With the Winter Olympic Games taking place in Vancouver this time around, watching the athletic events ended up being only one part of the whole Olympic experience, albeit, the main one. Marketwire’s Senior Vice President, Sales Canada Judy Hutchins, based out of the Vancouver office, was among them, along with her husband and friends. Below, she provides a first-hand account of the Olympics “in action,” not only as a spectator, but as a patriotic Canadian.

Watching the Olympic events was but one part of the whole Olympic experience, the main one being the actual athletic competitions.  But, like any Canadian, I wanted to make sure that I had the “right” gear before heading up to Whistler for the women’s giant slalom and the men’s bobsleigh races that weekend – February 20-21, 2010. Mittens were de rigueur, as were scarves, pullovers, children’s clothes, men’s garb, red Canadian hoodies and T-shirts. It was estimated that C$1 million would be spent daily at Hudson’s Bay where official Olympic retail items were sold.  Before the Olympic Games commenced, lines to enter the department store were non-existent. Once the Games were underway, it took a several-hour wait just to get in the door! (more…)

We are in the midst of a media revolution, and that revolution is taking place at warp speed. For most of us, just trying to keep pace with what we need to know about social media, search, email and analytics to successfully participate can become a full-time job. As soon as we begin to feel a bit secure in one area, we realize we’re falling behind in another. But, as we heard at last week’s Online Marketing Summit (OMS) in San Diego, “online is where your audience is,” and if you aren’t in the game, your competitors are.  (more…)

Would you believe that more than 90 percent of journalists think that, to some extent, new media and communications tools and technologies are enhancing journalism?  The statistic is staggering, and perhaps unbelievable to those who think the practice of true journalism has no place for citizen media, Twitter and social networking.

According to the 2nd Annual Middleberg/SNCR Survey of Media in the Wired World, the notion that today’s journalists shun the use of social and digital tools is a myth. Instead, journalists embrace social media, using it more and more to disseminate news, find story ideas and sources, monitor sentiments and discussions, conduct research on individuals and organizations, keep up on issues and topics of interest and participate in conversations. (more…)

Marketwire’s EVP of Marketing/Editorial Operations/Media Relations Paolina Milana is speaking at the Online Marketing Summit (OMS) in San Diego, Wednesday, February 24, 2010, on the Integrated Marketing Forum panel discussion. In her blog post for OMS, she uses a Sicilian quote to highlight the importance of relationships in integrated marketing strategies.

Earlier this month, Econsultancy’s Vice President, North America Rebecca Lieb and Sally Falkow, president and social media strategist at Expansion Plus, presented “Engagement: The Key to Success in 2010,” a webinar that highlighted case studies and other research to show how engagement in social media and other online channels is tied to financial success. Appropriately, this second installment of our Ask the Expert interview series features Rebecca and Sally as they answer Nick’s questions  on social media engagement. (more…)

Social Engagement. Today, it’s vital for business sustenance and success. For many companies, social media and other online channels were lifelines that helped them overcome a tough economic climate and, in some situations, allowed them to grow.

Join Sally Falkow, social media strategist and president of Expansion Plus, and Rebecca Lieb, eConsultancy’s VP, North America, for a free webinar and case study presentation on real-world applications and benefits of social media engagement. (more…)

Reading the recaps and following @Marketwire coverage from North American stops of Search Engine Strategies (SES) has been eye-opening. Colleagues from our Toronto, Chicago, and LA offices have been frequent attendees, and rave about how much they learn from top industry experts about search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO) and social media.  This year’s agenda for SES London is chock-full of brilliant and engaging speakers, so I thought I would share the reasons that I will be attending this year. (more…)

Twenty years can feel like an awfully long time. But, when you’re doing what you love, time seems to fly by, according to Claire Chisamore.

This January, Claire celebrates her 20th anniversary with Marketwire, having joined the company in 1990 when it was known as CCNMatthews. Starting in the accounting department, she moved around a bit, evolving in her role as the company itself evolved. Now, in 2010, Claire is Senior Client Relations Manager and Team Leader in Marketwire’s Toronto headquarters. The opportunity to get to know people – both co-workers and clients – has made her 20 years worthwhile. (more…)

“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.” – Benjamin Franklin

Wishing you a wonderful and prosperous new year.

From all of us at Marketwire

It’s becoming abundantly clear that conferences catering to professionals in digital media, public relations, and online marketing are shifting from forums that sometimes promote unsubstantiated tactical tips, tricks, and buzz words into educational events focusing on what really matters — profitable business strategies.  To my surprise, Search Engine Strategies (SES) Chicago was a show that withheld the pontification of “best practices” and instead hammered home the value proposition of smarter strategic planning, as well as the importance of measuring both return on investment (ROI) and lifetime value (LTV) of the customer or consumer. (more…)