ruckus digital, Author at ruckus digital

Dear Abby, Tell Us About Yourself…

Abby Radovski joins ruckus as an account director, digital integration. Abby’s role will focus on senior client counsel and leadership on all digital aspects, and she will also support new business growth. Abby brings more than seven years of experience from numerous multi-national agencies, with a robust background in social media management, content creation and influencer relations.

1. How has your past work or volunteer experience helped you in your current position?

“I’ve been a member of Girl Guides of Canada for more than 20 years. For the past decade, I’ve been a leader within the organization, mentoring girls of all ages to try new things, communicate effectively and believe in themselves. My experiences as a guider have helped me hone my skills of group work, team leadership and exploring the unknown. The Girl Guides motto is to Be Prepared, and as a communicator, I can’t think of a better motto to apply to the PR world. While the media and digital landscapes constantly evolve, we research, anticipate, and prepare ourselves for the future. It also means I always have an extra phone charger, pen, paper, and band-aids in my purse.”

2. What are you most passionate about professionally? Personally?

“I’m a social butterfly by nature and this translates into my passion for all things social. If there is an event, festival or new social platform, I’m there! This passion is what drove me into becoming a dog and cider influencer. Managing two accounts, Instagram offered me the opportunity to flex my creativity, share photos and be part of an online community where I can be an over-enthusiastic dog mom and cider drinker. From a professional perspective, it also keeps me up to date on new features and what types of analytics are offered to influencers.”

3. What moment or accomplishment in your career are you most proud of?

“There are many milestones that I look back upon proudly. The first time I landed a media hit, introducing social media into a workplace and winning my first Silverleaf award all come to mind. That being said, it’s the relationships I’ve built over the past decade that I’m most proud of. From my classmates at Seneca’s corporate communications program, to individuals I interned with when I first entered the public relations world. Relationships are a key aspect of public relations both traditionally and digitally and I’m very proud to have maintained mine with people from all over the world.”

4. How do you stay up to date on industry trends and best practices?

“There are a variety of ways to stay up to date on industry trends. I subscribe to newsletters, attend conferences and conduct social media audits for my clients on a regular basis. However, I think the best way to keep your finger on the pulse is to actively use the tools and platforms and try the updates as they happen.”

5. Three interesting facts about yourself.

“I previously lived in Madrid, Spain for three years. During my time there I partook in all Spanish festivals from La Tomatina to Carnaval.
I initially studied criminology in university before switching to a double major in anthropology and sociology in my third year.
I’m a dog mom to a large Cane Corso rescue named Knight who I frequently dress up for holidays.”

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Posted on 22 Nov 2019
By ruckus digital
In ANNOUNCEMENTS, Digital Strategy, Insights

Tales from a Digital Intern: Aaron

Aaron Short is ruckus Digital’s newest intern, joining the digital marketing and creative team. Aaron attended Durham College, completing an advanced diploma in public relations and then a postgraduate sports business management program. Before joining ruckus, he most recently spent six months as a communications and marketing intern for the Ontario Basketball Association.

Ever wonder what it’s like to intern at a public relations or marketing agency? Our intern Aaron answered some questions about his time here at ruckus!

1. What got you into PR?

“In high school I really enjoyed writing a sports column in my local newspaper about my school’s sports teams. That passion for writing guided me in the direction of media but I wasn’t 100% sure that journalism was the best for me. I saw PR as an interesting profession because it was so diverse and full of opportunity compared to traditional journalism. Thus, I decided to enroll in the Public Relations program at Durham College which opened the door for me to pursue a career in PR. ”

2. What do you think is the best quality to have in PR?

“I think the best quality to have in PR is a great personality. There is a large amount of relationship building that takes place in the PR industry and if you’re not someone who can easily connect with others it makes life more difficult. The relationships you need to build go past your coworkers and management. You have clients, third party partners, vendors and many more. You never know how people can be able to help you and your organization so being able to quickly and effectively connect with people is a major key to a successful PR career. .”

3. How do you keep up with ongoing projects?

“With this being my first agency experience I was shocked to say the least on how fast-paced it really is. I quickly learned that trying to remember everything that’s going on by only writing down the bare details wasn’t going to keep me as organized as I needed to be. So, I’ve gotten in the habit of keeping fairly detailed notes about ongoing and future projects. From there I organize my priorities and set a timeline. I like to add things into my calendar, so I’m reminded to stay on track or even just so I’m sure I have time on a certain day to get a project done. Of course, things pop up all the time that can mess with your priorities and timelines and that’s why it’s vital to have an open line of communication with your team. People are really understanding and accommodating when they know what’s going on and where you’re coming from.”

4. Being so new to PR, how do you think things are going to change?

“I honestly have no clue how things are going to change. Obviously, technology is continuously taking over and digital has never been more important. Video and AI are rising and important to Marketers and PR professionals alike. But I’m not sure what role AI will play in the future or if more emerging technologies will steal the spotlight. With the shrinking media landscape, Influencers are integral to marketing strategies going forward. However, I personally see public trust in influencers will dip in the near future. As people become more aware of the influencer industry i feel they will become better at detecting those who are in it solely for the money and those who are genuine. Watch for a rise in micro-influencer utilization because of this.”

5. What has been your biggest take away from your current internship?

“Coming into this internship I had a couple of misconceptions about agencies. First of all, I thought of agencies as being mostly consumer-based with a focus on fashion and beauty. I assumed If you’re not well-versed in either of these (which I’m not) you won’t fit in or excel in an agency. I found out quickly that certain agencies are like this but not all. ruckus and Apex have a wide variety of clients and thus a wide variety of personalities which creates a really interesting and inviting culture. As well I expected agencies to be very demanding and serious. Of course, agencies are still fast-paced and can get somewhat intense, but there is a lot more time to talk, laugh and have fun than I would have imagined. We take our work seriously but at the same time, we try to have as much fun on the job as we can. Because at the end of the day, if you enjoy where you work, you’re more likely to want to work hard and stay for a while.”

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Posted on 15 Nov 2019
By ruckus digital
In Insights

AmanLikeJoseph leans against a chain link fence

5Q’s: Comedic Artist AManLikeJoseph

AManLikeJoseph
Find him on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter

Aaron from ruckus Digital chatted with @AManLikeJoseph about his beginnings in comedy and music as well as ways he has cultivated his loyal and engaged following.

1. What first attracted you to the comedy industry?

“What first attracted me to comedy was Vine and then later on Instagram grabbed my attention. Seeing other people creating six seconds to a minute videos that were entertaining or comedic was something I thought I could do. Especially because I was always the class clown at school, and you know the tings love comedy. But really @renny was the first person to inspire me to actually do skits.”

2. What are some ways that you’ve grown your following and how have you kept them engaged?

“When I would make videos, I would really attack the Toronto audience. So, I’d basically make fun of the Toronto culture through comedy but also base my content on real life experiences. People love videos they can relate to so I slowly transitioned to more global skits. While doing that, I started getting into music which was my first passion. This transition caught everyone off guard, but I feel like making videos can get redundant so it’s always good to switch it up.”

3. How will advancements in technology affect your work?

“Everything is always changing so as a creator/artist, it’s important to adapt and follow the latest trends. I don’t think technology will ever be able to replace creators so with that being said I don’t personally believe it will affect my work.”

4. Who are some of your favourite individuals to follow?

All of these guys are different in their own way, some are artists and some are creators, but I enjoy their content the most right now.
@renny
@the6atsix
@booggz_gme
@tedddles
@liltecca

5. Do you think it’s important to align yourself with organizations that represent you and your values? Why or why not?

“Yeah for sure it’s important to align with like-minded brands. I feel like it would be a lot easier to get your vision across working with an organization that suits you.”

Aaron Short is a Digital Marketing Intern at ruckus Digital.

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Posted on 8 Nov 2019
By ruckus digital
In Influencers, Insights

5Qs: Lifestyle blogger Maca Atencio

Maca Atencio (HeyMaca)
Find HeyMaca on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and at heymaca.ca

Emily Rivas from ruckus Digital recently chatted with influencer and lifestyle blogger Maca Atencio on how she started HeyMaca and what it is about her content that keeps her audience so engaged.

1. What first attracted you to the industry?

“I think it was natural step for me to start a blog and get into content creation. I graduated in marketing and sales, worked as a marketing and advertising manager at an agency in Venezuela, then ended up working as a digital strategist in Montreal, planning sponsored content for different media outlets. Along the way, I got into interior design, too. What I love most about this industry is how I can be on the “other” side as a creator and help brands produce beautiful imagery, videos and fun content to promote product launches.”

2. What are some ways that you’ve grown your following and how have you kept them engaged?

“I think the unique style that HeyMaca has across all platforms has helped me a lot. I started the blog during my first mat leave about seven years ago. That’s when I began growing the readership, followers and community I have now (and all with no Instagram around!) I keep them engaged by creating fun content. From real stories on Instagram, to useful tips on the blog, and fun recipes they can cook with their loved ones–keeping my audience inspired is my number one goal as a creator. We also just expanded our business a month ago by launching an online shop. One of my dreams has always been to get our community wearing and loving our products.”

3. How will advancements in technology affect your work?

“I don’t think it will affect my work negatively. On the contrary, I’ve seen how digital media has evolved and how it can benefit us. Smarter tracking and planning in the industry are coming and that makes me so excited!”

4. Who are some of your favourite individuals to follow?

I have so many favourites! But here are a few specific ones I love:
@_lucilel_
@ohjoy
@colourspeak_kerry_
@ananewyork
@annaroslily

5. Do you think it’s important to align yourself with organizations that represent you and your values? Why or why not?

“Absolutely! At HeyMaca, we partner with brands and products that we use, love and believe in. Our mantra is to show our genuine selves across all platforms and in real life–for example, I love hugs and hug anyone upon meeting them the first time.”

Emily Rivas is a senior strategist at ruckus Digital.

Read more 5 questions of people we find interesting.

Posted on 1 Nov 2019
By ruckus digital
In Influencers, Insights

Crystal Ball 2019: The significance of word of mouth in the era of information overload.

With 2019 ramping up, expect new trends throughout the news, social media, technology and more. At APEX and ruckus digital we will be sharing our predictions on some of these trends that we think will define 2019 (or at least part of it).

Vy Do, Digital & Creative Content intern, shares her view on how people are influenced and the power of word of mouth in 2019.

Bookstores are the main place where I learn about which books are most popular, which genres they belong to, which ones are staff picks; but, ironically, none of this information contributes to my purchase decision.

I have heard about “Educated,” “Becoming,” and “Small Fry” – all of them are from notable women, but I didn’t really pay attention to the praises they received on social media and in the newspaper.

Instead, I was influenced by a stranger on a subway who devoured “educated” in the early commuting hours.

I was influenced by my friend on “Goodreads,” the world’s largest site for book recommendations, who gave the book five stars.

I rely on these people because they have nothing to gain from suggesting a book.

When presented with so many choices, people seek advice from those they trust because it is too risky to listen to someone who may have received incentives for promoting something.

People are influenced by their friends of friends, too. Something like “I haven’t tried it but my friend Bobby said that…” may be just enough to be taken into consideration. Word-of-mouth is the oldest, yet most effective form of marketing.

We are bombarded with too much information daily, including fake news, so I believe people will turn back to people they know for advice.

Social content and paid ads may raise awareness for a product/service, but user-generated content and communities/forums are where consumers will test what they see and read.

So what is the implication for advertisers?

Care about what your audience may think and feel about your product. Spending money promoting something is not enough, think about how anyone your audience comes into contact with could influence your customer’s ultimate purchase.

Vy Do is a Digital & Creative Content intern at APEX Public Relations. Learn more about what influences consumer’s purchase decision by visiting our website or emailing us at

bigger@apexpr.com.

Check out more of our Crystal Ball series to know what other trends to expect in 2019.

Posted on 22 Feb 2019
By ruckus digital
In Insights, Uncategorized

2019 Crystal Ball – Brands creating real action in 2019

With 2019 ramping up, expect new trends throughout the news, social media, technology and more. At APEX and ruckus digital we will be sharing our predictions on some of these trends that we think will define 2019 (or at least part of it).

Ella Singleton, director, creative strategies at ruckus Digital, shares her view on what will happen to brand campaigns this year.

There will always be those brands that are fast to co-opt the latest causes the media has rallied behind. They do it and are then either applauded, debated, despised or awarded (or usually a mix of all four) by consumers and industry peers.

But can brands action change for the good of our planet and humanity in 2019? Can they move things forward in a tangible, results-driven way, versus creating statements only to gain short term press headlines?

The question is what defines real action? What are results?

Is it a campaign that lives in the media? Is it a story trending in your social feed for a week? Is it a hashtag to rally behind and track conversation?

Is it increased sales first, or social change?

Historically, by positioning ‘change’ in that way has been counterproductive. Conversations driven by brands is great for awareness, but has it ever really changed policy or human truths and behaviours?

What it has done is spike insincere, ineffective social action and then inevitably exhausted the masses shortly after.

The shift in thinking for major brand players in 2019 is what I am beginning to see in my crystal ball, and I see inklings of it. Foundational change is being discussed at the top. Thought leaders are realizing what will and will not move the needle, for their business and social responsibility.

False pretense of action is in the past — donation matching, co-opting conversation etc.

Actionable and innovative thinking in a business model is the only way forward. For example, the coalition of some of the biggest players in CPG moving to a zero waste platform is going to revolutionize how other brands think and act.

How can brands move beyond the false pretense of action to drive real and sustainable outcomes? Well, let’s see.

Ella Singleton is a Director, Creative Strategies at ruckus Digital. Looking to real action for your brand? Visit our website or email us at info@ruckusdigital.ca

Check out more of our Crystal Ball series to know what other trends to expect in 2019.

Posted on 13 Feb 2019
By ruckus digital
In Insights

5 tips from Facebook PR Agency Day

The APEX and ruckus teams had an opportunity to visit Facebook this month for their Facebook PR Agency Day, which brought several leading PR and social media agencies together to outline what’s new and upcoming for Facebook and Instagram.

Here are our top five key tips on what communicators need to do to get the most out of Facebook and Instagram in 2019:

Measure by business objectives over engagement: 91 per cent of a social media post’s brand impact is from those who never engage, that’s a large percentage of your audience from which you’re not measuring impact if you just focus on engagement. Before starting any programming review your business objectives and select the social platforms that will align to those business objectives.

Get influencers to follow Facebook’s creative best practices: The average person scrolls through 300 feet of content per day (that’s the height of the Statue of Liberty!) When building influencer programming, educate influencers to consider the following best practices from Facebook user behaviours:
- Design for sound off as 85 per cent of video is viewed without listening to audio
- Design for vertical video as 90 per cent of smartphone users hold their phones vertically
- Capture attention quickly as consumers can process a thought in 0.013 seconds

Select a publishing option to match video consumption habits: People engage with mobile video in two different ways: on-the-go or captivated viewing:
- On-the-go viewing is typically seen in Stories or within the news feed
- Captivated viewing is typically seen in FB Watch, FB Live (watch parties or premieres) or IGTV

Know that #sponsored doesn’t impact consumers trust: The rise of influencer content comes from audiences not trusting traditional advertising, however consumers are open to the small everyday influencer being a spokesperson as they trust their recommendations more than traditional ads.

Extend content to the right audience: Organic reach, even for the influential, only goes so far.As the usage of social platforms increase, the need to have paid media support becomes even more important to meeting objectives.

Contributors to this piece include Katie Boland, Amanda Carreiro, Vanessa Cuartas, Marc Dodsworth, Vivian Kwong, and Nicole Pomeroy. Need help with your social strategy? Drop us a line.

Posted on 18 Jan 2019
By ruckus digital
In Insights, Media Buying

Five takeaways from Social Media Week Toronto

From algorithm adjustments to the ever-changing video formats. Social media is constantly evolving, and as digital strategists it’s important we keep on top of these changes to better optimize our content for any platform.

The ruckus team had an opportunity to attend Social Media Week Toronto, which brought several leading social media marketers together to outline what’s new and upcoming for social media marketing.

This piece highlights our key takeaways from the conference and what inspired us the most:

1. Select influencers that matter to your message

Brands often select influencers based on their reach with the goal of getting their content in front of a large audience. However, algorithms are customizing social feeds based on user behavior and the most relevant content users engage with and brands need to adapt. These four considerations are the key to selecting the right influencers for your brand:

Relevance: How often does the influencer talk about topics and information that are relevant to your brand?
Resonance: How well does the content resonate with the influencer’s audience? What is their engagement rate?
Reference: How big is their influence? Do other key influencers follow them as well?
Reach: Make no mistake, reach still matters, but the above considerations are far more important to maximize your campaign’s results.

2. Don’t count out other platforms

Facebook is a very cost-effective medium and it’s easy to funnel all your social marketing here. Especially if you’re a new brand or a new product, it’s a no-brainer to reach as many as 75 percent of Canadians. However, this platform might not be the only platform depending on the audience or marketing objectives that your brand could explore.

Platforms like Reddit and Pinterest were profiled as platforms to reconsider for your marketing strategies for these reasons:

Reddit has a community of strong opinions and could be a place to help drive traffic – however, beware of the content leveraged here and speak in Reddit-lingo to engage better with this audience.
Pinterest is full of lifestyle content with a strong base of users looking for wedding inspiration or meal prep ideas. Advertising on the platform has been getting easier and just as sophisticated as Facebook – they even launched a Toronto office!

3. Prepare for and embrace the chaos

To keep on top of the high volume of engagements during election night, CBC Toronto built a control room entirely for social, and an equipped team of social media producers to fill it. This amount of preparation and support benefited CBC as their team was able to:

Ensure that things ran smoothly.
Bring questions from online to their team of reporters, at the venues throughout the city to get answers from the candidates themselves.
Respond to each comment and reaction in real-time, which played a huge part in their live-coverage success as CBC’s Digital Producer, @vvalido explained, “it really helped to keep people interested.”

4. Cannabis is here to stay – even if you can’t market it

At a session with Josh Lyon of Tokyo Smoke and Amanda Marino from Herb, we learned the background of marketing in cannabis (even though you pretty much can’t). To begin with, did you know that the word “cannabis” is politically correct – and that we shouldn’t use marijuana? Regardless, both agreed that education is the key for cannabis in the future, how they reach their audiences and promote their brand is done in a different way.

Tokyo Smoke – Working for a company that sells paraphernalia and cannabis products, they are unable to promote their brand on any social channel. They are not allowed to use images or videos that show people using their products – Tokyo Smoke can show their shops and pictures that may help people learn about cannabis, but none of their products. Since they can’t advertise, their social media and coffee shop methods are a great place to educate.
Herb –Their social media accounts are all about improving the image of cannabis and its users, while also being educational. They mainly play on YouTube, where they have both fun and educational videos – whether it is moms getting high and playing Fortnite, to learning about the history of 4/20. They try to use a lot of comedy as they say people always like to laugh.

5. LinkedIn is In

LinkedIn is often thought of as a networking tool rather than a social platform with capabilities beyond job hunting and connecting with peers. After Goldie Chan’s Unpacking the LinkedIn Influencer session, we saw LinkedIn as a platform that can add value to any social campaign, especially in the B2B sector.

This is LinkedIn at a glance:

It currently has 565 million users worldwide, 40% of which are daily users
57% of its traffic is mobile
44% of LinkedIn users make more than $75K USD annually

LinkedIn users have a deep understanding of their industries and will engage with highly targeted and in-depth content, making it possible for brands to hyper-specialize their messaging to respective audiences.

Working with influencers on the platform has also proven successful. Consider partnering with LinkedIn influencers to build brand awareness for a B2B company, amplify a B2C product launch, or grow a company executive’s brand.

Finally, here are some individual profile LinkedIn tips from the session:

A professional headshot is a must
Optimize your profile copy for SEO and include links to your other social accounts and websites
Post content that is specific to your industry
Include high-quality video in your strategy
Improve your SEO with strong written content
Add a personal note to your connection requests

Katie Boland, Amanda Carreiro, Vivian Kwong, Nicole Pomeroy, and Kevin Behar are all a part of the APEX/ruckus digital team. Need help with your social strategy? Drop us a line.