Here’s a quick snapshot of some of the most memorable moments of 2012:

SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT

Our work with American Express Canada focused on putting social engagement back into the hands of fans.

From Amex’s “Best of” Canada series where fans voted for their favourite hotspots across Canada, to Last Vacation Standing where fans could vote for their top destination on a weekly basis to pick the ultimate dream vacation, we looked for new and fun ways to keep our Facebook audiences engaged with the content we create.

As the Amex Canada Facebook page grew by over 150,000 new fans this year, it was important to not only create interactive and engaging content, but also keep our fans coming back week by week.

In 2012 we also did some amazing work with Cadillac Fairview.

Our strategic focus on creating shareable content and driving dialogue helped grow the overall social media audience to more than 150,000 fans, an increase of 430 per cent over the previous year.  This included everything from the Toronto Eaton Centre’s PhotoStar contest, which resulted in more than 16,000 photos being taken in just one week, hundreds of votes and a doubling of the shopping centre’s fan base.

Fairview Mall’s Fall into Fashion was another fully integrated campaign across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube that saw three fashion bloggers give unsuspecting shoppers surprise makeovers.

Fans voted on their favourite before and after shots, and in just two weeks, Fairview gained almost 600 new fans and earned over 1.2 million impressions. Amazing!

CONSUMER LAUNCHES

To say 2012 was a big year for Microsoft Canada would be an understatement: With multiple big bets, PR efforts focused on supporting and amplifying pivotal consumer launches.

From flying top media to New York, to travelling cross country from Vancouver to Halifax, HRC helped show that Microsoft has revolutionized the desktop with Windows 8 and the highly anticipated Surface Tablet. We got our game on for the return of Master Chief in the much awaited launch of Halo 4 and broke a sweat with the release of the Nike+ Kinect Training game.

And of course, we rounded the year out with the launch of Windows Phone 8, enabling PR to share inspiring three-screen stories. This was an exhilarating, exciting and incredibly busy year that we couldn’t be happier to have been a part of.

CONTENT MARKETING IN ACTION

High Road also proved this year that content really is king, with the amazing success of Sun Life Financial’s content marketing platform BrighterLife.ca. 

Together, High Road and Sun Life garnered top industry recognition for this innovative platform including a prestigious gold SABRE award, official honouree of the Annual Webby Awards, a gold Magnum Opus, and just last month a bronze from the CMAs.

Probably most rewarding for the team though, was witnessing the real business success BrighterLife.ca has delivered to the brand.  This year, Strategy Magazine named Sun Life’s EVP and CMO Mary De Paoli Marketer of the Year, and she cited BrighterLife.ca as her biggest success of 2012.  Awesome!

HIGH ROAD IN HEALTHCARE 

The High Road team has also made some significant strides in our healthcare expertise: This year marked another rewarding journey with the digital development of The Ottawa Hospital’s online annual report for the second year, and being honoured with a silver Magnum Opus for our work on the 2011 platform.

TELUS Health also worked with us to take its online healthcare hub to new levels, offering a more audience-centric online experience to showcase the latest technologies in health.

We also worked to transition the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation to the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement, a change that is sure to help the organization reflect their dedication to healthcare improvement across Canada, told through a series of impactful stories affecting the healthcare system across the county.

And last, but not least, AstraZeneca too transitioned its online presence this year with a new external website, showcasing how their activities as a global organization touch so many people’s lives.

HIGH ROAD IN THE COMMUNITY

Though these highlights only scratch the surface of the work done this year for our diverse roster of clients, the thing that really amazes me the most is that despite the sometimes round-the-clock life of a public relations professional, our team continued to also time to use their skills to do good for our community.

In October we raised more than $6,500 for the CIBC Run for the Cure and we teamed up with Second Harvest to promote the 22^nd Toronto Taste event, which raised enough money to deliver more than 670,000 meals to those in need.

Our design and writing team even created a small impromptu campaign to encourage Canadians to, upon word that the Canadian penny would soon be retired, donate their pennies to a good cause.

I’m so proud to work with such dynamic and dedicated people, everyday working with some of this country’s most celebrated brands.

Happy holidays, and cheers to a great 2013!

Sarah Spence is a Senior Vice President, Partner and General Manager of High Road Communications. She is based in Toronto. 

This week was an exciting one for High Road Communications and our client American Express Canada as our Front Of The Line Fridays Facebook application was accepted as a contender to the Facebook Studio Awards!

The Facebook Studio Awards look to recognize campaigns that combine all aspects of Facebook from application build, through to the use of Facebook premium ads. Campaigns will be judged on their ability to integrate the social, marketing, media integration and scale capabilities of Facebook across their program.

So how does High Road fit in? Amex wanted to introduce and highlight the Front Of The Line program to their Facebook community so High Road created a Surprise and Delight program for their existing Cardmembers and incentive program for non-Cardmembers called Front Of The Line Fridays. Each week, Facebook users had the chance to win complimentary tickets to some of the hottest concerts and theatre productions across cities in Canada including Sting, War Horse and Jay-Z & Kanye West.

Check out and “like” High Road and Amex’s Front Of The Line Fridays submission to the Facebook Studio awards!

Here at High Road, we all know that American Express is a brand that’s synonymous with service. Simply put, the company is committed to delivering the world’s best service experience by offering award-winning customer service and travel perks to all its Cardmembers. And what better way to demonstrate this than by creating a once-in-a-lifetime experience for some of Canada’s top bloggers? Of course it was Amex that did just that recently, giving this bloggers a firsthand look at some of the great perks and possibilities Amex provides daily to its Cardmembers – including incredible travel options, Front Of The Line access to amazing shows and concierge services that rival those of top hotels.

In fact, late last month American Express Canada hosted two major events to promote their live and unique concert series, Coldplay: Unstaged, which took place on Oct. 26. (It was the sixth such performance in the series – which has previously featured such big-name bands as Arcade Fire, Alicia Keys and Sugarland – but the first to take place outside of North America.)

For starters, Amex hosted an interactive dinner event at the Thompson Hotel in downtown Toronto on Oct. 26, where 24 local bloggers were invited to an exclusive dining experience, complete with guest speaker and concierge to the stars, Michael Fazio. As the bloggers dined with some of Amex’s top execs, they were truly treated to – and learned – the importance of top-notch service, which can be woven into every aspect of our everyday lives – a quality American Express takes pride in consistently providing for their Cardmembers. From there, the bloggers were treated to a screening of the Coldplay: Unstaged taking place LIVE in Spain that night, once again proving Amex Canada will go above and beyond to make Cardmembers feel special through unique experiences and stellar customer service.

But on top of the interactive dinner event, Amex had also sent five of Canada’s top bloggers – Lisa of Hip Urban Girl, Karen of She Does the City, Mike of Mike’s Bloggity Blog, and Tyrone and Bryan of 1 Love TO to actually attend the Unstaged: Coldplay concert in Madrid, Spain, where they could capture and share their experiences. Since Amex’s approach to service is to leave no stone unturned, the bloggers were also invited to use American Express Concierge and Personalized Travel Service to help plan their trip.

That meant the bloggers were treated to American Express’s Platinum Service from the beginning to the end, starting with the Personalized Travel Service, which booked all flights, hotel and airport transfers, to the Concierge Services, providing recommendations and creating itineraries that hit Madrid’s best restaurants, nightlife, shopping, and daytime activities. (Best part of this service, each blogger was able to work one-on-one with an Amex concierge to tailor an itinerary suited to each individual’s preferences.)

And all of this special service came before the main event: When the High Road-hosted bloggers set off on their whirlwind 48-hour trip to Madrid, where American Express Unstaged presented – in partnership with VEVO and YouTube – seven-time, Grammy award-winning rock band and international sensation Coldplay from one of Spain’s most famous arenas, Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas. The bloggers had front row seats to watch Coldplay perform live, which, in itself, was an unforgettable experience.

Our six-person crew spent two days exploring the beautiful city of Madrid, indulging in delicious tapas, traditional paella, and celebrating our luck over pitchers of sangria and Spanish Cava. Plenty of laughs were had, new friendships were formed, and all six of us were in awe at the experience of watching Coldplay rocking out in such a historic venue along with 25,000 other fans in Madrid and thousands of other fans tuning in via live-stream across the globe. Thankfully the concert is being re-broadcast on youtube.com/coldplayvevo so we can live vicariously through our experience over and over again.