Paula Baker
Canada Post’s new Fetch: for the privacy-conscious
In a time when it appears every time you turn the corner your tombstone information is nabbed for marketing purposes, Canada Post’s new killer app Fetch may be the answer for both the privacy-conscious consumer and marketers alike.
Launching in January in Calgary, Fetch is based on the idea of a trusted third party – Canada Post – acting as an intermediary between consumer and brand. What does that mean exactly? Essentially when you look at a billboard, TV or Web ad and it’s tagged with Fetch plus a keyword (e.g. a BMW ad and the keyword car), consumers who opt into the initiative can text, phone or go on the Web to request more info on that specific product.
It’s all about you baby!
If you were given information about a Web site that had your name embedded in the URL, wouldn’t you want to check it out as soon as possible? Toronto-based N5R is banking on that with their uniquely personalized new URL product – MySite. Talk about taking the whole ‘it’s all about me’ catchphrase to heart, if Roman Bodnarchuk, chairman and CEO of the digital online agency had his way, one-stop-shop Web sites would be out the door.
The Spim heard ’round the world
If spam isn’t enough to piss you off then you’re in luck because there’s a new form of virtual agitation making its way through Europe and the U.S. and it’s only a matter of time before it permeates Canada. That new Internet affliction is spam over instant messaging, or spim for short.
Canadian broadcasters jockey for Thursday night ratings
It’s been a little more than a month since the fall TV season took off in full swing and speaking with media experts, MIC thought it’d be a good time to determine which Canadian net is winning the all-important Thursday night race.
Spam: What’s not to love?
If there were a superhero dedicated to making consumers amenable to spam, then this Roanoke, Va.-based company, TrueLoot.com, would be in the running for those tights.
Launched Sept. 1, TrueLoot.com has consumers fill out a user profile, which gathers the usual personal details, and allows members to opt into advertisers they want to receive messaging from. Members can choose to receive these ad messages in a combination of ways – e-mail, a small banner area at the top of their Web browser or via text message. And with each message they open, they receive points, which can be redeemed for gift certificates, merchandise, coupons, subscriptions and promotional offers.
