This year, High Road took the mantra “go BIG or go home” very seriously – we weren’t going to mess around! Considering last year’s annual celebration was STILL being talked about nearly a year later with tales of dizzying dance moves, funny team videos, and all around good times, this year’s celebration had some big expectations to live up to.

Last Friday, August 19^th all of High Road’s best and brightest descended upon Andrew Richard Designs for a full day of training with two of North America’s most sought after keynote speakers – Spike Jones of Fleishman Hillard, and Jeremy Gutsche of Trendhunter.

Spike kicked off the presentations by talking about the importance of word of mouth movements and using social media for businesses, and emphasized the importance of looking for passionate people to work with on programs, versus using “influencers” just because they have large followings. Jeremy followed up with an equally inspirational presentation, and gave the High Road crew tips on how to think outside the box and use innovation to “exploit chaos” in times of change.



After having our minds blown by the great presentations, High Road went for a break to prepare for an action packed night of mingling, posing for pictures, dancing heads fun, dinner, and of course, karaoke. Many laughs were had throughout the course of the night, new friendships were made, and the High Road crew stayed true to form by partying on the dance floor until the wee hours of the morning. We’re already looking forward to the next one!

It seems like World Wrestling Entertainment has found a new way to connect with their fans outside of their traditional television programs and PPV shows – they’re laying a smack down with social media, and it’s creating quite a buzz.

While the WWE’s popularity and profits have waned in recent years thanks in part to a fickle fan base and stiff competition from the UFC, they’ve come up with an interesting way to strengthen their brand and add a sense of realism to the scripted spectacle of professional wrestling.  A little context is needed:

Former WWE champion C.M. Punk created a stir at a recent WWE event when he gave a scathing on-air review of the company and the way it operated.  He won the title on the final night he was under contract with the WWE, forfeited it, and promptly left the company.  Or did he?

Fast forward two weeks:  The ousted champ showed up unannounced at a WWE panel at San Diego’s Comic Con.  Armed with a video camera (and an excellent guerrilla marketing strategy), he stormed into the panel and challenged another high profile wrestler to a bout.  But his videographer wasn’t the only one documenting the showdown.  Upon his entrance, seemingly half the room whipped out their smartphones and started rolling.  Within minutes, several different videos were posted on Youtube and Twitter, drawing the eyes of not only the wrestling world, but many old fans who had said “uncle” and quit the WWE a long time ago.

This particular digital strategy was a stroke of genius for the WWE, as it accomplished a few key things:

1)      It added a much needed element of realism to their product, something that’s been called into question over and over again.  They have deliberately taken to not mentioning the former champ’s name in their on-air programming  moving forward, lending credibility to the fact that this isn’t all staged (which in fact it is).  But is it interesting, blurring the lines and drawing eyes? Absolutely.

2)      Using Youtube and Twitter adds another layer for the fan base to engage with the WWE brand.  As a result of this stunt, many of these fans were able to post their videos of the showdown on Twitter and Youtube – the fans were allowed to break the news and add their voices to the narrative. What brand wouldn’t want such an engaged consumer?

3)      It’s  created a great ROI.  No major network television channels involved.  No expensive lights, cameras, and crews needed.  A camera, a compelling character, and an internet connection did the trick.

4)      It created a buzz, plain and simple.  Where will he strike next?  What will he do?  You had better check Twitter as he’s probably already hinting at it now.

You can watch the video here:

This is a great bit of engagement on behalf of the WWE, which highlights the fact that brands need to think outside the box and utilize all communication tools that are at their disposal.  It could even end up saving them from going down for the proverbial ten count…

Last week Vancouverites were devastated by the senseless violence and destruction that ensued after the loss of the Stanley Cup.

More than a decade after the 1994 playoff riots, Vancouverites experienced a sense of déjà vu with downtown businesses looted, property destroyed and a number of people injured just blocks from our offices. A few good Samaritans tried to fend off mobs only to have the violence directed towards them.

Although eerily similar to the riot nearly two decades ago, this time around social media played a key role in several different ways. In some cases social media helped “fuel the fire” for rioters who realized they had a real-time audience following their every move—and who were clearly not thinking about the repercussions of these photo and video trails now captured for the world to see. In just a few hours, blogs and Facebook groups emerged encouraging people to save their photos from the night so they could be used as evidence. 

More importantly however, in the aftermath of destruction, social media created a positive channel and a vehicle for Vancouverites to unite, take action and clean up the mess.

Less than 12 hours after the riot, more than 1,000 Vancouverites headed downtown armed with brooms, garbage bags and their determination to reclaim the city. The event, completely organized through Facebook and Twitter, picked Vancouver back up on its feet.

Today, the Hudson’s Bay and other store windows are bandaged with well wishes, expressing disappointment in the few that ruined it for many; still questioning how something like this could happen not once, but a second time.

So, before you move on with only the photos of burning cars and ravaged streets in your mind, remember there’s another side to our city: a community that can respond on a dime to give back in spirit so much more than what was taken in the riots. This is the real Vancouver and the one the world also needs to see.