 |    |
Portfolio
You can browse our portfolio in the way that suits you best: by keyword in the tag cloud or by scrolling down the page to see all our projects.
strategy Projects
Project: The UNESCO City of Literature
Client: Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia
Brief: Impact Study | Strategic Plan
Background: A broad-based community group in Vancouver is working to secure a UNESCO City of Literature designation for Vancouver (a formal recognition akin to a World Heritage Site designation). We were engaged to conduct an impact study and to work with the group to develop the goals, scope of activity, and operating structure associated with the designation. After concluding the study, we were retained to prepare the formal application dossier for UNESCO.
Project: British Columbia Award for Canadian Non-Fiction
Client: British Columbia Achievement Foundation
Brief: Launch | Media | Marketing
Background: The British Columbia Achievement Foundation asked us to help launch a new national literary prize in 2005. We developed a positioning strategy and media and promotions programs, as well as an approach to the award presentation that, as the Canada Council for the Arts noted, “imbued the entire day with a dynamism and realness seldom seen at awards ceremonies”. With its cash value of $40,000, the British Columbia Award is now Canada’s largest prize for literary non-fiction. We continue to work with the foundation to build awareness among Canada’s publishers, authors, and readers, and to develop new collaborative partnerships around the award program—including a 2007 media partnership with CBC Radio One.
Project: The Made Here, Read Everywhere Campaign
Client: British Columbia Association of Magazine Publishers
Brief: Strategy | Advertising | Promotions
Background: The BC Association of Magazine Publishers (BCAMP) represents a diverse group of consumer and trade magazines, so diverse that a main challenge of this project—a public awareness campaign—was to develop a unified message that could speak for all BCAMP members. We built a campaign strategy around the common thread running through all of them regardless of subject or readership: pride of place and connection to BC. The campaign was first introduced in 2006 and extended in 2007. It included magazine placements, outdoor media, animated pre-cinema advertisements, and point-of-purchase collateral—supported by a campaign website and contest promotion.
Project: BC Book & Magazine Week
Client: British Columbia Association of Magazine Publishers/Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia
Brief: Media | Promotions
Background: BC Book & Magazine Week is an annual festival that offers dozens of ways for the public to rub shoulders with local writers and publishers. It features readings, workshops, parties, and performances in communities around British Columbia. We worked with the two industry associations that organize the festival to develop media strategies and secure expanded print and broadcast coverage. Beginning in 2006, we incorporated an online outreach program and dedicated blog that added a highly effective viral component to BCBMW promotions.
Project: External Review: Event Magazine
Client: Event Magazine
Brief: Management | Strategy
Background: In a bid to improve its operating effectiveness and long-term viability, Event magazine commissioned this external review of its operations, editorial position, and strategic direction. The review process consisted of an extensive discovery process, two facilitated workshops with the magazine’s staff and advisory board, and one-on-one interviews with staff and members of the advisory board. Findings provided the magazine with a strategic framework for further planning and served as a catalyst for greater engagement with the advisory board and other key stakeholder groups.
Project: Business Plan: Geist Magazine
Client: Geist Magazine
Brief: Management | Strategy
Background: Undertaken over a two-year period of planning and pilot implementation, this project resulted in a comprehensive business plan for Geist, Canada’s most widely circulated literary magazine. It included strategies for expanded fundraising and advertising sales as well as newsstand and subscription sales. We worked closely with the magazine to develop and test many of the ideas in the business plan, and later presented strategies from the plan at a national conference for magazine publishers.
Project: The ICEF Bulletin
Client: ICEF
Brief: Electronic Newsletter
Background: German-based ICEF is the market leader in connecting education providers and student recruitment agents to key markets and networks worldwide. ICEF’s global network includes more than 50,000 clients, colleagues, and partners. We worked with ICEF to create the ICEF Bulletin, an electronic newsletter hosted on the client website and delivered via email. We support the bulletin’s ongoing publication by writing, editing, designing, and delivering up to six issues per year.
Project: ICEF Branding
Client: ICEF
Brief: Branding | Positioning
Background: German-based ICEF is a market leader in connecting education providers and student recruitment agents to key markets and networks worldwide. The company has expanded greatly in recent years, culminating in the launch of three new product groups in 2007. We worked with ICEF to develop a comprehensive positioning strategy and branding program to reflect its expansion and leadership position in the international marketplace. We conducted client and staff interviews and a competitive analysis to understand the firm’s current position; developed a set of strategies to move the firm toward new opportunities; and ultimately created a comprehensive branding package—including copy, redesigned company marks, and graphic standards—for use across all print and electronic publications and other key brand touchpoints for the firm.
Project: Magazine Economics and Management 101
Client: Magazines Canada
Brief: Management Training
Background: Magazines Canada is a national association of magazine publishers. The association produces a series of resources for publishers, including Magazine Economics and Management 101. We contributed a chapter on management that explores the functions of management, key organizational strategies, and the nature of leadership in organizations.
Project: New Title Promotion
Client: McClelland and Stewart/Macfarlane, Walter & Ross
Brief: Marketing Strategy
Background: Working closely with the publishing team, we identified non-traditional sales channels, sponsorship opportunities, and cross-promotional partnerships for selected Macfarlane, Walter & Ross titles.
Project: PExOD Business Plan
Client: Simon Fraser University
Brief: Strategy | Marketing
Background: PExOD is a web-based bibliographic database software tool developed as an industry service by the Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing (CCSP) at Simon Fraser University. It is designed to allow small and medium-sized publishers to record, access and exchange bibliographic data (i.e., descriptive and trading information about the books they publish) with their business partners according to the international ONIX data standard. We worked with the PExOD team to develop key positioning, operational, and financial strategies for the national launch of this specialized software application.
Project: Theytus Books Business Plan
Client: Theytus Books
Brief: Strategy | Marketing
Background: Founded in 1980, Theytus Books is the leading First Nations-owned and operated publishing house in Canada. Theytus engaged us to conduct an assessment of the house’s operations and practices; identify opportunities for improvement; and recommend ways the firm could increase its effectiveness in the near term—by building revenues and improving practices to optimize staff time and other key resources. The strategic plan that resulted addressed a number of key areas within the firm, including branding, operations, sales strategy and management, and online marketing.