By Brian Dunn

The Canadian Paralympic Committee is encouraging Canadians with physical disabilities to get involved in sports through a grassroots awareness campaign and through its FeelTheRush.ca website created by Optimum Public Relations, Vancouver.   (more…)

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With over 200,000 media impressions mentioning Convergence 2008, Cossette’s day of digital marketing and communications spanned many forms of media including blogs, television, websites, and a local community paper. Convergence started to gain traction online when some of the forum presenters blogged about their upcoming speaking engagements. In true new media fashion, local bloggers began to gain interest and post speaker bios, briefs and video interviews online. With media relations support from Optimum Public Relations, Cossette Convergence 2008 became a heavily anticipated and highlight event of the Vancouver International Digital Festival (VIDFEST). Over 20 media outlets were accredited by Optimum for the day of excellent digital presenters.

“Simply put, Convergence 2008 has enabled us to stake our claim as Canada’s digital thought leaders. We had over 300 attendees join us for a day long digital marketing and communications forum. By all accounts the event was a huge success…and the accolades are still coming in.” - Sandy Fleischer, VP, General Manager, Fjord Interactive 

Coverage sample:

Azaroff - http://www.azaroff.com/blog/2008/05/im-excited-to-participate-in-upcoming.html

Tech Vibes - http://www.techvibes.com/blog/cossette-convergence-in-vancouver/

Barefoot - http://www.darrenbarefoot.com/archives/2008/05/boring-life-note-upcoming-speaking-gigs.html

Fade to Play - http://www.fadetoplay.com/2008/05/20/sandy-fleischer-talks-about-convergence-2008/

Miss 604 - http://www.miss604.com/2008/05/convergence-2008-digital-marketing-and-communications-forum.html

              - http://www.miss604.com/2008/05/convergence-2008-day-blog.html

My Name is Kate - http://www.mynameiskate.ca/2008/05/self-promotion.html

Hummingbird 604 - http://hummingbird604.com/2008/05/22/blogger-relations-cossette-convergence-vidfest-2008-barefoot-trgovac-and-bollwitt/ 

Georgia Straight - http://www.straight.com/article-145642/digital-stars-converge-city-vidfest

Cossette Communication Group Inc. invites editorial media, bloggers and podcaster covering digital marketing and communications to attend Convergence 2008. This exciting and informative day will provide participants with the opportunity to listen to world-class business leaders and industry experts, participate in practical easy-to-apply workshops, and define the best digital strategies for the coming year. Attendees will learn innovative ways to stay competitive in the ever-changing digital world. (more…)

(Grande Prairie, AB) - Shark Club is proud to announce that it has been named the Best Sports Bar in Canada for the second year in a row.  Shark Club came out on top in an online poll, held by Rogers Sportsnet, which allowed viewers from across the country to vote for their favourite watering holes.  Shark Club was selected from competing sports bars from coast to coast, and garnered a record number of votes to be named Canada’s Best. 

In claiming the title, Shark Club beat out four other finalists, with its winning entry from Grande Prairie, Alberta.  Shark Club is the only sports bar to win the contest twice, and is particularly pleased with having won consecutively.  The 2008 challenge marked the fourth year of the Canada’s Best Sports Bar competition. (more…)

• In preparation for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Own the Podium - 2010 set the target for Canada to place in the top three medal  winners at the 2010 Paralympic Games. This placed added emphasis on the Canadian Paralympic Committee to recruit more Paralympic  athletes for 2010, and to encourage all Canadians with physical disabilities to become involved in winter sports.

Solution

• In order to determine the direction the campaign should take, Optimum facilitated discussion sessions with members of the disabled community, current athletes and coaches, rehab centers and disability organizations in Calgary, Ottawa and Vancouver. Key findings from these sessions were the need for development of effective tools to communicate the Paralympic Movement message, and the directive to showcase the ability of disabled athletes rather than the disability.
• With this feedback in mind, a powerful call to action to ‘Feel the Rush’ was developed as the overall impetus for the campaign. A dedicated section on the CPC website, (www.paralympic.ca/feeltherush), was built to act as the hub of the campaign, where potential athletes can learn more about the Paralympic Movement and locate a local sport opportunity. Along with the website, the Cossette team developed a Winter Paralympic promotional video and supporting material for distribution in schools and rehab facilities.
• The Paralympic Winter Sports Awareness Campaign was launched at a news conference in Vancouver, where media and attendees alike heard inspirational speeches by Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan and current Paralympic athletes. The launch event was supported by a national media relations campaign conducted by the Optimum offices in Vancouver and Montreal.

Results

• In the two days following the announcement, 94 hits were recorded in print and broadcast media from across the nation reaching a population of over 11 million people.
• Coverage resulting from the news conference launch included the front page of the Vancouver Sun, CTV News, a three minute segment on SRC (CBC French Television), as well as a number of commuter papers, radio stations and multicultural television stations.
• Athlete recruitment success is difficult to determine at this early stage, however there was an average increase of 336 per cent in total hits and 37 per cent in unique visitors to the paralympic.ca/feeltherush website in the three weeks following the initial campaign launch.
• Optimum won two communications awards for this campaign: Awards of Excellence in Marketing Communications at both the 2006 National Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Awards and the 2006 International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Blue Wave Awards.
• The Canadian Paralympic Committee and its funding partners have been so pleased with the success of the ‘Feel the Rush’ campaign to date, that they have recently engaged Optimum to create and implement a communications plan for the next two years that will incorporate summer sports into the recruitment mandate.

Vancouver, B.C. - January 8, 2008 - Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports (VASS) is pleased to announce that it has partnered with the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) and Grouse Mountain to showcase B.C.’s local and provincial disabled skiers in a first-of-its-kind event in Vancouver.

The VASS Grouse Mountain Corporate Cup, on February 28^th, will match corporate teams with a high performance skier with a disability for a day of ski racing. For VASS’ ski racers and corporate participants, the event will provide the opportunity to ski alongside some of B.C.’s top disabled skiers, past and aspiring paralympians. Former members of the Canadian able-bodied Alpine Ski Team will also be on hand to provide ski-racing tips and cheer on their compatriots. . (more…)

Vancouver, B.C. - December 11, 2007 - This afternoon, hundreds of children had the pleasure of meeting Santa Claus at an altitude of 6,000 metres during a special flight organized by Air Transat and the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada. Three exclusive flights, departing from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, gave the children the experience of a lifetime.

The children and their families boarded three Air Transat Airbus to head for the North Pole in search of Santa. During the 90-minute flight, Santa made a surprise appearance, much to the delight of the children onboard. (more…)

• The British Columbia Securities Commission asked Optimum to develop and execute a communications strategy to help raise the public profile of the commission and educate investors about the dangers of investment fraud.

Solution

• Based on the research findings of a National Investor Index Survey, Optimum recommended the development of a sub-brand for the BCSC education programs that would serve as a consumer-friendly access point to information that, previously, had been presented on a more industry-focused technical website.
• Optimum engaged the services of our convergent partners Fjord Interactive and Identica Branding and Design in the development of the InvestRight brand.
• Optimum organized a public launch of the new programs with speakers The Hon. Wally Oppal, Attorney General and Doug Hyndman, Chairman of the BCSC.
• To reflect the announcement topic, the BCSC produced a video in which real life victims of investment fraud told their own stories of how they had been impacted.
• Optimum coordinated and oversaw all of the logistical planning for the news conference and was responsible for the development of all communications materials, including speaking notes, media advisories, and news releases.
• In addition, Optimum completed all media relations and logistical planning for a province wide tour that included speaking engagements in Victoria, Prince George, Kamloops and Kelowna to promote the new InvestRight program.

Results

• As a result of the media relations activities, Optimum secured significant media coverage of the kick-off announcement on two of Vancouver’s evening news programs, CTV and Channel M, as well as coverage in The Globe and Mail, Vancouver Sun, National Post, and Canadian Press.
• The InvestRight tour generated local print, radio and TV coverage in all of the communities targeted. Highlights included major print articles in the Victoria Times Colonist and Kelowna Daily Courier, live radio interviews on CKOV-63 and CBC Radio One, and broadcast coverage on CHBC Television.