fun” of the games of my youth. I felt like I had been to the casino and put 40 dollars on red and it came up black. Both unsatisfying and unduly expensive.

Last night, however, everything changed. I was introduced to a game called Katamari that my brother has been talking about for weeks. The primary purpose of this game is to roll over things as a ball. The more items you roll over, the bigger you get. At one point my ball grew from 1 meter to over 4 kilometers in size. By the time the game was over I was consuming entire cities. For a moment it felt like gaming of old. A fun concept and a fun game. This may be the game to rekindle my love of gaming.

Summary:

The days of 1-Ups and growing larger by consuming mushrooms will always remain in the back of my head. The thrill of finding that extra heart container or completing the TriForce will always be there. The gaming industry has grown significantly and created amazing adventures,  but at the end of the day I am always on the lookout for something that is just plain fun.

Pro and Cons of the Buffalo Bills moving to Toronto

I just came home from another heart breaking loss for the Buffalo Bills at the hands of the Chicago Bears. The Bills are now winless (0-8) this season. This game was all part of an ongoing experiment to bring the Bills to Toronto for one game a year.  After getting my heart pulled from my chest yet again, I reflect on the possibility of the Bills moving to Toronto from Buffalo.

Before I deliver my verdict, I wanted to review the pros and cons of the Buffalo Bills moving to Toronto:

Pro – Toronto will have a team in all major sports leagues

The NFL is the last major North American sports league not represented in Toronto. By getting an NFL franchise, Toronto would essentially complete its set.Toronto already have an NHL (Maple Leafs), NBA (Raptors)  MLB (Blue Jays) and MLS (TFC)  franchise. Like a kid collecting stickers, I can’t help but want them all. By the way, if you are looking for stickers check out StickerYou for ready-made and custom stickers (shameless plug, I know). Seriously speaking though, having all major sports franchises would cement Toronto as a sports powerhouse. Even the UFC is about to plan a major event in Toronto. Does Toronto necessary need the NFL? The answer is no. That said, bringing another major sports franchise to Toronto would continue raise the profile of the city in the eyes of sports fans. There are only 13 cities with all 4 major sports franchises. Toronto could be number 14.

Con – Potential Impact on the CFL

The CFL is a Canadian institution. Bringing the NFL to Toronto may threaten this institution. While bringing the NFL to Toronto doesn’t necessarily spell instant doom for the CFL, it will probably not help in the long-term. The Argos fanbase  would likely take offense to having to share with their Toronto NFL counterpart. The NFL will push hard and likely trump requests by the Argos. The question then becomes whether Toronto can really support two football teams. If it can’t, it might have long-lasting negative impact to the CFL. The Argos has one of the biggest fan bases of all CFL franchises. If Toronto happily accepts an NFL team and the CFL fails, it will only give Canadians another reason to “love” Toronto.

Pro – Financial Impact

This is a no brainer from a economics perspective; the NFL will bring big dollars to Toronto. While there are only 8 home games, the financial impact would be profound. NFL fans are some of the most loyal. They will travel thousands of miles (most NFL fans wouldn’t use kilometers) to watch their team.  That said it would be a boon for the tourist industry in Ontario. At today’s game, the Bills fans were overrun by Chicago Bears fans. The mix in the crowd was actually closer to 50% Chicago, 40% Buffalo and 10%  “other”. The NFL has die hard fans, willing to travel and spend money when they get there. By bringing tens of  thousands of fans to Toronto, it will help local businesses and create more jobs.

Cons – Toronto needs to do it right to make it work

What do I mean when I say “Do it right”? As I went to the stadium yet the organizers did an alright job trying to emulate the feel of an NFL game in its home city, but truthfully it just didn’t feel right. There were no people with BBQs out of the back of their minivan, no keg parties, and it just didn’t feel the same. Tailgate parties in other NFL cities are legendary, but the ones in Toronto (in my opinion) fizzled out. The tailgate area that they had ran out of beer within an hour. The King of Beers was reduced to a stable boy. The only food there was sausages provided by Hooters. Hooters, as we all know, is well known for their sausages (if I had a sarcasm detector it would be going nuts right now). Perhaps Toronto just needs more practice to get it right, but right now the tailgate scene  is lackluster at best. The stadium atmosphere is another important aspect. They need to generate more energy in the stadium and connect the fans and bring the fans closer to the game. At today’s game, a huge block of seats closest to the game were not open. It felt like the fans were very separated from the game itself.  During today’s game, the organizers just couldn’t emulate the same electricity seen in Buffalo. This is partially in part to the fact the crowd was so mixed.  Still, the stadium atmosphere is obviously a work in progress.

Pros –  Growth of the Game

NFL has dabbled with a more international flare. Whether it be games in Europe, or these road trips to Canada, the NFL has tried some different things. The Superbowl  generates one of the biggest TV sports audiences  in the world, but the NFL has really not expanded its team base outside of the US. Now, many would say that expanding to Toronto isn’t much of a move, as many people seem to think of Canada as “US lite”. However, I would argue that it is is an important start. Football is tremendously popular and generates huge revenues, but like any business they should always looking to development new markets. Toronto could be one of them.

Cons – Death of a Franchise

Moving the franchise out of Buffalo would spell the end of the Bills name, and to some extent their history. If they move, a lot of the Bills history would be left behind. Toronto would likely re-brand the Bills with a new name. I can’t foresee a relocated team being called the Toronto Bills. It just wouldn’t work. The Bills have been a large part of my sports childhood (see my blog article on the topic), and I would be sad to see them go. While I still hold out hope that the Buffalo Bills will win the Superbowl, after this last game I don’t see it happening any time soon.  I feel in many ways like a jilted lover.  There are always many claims  that I will be treated better in the future, but it just never seems to happen.

Pros – Serving this Market

Looking at the trajectory of the Bills franchise in Buffalo, it is clear where things are headed. Buffalo census numbers indicate that since its peak in the 1950’s, the population has declined to nearly half its population in 60 years. The latest attempt of the franchise to reach out to Toronto indicates that it recognizes that there is a shifting fan base. If the Buffalo franchise were to fold and be relocated to anywhere else other than Toronto, it would leave a huge coverage hole for the NFL. In Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe alone, there are over 8.1 million people. One could argue that people would visit Detroit, but realistically this wouldn’t happen. The drive from Toronto to the Detroit border is close to 4 hours, most people aren’t willing to make that far of a drive to support the Detroit Lions. The NFL isn’t stupid, and they may be willing to make the move to ensure this market is properly covered.

Summary:

Despite some of the negative impacts of the move to Toronto, I would wholly support bringing an NFL team to Toronto. Toronto is a world city and would welcome another attraction to the already long list of things to do and see. I think it would be a wonderful for the tourist industry and bring in a lot of people who might not otherwise visit the city to Toronto. Toronto has proven its ability to host countless world events, and this would be another. While I was saddened by the outcome of today’s game, it was far easier to drive 15 minutes rather than 2.5 hours home to lick my wounds after the loss.

Pulse Theory – An Approach to Modern Marketing

In today’s world of online marketing, you need a framework or approach to string together all the activities that are seemingly countless of theories are approaches.

This is a theory or approach I have pulled together after years of marketing. This is a combination of both strategy and tactics. What is pulse marketing? Well, think of it like a body. No matter what the size of the body, it needs a pulse to give it life.  After designing countless large websites, something occurred to me. We would be building these large bodies, but not creating a system or mechanism to generate or maintain a pulse. What is “Pulse” ? Pulse is the regular activity or updates you do to evolve or change your website.

Why is Pulse important?

Whether you have a large site or not, “Pulse” is important because you need a steady stream of information kept  up-to-date for both users and search engines. Creating new content for users makes obvious sense. Users are looking for new information when they come to the site. Static sties without a “Pulse”  have a tendency to have lower return rates of traffic.  Unless your intent is to put up the equivalent of an online sign, you need to evolve. Therefore, creating content on a regular basis is the equivalent of maintaining a regular “Pulse” for your site.

The second element of the equation is creating regular content for search engines. This can be a highly contentious issue for marketers. I would totally agree that creating content exclusively for search engines is a bad idea. However, I would say to the horde of people who are not optimizing for search engines that they are missing an opportunity. Regular content updates are one of the mechanisms Google and other search engines use to determine how relevant your site is. To the uninitiated, search engines, such as Google, send spiders to your site to see what is new. Based upon how regular your “pulse” is they send more spiders to your site to make sure their indexes are up to date. Part of the Google algorithm is based around the age of that content, simply meaning that the newer it is the better chance you have of getting it listed higher. This also feeds into big picture of how Google ranks the relevance of your site.

Why Use Pulse ?

There are countless analogies I could use as to why acting like a smaller or more nimble creature will help you to win in the long run.  I will spare you the metaphors and get to the meat and potatoes. Here are a few reasons why one should use “Pulse”.

1. It focuses your activity around building a lean website that you can update quickly.

Rather than building a large website that is difficult to manage, you can build a smaller site with a more active “Pulse”. Over the years, I have invested a great deal of energy having discussions and arguments over site hierarchy, which shade of blue we use, which recycled piece of clipart of two people shaking hands you use. I would argue that, to an extent, some of those long-winded discussions are a waste of energy and focus. The days of designing a website by committee appear to be winding down, but still many waste a lot of time through over-consultation. By using a “Pulse” strategy, you can build a leaner and more streamlined operation, which then focuses each of the involved stakeholders to work towards producing useful content and not simply argue over minutiae.

2. It allows you to create a steady stream of content for social networks

While  I would argue that many marketers are over-investing resources in Social Media, you can use a Pulse strategy to feed social media. Right now, many groups divide content creation and the mechanisms or tactics in which information is prepared. The key to any good marketing strategy is to maintain and build a consistent message while getting as many impressions as possible. For many smaller organizations, the strategic re-use of information is critical to build relevance. The core of “Pulse” is to pick your first point of publishing information – this could be an website or blog. Secondly, take that information and pick all of the tools or mechanisms to publish it. This could include the following:

  1. Email
  2. Twitter
  3. Facebook
  4. Landing Page
  5. Blogs

3. It allows you to sync your activity into other marketing streams

As you build a series of content for one information stream you can use it to build others and reinforce older messages. Rather than creating brand new content for your email newsletter, take highlights from your blog, Facebook posts and tweets to build your message. Today, marketing departments are being asked to do more than less, therefore you need to be tactical about creating and re-using materials. Creating an effective flow and method of re-using content is essential.

4. Allows you to evolve your website.

One of the biggest problems is the issue of decaying content. Every time you post a new piece of content, especially one  associated with an event, it has a half life. Unless you have new content to replace it your website will look dated. Traditionally, as stated earlier, many companies or organizations would spend a lot of time building and launching the Titanic. The website was usually then released to great fanfare. The reality is, though, that unless you are ready with your next act your first one can be quickly forgotten. “Pulse” gives you a framework to do that so that people will remember your finale rather than just your opening act.

5. Allows you to involve multiple stakeholders

By creating a regular channel for people to participate you can assign responsibility to multiple stakeholders for contribution. Rather than fighting over the minutiae, assign each key group as a content contributor. One must move beyond the traditional committee approach and find a way to turn all parties into content developers. Entities like YouTube have made it possible for anyone to be a content creator.  You can apply this concept to your own site.  This can be easier said than done, especially with established power structures within larger organizations. I will write a future article on how to manage the politics around changing  or evolving a corporate website.

Summary:

This article is just the tip of the iceberg of what Pulse Marketing is.   This article is aimed at giving a high-level outline as to what “Pulse” is and how you can use it effectively to evolve your marketing department. This will be the first in a series of articles on finding your “Pulse”.

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8 Most Interesting Places We have Visited

Travel is in my blood; I have been doing so since I was a small child. I was lucky that my parents would take me on every trip they went on, so I would see other cultures and how people lived. I must say that it helped me to both appreciate what I have and make it easier to me to relate to people of different cultures. Since I have grown up (some may question whether I have) I have continued this traveling streak by visiting many continents. I have so far visited 4 continents with at least another 3 on the horizon in the near future. When I met my wife Laura, I was pleased to see she had traveled and shared my traveling nature and became an excellent travel partner. We have travelled apart but most enjoy traveling together due to our adventurous streak to want to enjoy the local cuisine and culture.

I have compiled a list of 8 interesting places we have visited:

1. San Francisco / Pacific Coast Highway

I travel quite often to San Francisco on business, but I absolutely love visiting for pleasure. San Francisco is one of the few true pedestrian friendly cities in the US. We once walked over 29km in one day around the city. While our legs were exhausted, we saw many of the sights that made me fall in love with this place.  The city has an excellent cuisine and an energy to it that I can’t describe. One of my favorite things to do in the city is walk or run along the Embarcadero and then go the Ferry Market building. They have a fantastic farmers market and lovely boutique shops that I could live at. The city has a lot of things to do if you are interested in food, the arts or nature. I love how San Francisco combines all of those elements but is still has some of the “big city” feel. Although I have never been a fan of walking up a long hill for an extended period of time there is just so much to do in San Francisco that you barely notice.

Here is a list of some of my favorite places in the city

The Pacific Coast Highway in California was a side trip we took. I have traveled the highway a few times, but the trip that stands out in my head is when we rented a gold Cadillac to drive from San Francisco through Big Sur on our way to Las Vegas. This is probably one of my favorite drives ever. The view is fantastic and there are many delightful places to stop along the way. You reach a point going down the PCH where there are no other roads you can cut off of for nearly 1.5 hours. I was thinking to myself half way through, that would be a total pain if you lived 45 mins in and forgot to pick up the milk. It is a beautiful landscape, with a ton of really cool little places to stop along the way. If you love to drive you need to seriously consider this trip.

2. Berlin

My multiple visits deep into the heart of Germany have been really interesting. I have only traveled to Germany on business, but I am extremely fortunate to have been able to enjoy many of the sights and sounds that make this city what it is. First, I will start by saying there is a lot of history in this city. Despite the 60 years that have past, you can still feel that something significant happened here. I would be lying if I said you can’t help but feel that the impact of WWII still hangs over the city. You feel it while walking on the streets and seeing the many reminders of a regretted past. The first day that I went to my new job, I walked across Checkpoint Charlie. I was amazed that only 18 years prior I would not have been allowed to do it. It is hard to believe that there was a massive wedge driven between the city, even given all the reminders. On one trip, I was fortunate to visit the city only 2 weeks after the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. This is a magnificent city that is in resurgence. There has been billions poured into it to restore it the arts and culture capital of Germany. The food is wonderful and eclectic, as many people from around the world have settled here. There are fantastic historical sites, new and old. There are so many concert halls and museums to visit.

When Laura joined me on a business trip we were lucky enough to visit the Christmas markets that are truly lovely experience. I look forward to the day when I can visit this city for pure pleasure and get to know it a little bit better. One of my favorite moments was running around the Siegessäule (Giant gold statue on a column for the uninitiated). One of my favorite U2 songs is “Stay(Far Away, So Close)” there is something special about hearing the lyric

“With satellite television
You can go anywhere
Miami, New Orleans, London, Belfast and Berlin”

When you are running through the Brandenburg gates as you hear this lyric your heart just soars.

3. Mayan Riviera

I had traveled here 6 times with family and friends before we went on our Honeymoon. I love visiting here, because of a lovely combination of people, culture, food and tropical backdrop. Let’s start first with the people. It has been nearly 5 years since I have visited here, so I can’t speak to the latest unpleasantness, but whenever I visited people treated us so well.  People are alive and full of energy. There is a fantastic nightlife in Mexico filled with music and food. Let me start by saying that I love Mexican food, so I am fortunate that I get to taste so many wonderful dishes. I really try to escape the tourist traps and visit some of the small towns, where I can get authentic food. The culture is fantastic there is so much to see. I personally like to visit the Aztec temples and take in a bit of the Inca heritage. Finally, the scenery is beautiful. Long walks on white sand beaches are absolutely amazing.  One of my favourite memories is of taking my wife snorkeling for the first time. We were going snorkeling for an entire day, so I thought it would be best to teach her the basics prior to going. She put on her mask and dipped her face into the water only to jump out screaming. She yelled “Honey! Honey! There are fish in there!” to which I calmly replied, “Honey it’s the ocean”. After she got over the initial shock, it turned into a lovely adventure. I look forward to the day when we can return and dip my toes into the water.

4. London

We visited London for  the wedding of some very good friends. We were able to turn this into this into a longer trip and adventure around the city. This impressive city is filled with many interesting sights. I personally gravitated to the WWII sights all around the city. One of the most impressive places to visit was the Winston Churchill museum. The museum accounted his entire life and was actually situated in the bunker he lived in during the blitz. I feel a certain kinship with Churchill, as he felt a calling to do something great. I feel this same calling but, still do not know what that thing is. Seeing the sights, such as Nelson’s column, was impressive as well. I won’t lie though. With exception of the Indian restaurants, the food was underwhelming. I found it very interesting that there are more people employed in Indian food restaurants than the entire British government. I did a little test in this city to see what was actually cheaper than Canada. The only two things that I found cheaper were beer (in certain places) and soccer shoes. There is a saying in Britain that everything is the same price, but in Pounds instead of dollars. We checked out some of the Harry Potter sights including the 9 3/4 platform set up for the tourists. The monarchy was dominant throughout the city. I still find it amazing that people exalt others like that without any accomplishment other than a hereditary birthright. The concept of looking before you leap was also important, due to the driving on the other side of the street. I never got a good reason as to why they drive on that side, but then again some mysteries are better left unanswered.

5. Rome

All roads lead to Rome, or so the staying goes. The capital of the Roman empire has aged but still amazes. You feel every bit of history walking through this city whether it be walking through ancient Rome or walking around the coloseum. I must say, my family did catch me a few times saying, “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?” ala Gladiator. Being Italian, I could not help but feel proud at the work of my ancestors. Literally 2-3 generations of craftsmen would spend their entire lives building some of the wonders seen in Rome. I am often critical of going out for Italian food given that my mom or grandma could usually cook it better. Rome is luckily an exception to this rule, as there are fantastic places to eat around every corner, with a Gelato stand to match. I love to walk around this city, but we did take a carriage only to trigger a vicious allergic reaction from the horse.  My eyes turned beet red and my face swelled impressively. That aside, this trip was absolutely fantastic. We sat in the back of a cathedral during a wedding, and the music just filled my soul. One could spend a month exploring this city and barely scratch the surface.

6. New York

John Lennon once said “Today America is the Roman Empire, and New York is Rome itself”. This city truly is a modern marvel and remains the standard to which all modern cities are measured. Visiting Manhattan for the first time was amazing. In most large cities you have a 10×10 block radius where you have large buildings while the rest are smaller. In New York, it seems like all the buildings are large. As the birthplace of the modern skyscraper, the architecture around New York is amazing. Unlike many of the historical cities mentioned, this was amazing because people were able to erect wonders in record time. New York is a cultural hub of the world, being a center for the arts, fashion and  business. I am already planning many a trip back to there to visit the MET and to catch a few performances by world-class musicians. There are countless museums that we got the opportunity to visit and explore. I have had the good fortune to eat at a few wonderful restaurants in New York, but know there are countless more. I was struck when visiting Ground Zero, probably one of the most influential moments in modern history, and knowing the repercussions of that day will be felt worldwide for decades.

7. Cinque Terre

Nestled into 5 inlets, Cinque Terre is a Unesco protected sight on the Italian Riviera. This is an adventure worth taking as these little colorful buildings tucked into the hillside proudly pronounce themselves against the sparkling blue ocean. Life goes on almost exactly as it did 100 years, with the feeling that there is minimal interruption from modern times. The illusion was broke with the string of Internet cafes, but other than that,  it was truly a great experience. Generations of people have fished the seas just off the coast of this enclave, and I found this just absolutely fascinating. If you are looking for an adventure off the beaten track, this is a place that you want to visit. I undertook this adventure with my brother and Dad, while Laura stayed on the ship. It was great to spend some time with both of them and adventure something new.

8. Nigeria

While I was not lucky enough to go on this trip,I was lucky to hear the account of this amazing place. This trip is a stark juxtaposition to some of the trips we have been on. Laura was fortunate enough to go with a group equivalent to the Doctors Without Borders program. She and her sister (an emergency room nurse) explored this land that was different from any they had ever seen before. The faces of the people were so filled with hope and happiness despite facing many of the challenges they face. At one point Laura actually came down with Malaria, and I felt helpless, being on the other side of the world. Needless to say, this was probably one of the most stressful times of my life. Nigeria  is a land filled with amazing riches and resources while many starve, and a  few powerful individuals exploit the masses. One story that struck me was that despite having power plants available to produce electricity, the system is turned off intermittently because the people who sell generators have a “deal” with the power plant. The lack of infrastructure doesn’t hinder the mood and enthusiasm of the Nigerian people as they celebrate life every day in their smiles and dances. Laura was always struck at the amazing lengths that the Church and Mosque would go to compete with each other via loudspeaker at 5:00 am in the morning. It seems the search for believers began before the sun rose and it was at the behest of a loudspeaker. This trip was an eye opener and would change the way she looks at the world forever.

Summary:

I used Nigeria trip as my final place, because even though I was not on this trip it exemplified why my parents wanted me to travel at a young age. See the world and see different cultures and understand that we live differently than others. Rather than using those differences as rationale for excluding them or judging them, it is a reason to celebrate different people and their culture. I was personally attracted to what I considered the seats of power of 3 powerful empires. This in part because I have always been a student of history. I also found it important to understand to know how we go here and use it as a compass to know where we are going. As we are on the verge of having our first child, I could not think of any better way to help introduce them to the world then by helping them travel all parts of it.

Dead is Dead – Long live (Insert Something Else Here)

As we approach Halloween, many discuss the dead rising up in zombie form to terrorize the living. I feel sometimes we are walking among zombies. There are far too many trigger happy journalists or bloggers (if you still distinguish the two from each other) who are ready to close the coffin on a technology, a website or even the Web itself. That’s right, even the Web was pronounced dead earlier this year by Wired (The Web is Dead. Long Live the Internet). I found that particularly amusing. Isn’t a physical magazine a medium that is supposed to be akin to carving words into stone tablets?

What is driving this ongoing  trend of calling things dead? Are these things truly zombies?  Mashable addressed this a few months ago after the Wired “Web is Dead” article came to light. I was personally set off this morning by this article stating that “SEO Is Dead, And The New King Is ‘SMO’” by Ben Elowitz. It wasn’t just the title of the article,  but it was a universal declaration that an entire tactic was dead, which it isn’t by the way. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is not dead. The trend of calling something dead before it is really dead has officially “Jumped the Shark” in my eyes.

Urban Dictionary Reference – Jumped the Shark
Delightful YouTube Video of – Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzerelli – Actually “Jumping the Shark”

I could spend my time arguing the merits of Ben’s article, but I will not.  I could argue that in my opinion he is overstating the trajectory of certain social media trends. I don’t want to even broach that topic because it doesn’t tackle the real issue. The question I want to answer is why everyone is so trigger happy to call something dead?

Here are a few scenarios I have considered, please feel free to add your own:

1. Pageviews + Controversy = Money  –  The race to zero is in full swing.

One of the most obvious things to point to is that shock value sells. In the days of 140 character snipes or news snippets we have to get people’s attention fast. We try to convert them to a unique visitor and hopefully get them to click the banner or call to action. After all, their business is an ad model. It is their job to drive those actions. Pageviews drive advertising dollars and controversy always sells. This, in my opinion, is the type of journalism that if Edward R. Murrow was still alive (yes it is safe to say he is dead, I think) he would come after you with facts and details rather than salacious headlines more fit for the 1-8 item aisle at the supermarket.

2. The Prognosticator Effect

This is the second phenomenon: trying to guess ahead of the curve. This is something we all try to do – see what the trends are,  how they will impact the industry and so forth. People, however, have taken this from trend-spotting to something else. They now make universal declarations that something is no longer functional or viable to demonstrate their ability to spot a potential trend. Trend-spotting has become a roll of the dice action for many with very little true analysis. In many cases, no one can really “guess” correctly, because there are so many moving parts.  Many journalists try to second guess how consumers will act, sometimes only based on a small snippet of data or even worse due to their own bias/motivation. By playing this trend-spotting game too often you may get one hit or two. Assuming you get 1 in 10 right, you are still doing a disservice to your readership by misdirecting them 90% of the time and passing yourself off as a prognosticator.

3. I am an Expert Listen to Me

This is a hybrid of my Pageview or Prognosticator theory. The web has afforded unparalleled ability for anyone to claim “expert” status. In actual fact, it takes anyone only a few hours and a keyboard to share their thoughts on the world or trends (myself included). That is coupled with the phenomenon that once words are written on paper or screen they become more true or real. The nature of online journalism has become so loose, but this criticism isn’t just volleyed to the bloggers it is to “real” journalists too (yes I did just use the virtual equivalent of hand quotes). Sharing ideas is always a good exercise and welcome. However, expressing your views with virtual certainty and leaving little room for discussion is where I draw the line.

When Something is Really Dead – You can say it is Dead

When Toshiba and other HD-DVD supporters came out and said their format was dead – that was a legitimate instance where journalists could come out and use that headline. There are actually accepted times when people can claim something is dead. People jumping the gun on Flash is opposing example. As much as I agree that the iPad will cause an erosion of Flash use, Flash is still on roughly 90-95% of computers. No matter how people lap up and regurgitate what they are told to say, I would not consider that technology by any means dead!

Summary:

Now I realize the inherent irony of declaring that Dead is Dead in my title. I am sure some witty blogger, journalist or Twitterati is prepping a beautiful evisceration of this piece and then making the declaration that my blog is dead. I do think there is an inherent problem regarding the self-congratulating nature people write these headlines and titles to their blogs or articles. I think people fail to realize that the entire mood and trends of an industry rely upon the feedback of journalists and bloggers.  One should spend more time reporting the news than creating it to satisfy some of the needs I have outlined. I am sure this blog will incur the wrath of the zombie hoard but let’s have the conversation. I think it is worth having.

If you spot a Zombie these are the rules for dealing with them

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Joseph Puopolo joins StickerYou

The ink has barely dried –  this news is hot off the presses! Joseph Puopolo has joined StickerYou as the Head of Marketing and Business Development (yes I know I am referring to myself in the 3rd person but I couldn’t exactly say I or me, could I?). StickerYou is an exciting fast growing company and has some killer technology, I am excited to be a part of team.

Check out StickerYou at StickerYou.com or follow them on Twitter @StickerYou

A little bit about Sticker You:

StickerYou is a fun, flexible and easy-to-use online technology for people to create their own high-quality vinyl stickers. We offer the ultimate freedom for anyone looking to create stickers with our freeform die-cut sticker printing. Whether you’re using our art and brands, or uploading your own images, each sticker looks awesome!

Our leading edge platform provides unlimited opportunities to create stickers for a variety of needs. From decorating your laptop to personalizing your scrapbook our die-cut stickers can enhance any lifestyle. For small and large companies, StickerYou is a powerful and cost-effective way to build their brands and engage with consumers.

StickerYou is already working with some awesome brands such as:

Star Trek Stickers
Star Trek
DC Comics Originals Stickers
DC Comics
Peanuts Stickers
Peanuts
Ghostbusters Stickers
Ghostbusters

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When Marketers Fall Prey to Marketers: The Baby Conundrum

My wife and I are currently expecting our first child. As first time time parents, we have started to the do the normal things to prepare: read a few books, begin to set up the nursery, and hear stories about other parents’ experiences (sometimes ad nauseum). I have felt the inklings of parental vibes in the last 7 months, but as we get closer they get stronger and stronger. During that time we have begun to feather the nest and get the nursery ready to house this baby and all baby related needs.

During the outfitting of our baby lair, there has been many moments of anticipation and excitement waiting for our new child. There has however been two instances where I have fallen prey to marketers. Now, you may say, we’ve all done that! What else is new?. As a marketer, I pride myself on being able to sniff out Unique Selling Propositions (USP), and don’t succumb to the tricks of my own industry. That said, two of the biggest industries for capitalizing on raw emotion are the wedding industry and the baby industry. Going to 7 weddings this year, I could see the wedding industry doing an excellent job selling services and products to create an experience. In the baby industry I could see that also playing itself out in two key instances:

1. Purchasing a handmade quilt for the nursery
2. Purchasing some other touches and finishes for the room

Now let me put the responsibility where it is due: my desire as a marketer to build an experience for my child was similar to my desire to build that for a brand I work with. Let me clarify by saying the emotion levels are totally different, and my love for my child will far eclipse any company I work with or for. That said, I could see myself trying to build an experience for myself through the entire baby experience. This entire experience was pushed by clever marketers who greased the rails for me to go nuts as a father to be. I will share these two stories

The Quilt Auction

The first took place at the Mennonite Central Committee Relief Sale in May of this year. This is an excellent event where the entire community works together to donate goods and services to a giant fundraiser. This fundraiser that raises nearly half a million annually is anchored by the largest quilt sale in North America. At this quilt auction, my wife and I stumbled across a handmade quilt that would be perfect for our nursery. We instantly fell in love and “had to have it”. The tension built as we came closer to the auction. The bidding for some of these handmade quilts can go into the thousands! “Our” quilt came up, and the bidding started at a furious pace.  Just when I thought we had won it, another bidder came in to raise the stakes. I faced a moment of truth: should I fold to this new bidder or go for the gusto. An image of my future child flashed in my head and I just went for it. I probably paid more for it than I thought I would but looking back I am glad I did. Now I can’t blame the Mennonite women running the auction –  they were as Unmarketing as they could be wearing their Sunday best and their prayer bonnets. Despite how happy I was about the purchase, I felt myself wanting to create an experience, similar to the experience I would try to create for others.

Pottery Barn Kids and the Temple of Doom

The next instance was far more intense. I found myself in the clutches of Pottery Barn Kids, a retail environment selling experience all over the place. At the auction where we picked out a farmyard theme and wanted to match it with other accoutrements. So we were ordering the individual  elements for the room and then found out that the bedding and rug we wanted were catalog items and could not be shipped to Canada. I suddenly became incensed! Who are they to say that my child can’t have the barnyard themed rug for their room?. My need to create the experience for my child became so great that I suddenly started searching for solutions to this problem so that my child would not be robbed of this experience.

As a new parent to be, you don’t want to deprive your child of anything.  I was so riled up that I would probably stab anyone that got between me and this barnyard themed rug. I then had an out of body experience and asked myself what the heck am I doing? Is this that important ? I realized that I was a marketer that had fallen prey to a marketer. Such a well composed trap that I myself could have built. This is truly selling an experience in its purest form. It doesn’t hurt that I was all riled up by emotions but it happened. I fell victim to a marketing trap. I am not sure where it is but I am sure there is some irony in that!

Summary:

Even the best marketers can fall prey to marketing traps. I do have to say it does take one heck of an experiential sell to suck me in, but it was done quite successfully on these two instance. I would encourage you as marketers to consider the traps you build because before you know it you could fall into one yourself. Consider how you would feel to get trapped in it when it happens.  To Pottery Barn, if you are reading this please ship it to me in Toronto Canada. If not, I am on my way to Rochester in Upstate New York at my relatives house to pick up the  farmyard themed baby rug.

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Social Media vs. ROI – Clash of the Titans

A bit of history

When digital marketing first emerged, two groups quickly developed. The first group included those who embraced it willingly because they saw the opportunity that change brings, while the second group fought against it as they saw it as a threat to the way that they did business. In the first camp you had disruptive technology, typically younger individuals, and people who were more comfortable with the rise of the web. In the second camp you had traditional printers, ad agencies that have operated the same way for a long time in the same fashion and people generally worried that the ground was changing under them. These two camps warred for years until digital was so common that the concept of “Digital Marketing” was antiquated and people viewed it as just “Marketing”. The way that the war was won between these two camps was using a simple tool of ROI or Return on Investment.

Marketing online gave marketers far more insights to the patterns of their prospective customers. Concepts such as click flow patterns 20 years before could not have been applied to physical ads. This was the ammunition that the digital marketers employed to prove themselves in a traditional marketing world. This caused huge disruption to the agency and marketing world as people had to adapt to this new world. Due to being able to clearly understand customer patterns through newly revolutionized digital funnel metrics, the case was made for a more evenly distributed balance between traditional marketing (ads, direct mail and events) to digital media (websites, email and webinars). Now, many view these indivisibly from each other rather than as individual types of tactics.

Enter Social Media

Disruption came yet again by the hand of a 20 year old Harvard drop-out – enter Social Media into the mix. As a result of a project conceived within a dorm room, marketers scrambled yet again to thrive in a new world that they once thought was flat. In an effort to stay ahead, marketers learned some lessons from the last battle between the digital and traditional world but forgot a critical one, ROI.

Ironically, ROI  is the biggest missing element from the way that the majority of marketers have approached social media. ROI had been the instrument that helped convert traditional marketers, but marketers got caught up in the buzz of social media and abandoned two of their core principles: does it advance the brand, and does it make money. One could argue that since it is early days, one needs to make a land grab for this virtual space. The same argument could be used for people spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars for virtual islands in Second Life in the fear that they will miss out and be relegated to a bachelor apartment in a bad neighbourhood online. This fear of being “left behind” often causes even the most stalwart marketers to abandon their core and guiding principles.

Does ROI Matter?

I always argue that ROI matters – why, do you ask? ROI doesn’t always mean profit although many just boil it down to that ultra-simplistic bottom line. I would argue it is more about meeting your objectives. The concept of ROI transcends all professional or marketing rationale, I don’t want to waste my time or energy on something that just doesn’t work or doesn’t  help achieve my goals or objectives. This isn’t an indictment of trying new things, but rather a caution to ensure that new things are not jumped into blindly.

There is a generational issue as well as a tactic divide at play here. Now, you have a generation of Gen Y individuals who have been socialized with social networks and an older generation that doesn’t totally “get” the technology but doesn’t want to be caught flat footed. There is an inherent bias against the new from the older generation (gross generalization, I know).  As a result, they wade carefully in this newer medium. Many of those individuals still have scars from the last clash of tactics with traditional and digital marketing. The newer generation, to their credit, are fully versed in the technology and able to pivot and create something quickly. They do not carry the scars that some of their colleagues carry (for better or worse). What is in desperate shortage is people able to effectively bridge the gap between the experience and lessons learned in the last tactics clash and the youthful exuberance and skillset of Gen Ys.

Finding a Sherpa to get you to the top of the Social Media Mountain

Brands are desperately looking for a Sherpa to lead them up the mountain of social media. Now, here’s the part of the article where your jaw drops and you tweet your colleagues: There is no such thing as a Social Marketing Sherpa! That’s right I said it! Why then, do you ask, do so many people put on the clothes of a Sherpa, with the boots, hat a warm coat and pick axe in the hand and are ready to accept your money to “get you to the top”?. Well, an outfit does not a Sherpa make. I would argue that no one has really been to the top of the mountain therefore cannot sell a guided tour to that summit. That is not to say that people wearing a Sherpa’s clothes can’t get you to the top of the mountain. These marketers may well have the skillset, resources and raw ability to accomplish the feat – they just haven’t been there yet.  Some of these marketers argue that because they run these campaigns for large brands, they are therefore are doing it better than everyone else. All this means is that they are amplifying a message (perhaps the wrong message?) to a much larger audience than those that are failing on a much smaller scale with fewer resources.

The OldSpice Example – Again?! I know I apologize.

Using the Oldspice ad campaign as an example (which everyone uses by the way), is a good place to start. The “glass is half empty” individuals will automatically point to the fact that sales went down immediately after the campaign. On the other hand, the “glass is half full” side will point to the fact that they have recast the brand for a new generation. Aside from the case study benefit of this campaign, marketers may argue that since it was directed to women, who are more often than not actually purchase that product, it was probably a shrewd move. That said, time will tell whether this produces the desired impact and actually makes money. Axe Body spray has already come out with a competing ad stating “Axe is for men who’d rather be with a woman than on a horse”. I say let the games begin.

Just in case you have been living under a rock – OldSpice Guy Commercial

Axe Body Spray Response – Consumerist Article

Summary – Lessons Learned

We are still in the early days to see how this medium will be used by marketers and agencies(yes, I divide these two groups. I will explain in another blog post). People are getting closer, and they will continue to tinker to make this work. The Battle for Middle Earth is in full swing (shameless Lord of the Rings reference for the uninitiated) and it will likely that an unlikely Hobbit will accomplish this quest rather than the bravest warrior blinded by other ambitions. This adventure is far from over, there will be battles won and lost but one thing is for sure as soon as this adventure is over there will be a new one to start.

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