A Look Back: Our First Facebook Memories (& profile pics)

Facebook turns 10 today, and there’s been lots of retrospective articles in tech blogs and mainstream media about the site’s impact on our lives. Sure, it kicked off the social networking trend and connected over a billion people around the world. Sure, it made Mark Zuckerberg a Silicon Valley icon, and a role model for budding entrepreneurs everywhere. And, famously, it provided fodder for a David Fincher movie, making a caricature of the Winklevoss twins in the process. CONTINUE READING

A Year of Real-Time Marketing: Can We All Stop Now?

Unless you live under a rock (or have been floating on the Pacific for the past 13 months ), you know that last night was the Super Bowl. But it was also the one-year anniversary of something extremely important – and no, we don’t mean Beyonce’s fierce halftime performance. What I’m really talking about is the now-(in)famous Oreo “Dunk in the Dark” photo . CONTINUE READING

Love Your ‘Hood With Vicinity’s Loyalty Program

At 88 Creative we’ve made no secret of our love for local businesses. When our office was in Parkdale we frequented The Mascot coffee shop, the Drake for patio drinks, and the Gladstone for some off-key karaoke. Now that we’re at Adelaide & Peter, there are so many great local spots – you can bet that in any given week we’re having Dark Horse Americanos, Le Gourmand’s famous chocolate chip cookies, and Khao San Road’s to-die-for khao soi (seriously, the most delicious dish in Toronto), and we’re working it all off with spin classes a Y Yoga or CYKL. CONTINUE READING

‘Twas Two Days Before Christmas at 88 Creative

It’s been a great year for the 88 Creative team, and we can’t believe it’s already December! It’s the season for reflecting on the year that just passed, and setting New Year’s resolutions (our first one is to cut cupcakes, Le Gourmand cookies, and chocolate out of our daily diets. I predict we fail by the second week of January). We thought we’d take a look back at the year that was at 88C – so read on to find out what we got up to in 2013 (and a rhyming holiday wish!).

Where Do I Go From Here? The Career Path of a Community Manager

I started as a community manager at Sprouter in 2008, before it was a common role at startups, agencies, and big companies. Without sounding too ancient in a “when I was your age I walked uphill both ways to school” kind of way, being a community manager then was different. Using social media was still a unique differentiator for a company, something that got you headlines rather than being an expected part of your marketing toolkit. CONTINUE READING

Kickstarter launches in Canada today. So what’s your big idea?

Today marks the official launch of Kickstarter in Canada , after the company started to accept Canadian projects earlier this summer. If you want the who/what/when details check out my Financial Post column about the launch. CONTINUE READING

South by Southwest: must-attend event or marketing fail?

Attending conferences and networking with potential clients and like-minded people is a part of any job, regardless of the industry. Maybe you’re a comic book buff who sees Comic-Con as your big “must-attend” event (Batman costume optional), or maybe you love fashion and it’s Toronto Fashion Week that makes it into your calendar. CONTINUE READING

A hello from 88 Creative’s new Managing Director

When I first joined the startup world in 2008 as a community manager at Sprouter social media was just emerging as a viable way to market your company. For a startup like ours, which had three employees and a tight marketing budget, tools like Facebook, Twitter, and WordPress were really the only way (other than PR) to build a community around our brand for next to nothing. CONTINUE READING