In With The New...Continued.

So as many of you know, I make a habit of periodically circulating employment leads throughout my network, either on behalf of recruiters or as a favour to my contacts with direct employers. This is part of my ongoing commitment to active networking and being a connector of people, combined with my long-time personal affinity for HR activities and end-to-end management of an organization’s most important resource - its Talent.

Right now I coincidentally have several interesting positions to share in the early part of New Year 2009. So please take a look here…and feel free to pass any leads along if you know someone who is qualified and would potentially be interested in considering an opportunity.

But do want to be up-front that I am just acting as the middleman and this is definitely not my day job in any way either. Meaning while in some cases I do have a bit more information, for the most part what I have posted on the blog is essentially everything I know about the position, OK?

Happy hunting!

There are openings listed here in Media Operations & Account Management (2 roles), Marketing & Product Management / Project Management (2 roles) as well as Sales & Business Development (2 roles).

***Associate Director - Media Account Management***
An internal promotion has recently created this Toronto-based Sympatico/MSN vacancy, which reports to the Senior Director of Operations and Business Strategy. The Sympatico/MSN Account Management team - headed up by the Media Account Management Associate Director - manages the fulfilment and optimization of online media campaigns while providing performance reporting to clients and the Sympatico/MSN Sales team.

> Highlights of Position Responsibilities
• Provide leadership and management to Canada's top team of Internet Advertising Account Managers
• Partner with Sales to rigorously execute all Campaign Implementation processes while planning/managing against both short- and longer-term (revenue) objectives

> Highlights of Required Experience and Skills
• Degree and 5 years+ of Account Management experience in a communications company or agency
• Online Industry experience is preferred, ideally with demonstrated success in a supervisory role
• Business Growth Planning & Operations Forecasting, Resource Optimization & People Management, Process Design & Implementation along with Achieving KPI Targets - Directly & Via Team Members

> Additional Information
• This is a priority hire for the organization and the successful candidate will be asked to commence employment ASAP
• Bilingualism (English/French) is considered an asset
• Location is in Toronto - 207 Queen's Quay

***Production Manager, Portal Operations***
The Sympatico/MSN portal, a division of Bell Canada is looking for a Content Production Manager who will be responsible for working with a team of Content Managers and the Homepage Editor. This position will be located in Toronto and will report to the Associate Director, Portal Operations.

> Highlights of Position Responsibilities
• Working with a team of Content Managers that are involved in the planning, integration and management of content for channels on the Sympatico/MSN English portal
• Developing and managing an Editorial Calendar
• Tracking and reporting of results to identify opportunities for performance improvement and trends to optimize integration
• Coordinating cross promotion to drive results and meet targets for content and events that have revenue associated with them

> Highlights of Required Experience and Skills
• College diploma in multimedia or a related discipline or equivalent combination of training and experience
• 2-4 years experience managing a team
• 1-2 years experience working in online editorial positions

> Additional Information
• This is a priority hire for the organization and the successful candidate will be asked to commence employment ASAP

***Project Manager, Interactive Television (full-time, contract)***
• Seeking Project Manager - ideally with Broadcast or ITV experience - to guide the launch of an ITV property
• Offering competitive compensation and can anticipate an initial 6-month contract term
• Location is Toronto/GTA
• This is not a “speculative venture” and the employer is known within the space

***International Marketing Manager***
> Highlights of Position Responsibilities
• Develop go-to-market strategies and materials for launching new online publishers, Internet content verticals, and customized Web/Interactive media solutions
• Working with Sales department, develop and execute an annual marketing plan
• Clearly communicate marketing initiatives; ensure messaging is aligned with the company's unique value proposition and global strategy initiatives.
• Research and international Sales team support
> Highlights of Required Experience and Skills
• Bachelor’s degree required, with 1-2 years experience in online advertising, marketing, and/or sales strategy
• Solid analytical and strategic thinking, proven leadership qualities and ability to work well independently as well as with team members
• Organized, results-driven with a track record of successful execution and must possess superb verbal and written communication and presentation skills
• Passionate about Internet and New Media with an understanding of online advertising principles, traffic & engagement metric tracking tools, Web 2.0 technologies, and social networking trends

> Additional Information
• Preference is for bilingual candidates with French-language skills
• Public Relations expertise and experience writing press releases is an asset
• Location is Toronto/GTA

***Online Advertising Sales Executive***
> Highlights of Position Responsibilities
• Sales Hunting - prospecting potential Web Media advertisers and selling online advertising solutions, including face-to-face presentations with interactive media planners/buyers and marketing personnel
• Evangelism - educating marketers on the advantages of online advertising plus convincing marketers to allocate ad budgets to online channels
• Account Management & Admin - following up with existing clients re: ongoing online campaigns; maintaining sales contacts in CRM database (Salesforce.com) and updating sales forecasts

> Highlights of Required Experience and Skills
• Must have college diploma, plus 2+ years of online advertising sales experience
• Must have extensive knowledge of the online advertising industry
• Must be a team player with strong “solutions sales” mindset
• Must demonstrate a history of overachieving against sales quotas and exceeding client expectations

> Additional Information
• Location is Toronto/GTA
• This is a role where true Hunters with polished sales skills and a strong work ethic will thrive and excel
• This role requires some travel to United States markets (approx. 10-20%)
• Base compensation is $60K to $80K; will consider higher for exceptional candidates
• Commissions and bonuses structure for this role provides a realistic opportunity to earn well in excess of $200K annually, OTE

***Director of Business Development***
• Candidates MUST have previous experience selling Web Marketing, eCRM/Loyalty or Acquisition Marketing services
• The employer is a Toronto-based digital marketing agency offering strategic Web Marketing and eCRM services
• Base salary is in the $80-100K range (and possibly higher depending on candidate qualifications) plus commissions & bonuses added to bring the total comp package to around $200K, OTE

Out With The Old, And In With The New.

Happy New Year, all.

My first words of 2009 are in the Out With The Old category. My former employer Primus Canada went through yet another cycle of layoffs last week, which by my count makes several dozen jobs cut since I personally jumped ship about 10 months ago. As in the past, the purging had a direct impact on several friends and colleagues within the Residential Marketing group, along with Outsourced Customer Care, etc.

Heard from one of the remaining insiders that the overall mood is not so good and his feeling was the future looks pretty grim for Primus. No surprising given that some of the people let go this round had been with the organization for 6 years, and another for 9 years…or basically a hundred years in Sionne Time, since I am not personally known for my ability to remain with any company for an extended period.

But I’m sure by applying some obscure EBITDA Math equation, these cuts ended up making sense, at least on paper. Puzzling approach to running a business in my mind. Which makes the observation offered by one of my Primus Canada Alumni Club associates that “With nearly all the mid- and low-level staff gone from the Resi group now who will actually do the work? And why then do they need to keep on two directors, a vice-president and a senior vice-president when there are only around 5 people still left reporting into those guys anyway?” address an interesting point indeed.

One really competent product manager received her layoff news while still at home, on month 10 of her maternity leave. While I learned afterwards that she was at least treated fairly severance-wise I have to say it did disappoint and irritate me anyway. It is a brave new world of employment in the shiny year 2009 when these types of things happen in the workplace but I suppose if one does not like it they can just stop playing, take their ball and go home, right?

Onwards and upwards, into the A Little Of Both (some in/new and some out/old) area. Unless you live under a rock it was pretty difficult to not hear the online media industry announcement that Yahoo! has hired a new CEO. Carol Bartz joins after a celebrated tenure with Autodesk and while I do not know much about her, she does at least address the Mark Cuban requirement that Yahoo! get tough management-wise. I mean, what does it say about a person when she receives a cancer diagnosis in her first week on a new job, takes 30 days off for aggressive treatment - including a mastectomy - returns to working only a month later? Word is the newest Autodesk employee Bartz would arrive early enough to vomit in the company parking lot from the effects of chemotherapy before going into the office. Maybe this anecdote is apocryphal and the work of a clever PR team, but then again maybe it is exactly what really happened. Either way, you can just look it up and decide for yourself.

Oh, and Sue Decker decided that being passed over for the CEO spot and instead reporting into a new boss with a mandate for making aggressive cuts to the Yahoo! business was not how she wanted to spend the few years of her life. Decker’s resignation is of course not surprising but what interests me most is watching to see where she will land and what she will do next. Will she quickly salvage a new gig elsewhere, like Kevin Johnson did after MSFT's failed takeover bid for Yahoo! this past summer? Or will Decker spend time idling on the corporate sidelines with the industry (rightfully?) attributing much of the blame for the recent Yahoo! market cap evaporation to her role as the senior executive primarily responsible for a series of management mis-steps down in Sunnyvale, in tandem with Jerry Yang? Stay tuned as only time will really tell on that score...

Finally, some In With The New. My ongoing fixation with circulating employment leads throughout my personal network has proven successful enough for both candidates and recruiters/employers recently that I currently have several interesting roles worthy of broadcasting. See my next post for these latest opportunities…if you note something appealing and wish to connect an interested, qualified candidate with a prospective employer do get in touch with me so I can arrange that connection ASAP.

Until next time.

Two Men Enter...One Man Leaves.

Apologies for the title as it will remind some readers of what is quite possibly the worst-ever sequel in the history of Hollywood filmmaking. I mean, exactly how did someone like the Tina Turner character end up running a town in post-apocalyptic Australia, anyway?

Movie criticisms aside, the line is actually appropriate because tonight I am proud to introduce you to the official Web site for the Search Engine Rap Battle series, where the leaders in the space attempt to solve their disputes Old School-style...by rapping!

Now I think this will be much more entertaining if you have previously seen Eminem's 8 Mile, but even if not there is still a laugh or two in there regardless.

The video below leads off with an MSN vs Google showdown and includes the soon-to-be classic line "...cuz all your search results say 'Search Wikipedia'…" but be sure to check out the MSN vs Yahoo! faceoff as well and then wrap it all up with the Google vs Yahoo! finale here.



And in keeping with the overall theme, it is an absolute must for me to also highlight this "Paid Search 101" video from the infamous SEO Rapper, whose messages are just right in a funny-because-it-is-true kind of way...hope you enjoy it.



Aiight? Then I’m Audi, like 5000…until next time.

Word.

Where Does The Time Go?

Was about to circulate one of my patented Sionne’s Spammy Mass Emails today - or what I really prefer to call an informative update to an intimate group of selected contacts - and remembered what my friend Malcolm would likely tell me, “Uh, excuse me but please stop stuffing my in-box with the kind of info and commentary you are supposed to be posting on your near-dormant blog, dude.” …which is exactly right.

Will spare you the latest litany of excuses as to why Posts By Sionne deserves its ranking as one of the leading Cobweb-Gathering Locations On The InterWeb but suffice it to say it is proof of the fact I lead an extremely rich and full life, which consists of basically the following schedule on a daily basis:

Getting up and hassling the latest iteration of the Roberts family until they get out the door with me and dropped off at daycare, going into work, working all day, coming home from work and starting the Second Shift ie. assisting my wife in throwing some food at our children, getting pyjamas on them and continually chasing them back into bed for about an hour after their supposed bedtime and then doing some more exciting grown-up stuff like cleaning up supper mess, paying bills and walking the dogs followed by catching up on daytime workload overflow and then getting a few hours of sleep…phew. Weekends are not as intense as weekdays but still consumed with buying groceries, usual household repairs and yard work, never-ending laundry piles, various children-focused activities, etc.

While I have never actually been a little mouse running on a wheel, over recent months I can well imagine exactly what that experience feels like. Don’t get me wrong though - life is good overall and no regrets, just the reality of limited time cycles in the past year or so, where blogging falls on the could-do side of the ledger versus the must-do side for me.

So a bit of a departure format-wise this time. Instead of working from a single theme my objective here is to simply get some of these items finally published instead of continuing to have them roll around in my head for weeks on end. So, in no particular order:

> A big shout-out to my friend Andris Pone of Instinct Brand Equity, whose article criticizing Bell Canada’s inability to deliver on its (re)brand promise was featured in the October issue of Marketing Magazine. Check out the article here because I tend to nod my head along with nearly everything Andris and his colleagues at Instinct Brand Equity have to say. Their criticisms and insights are always spot-on…these guys really get it.

> It was announced earlier this week that Jerry Yang is stepping down as Yahoo! CEO and will be reclaiming his former title of Chief Yahoo, reverting to a more strategic role as soon as Jerry’s successor is named. Not really any surprise here but my biggest question is “what comes next?” as this move only reinforces the fact that Yahoo! has been lacking a true get-it-done CEO since the beginning of the Terry Semel era, and what a debacle Mr Hollywood’s tenure turned out to be, huh? Kinda hard to run a leading Silicon Valley-based Web Media company when you fly up from LA once a week and don’t even read emails on your computer but instead have them printed out (!) by your executive assistant.

Don’t get me wrong. Even though they are direct competitor to my employer I am far from a Yahoo! hater and in fact have a long-time affinity for what I consider to still be a leading global online brand. What would make me - and thousands of the company’s employees and shareholders, etc - happiest is for Team Purple to get their sh*t together and develop a clear and focused strategic plan, and then execute against it, before the executive exodus becomes irreversible and/or MSFT makes another bid. With the current economic downturn to navigate through and associated declines in advertising budgets the Yahoo! challenge will be difficult enough without any new Peanut Butter Manifesto-related issues compounding their problems.

Am really hoping for a number of reasons that Yahoo! can get lean and hungry before the entire train comes off the rails for them. From that point of view, Jerry Yang’s relinquishing the CEO role now is a good step in right direction. My favourite comment on this whole situation was one I read recently from the ever-quotable Mark Cuban, where he said "Jerry's too nice a guy. He cares too much. They've got a lot of avenues they could take but all of them depend on being a lot meaner and a lot more aggressive and that's just not their style." The article where Cuban was quoted goes on to say “Cuban should know - he took Yang for $6 billion during the dotcom bubble by selling Broadcast.com to Yahoo, then made sure to collar his shares so they kept their value while Yang's fortune plunged. Never heard of Broadcast.com? Exactly Cuban's point.” which while entirely true also made me laugh out loud. A sweet play by Cuban but gotta love that ValleyWag attitude in describing a classic dotcom-era transaction…

> Finally, I came across the Search Marketing Fact Pack 2008 in Advertising Age and found it really interesting, despite the definite US-market emphasis. Even though I have a new role in my day job and therefore tend not to focus as much on the Search space as I did previously, it holds enough personal interest for me to dig into this stuff any chance I get. Some good info on Keywords and Buying Words, the usual on Analytics as well as solid coverage of Local and Mobile, two areas I have been following much more closely lately. Take a look at the full report for yourself here if you want to know more.

There you go and hope you enjoyed this one. And even though I am “cashing in some credits” (you married dudes know what I mean) and getting out of the house tonight - going to the Ad Club Holiday Party event, after also attending Mobifest yesterday evening - I will see if I can follow up in the not-too-distant future with another update…or at least by sometime before Christmas. I am really not kidding here, OK?

The Rise and Fall of…Twitter?

Ahoy-hoy. Am now back in town after my 2-week family vacation Back East and just feeling fine.

Today's video is for all you über fanatics of Web 2.0 communications tools out there, especially the Twitter devotees...you hopeless tweet-aholics know who you are.

This parody of a scene from the film Downfall is a fairly popular Internet meme (just check out YouTube for Hitler Gets Banned, etc) but this *Twittler* version struck me as extra-funny and just right for a re-posting here.

Thanks to John Biggs for originally posting on his TechCrunch blog. Just remember, it's supposed to be a joke, and totally about Twitter NOT Hitler. So please keep that in mind before you post a negative comment or send me some nastygram email messages.

On with the show…

The People Have Spoken.

So I ran into an associate from my previous life (when I was working as a spreadsheet jockey senior product marketing manager in telecom) at a sporting event the other night. In the course of catching up he asked me a very unexpected question, “when are you going to put up a new post on your blog?” and I was quite surprised since it was apparent to me he most definitely wanted to see something updated at Posts By Sionne on a more regular basis. Kind of a minor ego boost but also at the same time a reality check...that there are actual, real-live people out there reading what you are blogging. Sometimes even checking back to see if there is anything new!

This conversation at the soccer stadium triggered a different perspective on my relationship with the (admittedly very few) readers of Posts By Sionne. And it’s something that simply reviewing Web traffic logs doesn’t properly illustrate - even though there may not be many of them, visitors to your blog are real people and they are checking in for one reason, ie. to read what you have to say. So thanks for the equivalent of a friendly kick in the butt, Scot and getting me back at the keyboard again…this one is for you, and of course the five or six other regular visitors to this space.

What some of you may not understand is that I absolutely enjoy the whole blogging thing and it is not in any way a lack of interest contributing to my infrequent/sporadic publishing schedule.

How to explain? OK, try this...maybe I spend too much time with someone who works in the law enforcement field, or maybe it is just the proliferation of TV crime program spinoffs like Law & Order: Jaywalkers and CSI: Boise, Idaho (yes I am exaggerating, but only a tiny little bit - I mean, how many of those shows are running on TV anyway?) but for me successfully blogging lately has been like committing a crime and therefore comes down to the elements of Means, Motive, and Opportunity. As in…

1) Means: Hmm, I have a computer with Internet access and the ability to command a mouse and keyboard. And as a generally opinionated person I typically have something to say, no matter the subject…OK, truth is I probably enjoy hearing myself talk more than the average person but c’est la vie. This trait combined with my long-time affinity for writing contributes to a capacity for producing something blog-worthy without too much difficulty. Never really any significant obstacles for me in the Means category.

2) Motivation: This one is a bit tougher. With a full-time job, a working spouse and two pre-school-aged children in my household, life for me recent has been a series of *weekday survival sprints* punctuated by weekends filled with an equal mix of non-stop family activities, housekeeping, chores and yardwork. Those in similar situations will recognize themselves when I state that blogging falls pretty far down the list of top priorities, somewhere well below convincing myself not to go out to the store for a pack of cigarettes (I don’t smoke, by the way) and just keep on driving ;o)

Thanks to Scot’s comments though, the Motivation part level has at least temporarily been ratcheted up a few notches. So this brings us to the final element - Opportunity.

3) Opportunity: Simply put - there never seems to be enough time. And when there is enough time either I am too tired by a long day to get excited by the prospect of blogging or there are about a dozen other things that seem higher up on the Important Stuff list, which means I end up doing a few of those instead.

Ah, but tonight it is so different. In this case tonight my wife is on a rare overnight work assignment and the rugrats (aka Sweet Little Angels to everyone except their parents) have actually both been sound asleep as of 9PM, for the first time in 3 weeks, I believe. Which leaves me now all alone in front of the computer with nothing but a cold beer and my friends Means and Motive asking me if I am going to invite Opportunity to the party ;o)

Somewhat long-winded introduction aside, here is a series of spots for Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions, aka MDAS. Not sure why but recently I have been enjoying European-based advertising campaigns more than those produced here in North America. This one was created by a creative agency (Openhere - based in Belgium) for Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions, targeting the EMEA market.

On the Full Disclosure front, I am currently employed with BCE (Bell Canada Enterprises) in the Sympatico/MSN portal group. With Sympatico/MSN being a partnership between Bell and Microsoft Canada and my role a hybrid of product marketing and sales, I live in this space and also have the opportunity to work on a daily basis with some very bright and talented counterparts over at MSFT. That said, I am trying to ignore any potential personal biases when analyzing these ad spots. If anything I am possibly inclined to be more critical, since I understand this particular MDAS business better than outsiders would. Why not watch for yourself though and develop your own assessment? Then see my comments below…

The Break-Up / Bring The Love Back



Inspiration, Anyone? - Trailer




Inspiration, Anyone?



Brilliant, just killer, really…don’t you agree? Here is what I found worked best on these:

It's simply very effective at communicating the superficial approach far too many advertisers take when communicating to their customers and prospects, regardless of the medium. Terrific approach, introducing the relationship between a (self-absorbed) man and his frustrated love interest to demonstrate the interaction between advertisers and consumers.

It’s well-executed - irreverent, light and humourous and styled as a parody without incorporating any darker satirical or sarcastic tones.

While not anywhere near as clever as the classic Mac versus PC series, it squarely hits the funny-because-it-is-true button several times. The agency scenes in Inspiration, Anyone? are especially entertaining for those of us who have personally experienced similar scenarios when dealing with a pure creative shop. As in the equation: muffins! + giant Starbucks cup + the bigger logo reco’ = WAY too funny.

It looks (and sounds) good…very solid production overall. In the "Inspiration, Anyone?" trailer, it seems like they even spent the budget dollars to hire a soundalike for that famous Hollywood voiceover artist Don LaFontaine, originator of the now-clichéd "in a world where..." phrase.

Most importantly, after having all the preceding elements in place, you now have something that is viral-friendly and easily shared via emailed links to video clips, or uploaded as embedded content on a Web site…or blog as I have done here.

Interestingly, there are virtually no Microsoft references in these spots, with exception of MDAS thrown up for the closing shot. I think many viewers would be surprised to learn Microsoft actually even has a group devoted to Digital Advertising Solutions, although this is less likely to happen within to the target audience. While this “white-label” approach would be a huge oversight if applied on a traditional TV ad (remember that very entertaining EDS Herding Cats Super Bowl ad from a few years back…the one where virtually no one remembered the company it advertised?) in this online/viral medium it becomes less of a liability.

Now agreed there are some deficiencies, one being that it does not work very well in terms of detailing what MDAS really does and explaining specifically how advertisers can benefit. I am not actually familiar with the original briefing and campaign objectives but as a straight Awareness execution it definitely offers enough to be shared virally and in this format it can easily be re-distributed…which ultimately spreads the MDAS message and results in an effective campaign on the brand awareness level.

Great minds think alike, it seems. In my related research I learned that this spot has received multiple awards to date in Belgium as well as a prestigious Bronze Lion award very recently at the 2008 Cannes International Advertising Festival.

So definitely one of my more expansive efforts here. Suppose that it is to be expected with nearly two months of pent-up blogging energies now finally being released. Thanks as always for reading and come back soon for more, OK?

Happy surfing!

Send In The Clowns.

See below a fantastic print ad from DDB Stockholm/Sweden for the Volkswagen-owned Škoda car line. This is actually from around mid-2007 but if you have not already seen it, then it’s still in the New To You category…

So sure, the whole "our Pricing department is staffed by a bunch of clowns" thing has been done many times before - and for some reason quite frequently in the automotive space, ie. for spots promoting Wacky Larry’s Super Car Deals Emporium and the like - but in this case the concept’s execution is innovative enough to receive top marks from me.

And of course everybody loves clowns, or don’t they?


(Click image to view larger version in new window)