Tonight marks the official end of Movember, at least in mo’ world, as I head off to the big Gala Parté at Kool Haus.
It’s been a record year. Last I heard, the Canadian fundraising total was over $32 million and I bet by the time you read this, the number will start with a three, and end above a five (Yes, I am predicting at least $35 million, if my bad word puzzle didn’t make sense).
With over 240,000 people supporting Movember, it has to be one of the largest fundraising events in the country, if not one of the greatest movements of our time.
I am very proud of our company team, MojanOne, chasing our $20,000 goal and our current ranking of number 87 in the ‘Top 100’ corporate teams nationally. Unreal. Super heartfelt thanks goes out to Jody Facchini, our MojanOne team captain. She was elected by her MojanOne teammates to lead our internal committee and knocked it out of the park… like with everything she tackles. She even got my family dog on board!
Also, a HUGE thanks to all of you who supported my own fundraising efforts. As of press time, I was at THREE-THOUSAND, THREE-HUNDRED AND SIXTY SMACKERS! Wowee! Thankee!
If you don’t read this until Saturday or later, by that time I will be clean-shaven. I am debating between drunkenly shaving it off myself tonight after the Parté, or waiting till the a.m. to go see Alfred, my trusty barber on Mount Pleasant Road. Any advice amigos?
So now what? It took me a while to get into the swing of things this year, despite my being on the Movember Toronto Committee (Big shout out to Jordan Vader & Casey Rovinelli for their leadership, not to mention Movember Canada national director Pete “Bomber” Bombaci!). In fact, I really didn’t start canvassing hard until mid-month.
Subconsciously, I think I needed to be emboldened by my ‘stache. Once it started to come in… it was almost like I was granted hairy super powers. Because strand by strand, I raised more and more money… to the point where I am now wondering whether this hairy lip was my personal long-lost elixir?
So what’s next? Once my lip turns from black (and grey) to itchy red, what do I do? Can you believe it? Movember has created a new side effect. A post-Movember mood, in the month of December.
What will now galvanize our company? What will dominate water cooler chat? What will we discuss for the first fifteen minutes of every meeting we are in? What will replace the office chirping the growth-challenged have faced?
Perhaps the holidays? Year-end budgets? Office parties? The first sign of snow? School breaks? The race towards NFL playoffs? Boxing Day shopping? New Year’s parties? Resolutions for 2012? All of the above?
Whatever it is… I hope we can all take a wee lesson from Movember. Our time on this earth is precious. Many people will face issues like prostate cancer. Serious, deadly issues. Let’s do our best to conquer these issues. Whether they are personal, physical, or professional.
Being funny isn’t easy. In fact, trying to be funny can often backfire. Witness my opening at this year’s Canadian Sponsorship Forum?
When I promised some insights on how to rev up your ROI, and my opening slide was entitled “Kick the Bucket” featuring a picture of Michael Jackson, the cricket choir wasn’t what I expected. Or hoped for. Yes, it’s true, MJ is worth more dead than alive. That’s the same for many a celebrity. But I was trying to make a joke.
That’s one advantage comedians have over the rest of us. When you go to a festival, or a show, or an improv night, ostensibly you come in a frame of mind to laugh. If you didn’t, well then you have issues this blog can’t solve.
The dates reveal that a young man has died. Even without knowing how he died, you sense the tragedy in the situation. Even without knowing the young man, you understand the grief that has struck his family. Even without reading the obituary, you can feel the sorrow amongst his friends.
Sponsorship marketing has experienced a dramatic shift in the way that properties and brands can engage audiences online. Those on the leading edge of this change can see the potential on the road ahead, but are also keenly aware of the traps and speed bumps that can slow down their progress. Today, TrojanOne‘s Director of Digital Media, Mark Stewartshined a light on what’s ahead for sponsorship marketing within the digital landscape and gave delegates actionable strategies and tools that brands, properties or events can use to drive better relationships and measurable results.
Consumers are now in a “digital first” world. The days of cracking open the dusty encyclopedias are over; the days of Google searches are the norm. The big question Mark tackled today was not “What,” but “Why” this shift only continues to grow, and what you can do to really “hit the gas.” Below are some of Mark’s key lessons that will help inform and inspire you to be the innovators:
Apps vs. Mobile Web: Apps are quickly over-taking the mobile web in terms of usage, but are expected to peak in 2013. With pros and cons to each, the golden rule for mobile apps is simplicity, usability and accessibility. Arguably as important, there are all kinds of devices out there today that consumers are using and your apps need to be optimized across the board — there is no one size fits all. Have you checked out how your website performs on your BlackBerry, iPad, or iPhone? Ensure your website performs on these devices as the world moves deeper into the “digital first” world.
Localization: A.k.a. Location-based technology. “Checking in” on your mobile is a great way to build community and loyalty with your customers by offering discounts, coupons and engagement. Tip: Combine “checking in” with a QR code — this is an innovative strategy that is slowly replacing your old rewards cards and building your digital wallet. State your claim. Give value. Reward participation. Be local. Be social. Be mobile. Combine real-world and digital engagement.
Social Commerce: The trend is really about decision making and finding the best value. “The key is harnessing the power of world of mouth,” said Mark. (Example: Levis has added “like” buttons across their whole website, allowing consumers to share their finds with their networks). Do Groupon, Living Social or Team Buy sound familiar? Yes, these daily deal providers are social commerce at its best. Take advantage.
Gamification: You are going to see a lot of gaming aspects brought into the newest technologies. Humans are pre-dispositioned to psychological variables — points, levels and challenges are all psychological motivators that keep people engaged. Mark recommends being mindful of visual clues, rapid feedback, multiple goals, status rewards, outreach (prompt to return and re-engage), adding uncertainty/mystery, and fostering collaboration and engagement with other game users.
Real Time: With the “digital first” nature of today’s society, real time is an obvious technology. Considering the following touch points will allow you to “hit the gas” and turn real time into brand enhancement and innovation: Find your targeted prospects now. Track industry trends. Seek instant feedback. Provide best-in-class customer service. Track, analyze and adjust.
Faster and Smarter: This is really about changing old business models and is a fundamental shift in the way consumers are operating. Think digital stores and tweeting your food order.
Fair and Balanced: This is about brands taking a journalistic approach and creating stories. Identify, organize and share these stories. Check out The RED BULLETIN, Canadian Tire Hockey School or the Hot Wheels Live website for some great examples.
Mark left his audience with five things to do today:
Test your mobile site
Claim your location (check in!)
Focus on the goals not the tools you’re using
RSS @mechastewfeed
Play, explore, laugh
And after you do those… Follow Mark on Twitter @mechastewart for his daily insights on “What’s Around the Bend in Digital Media” in 140 characters or less!
David Corelli from TrojanOne is truly passionate about sponsorship and how it is an important business tool that can solve problems throughout an organization. In one of the first sessions of the day, he spoke to a full room about the five business priorities that can be advanced using strategic sponsorships: consumer perception, employee engagement, earned media, new business relationships and community engagement.
Sponsorship can be used to improve consumer perception, whether you’re launching a new product (like Gatorade did when they established G Series as a performance enhancing product) or trying to establish a new positioning (like RONA’s partnership with the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, which established them as a company that cares about Canadians). Employee engagement is also a key problem that sponsorship can help solve, as examples from CIBC and AON demonstrate. These two organizations were both able to use sponsorship to transcend cultural and geographic boundaries and unite their employees. Earned media impacts a company’s bottom line more than advertising ever could, and can also provide one of the fastest returns, as Red Bull and Speed Skating Canada have proven with their sponsorship programs. New business relationships can also be formed through partnerships, as GE learned when they entered China for the Beijing Olympics. Finally, grassroots community engagement is one of the most important ways to maximize ROI – companies can make themselves locally relevant by becoming a part of the important moments in their community. Macy’s localization initiative, My Macy’s, is a great example of engaging communities.
During the question period, David discussed ROI measurement and how to prove the value of your sponsorship investment.
The 2011 Canadian Sponsorship Forum has officially begun! Justin Orfus kicked off the opening ceremonies with an introduction of five of the TrojanOne team members, and then encouraged the audience to introduce themselves to those around them. Next, Mark Harrison of TrojanOne took to the stage to introduce the weekend and give an overview of how to rev up your ROI. Mark covered many of the topics that other speakers will delve into over the weekend, including social media and word of mouth, the power of turning participants into promoters, and how to get more by giving more. He discussed going beyond sponsorship to make genuine connections. His presentation included a lot of examples, from Hellmann’s to Coca-Cola, from Kraft’s involvement with Hockeyville to the Purolator Tackle Hunger program. He spoke about the lessons we can all learn from Richard Branson expanding, Oprah quitting, and even Michael Jackson dying.
A clip from Charlie Sheen wrapped up the opening keynote before delegates moved out into nearby rooms for the breakout presentation. Stay tuned for more from the Canadian Sponsorship Forum!
Keep up to date with Mark Harrison on Twitter – @MarkHarrison3.
Spotlights making his large shadow larger, “Lombardi” emerged from the darkness, slowly striding to centre stage.
My ticket told me that I was sitting in The Circle in the Square Theatre. The calendar told me it was December 29, 2010. My body told me I was 45 years old.
But as I saw the “Lombardi” character emerge onstage to open the play bearing his name, I was emotionally transported.
Not just back to a time when Vince Lombardi patrolled the sidelines in Green Bay. But to a time when I was forming my passion for the greatest sport in the world. Lombardi was dead at this point, but I worshiped what he had done. Even though my favourite NFL team was (and is) the Steelers; even though my favourite player was (and still is) Gale Sayers – I loved what Lombardi stood for and what he achieved.
Paul Brown went to 10 straight championship games (four in the old AAFC and six in the NFL), coaching the team he owned and christened. He did it with innovation and tactics. Chuck Knoll has won more Super Bowls than any other coach. He did it by massaging fragile psyches, balancing egos and embracing odd personalities. In different generations, George Halas and Don Shula are the only coaches to notch 300 victories.
But only Lombardi has won five NFL championships (I think, correct me if I am wrong) and he did it in just nine seasons with the Packers. He did it by taking the worst team in football in 1959 and, with the same core players, had them in the finals in two seasons and atop the podium in three. For me, it has always been about how he did it as much as what he did. There is a reason the Super Bowl trophy my Steelers are going to win (yet again) this year is named after him.
Lombardi understood people more than any coach who ever coached the game. He motivated them by making the “relentless pursuit of perfection” their goal. He fortified them by having them train harder than any pro coach would ever suggest. He convinced them by developing a single, powerful identity clothed in one offensive play – the PACKER SWEEP – that nobody could stop.
These three principles: never-ending pursuit of a goal, outworking others and creating overwhelming confidence – can work in any walk of life. Relationships. Friendships. Sports. Business.
For that, we owe Lombardi.
But as a youngster reading about Lombardi, I am doubtful (and hopeful) my reflections weren’t that deep. But, in some ways, they were. When I read Run to Daylight, I came to the realization that if I wanted something, all I had to do was work for it. I was incredibly insecure as a kid. This book gave me hope. It actually made me feel that it wasn’t about what you were born with. As an adult, I read When Pride Still Mattered by Pulitzer Prize winner David Maraniss. This isn’t a football book. It’s a book about what drives greatness in a reader.
If you want to understand yourself better, if you want to understand how to overcome your own demons… read it. If you want to understand why every family in the world is a mess… read it.
The current Lombardi play on Broadway is based on this book. My wife was generous enough to sit through it with me. For her, it was Broadway – great acting by the Marie Lombardi character… and, I suspect, perhaps a curiosity to understand me better.
For me, it was time travel. Seeing that play took me from my present day love of the game back to
the years when I would watch Condredge Holloway, Tommy Clements and later J.C. Watts guide my beloved (Ottawa) Rough Riders to Grey Cup titles and injustice (see offensive pass interference penalty on Tony Gabriel, circa 1981, I believe). It took me back to Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier. It took me back to Herschel (which is my nickname) Walker at Georgia and to the (almost) Toronto Northmen of the WFL. It took me to Johnnie Walton and the Boston Breakers of the USFL.
It took me back to being four-foot-nothing in grade nine. Struggling with being short. Struggling with not being a great football player, wrestler, or clarinet player. It took me back to wearing velour and living in the shadow of my dad – the hero teacher at my school – and older sister who I thought was perfect… as did the rest of my freaking hometown!
Football and my heroes like Lombardi let a little boy escape. It gave me confidence. It gave me pride.
That’s why I coach. Because of what the game can do to help little men become young men.
That’s why I melted when Dan Lauria as Lombardi strolled across the stage and the rest of the crowd applauded. My throat closed, my eyes followed. The tears came flowing out at an embarrassing pace. I wanted to go up onstage and hug him. This ghost. This myth. This guardian angle. This hero. My secret friend. My made-up pal.
Lombardi. He is football.
I have a poster that adorns my office wall with a portrait of Lombardi in his stoic pose. Half-smile, half-grimace on his face. Neat black suit, hands folded gently behind his back. The text of the poster is Lombardi’s famous speech – What It Takes to Be Number One. The poster stands next to my door and I am sure that many an intern has wondered what I am staring at. My eyes lost in Lombardi’s. My lips mouthing every word. My right hand clenched in the tense fist I make when I’m absorbed by something.
This speech is an invincible spirit raiser for any occasion. I have copied it here for you. Read it. Keep it. Read it again in a week. And the week after, and…
What It Takes to Be Number One
Vince Lombardi
Winning is not a sometimes thing; it’s an all the time thing. You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.
There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that’s first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don’t ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.
Every time a football player goes to ply his trade he’s got to play from the ground up – from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That’s O.K. you’ve got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you’ve got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you’re lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he’s never going to come off the field second.
Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization – an army, a political party or a business. The principles are the same. The object is to win – to beat the other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don’t think it is.
It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That’s why they are there – to compete. To know the rules and objectives when they get in the game. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules – but to win.
And in truth, I’ve never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart didn’t appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head to head combat.
I don’t say these things because I believe in the “brute” nature of man or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour – his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear – is that moment when he has to work his heart out in a good cause and he’s exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.
Lucas Spata, just 35 years old, of the Vancouver Canucks marketing team is losing his three-year battle with micro cell cancer. He is presently in a hospice in Vancouver and soon he will leave behind a young widow and a three-year-old son.
His family faces an emotional battle and a financial one. But many people have stepped forward, including the Canucks organization, to help.
Lucas is a good friend of a good friend of mine, which is why I decided to help spread the appeal for more help. He is a valuable contributor to our industry. Most of you don’t know him. Personally, I’ve only met him once, but his story is a tragic reminder of how fortunate many of us are.
Take a moment to read his story and send some support. It doesn’t have to be money. While donations are needed, so is support, including just telling others and sharing his story.
Read on about Lucas — I’m sure you will touched by his unbelievable concern for others, despite knowing his own fate is sealed.
I’m a stickler for typos, so it took me a few minutes to realize that when one of my MojanOne “Movember” teammates sent me the one sentence email, “How is it Moing?” that they weren’t being sloppy! Or MOppy! They were having mo’ fun!
Sensing there was some MOmentum building in our office for this MOvember thing, I wanted to check out how the rest of our team was doing.
Our Calgary team, who are sporting the IDA moniker for Integrated Duster Activations, struck a pose on Day One that has them off and facing to some big fundraising goals. One of our interns has already raised two hundred and ten MOllars! Meow!
That would put her in second place the Toronto office, where one of our mo’s is already at $300 mones.
So, at the risk of being left behind in the must, I realized I had to seize the day and start MOwing some lawns. So here MOes.
Let’s start with the basics. We all know that 1 in 6 Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetimes. Last year, one of those was my father.
Unlike his son, my dad isn’t keen on publicity. (Guess the rumours of my being adopted are true!). But I have to brag a little.
My dad is the greatest man on earth.
He taught high school for a hundred years in Orillia, and was the most popular teacher in school. His class was machine shop, but his lessons were about life. He took kids to our cottage, took them on canoe trips, and took them to personal heights they would never have reached without him. He loved his students like they were his children, and as an immature youth, I was actually jealous of that.
On a teacher’s salary, he was the richest man in town. He had a warmth that everyone felt and bought winter boots for kids who couldn’t afford them. He treated everyone like a king, especially the janitors because he knew a school couldn’t exist without them.
As a father, he taught me to rake every leaf on the lawn, clear every snowflake from the driveway, and capture every speck of dirt in the garage. At 45, I’m still enthusiastically trying to meet his standards. As a husband, he has made my mother’s life magical for 53 years and they will never be apart.
I’m dedicating my involvement in Movember to my dad. When we were kids, my friends called him “Sugar Ron” because he used to be a boxer. (Google Sugar Ray Leonard if you don’t get the point!). Well, he’s still a fighter! He’s knocking the crap out of PC!
Please join me in raising awareness about Prostate Cancer and support Movember. Join a team, donate to me or my team at movember.com/mospace/770320/, or support someone else’s team.
Do it for you dad, your granddad, your dad-in-law, future dads, and all the other dads that give us our Mojo!
I read the other day that a guy named “Bubbles” is running for mayor in my hometown of Orillia.
Apparently, this is quite funny. But, since I don’t watch Trailer Park Boys, I don’t quite get the Bubbles part. Locals report he is a dead ringer for the TV show character; although, in real life, he is a piano technician and apparently an SPCA volunteer. While he hasn’t put his name on the official log, the unofficial candidate is taking a stab at being a duopolous mayor as he is simultaneously running in Severn Township. Clearly, there is no shortage of ambition here.
Bubbles, the candidate, wants Rush to play a concert in Orillia (his iPod is full of Rush tunes) and for Tim Horton’s to offer free coffee on Sundays. That along with his desire to have a wet bar at town council meetings.
I like this guy.
Looking closer to home, I see that a local high school football coach is well on the way to becoming Mayor of Toronto.
Geez, if I knew that volunteer high school football coaches could become Mayor, I might have run. Okay, maybe not.
But, I am going to do a little politicking right now. Don’t worry, I have no interest in swaying how you vote. Except in the most basic way. And that is to encourage you to vote.
You see, I have been involved in a few too many political arguments lately. Not arguments but heated discussions. In all of them, one thing has become clear: I don’t really understand our municipal system and I don’t pay attention to what happens in my city.
And you know what? What happens at City Hall impacts me at work and at home.
The good news is I have an old university friend running in my riding, so I have been to a couple of her campaign events and that has whetted my appetite. But I want to take it further. I want to help Canada get out and vote.
But why? Why should we vote?
I can tell you what I want to see in Toronto. You can tell me what you want to see in Halifax or Regina or Québec City or Medicine Hat or Bellville.
I would like to see somebody run under a platform of “Activating the City of Toronto Brand.” Like all great brands, the City of Toronto brand has a promise. It is time to keep those promises.
So, what promises should the City of Toronto make to me?
• That I’m not dreaming that the Leafs are 3-0 (by the time you read this they may be 3 & 18!)
• That I can drive my bike all over the city in a safe, protected lane… go to Amsterdam if you are unsure of what I mean!
• That I can have clean streets, sidewalks, and parks.
• That I won’t get shot trying to be an anti-gang activist.
• That a shopkeeper won’t face five years in jail trying to stop someone from robbing him. Again. Like twice in the same day. (Look it up, true story. Robber got 60 days and robbed again. He got out. Shop owner is facing five years for chasing him down and forcing him back to his store to be arrested)
• That my community pool will open before August.
• That we will tear down Varsity Stadium and rebuild it the way it should be: open-air, grass-filed, seating for 25,000 crazy high school, Varsity Blues and Argos fans!
• That we will we bury the Gardiner and make an amazing waterfront featuring real parks and get rid of all the sugar plants and ugly smelters.
• That someone will grant more parking for Porter Airlines or give them a bridge or underpass to Billy Bishop Airport.
• That people across Canada stop calling us the Center of the Universe. It makes me blush!
Tonight marks the official end of Movember, at least in mo’ world, as I head off to the big Gala Parté at Kool Haus.
Also, a HUGE thanks to all of you who supported my own fundraising efforts. As of press time, I was at THREE-THOUSAND, THREE-HUNDRED AND SIXTY SMACKERS! Wowee! Thankee!
