Consumers are increasingly adamant that convenience can't come at the cost of the environment or our health
Walmart just announced it will offer a next-day delivery service to customers in the U.S. to compete with Amazon. Walmart will begin by offering service in Phoenix, Las Vegas and southern California, and intends to cover 75 per cent of the United States this year. Customers need to purchase at least US$35 worth of products…
Rachel David of Hashtag Communications talks about how the marketing industry has evolved
Rachel David is founder and CEO of Hashtag Communications. What is Hashtag Communications and what do you do? David: We are like a modern-day PR company. Companies like Google, Manulife, Best Buy, Sony, Bell, Huawei, you name it, they corporate brand and they call us. We act like an in-house consultancy for these brands and…
The key is to find digital mediums of exchange that preserve the distinct attributes of cash
Canada leads the world in the transition to digitized commerce. With more than two credit cards per capita, the cashless economy is approaching swiftly. The move has been largely voluntary, driven by convenience, and half of Canadians favour dispensing with notes and coins altogether. With cash-only businesses declining to near non-existence, what’s the problem? As…
A few things you should know before you start shopping for your next car through the online giant
By now, eBay has become almost as much a part of the public consciousness as Google or Microsoft. Founded almost 25 years ago, it’s far and away the world’s most popular online auction house and, on any given day, millions of visitors peruse its listings. It’s estimated that at least 200 million consumers use it…
Shawn Wilson talks about how Muzooka works for more than 1.5 million artists and the industry built around them
Shawn Wilson is CEO of Muzooka. What is Muzooka? Wilson: Muzooka is where musical artists and their teams manage their media assets across multiple platforms from one central hub. Update your photos, bio, social media and video links on Muzooka, and we distribute those to our many industry partners, who always need access to the…
President Neil Gruninger wants to create a YouTube alternative for families, content producers and family brands
Neil Gruninger is president and chief product officer of Kidoodle TV. What is Kidoodle TV? Gruninger: Kidoodle.TV is a Safe Streaming video service for children that delivers thousands of hours of vetted children's programs to Internet-connected devices, such as smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, personal computers, Roku, Apple TV and many others. How, when and why…
From supply management to food strategy to rural Internet to food processing to export targets, the government got it all wrong
Most people expected an electoral budget from the federal government this week and that’s exactly what Canadians got. But for the agri-food sector, the budget was underwhelming at best and provided little hope for the near future. Let’s start with supply management. The Liberal government opted to do exactly what the previous Conservative government did…
Randy Milanovic of Kayak Online Marketing talks about entering partnerships with clients to achieve mutual growth
Randy Milanovic is CEO of Kayak Online Marketing. Tell me a little bit about your company – how it started and what you do? Milanovic: We launched Kayak Online Marketing in 2011. However, its origins date back to the second half of the 1990s when I was working in a number of Calgary’s ad agencies,…
From email to phone calls to video conferencing, how to manage what you project to make the best leadership impression
Being perceived as a leader is the essence of leadership presence. While most of my coaching focuses on helping leaders enhance their presence in face-to-face encounters, I also realize that a different set of skills is required for projecting leadership presence when communicating virtually. Communication mediums run a spectrum from lean to rich. A lean…
Who is a customs agent more likely to search: a 70-year-old granny carrying a bag of sweets or a scruffy 25-year-old guy?
There are three main methods con men use to trick their mark. They try to gain their sympathy, take advantage of greed, or threaten or extort. If you’re in the wrong frame of mind, your critical thinking skills might shut down. You see and hear what the con man wants you to. But if a…