Now on Tumblr

You can now find me on Tumblr under the handle howiethomastumblr.com

If that is not enough I am on Twitter, FB, LinkedIn and Foursquare!

Jackson 5 CLASSIC VIDEO -Blame It on The Boogie

Over the Christmas season I had a chance to see "This Is It", the amazing documentary of Michael Jackson's planned tour. Despite all the craziness written and said about him, it was clear (as it always was) what a huge talent this guy was. So, with my sun roof down and the radio blaring the other day, I heard this song and had to go find it on You Tube. What a killer old school video. RIP Michael - your music lives on.

Free Newspaper Day?

What is going on with the newspaper world today?

My usual copy of the Globe and Mail arrived nicely bundled at my doorstep this morning (yes, I do read offline as well) with a FREE copy of the Toronto Star.

So, while taking the Go Train downtown  - and reading TSN, Globe and Twitter simultaneously on my IPhone - along with my FREE copy of METRO (!) I then receive more FREE copies of the National Post and the Toronto Sun.

So, I am officially declaring today, FREE NEWSPAPER DAY - and I ask you all - how much media can one consume in one day?

The Breeze arrives in Rochester

A proud day for me - some old video of the "The Breeze" arriving and docking in Port of Rochester for the first time. I did media interviews all day. It had come - not unscathed(!) - all the way from Australia, through the Panama Canal, up the eastern seaboard and down through the St Lawrence Seaway.

BMW rocks Toronto Auto Show

I fell madly in love with the next generation 3 Series this past weekend.

Once again BMW delivers a wonderful brand experience with the new edition: superb styling and outstanding performance will only mean a longer list of imitators and wannabe's.

JOY lives on in this car.

My First Brand

In the early 80's I began my career at the fabulous Carder Grey Advertising Inc ad agency, which had spun off as a division of Vickers & Benson. Headed by the dynamic Paul Carder and creative superstar Gary Gray, I landed a plum job as account executive on Hiram Walker brands working on Canadian Club - the historical gold standard in rye whiskey.

I am in the process of developing a historical documentation of all the campaigns and brands I worked on, but I will never forget this one.

The brand was positioned as Canada's "international ambassador" that was enjoyed "in over 58 lands around the world". I inherited a long running campaign that positioned CC as a truly global Canadian brand (well before RIM!) and saw it fit into the worlds of those doing everything from swimming with sharks, cliff diving, and similar pursuits.

Interestingly at the time, sales were beginning to tank, and as the cash cow of Hiram Walker organization, significant attention and resources were devoted to the brand. In short order, the declines increased close to -18% in annual volume as a new generation of hard liquor drinkers began seeking more mixable and versatile options - like Bacardi Rum and Smirnoff Vodka. The double whammy really came when lower price rye whiskeys began to grow - the diminutive Special Old, and of course Bonded Stock (Nova Scotia's favorite!) 

So - what happened? I will detail that in a future blog post but if  any of my contemporaries want to weigh in on this post and the evolution of the "Be A Part Of It" campaign, I would be delighted to hear from all of you.

Howie
February 21, 2012