An advertisers dream:  A walking, talking billboard that can physically interact with your target audiences, speak to them, and ask them to take action.  Christopher West, a student at Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, is truly a marketing genius in my books.  As a college project, he is selling advertising space on a t-shirt every week. Christopher’s idea is simple as he states, “I am your billboard, I am your salesperson, I am your sandwich man”. All shirts created will be sold at an auction during his graduation.

After stumbling upon this project we decided that this would be excellent opportunity to showcase our creative abilities and knack for thinking outside the box...or at the very least, get an interesting blog out of it.  Our guiding principle behind any shirt design was to create an image that truly resonated our teams personalities and the SWMG culture.  And what we came up with is the image that you see above; although it’s probably not the most politically correct design—this was intentional as we wanted the the image to also garner attention from viewers and stimulate conversation.  The collage of middle fingers inscribed in the shape of a heart embodied SWMG in three important manners.  First, thinking beyond the norm of what is acceptable.  SWMG is a group of individuals who thrive on pushing the boundaries and strive to over-deliver on all our marketing endeavors rather than just being content with being sufficient or good. Second, our creative team prides itself in being both unique and innovative when it comes to bringing our our messaging to life…we truly can make any symbol beautiful…just look at the shirt design…or for our more politically correct work, have a look at the traditional (i.e. poster, brochures) and web creative that we have done. Third, we feel that marketing is all about having fun and doing something that generates buzz.

In addition to the concept, we encouraged individuals to interact with the design and speak their hearts by drawing or writing whatever they wished to express on the shirt.  The intention is that the shirt design will grow organically over the week with expressions of peoples’ thoughts and creative design, thus creating a community of voices communicating their own uniqueness.  In addition, we created a website, www.speakyourheart.ca, that directed individuals to our social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIN) where we could communicate with them, showcase our work, and introduce the personalities that make up the SWMG team. 

Working in a small agency is really like playing on a team. Every member of the team has their assigned position and we work together to achieve a common goal, or in sports terms, win the game. We pull together to get work done.

It’s all about strategy; all players invest the necessary time and efforts to be a successful team. Each person has to work independently while working closely with others, since most project elements are delegated throughout the team; the end result is dependant on everybody completing their portion. It is essential that you pull your weight, because only you are held accountable.

Like any other team with a winning strategy, SmallWorld has heart. We have the raw material, creative strength and persistence to come out on top in our league. We have the desire to combine our abilities and contribute our unique talents and efforts to every thing we do.

As a team, we are understanding and respectful of one another and can comfortably ask for clarification if needed. Also, if we ask for a co-workers opinion, we are sure to get an honest answer :)

To keep in good shape, we are constantly learning new trends, skills and strategies in our sport. As a whole, we are energetic and strong. We encourage each other and are supportive—we see the value of constructive criticism. Our coaches motivate us to work hard and come out on top with creative solutions.

Krista Hildner
Administration & Marketing Coordinator
April 9, 2009

When the words “Web 2.0” crop up in conversation, I have come to accept that the first, almost instinctive, thought that comes to mind is Facebook.  And why shouldn’t it?  With Canada boasting the largest number of Facebook accounts, it seems that almost everyone, including pets and, more strangely, stuffed animals, have signed up.  Facebook has revolutionized our online experience; no more having to wonder what old friends are up to, no more awkward phone calls, no more waiting to share online discoveries, no more forgetting birthdays, no more...  If I was to sum up this online experience into one word, the word “community” seems appropriate.  Your Facebook page forms your community and, within this community, information flows comfortably from you to others and vice versa.  All community members share a platform upon which thoughts surface, discussion occurs, discoveries uncover, and personal updates are realized.  It is this concept of “community” that I feel defines Web 2.0.   

Web 2.0 is literally the next generation of the internet going from a ‘push’ of information to viewers, like commercials on television, to now a ‘push back’ interactive conversational platform.   From a client standpoint, this is the holy grail of information gathering – it’s difficult to imagine any other method where you can gather such volume of information in both a non-intrusive and non-biased manner.  Importantly, Web 2.0 tools that serve as the medium for communication, such as video, pictures, audio, online social networks (such as facebook, del.ici.ous, or digg) are not just limited to harvesting information from a client’s consumer markets but also harvesting information from a client’s workforce.  Companies often fail to realize valuable information nested within their own organizations.  It has been shown that collective information from the entire workforce is a much better predictor of business goals, such as product success or project timelines, than predictions from any one expert acting alone (for more on this, please read "The Promise of Prediction Markets").    

Bottom Line:  Stripped of its jargon, Web 2.0 is simply an online platform upon which information freely and comfortably flows amongst all, or in other words, it brings the world to you and introduces you to the world.

Dhushan Thevarajah
Mar/Comm Communicator
Monday March 9th, 2009

When a client or potential client calls to discuss an ongoing project or possible project, we often get asked the question “Can you do it?”  Whether this question is directed towards our services or budget, I always ask them the same question in return; “How much time do you have to dedicate to the project?”  Another frequently asked question, especially for projects with tight deadlines is “Can we make it?”  My answer to these questions is always “Yes” if it is understood that the best outcome is most often made possible when there is effort from both sides.  As a creative agency it is vital that our clients understand that their input, cooperation and most importantly collaboration is essential.  I’m continuously amazed when we are approached to take on any sort of project whereby the clients expectations are ‘just do it’ without the proper steps of communication between both parties.

(Last time I checked we threw out the crystal ball when we moved offices :-)

We are in the business of understanding our clients’ needs through a stringent methodology whereby we get to know the people behind the business, the business itself, the strategy, and their customers. Just remember, as much as our reputation is on the line for the work we do; it’s our clients’ project, their baby so to speak and so it IS very much a team effort to bring the vision to life. Deadlines and responsibilities need to be honoured and met on both ends…nothing deadens the creative faster then a painfully long, drawn out and interrupted decision making process – it kills the excitement of the launch!

Bottom line: asking creative to ‘just do it’ without any sort of mutually communicative efforts and preparation is like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in a t-shirt and sandals thinking it’ll be warm at the top because its closer to the sun…

Vanessa
Co-Owner/President
Wednesday February 18th, 2009

2009 will be an interesting year for SmallWorld Media Group! Thus far we have been the recipient of over 15 regional, national and international awards in total all within each of our vertical markets of Economic Development, Tourism and Corporate. We have expanded and welcome our new strategic partners Prisma Light, Storm Film, and RubberPixel each specializing in their respective fields of CGI video animation integration, radio, TV, film and stop motion film.

We are looking forward to continued growth with our existing and new clients and hope you enjoy the launch of our new website designed to showcase the creative and strategic work we have produced for our clients.

Take care,
Vanessa