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CONTENT STRATEGY CREATION AMPLIFICATION

CONTENT MARKETING SERVICES AND SAMPLES

WHAT WE DO STRATEGY & PLANNING

First we work with you to develop your content marketing strategy

CREATION

Then we help you develop content that resonates with your target and your brand

AMPLIFICATION

Next we develop an amplification strategy to maximize the reach of your content

MEASURE & LEARN Then we measure, analyze and learn

CONTENT STRATEGY CREATION AMPLIFICATION

Why You Should Give Experiences Instead of Things People Want Less Stuff. Has Your Holiday Gift-Giving Caught Up?

Memories Last Longer Than Things…and Can Be Shared Things break. They get lost. They become obsolete.

We lend things out and they disappear. Or we move and get rid of things. (That’s one reason why thrift shops and landfills are overflowing.)

Experiences, on the other hand, can turn into beautiful memories, and memories stay with a person longer than things ever do. A sunset you share with a loved one in Algonquin Park isn’t just something you keep forever: it’s something you share (and we not just talking on Instagram).

The Most Valuable Gift Is Your Time Giving a holiday gift can be difficult. What do you

A fisher knows what reel he wants more than the

buy? How do you know it’s right? Will your gift end up

generous people in his life who want to gift him one. It’s

treasured? Or in the donation bin?

hard to choose the right thing as a gift because lots of

That’s why it’s worth considering giving an experience instead of a thing. Experiences have advantages that things don’t.

How Do You Know Which Thing Is the Right Thing?

things require expertise. But if you give an experience, though, you just need to know how someone likes to spend their time. So a better solution is to give Dad a fishing weekend on Georgian Bay.

If you’ve ever proudly displayed your child’s artwork on the fridge, you know it isn’t there because glitter and macaroni makes the prettiest combination in the world. It’s there because the time it took to make it is a precious gift.

When you give someone an experience and choose

Most of Us Don’t Need More Things

to share it with them, you’re giving the gift of your time. Giving your Dad a new reel says “I know you

Downsizing and minimalism are major trends these

like fishing, Dad.” Giving your Dad a gift certificate

You know your Dad is into fishing. And you know

days. The self-storage industry is booming. Why? We

for a fishing trip on Georgian Bay says “I know you

he’d really like a new reel because he had to retire

all, collectively, have too much stuff. And we want

like fishing, Dad, and I want to spend my time fishing

ol’ faithful this year. But which reel exactly does

to get rid of it. When you’re selecting a gift, how can

with you.”

he want? After all, he’s the expert, not you. Do you

you be sure it won’t end up in a storage unit or even

try and track down the same model as before and

worse, a landfill?

No glitter or macaroni required.

assume he doesn’t want an upgrade? Ask for advice from the tackle shop and hope the kid there knows what he’s talking about? Just ask Dad and maybe ruin the surprise?

Nobody’s ever said they want to downsize the

Resorts of Ontario offer $50, $100, $250,

experiences in their life. You don’t have to store a spa

and $500 gift certificates, good for over 100

weekend in Prince Edward County. And a Saturday

resorts, inns, and bed and breakfast’s across

spent snowshoeing in the Kawarthas won’t get in the

Ontario. Spas, fishing trips, winter sport

way of anyone’s minimalism.

adventures—dozens of different experiences are offered. Order yours here.

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Jeep Cherokee SRT

You can buy a Cherokee with a sensibleV6, or this bath-salts-propelled madness

Edition. People faint, children burst into tears, livestock explode into flames—a hundred clicks per hour comes up in something under five seconds, at a net cost of about an Exxon Valdez’s worth of fuel.

And surprisingly, it also handles pretty well, with sharp steering, massive grip, and brakes big enough to arrest the orbit of the moon. Which is handy, because this car just happens to have the same curb weight as the moon.

In many ways, this machine is deeply, comprehensively,

Then, press and hold the brake and floor the

wilfully stupid. Let me break it down for you: this

accelerator pedal. Doing so causes the Jeep to

The nicely bolstered seats are comfortable, the

is a Jeep wearing semi-slick road-tires, an off-road

hunker down and start growling. There’s no other word

stereo system has enough punch to melt lead, there’s

machine you can’t really take off-road, all suited-up

for it—it sounds like a mastiff that’s just spotted a

radar-guided cruise control and if you ease off on the

for the track and with a 470hp, 6.4L V8 crammed in

squirrel with a steak stapled to it. Then you let go of

loud pedal, you can even see sort-of acceptable fuel

the nose.

the brake.

economy in the 10-12L/100km range on the highway.

The fuel economy is criminal. The pricetag is colossal.

What happens next is roughly akin to applying a

Both the insurance premiums and the cost of keeping

cattle-prod to the scrotum of a rhinoceros. With a

The Jeep Cherokee is a very nice truck, and you can

this thing in tires and brakes are too damn high. That

huge bellow, the Cherokee simply hurls itself off the

buy it with a sensible and peppy V6, a fuel-sipping

said, it is, without a whisper of a doubt, the most fun

line, roaring and snarling and momentarily interrupting

diesel, or this bath-salts-propelled madness. It

I’ve had all year.

the spin of the earth. The 6.4L Hemi V8 screams

makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, and is

towards the limiter and then—bam!—snaps you back

simultaneously the best truck in the entire universe.

So here’s how the launch control works: first, twist the massive dial between the seats from “Auto” to “Track”; then press the large button marked “Launch

Which is not bad for an Imperial Dreadnaught.

in your seat with a blazing fast shift from the eightspeed transmission.

Control” that’s helpfully illustrated with a drag-strip

Howling in disbelief, you keep your foot to the floor,

Christmas tree. It looks like the kind of thing Fisher-

leaving rumpled pavement and shattered windows

Price would come up with.

in your wake. It is, effectively, the Jeep Apocalypse

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6 Rules for Good Workplace Phone Etiquette Yes, people still make phone calls

Make a Rule About Returning Calls We know one manager that keeps this personal rule: any task that can be done in under five minutes should be done immediately. As a result, she never shuffles stuff to the back of her to-do list because it’s “less important”; she gets it done ASAP. Added bonus: that to-do list stays trim. Another manager we know checks his messages—and then returns calls—every day at 9:30AM and 3:30PM. If you missed him, you can count on him getting back to you around then. Do what works for you. But it’s good to come up with some kind of rule about when and how According to one survey, 83% of phone users think

often you return calls, lest they slip out of your focus

that others were also courteous over the phone.

Don’t Answer the Phone When You’re Eating (Or Otherwise Occupied)

Clearly, there’s a bit of a gap between perception

You don’t need to pickup the phone, tell the caller

Respect People’s Personal Information

and reality. Here’s how to ensure you’re perceived as

that you’re eating, and that you’ll call them back. It’s

courteous when speaking on the phone.

If you’re leaving a message, beware of leaving things

okay to let a call go to voicemail if you can’t handle

like account numbers, dates of birth, and things of

it properly at the moment. If you don’t pick up the

that nature on the message.

they’re courteous when speaking on the phone.

However, only 38% of those same phone users said

Always Identify Yourself Right Away

and don’t happen.

phone, the caller will understand that you’re busy.

Leave a Clear Message

it’s important for the person you’re calling. A phone

Gather Materials You Need Prior to a Call

call can be like a small interruption in their workflow;

Anticipate your needs prior to making a call and put

by providing them some identifying information, you

either when you’ll call again or how and when the

the information you need in front of you. If you need

help them focus on the issue you’re about to discuss.

person you’re calling should reach you. That’s it. Your

a spread sheet, data sets, budget materials, etc., for

And of course, identifying yourself when you receive a

message shouldn’t be longer than a minute.

the call, make sure they’re open and readily available.

call ensures that the person calling you doesn’t have

It can also be helpful to jot down a few bullet points

to ask if they have the right number.

of things you want to make sure to discuss.

Giving your name, title, and company isn’t only polite,

When you leave messages, you should always include your name, number, a brief reason for your call, and

CONTENT STRATEGY CREATION AMPLIFICATION

Cord Cutting Versus Cord Shaving: What You Need to Know You don’t have to go all the way to save money

Cord Shaving Still, even with all the new TV, movie, and sports options out there, some people prefer to keep a few channels. A news junkie, for example, might unsubscribe from all their packages except the news one, essentially buying cable for channels like CNN and Bloomberg and skipping other channels with shows that’ll just get released on Netflix anyway. Or a sports fan might shell out the $18 for the Sportsnet package but rely on the web for their news.

Basically, cord shavers are doing everything cord cutters are doing but keeping their TV service for a few specific channels that aren’t available elsewhere.

We’ve all been there: when we signed up for cable a

Then they cancel their service, full stop. Once upon

few years ago, we picked the cheapest package. But

a time, cord cutting spoke to a certain kind of

then we added some kids channels for the ankle-

alternative lifestyle (think Dharma from Dharma &

biters, the sports package when the Jays started

Greg) or kind of a luddite approach to modern culture

doing well, upgraded when we saw a new Internet

(think Ron Swanson from Parks & Rec). These days,

bundle . . . then one day we open our bill and realize

though, more people are doing it because they can get

we’re paying $100+ for a few hundred channels when

their TV, news, movies, and sports from elsewhere.

How diverse are my family’s TV viewing habits?

Netflix has an estimated 4 million subscribers in

How good is my Internet connection?

If you’re frustrated with your cable package, you’re

Canada right now, and those numbers are growing.

To the first question: the less stuff your family

not alone. 3.1 million Canadian households, or about

Netflix isn’t the only streaming service out there,

watches, the easier it is to replace with free or digital

20% of the country, don’t have cable or satellite TV

though. Free services have been launched by

subscription services. If you’re a hockey family, buying

packages. And numbers seem to be growing. And with

companies like Crackle and PBS, and Netflix has some

an NHL subscription makes a lot of sense. But if you’re

the CRTC-mandated launch of the ‘skinny bundles’, in

direct competitors in the form of Apple TV.

an all-sports all-the-time kinda group, keeping a toe in

Sports are a big hurdle for potential cable cutters, so

TV-land makes sense.

leagues are starting to offer their own packages. For

To the second question: all of the stuff you’re replacing

Cord Cutting

example, NHL fans could’ve bought a $75 season pass

cable TV with will be streamed over the Internet,

this year, and baseball fans can watch all the baseball

so you need to have an excellent connection

First, let’s talk cord cutting. Cord cutters take a look

they can handle for around $110 a year.

with enough bandwidth to watch all the stuff you want.

we only want maybe a dozen.

March, this question has never been more relevant: should you join them?

So Which is Best?

If you’re looking to cut down your cable bill and can’t figure out whether you want to cord shave or cord cut, you need to answer two questions:

at that $100+ bill and think to themselves, “Know what? I don’t need this.”

CONTENT STRATEGY CREATION AMPLIFICATION

Tips for the War on Ragweed Sadly, flamethrowers are illegal.

5. Get Rid of Your Lawn!

Lawn, who needs it? Who are you, Hank Hill? One of our neighbours has a couple of trees and a nice rockscape. Another has gravel and drought-tolerant plants. We’re thinking of putting down cedar mulch with a few bushes to keep it interesting. Lots of people are going the low-maintenance route, with sedge, microclover, or even moss. If you have a green thumb or just like cooking, plant a garden instead.

6. Be Prepared!

August is the season for barbecues, softball, camping, bike rides, patio drinks, hiking—all things out doors, really. Unfortunately, August is the season for the enemy of all these things: ragweed. Well, ragweed, and having to sometimes work Saturdays, but we can only help you with the ragweed.

1. Identify!

Ragweed looks like this. No tell-tale berries or flowers, one to six inches in height, leaves might be arranged alternately or oppositely. People commonly mistake goldenrod as the source of their allergies, instead of the far more unassuming ragweed. It’s pretty inconspicuous—and by that, we mean that even avid gardeners sometimes can’t tell it from another weed.

But rest assured, it is a weed—so if you’re not 100% sure if a weed you’re looking at is ragweed, better to be safe than sorry.

2. Destroy!

Wear long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, gloves, goggles, a mask—you’re going for the full postapocalyptic Mad Max look here. Thoroughly weed your property, and do it now, before ragweed

You can take care of your yard, and you can take care flowers. Yank stuff out by the roots—if you just

of your neighbour’s yard, but that’s about it—you

mow, ragweed will grow back right away. In fact,

can’t fix the rest of the world. Not ragweed-wise,

we suspect that ragweed is related to earthworms,

anyway. So, keep track of daily pollen levels, (you can

because if you cut them in half, their population just

use the REACTINE® Pollen Forecast App, available for

doubles[citation needed].

iPhone and Android), think twice about going out at

3. Pay Some Else!

Know what’s better than doing war with your yard

peak pollen time (late morning to mid-afternoon), and try and avoid particularly windy days.

work while dressed like a crazy person? Pay someone

7. Take REACTINE®

else to get it done. You can go the professional yard

REACTINE® is the number one doctor and pharmacist

maintenance route, but that’s expensive, especially

recommended over the counter allergy brand. Non-

when you can just pay a neighbourhood kid to do it.

drowsy REACTINE® can be taken for quick relief

Or a nephew. That’s why nephews exist. As a bonus,

of ragweed allergy symptoms, including hives, skin

they’ll play video games with you afterwards.

reactions, itchy, red eyes, sneezing, and running,

4. Be A Good Neighbour!

One thing about senior citizens: they aren’t that proactive about killing ragweed. That, and they put their recycling out about a day in advance. Anyway,

itchy nose. You can take it before you feel allergy symptoms, and by taking it daily during allergy season, your body can maintain an even level of antihistamines, providing you continuous relief.

offer to do their weeding for them (or offer to send the kid over, whichever). It’s a nice favour to do for someone, and it helps your puffy-eyed, runny nose situation.

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The Best Places to Off Road in Canada

Beyond the highway, there’s a whole world of trails

Ontario To off-road in Ontario, you’ll have to head north.

Concession Lake, 40 kms from Peterborough, is one of the most popular off-roading trails, considering that it has a few tight spots, rough patches, and a few large rocks to get around. If you’re closer to Ottawa and want go to easy, try California Road Trail.

For more ideas, check out Ontario Trails Council.

Quebec Now that you know a bit about off-roading, get ready to put your skills to the test. There are plenty of

Alberta

Thetford Mines remains one of the most popular off-roading locations in Quebec, perhaps owing to it’s

spots to off-road across Canada; hook up with your

Alberta is home to dozens of great off-roading

rocks, challenging hills, and heavy snow. Quebec also

local 4x4 club go exploring.

sites, with lots of challenging terrain. Check out

has a number of off-road events, like Extreme 4x4,

Fallen Timber, which is 70 km north of Cochrane, for

which builds a trail that’ll challenge even the most

numerous marked trails around the nearby campsite.

experienced off-roader.

McLean Creek, 60 km south west of Calgary, also has

Ready to put your off-road driving to the test? Check

a number of marked trails. Both sites have plenty of

out the Subaru Forester Family Rally, and you and

mud, hills, and open areas ideal for off-roading, not to

your family can be selected to participate in the next

mention a fantastic view of the Rockies.

event in August; the winner takes home a new 2014

British Colombia Old logging roads abound in British Colombia, and there are plenty of trails that range from fairly easy dirt roads to much more complex rock crawling trails. On the Island, Extension Ridge is a crisscrossing mesh of dirt trails thanks to the timber

Subaru Forester.

and mining industries. However, for a bit of an alpine challenge, nothing beats Whistler. You can either do a guided tour or take on one of the region’s many gravel

roads yourself.

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It’s Fiddlehead Season in Muskoka But What the Heck are They?

How to Pick Them “This time of year, our culinary team will head out and explore the nearby forests around the resort to forage for fiddleheads,” Bakker continues.

It’s important to know when to pick them. Chef Bakker explains that “you want to pick them before they unfurl and are about four inches in height. Simply pinch and snap the steam about a half inch from the coiled head.”

these wild ferns spring up – and disappear – quickly.

Super Food, Super Tasty

On The Menu at Deerhurst – But Not for Long!

But they are totally worth making the effort to catch

A candidate for the world’s next super food,

This year, Deerhurst has added fiddleheads to our new

them while you can. Usually available from late April

fiddleheads provide a number of health benefits

Taste of Spring menu, highlighting them in dishes like

into early May, fiddleheads are a wild edible fern that

because they are packed with vitamins like iron,

Maple Whipped Goats Cheese and Pickled Beet Tart

can be found all over the Muskoka area and they’re

fibre, potassium, niacin, riboflavin, magnesium,

and the Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Gnocchi.

not only tasty but good for you!

phosphorous, vitamins A and C, zinc and beta-

It’s a short season for fiddleheads in Muskoka, as

Harvest Your Own in Muskoka With the focus these days on fresh, locally sourced ingredients and more and more people interested in foraging for food, fiddlehead harvesting fits the bill.

They usually grow beneath leaf litter in forests, along rivers and generally in rich mud covered ground. It’s because they are found in abundance in Muskoka that they are so popular here this time of year.

“There’s something special about harvesting your own food. You get this satisfaction when you serve it to your family, friends or just simply enjoy it yourself – you feel connected to the earth. Not to mention that

carotene. They are also high in fibre.

But what the heck do you do with this nutritious but funny looking fern? And what do they taste like?

“Our guests love these fresh, local additions to our dishes,” says Chef Bakker. “And they look great on the plate!”

Celebrate the return of spring with an oh-so-delicious

“If you like other greens like asparagus and broccoli,

getaway to Muskoka. Book the Taste of Spring

fiddleheads won’t disappoint,” Executive Chef, David

package and enjoy a 3-course dining experience

Bakker says. “Fiddleheads have an earthy, grassy

accented by a fresh-picked harvest of springtime

flavor with a hint of nuttiness. They taste of spring!”

flavours like fiddleheads, wild leeks and asparagus.

“Fiddleheads are so versatile, they can be used in so many ways. For instance, boiling them and adding them to a salad, or sauté them with garlic, oil and a

It’s the perfect accompaniment to strolling by the lake, hitting the golf course or hiking nature trails as the world turns green again. Learn more.

little salt and pepper. The key is to not eat them raw and to wash them thoroughly before using.”

it just tastes so much better,” Executive Chef, David Bakker says.

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Top 5 Montreal After-Hour Eats You know where this is going

Moishes It’s no secret that we love a good steakhouse, so obviously we love a steakhouse with a good late night menu. From Thursday to Saturday, 9PM to midnight, you can get a $25 prix-fixe that’s pretty generous, considering it includes a rib steak that’s regularly $49.

Leméac Want something sophisticated after 10PM? Then take advantage of Leméac $25, entrée and main prix-fixe.

Start with homemade organic pork rillettes or salmon smoked in-house, and end with braised beef shortrib, truffle oil salmon tartar, or duck confit. Also, if you We promise we’ll get to the poutine, but: the awesome

until midnight, you get a $26 prix-fixe with a starter,

happen to have a vegetarian in your party, this is one

thing about having a vibrant food culture like Montreal

main, and dessert. We like the tomato salad, followed

of the few Montreal spots suitable to those needs.

is the wide range, in price, cuisine, and sheer number,

by dorade, ending with baklava.

of after-hour eats avalible. It was tough narrowing it down to just five, but whether you’re in the mood for something fancy, something classic, or something

L’Assommoir

La Banquise La Banquise, if you’re a Montrealer, needs no

We like the idea of two for one, and there happen to

introduction. But if you haven’t had the pleasure:

be two locations for L’Assommoir—one in Mile End

they’ve been serving poutine since 1968, they have

Milos

and one in Old Montreal. For $22, you get one of their

over twenty types of poutine on the menu, and they’re

delectable little plates, like ceviche or tartar, with one

there for you no matter what hour you call it a night

Hey, didn’t we see this in Vegas? Actually, yes. This

of their 300+ cocktails. It runes 10PM to 1AM from

because they’re open twenty-four hours. You could get

Greek spot has locations in London, Athens, New

Sunday to Thursday, and 11PM to 1AM on Friday and

a burger—but what’s Montreal without poutine?

York, Las Vegas, Miami, but they’ve been in Montreal

Saturday.

greasy, Montreal has what you need.

for three decades and their late night menu is a consistent bright spot in the city. Served from 10PM

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Cinco de Mayo Three Ways This week: hockey night in Mexico

tri-tip wraps; although, “start making” really means season the meat and then refrigerate it, because this recipe is pretty simple and mainly involves a man and a grill.

An hour before the game, right before you grill your meat, whip up a pitcher of tequila Caesars with your bottle of Silver. Remember the chorizo? When the boys arrive, serve ‘em their tequila Caesars in glasses What is Cinco de Mayo, aside from fifth of May in

switching out our regular beer ‘n pretzel routine for

Spanish? Well, it commemorates a victory over French

delicious Mexican food and tequila.

forces that time France decided to invade Mexico during the nineteenth century. More broadly, it’s a celebration of Mexican culture.

Feel the same way? Good. So here’s what you do when

rimmed with cayenne salt and garnished with chorizo.

We can’t promise a great game, but you’ll have great food, great friends, and great tequila Caesars garnished with chorizo, and three out of four ain’t bad.

Cinco de Mayo rolls around: head to the liquor store for a bottle of Sauza Silver, and then go to the butcher

Sauza Silver (750 mL) is available from the

Okay, we’ll admit it: hockey doesn’t usually factor

shop and pick up a couple pounds of tri-tip. If you

LCBO. For more tequilas, cocktails, and recipes,

into celebrations of Mexican culture. Then again, the

really like meat—and we do—get some chorizo too.

visit Tequila: Spirit of Mexico.

playoffs are happening in May, and we don’t mind

The night before the game, start making your Tex-Mex

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