Is there any hope in this dark and bleak world of print and print advertising? Yes, it is in diversifying the business model and looking to where the growing opportunities are, the online world. If we take a look at one of Canada’s largest publisher, Transcontinental and we look at some of their acquisitions over the last year there has been a trend of the organizations move more and more online.  They consolidated their content management system which would allow their publishing side to create and distribute online content faster, back in March of 2008 we broke the story that Transcontinental  acquired ThinData for an undisclosed amount.  Transcontinental also acquired Redwood Custom Communications, a deal that Chris was involved in helping with.  In January they also acquired a leading print to web based solution provider Conversys, another deal that I’m sure Chris had some influence on.

Is Print Dead?

Personally I don’t consume my news from newspapers anymore, instead I tend to get my news online, whether it be a website, blog, Facebook status update or Twitter.  Print isn’t dead, its growth has just slowed down, partially by the economy and also because consumers want content in other forms.  Many marketers won’t give up their print empires, sitting on piles and piles of print, even though advertisers are increasingly shrinking their print budgets.  Pick up a newspaper and you will see a decrease in major brands advertising in print, Microsoft made a major shift years ago, Cisco now relies on print to supplement an existing online campaign.

What is the future of Transcontinental?

Transcontinental has deep pockets and is on an acquisition path. Chris Carder’s a smart guy, he and the team have built a great company over the years.  Now he has the opportunity to be part of an even larger infrastructure, keep his autonomy with ThinData and help influence Transcontinental, not a bad gig if you can get it!

Perhaps they will acquire a social media agency next or a search marketing firm to round of their capabilities.  Either way I’m sure Chris Carder will be a big influence on Transcontinental in the years to come.

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Over the last year we’ve covered a lot about Twitter including a number of companies who are using the service in various campaigns or marketing strategy, and of course our previous breakfast event The Bold and the The Blogging and now we’re offering you a chance to attend a beginners course on Twitter (including a continental breakfast).  The full event details are listed here.

The first 10 PEOPLE TO REGISTER can save $25 by taking advantage of our special pricing.

Register early and save for Twitter 101 For Businesses

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AOL Canada is hoping to capture some of the same growth that AOL.com has seen since their re-launch in September 2008, recording a 23% in unique visitors, 34% in total page views and 61% in total minutes consumed year over year (according to comScore).  Edward Kwan, Senior Director of AOL Canada adds, “The launch of the new AOL Canada portal follows the tremendous successes we’ve experienced in both the U.S. and the UK, enabling exciting new opportunities for the Canadian market. In terms of advertising, Platform-A Canada will now have the capability to expand its reach across more relevant and media-rich content and channels.”

One feature that is new is the ability for AOL Canada users to check their Google Mail, Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, and of course AOL Mail from aol.ca.  Anther feature that users will appreciate is the integration of  social networking capabilities such as update your status or check your profile on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, AIM, Bebo (owned by AOL).

How to advertise on AOL.ca

As previously mentioned, AOL.ca will be opening the door to third party services and content partnerships, as well advertisers can take advantage of the various rich media solutions.  Pepsi has signed as the re-launch home page sponsor and has 300 x 600 and 408 x 80 banner placements on the homepage.

Other features on AOL.ca

• Customized backgrounds with multiple new designs from which to choose;
• Ability to add any customized links to the homepage so users can more easily access their most frequently visited sites;
• Users can drag and drop to reorder channel navigation to suit personal preferences;
• Users can add RSS feeds and personalized categories to get content from their preferred external sites.

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He has joined the team at Search Engine People as Vice President of National Accounts where he will manage and grow the client base for the company.  Prior to joining Martin was General Manager of Canada for iProspect Canada.  Over his career so far he’s also been National Director of Search with Yahoo Canada, and has held positions with Sympatio/MSN and the National Post.

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Smart phones are changing the way that marketers communicate to audiences, we’ve seen a number of media companies offer new ways that consumers can gain access to their content “on the go” such as the recent launch of Score Mobile for the iPhone, but which smart phone do you think is best for developing content for consumers on the go?

Results From The Last Poll Question

Last week I had asked readers whether they felt that by using Twitter Chris Brown might be able to resurrect his career.  75% of the respondents felt that by using Twitter Chris Brown could not redeem his image. I also posted the same question on my Facebook page which created a storm of comments.

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For all those companies looking to advertise on Facebook, it just got one step easier!

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With Michael Jackson’s passing last week it set the Internet a buzz, first with rumours and questions as to the actual state of his health, then once confirmed it shout down every major news source. Google, Yahoo and AOL owned TMZ.com all reported spikes in traffic, Google News was inaccessible for as long as 25 minutes around 2:45 PM EDT on Thursday. I’m sure that the telecos also saw a spike in their traffic, I received several text and Blackberry message during the same time frame.
Here are some of the other industry stories and news that we talked about on Profectio & PR In Canada in this edition of The Week That Was.

Headlines:
AOL Launches Spinner Canada, Blogs To A New Beat
Breaking News: MySpace Shuts Down ENTIRE Canadian Operations
www.www / / Mitch Solway, Vice President Marketing, FreshBooks
Will Zoompass Be the Paypal Mobile Killer?
Latest Pepsi Campaign Spreads A Little Joy
Heavy.com Gets Into the Octagon With Ultimate Fighting Championship

Campaign Corner
Dairy Farmers of Canada Pours New 3D Campaign, A Canadian First

On The Move:
Another Marble Added to 27 Marbles

New Websites & Updates
Canadian Opera Company Sings A New Tune With Re-Launched Website

Account Wins
ThinData Wins Canadian Marketing Association Account

Knowledge Center
New PayPal Survey Reveals Why Online Shoppers Abandon Purchases

Event Calender:

• TorontoTechTalk 7 – June 23 – Networking in downtown Toronto with special guest speaker Mark Fox, Chairman & CEO of Novator
• Shop Online ‘09 – October 6, 2009

Are you part of the community?

• Become a Member of Profectio
• Join the Profectio group on Facebook
• Follow On Twitter

How Profectio’s Network Can Help You

• PR In Canada
• Social Media’s Most Influential
• Profectio Events
• Speakers Bureau

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• Facebook, Thanks For The Memories Segal But We’ll Do It Ourself
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“Music is often placed behind under artificial barriers, separating legends from up-and-comers, indie from major label and genres from each other, but that’s not how music fans listen to music and that’s not how Spinner covers it,” explains Joshua Ostroff, Managing Editor of Spinner Canada. ” Spinner.ca is applying an eclectic approach to the Canadian music scene; giving the music enthusiast a mix of quality audio, video, live performances, interviews, news and commentary.”

On Spinner.ca, local editors and writers offer their perspective on the Canadian music industry,Spinner Canada offers music fans access to interviews, performances, videos and music from their favourite artists from Canada and around the world.  Three key areas include:

• Northern Exposure  a look at the best in new Canadian music
• You Oughta Know an introduction to up-and-coming Canadian artists
• Between the Notes an analysis of Current Canadian music trends
• Live It Out: Get the lowdown on the best and the worst of the Canadian live scene, as well as insider looks at Canada’s best venues, underground parties, concert reviews and more.

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“Our patrons are passionate and loyal, and we wanted to make sure we delivered on their expectation and with every interaction they have with the COC,” said Alexander Neef, General Director of the Canadian Opera Company. “We’re pleased with the notion that visitors of the website can expect the same quality from our digital experience that we demonstrate with our productions in our beautiful opera house.”

Some new features of the site include:

• A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the COC’s production of Madama Butterfly.
• A historical timeline highlighting the company’s milestones including commemorative photos, posters, interviews, and audio and video excerpts.
• COC podcasts featuring musical excerpts and video highlights of select operas and exclusive artist interviews.
• Fun and interactive quizzes, polls, and a glossary of opera terms.
• A blog by Alexander Neef, General Director, who shares his thoughts on COC productions and artists, and encourages visitors to ask questions. Starting this summer, visitors can follow Neef’s journey through Europe.
  Deployment of an online panel within the COC site to provide ongoing feedback for the organization.

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Agency: Delvinia Interactive

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