Cette offre s’inscrit dans le Cossette Lab, amorcé il y a plus de deux ans, un ensemble d’initiatives mises de l’avant par Cossette afin de demeurer à l’avant-garde des technologies.

Les entreprises intéressées à soumettre leur candidature auprès de Cossette sont invitées à le faire auprès de Marilyne Levesque à l’adresse marilyne.levesque@cossette.com.

La Capitale-Nationale regorge d’endroits mythiques, mais de nombreux trésors restent encore à découvrir. L’Effet Québec est une plateforme destinée aux amoureux de la région de Québec désirant faire connaître les endroits qui les font vibrer. C’est l’occasion pour les citoyens de mettre en lumière les merveilles de leur région et de générer un sentiment de fierté.

Que ce soit des restos branchés, des galeries d’art ou des activités familiales, le site rassemble un éventail de renseignements permettant aux touristes de faire des découvertes surprenantes en fonction de leurs goûts et des recommandations du public. L’initiative fait également appel aux médias sociaux, dont Facebook.

Les participants au concours courent la chance de gagner un des six prix hebdomadaires ou encore le grand prix d’une valeur totale de 4 350 $, comprenant un séjour de deux nuits pour deux personnes au Fairmont Château Frontenac, deux laissez-passer pour l’exposition Paris en scène et un chèque-cadeau de 25 $ du restaurant Le Panache.

Pour voter: www.effetquebec.com

«C’est une récolte extraordinaire qui met de l’avant l’immense talent de notre équipe de création tout en donnant rayonnement à nos clients et de toute l’industrie.», mentionne le chef de la création, Antoine Bécotte.

La campagne « OFF » d’Infopresse, chapeautée par la directrice de création Barbara Jacques de Cossette, a obtenu trois nominations pour le One Show Design, l’un des plus prestigieux concours du monde. Finaliste dans les catégories « Brand Identity – Campaign », « Typography – Series » et « Indoor Spaces », « OFF » est un événement multidisciplinaire organisé par Infopresse qui rassemble certains des conférenciers et des visionnaires les plus influents du monde.

Cossette a également reçu deux nominations aux Clio Awards, un concours couronnant les meilleures campagnes de l’industrie du design dans le monde. Une fois de plus, la campagne « OFF » d’Infopresse a remporté les honneurs avec une nomination pour « Corporate Identity » et une autre pour la typographie.

Finalement, Cossette a remporté huit prix au Applied Arts Design, un concours pancanadien soulignant le meilleur du design au pays. Cossette est lauréate quatre fois pour sa campagne « OFF » d’Infopresse et une autre pour le Théâtre L’Espace Go, entre autres pour les affiches de la pièce La fureur de ce que je pense. Finalement, la campagne de la Monnaie royale canadienne a été couronnée pour la « One Cent Story » et celle d’Exceldor a obtenu deux prix dans la catégorie « New Brand Identity ». Mentionnons que la campagne « OFF » d’Infopresse est aussi récipiendaire d’un prix d’excellence de Communication Arts pour la typographie.

Personalized 3D printed sunglasses

Over the past 20 years or so since the internet has made its way into almost every aspect of life, something happened.  The once unlikely pairing of Marketers and Information Technologists suddenly became critical as marketing plans needed to embrace digital technology to keep pace with their Customers.  Marketers needed to think beyond simply TV spots and print ads and consider user experience, web design, and e-commerce.  Well the dust has settled and Marketers and IT have come to terms with their new long-term relationship, spawning Digital Marketing Practices.  But hold on, there is another arranged marriage coming which has the ability to disrupt Marketers like the internet did at the turn of the century.

There is a lot of hype around 3D printing and it is all well placed because of the level of disruption that it will cause, although it has yet to reach critical mass where the change is becoming truly apparent.  Just like Marketers needed to suddenly become IT professional in the internet age, they will now need to become manufacturing professionals in the 3D printing age.  The environment that the digital age has created is one whereby Consumers’ desire for personalization is insatiable. This is particularly true of Millennials who expect a level of attention to their unique needs. Take for example this company,  that offers to 3D print the perfect sunglass frame based on a digital scan of your face with an iPad.  This level of personalization and customization has never been so accessible (and affordable) to Customers.

While Marketers are keenly aware of their product’s role in their Marketing Mix, the change occurs as they give their Customers the ability to customize it to fit them.  It is in this scenario where relationships with their manufacturers come in.  Marketers will require an understanding of manufacturing process with 3D printing and its impact on supply chain more than ever before.  Not doing so, and blindly offering 3D printing customization on their products could greatly impact a business.  There are serious implications on cost, suppliers, and quality that need to now suddenly be considered by Marketers.  Not taking the time to really think these through with your Manufacturing team could have adverse effects on your final price, value proposition, and promotion of that product.  If this is scary, it’s because it is… but it’s also extremely exciting regarding the creativity it can (and will) unleash.  The point of it all is that we’ve gone through a similar courtship before between unexpected friends, this time it’s just between Marketing and Manufacturing.

En partenariat avec MGA concept, PCD Solutions, Solulan, f5 et Spécial IT,  Cossette est fière de vous inviter à l’événement-conférence annuel SharePoint, « SharePoint… en action ! »,  à l’hôtel Le Crystal de Montréal le 15 mai prochain. 

Cette journée se veut le moment idéal pour en savoir plus sur l’optimisation de la plateforme MS Sharepoint et s’adresse aux utilisateurs actuels et futurs de la plateforme MS Sharepoint ainsi qu’aux responsables administratifs TI à la recherche des meilleures pratiques.

Au programme : une multitude d’ateliers-conférences sur des sujets variés comme l’expérience utilisateur, les trucs pour une gouvernance réussie et la gestion documentaire. En conférence d’ouverture, ne manquez pas Nathan Soussan, directeur technique chez Microsoft Canada.

La journée se terminera par un cocktail de réseautage.

Nous comptons sur votre présence pour faire de cet événement une réussite ! Pour vous inscrire, cliquez ici.

Au plaisir de vous rencontrer le 15 mai !

Mélanie Dunn, vice-présidente exécutive et directrice générale du bureau de Montréal depuis deux ans, assume désormais la responsabilité générale des activités de Cossette au Québec à titre de présidente. Elle devient également présidente du conseil de Vision7 au Québec. Vision7 International est la société mère de Cossette.

Par la même occasion, le vice-président de Cossette, Louis Duchesne, devient vice-président principal et directeur général du bureau de Québec.
Conjointement, les bureaux de Montréal et de Québec comptent plus de 400 employés.

« L’industrie des communications marketing s’apprête à entamer une nouvelle ère passionnante qui nécessitera une adaptation continuelle et une direction avec une vision appropriée », a déclaré Claude Lessard, président du conseil et chef de la direction de Vision7 International. « Mélanie et Louis représentent une nouvelle génération de dirigeants de Cossette qui sont prêts à relever les défis actuels. Je suis fier de la nouvelle direction au Québec et j’entrevois l’avenir prometteur qui se dessine pour notre agence avec beaucoup d’enthousiasme. »

« Je suis enchantée de prendre les rênes de Cossette au Québec, a affirmé Mélanie Dunn. Nos activités québécoises reposent sur une combinaison gagnante d’employés talentueux et de clients exceptionnels et, grâce à la culture unique d’entrepreneuriat et d’innovation de Cossette, nous sommes parfaitement positionnés pour miser encore davantage sur notre réussite au Québec. »

« En renforçant les liens entre nos bureaux de Québec et de Montréal, nous pourrons enrichir notre offre dans l’intérêt de nos employés et de nos clients », a conclu Louis Duchesne.

De plus, Mélanie Dunn se joint à la haute direction de Vision7 en tant que membre de l’équipe exécutive de Vision7 International.

One theory is that the brief that agencies get for April Fools promotions is much more free than those that are normally prepared.  It’s likely got lots of latitude creatively because its only purpose is to make an impact that celebrates a brand in a funny (and foolishly unrealistic way) in order to generate buzz.  But aren’t there elements here that should be part of every brief?

Another theory is that agencies themselves bring their A-game to these briefs because it is a great opportunity to dream, innovate, and be creative with the brands we work on.  I suspect there is also a spirit of “one-upsmanship” to outcompete with a better idea than the other April Fools pranksters out there.

A final theory, which I think is what I’d like to believe, is that the reason there is so much great content produced is that it’s a bit of both of the theories described above.  Clients give agencies a bit more latitude and trust to be creative, which in turn inspires agencies to give it their all and bring the unexpected.  And there it is, some of secret sauce to a great creative product… it’s just we need to do more of this every day of the year

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When I tell people I work in advertising, their ears perk up a little, intrigue grows on their faces and they say, “Cool! So do you make commercials all day?” And then I watch the smile fall and their thoughts trail off as I tell them no, I am in Account Services.

“What does that mean?” the people ask – at least the ones that kept listening after I said “no”. I usually say things like “I write a lot of emails, book meetings and make sure everyone is doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”  Well guess what! I think it’s time to take back “Account Services” and celebrate the field.

The truth is, account people get to do a lot of cool stuff. We get to be there from the start of a project to the very end.  We work with the client to determine positioning and strategy, introduce the project to a creative team, provide support at creative presentations and even go through the process of production, attending TV shoots and audio records. We are involved with every single aspect, right up until the advertising goes in market.

I first learned about account services when I was taking Human Ecology at the University of Alberta. What is Human Ecology, you ask?

During my Human Ecology Degree, I learned to examine concepts and material objects as part of a big picture and in relation to the context in which they exist. One can so easily get caught up in the minutia of the many small details necessary to create advertising, but we must constantly be asking “why?” and “how does this relate to the bigger picture?”

Account people must continually search for insights about the consumer environment, which could include anything from economic trends to the impact of natural disasters or even celebrity marriages. All of these affect how the consumer will interpret an advertising message, which is why it is important to have an interdisciplinary understanding of the world.

Arguably, an account person’s most important function is to defend great creative and make sure it maintains integrity throughout the rounds of revisions, legal additions and “mandatories”. To be successful, account people must maintain close relationships with clients and creative teams to anticipate potential strokes of genius and of course, misunderstandings. They must consider creative in the context of consumers’ lives while ensuring it provides business results for the client.

There are a few other human ecologists in the industry, as well as sociologists, anthropologists and political scientists. See how I just proved my social science degree to be applicable to advertising? You can do it too!

Throughout my career, the question I’ve been constantly plagued by is: “So, where did you go to school?” It’s understandable that this is a common question. If you’re hiring someone to manage your finances or write your life story, it’s natural that you’d want to be sure this person knows exactly what they’re doing.

… but me? I’m a web developer for a top-tier marketing services agency. Personally, I’d find it almost detrimental to hear that a budding young web developer I’m intending to hire has spent the last four years earning a degree in one of the most quickly evolving industries in the world. Whatever you learned last semester is already out of date. Sure, it’s good to know where you came from, and maybe you can put together the best website for Internet Explorer 7 ever, but where does that really get you?

Web development for a marketing services agency is incredibly demanding and will push a person to their very limits. You won’t be able to rely on ancient knowledge passed down to you from a guy who’s been teaching the same course for the past 10 years. The internet changes on a daily basis. When it comes to the internet, the developers, the designers, and even the web itself, are all a part of a continuously evolving organism. Each part pushing the others to do better and better, day by day.

Because of this, it takes a very particular sort of person to be a successful web developer. I don’t have a degree claiming I’m a certified web developer. I’d need to renew the damn thing every day if I did. The web developer is in a constant state of flux, with every day bringing some new technique or a bit of unexpected new knowledge to the table.

On top of the technological evolutions that are always happening, there’s just far too much to be taught … more than any classroom environment could accommodate. You’d forget more than half of it and probably never use the other half of whatever might stick in your head (due to how out of date it would be by the time you make it into the workforce).

I’m not trying to glorify (or condemn) the people who choose web development as a career path, but rather paint a picture of the type of people that developers have to be in order to excel at their jobs. It’s extremely difficult to roll with the punches, so to speak, and many people would prefer jobs where the process of the day-to-day is spelled out pretty plainly and if you get stuck, there’s a manual you can turn to. The career that I’ve chosen is effectively paying for me to learn how to do my job every day of the week.

Long story short, while it may be tempting to get turned off of the career path of the web developer simply because you’ll often look like you have no clue what you’re doing, power through it. The payoff is incredibly rewarding. Remember how you felt the last time you saved the day by connecting all the dots and figuring out exactly what makes the clock tick? Remember how inspired you felt to go out and learn more? Experiment more?

That’s my job every day of the week and I love it.

And hey, if all else fails… there’s always Google.

Alex Somerville is a Creative Technologist with Cossette in Toronto.