It was over in a blink of an eye. The 2nd Annual PHD Golf Tournament has come and gone but the fun times will remain. On September 4th, we all made our way up to The Maples of Ballantrae (http://www.maplesofballantrae.com/), some by car and others by bus. 116 golfers teed off just after 9am on one of the best days of weather we have had this summer (thank goodness). 

We had some excellent golfers out there but we also had beginners but we all had fun. We saw the group of Scott Dane, Scott Mitchell, Bill Hicks and Boyd Mickle win the tournament with a group score of 69.

We had a lot of support from our suppliers with many participating and donating prizing for the golfers. We want to thank everyone including: Pattison Outdoor, Astral Outdoor, Tribute.ca, Canoe.ca, Rogers, Chill Magazine, Adconian, IT World, Uptrend, TSN, Abacus, Adcentrictiy, Glass Box, Score Golf, Newad, Scott Thornley & Company & the Toronto Blue Jays.  Chill Magazine also created some awesome pics for each foursome.  See our Facebook album to see them all and get a copy of you on the cover of Chill magazine.

We also want to thank the course, the staff there were excellent and helped us put on a top notch event. They even donated a foursome that a lucky raffle ticket holder ended up with.

But this day wasn’t all about fun and golf. We were there to raise money for the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies (www.oacas.org/). With PHD corporately kicking in $2,200, we were able to raise $10,034!! A great accomplishment to break the $10K barrier.

Lastly, I want to thank Geoff Glen, Scott Dane, Ryan Gilroy & Brian Wylie. We couldn’t have put this tournament together without their help. Special thanks to Angie Genovese for volunteering for the day of and selling raffle tickets and taking some great pics. So once again, thank you all for your support and we hope you enjoyed the day.

See you all next year at the 3rd Annual.

More pictures will be up on Facebook

Monday was the first day of MSN and Sympatico running their own portals.

The feel and look is different from each other but not overly that it would alienate the consumer.

Traffic on the homepage for Sympatico.ca dropped 25% from where it was at before. This is inline with what we were to expect.

MSN is still out on what their numbers are… time will tell… will update as soon as numbers are in.

We will be keeping a close eye on both portals so see how traffic progresses.

Stay tuned for more updates. Or follow us at @PHDcanada for immediate information

Today, Sympatico and MSN announced their split.

Both will begin operating independently as of tonight at midnight!

For Sympatico.ca, the change is part of a three-year agreement in which Sympatico.ca and Microsoft will continue to exchange traffic while allowing Sympatico.ca to benefit from greater editorial independence and advertising flexibility.  Sympatico.ca will continue to leverage Bing as a search engine and offer Windows Live Hotmail and Messenger inventory to Canadian advertisers.

As well, Canada’s popular default homepage address www.sympatico.msn.ca, will now be redirected to www.sympatico.ca.

All of our popular content channels that 6.8 million Canadians have come to know and love such as Celebedge.ca, Fashionism.ca, InMusic.ca, Sync.ca, Push.ca and others, will remain available exclusively via the Sympatico.ca portal.  In addition, we announced the launch of four new portal channels today: Autos, InMovies.ca, YourMoney.ca and Best Health, a Reader’s Digest publication.

For MSN.ca,the change will be a simpler and more connected online experience for consumers and advertisers.  Publically available on September 1^st, 2009, MSN.ca will deliver the latest information relevant to Canadians including breaking news, sports scores, gossip, entertainment, and much more—all within a Canadian context and from the experts who know the topics best. As well, MSN.ca will introduce the unique ‘signed-in’ experience of using Windows Live™ Hotmail®, and Bing.ca embedded into the homepage.

Microsoft Advertising now provides a multiplatform digital solutions helping connect with consumers across popular digital touch points including Windows Live™ Hotmail, Windows Live™ Messenger, Windows® Mobile, Xbox®, Microsoft® Media Network, Bing.ca and now, the all-new MSN.ca portal.

The PHD digital folk await patient to see the traffic numbers adjust to the changes. The separation ends the #1 placement and nobody is quite sure who will take the podium.

Don’t forget to check out www.sympatico.ca and msn.ca to see if you can spot the difference!

Who do you think will become #1?

Hot off the presses, Microsoft and Yahoo have agreed to an Internet search and advertising partnership. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/technology/companies/30soft.html?_r=1&hp

Microsoft and Yahoo announced a partnership in Internet search and advertising on Wednesday morning intended to create a stronger rival to the industry powerhouse Google.  The Microsoft-Yahoo pact is measured step that represents a pragmatic division of duties between the two companies instead of the blockbuster deal Microsoft made last year, when it bid $47.5 billion to buy Yahoo. That hostile offer was ultimately rejected by Yahoo, and its collapse and the uncertain aftermath for the Web company led to a management change and the replacement of co-founder Jerry Yang by Carol Bartz, an outsider who is now Yahoo’s chief executive

Hi friends, sorry if we made you head across town unnecessarily to our old Bay street hood (by the way, thank goodness the old Coffee Time has been changed into a new breaky place!).   We moved offices over the Easter weekend.  Guess the memo didn’t reach everyone.  (oops)

We welcome you to visit our new office! 

Here’s the address:

__________________________________________
PHD
96 spadina ave.

7th floor
toronto, ontario, m5v 2j6

canada
________________________________________

www.phdnetwork.com

If you are lost, call us at 416-922-0217

Save yourself some time:

By the way, recommendation to take the stairs when you visit our new building.  The elevators are quirky, old & packed.  The stairs however are open & free-flowing (insert smile).  By the time you make it to the 7th floor you will feel fit and have done “one small thing” for your heart (www.loveyourheart.ca) .  Advocates for the stairs also say that when you take a break that incorporates some physical movement, you will be more creative http://turtlerockfarm.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/benefits-of-cross-crawl/ .  See if your brain works a bit better at your next meeting.  I’m still testing this out

We look forward to seeing you soon!

The Indy is back in town this weekend and the title sponsor is Honda! Festivities kicked off today at Dundas Square with a Media Pit Stop Challenge. PHD and partners from Platform A (formerly AOL), Cottage Life, Sharp Magazine, Olive Media, Macleans, Rogers Digital, Canwest Digital, Microsoft Advertising, 24/7 Real Media and Sun Media came out in support of a great cause. Not only were our media partners enthusiastic about supporting this event some honorable mentions go out to….. Daria Lennon & Partner from Maclean’s magazine in top spot, tied for second place was Jeff Rockwell & Bernie Ward from Platform A (who would have had the #2 position if people kept their shirts on) and Jamie Forbes and his partner our very own Geoff Glen all came in under :24 sec.

Not only was this an exciting way to kick off what will be a whirlwind of events but there was a method to Honda and Budweiser’s madness. Paul Tracy’s car is being sponsored by Wounded Warriors www.woundedwarriors.ca To help assist Wounded Warriors sponsorship of the car media partners like the good people here at PHD pitched in to aid the sponsorship and will now have our logo seen by millions whipping around the track all weekend. The top place winners received a check in the amount of $1000 as a donation to Wounded Warriors.

Thanks to all that came out and remember to start your engines! 

Station identity crisis rules supreme with the Roger’s owned Toronto radio station. 

As of 3 p.m. on Friday June 5th, 2009, 92.5 JACK FM became KISS 92.5

First it was CISS and some bad country music (that’s my opinion).  Then KISS with some bad hip hop top 40 stuff that no one listened to according to them, so they became JACK, and even then started playing music to try and compete with Q 107.  If I have the order mixed up, I apologize.

Now its back to KISS and competing with about 5 other stations for this genre.  But, fortunately they claim to be the #1 new hit station in the city, what a relief (note sarcasm).  And commercial free, which has buyers scrambling to get the ratings they planned in the market that have now disappeared.  This is what they told their large following of JACKnation members - http://www.925jackfm.com/ - basically “too bad”.

Brilliantly planned.  Its good to see someone has money to burn in this new economy…

Almost a year in the making, and a proud moment for the sponsor, Becel, the concert came to fruition on April 23, 2009 to further spread the important message.  The show was simulcast in 109 theatres across the country for free.

The evening started with wine and hor doeuvres compliments of Canwest.  The PHD group, honored to be a part of such a wonderful cause represented well, with all the ladies looking smashing in red!!  That color may not have been visible on some of my male colleagues, but I was assured that it was somewhere on them.  My collaborateur who shall remain nameless (I still need my job) thought that was T.M.I, but my guess was they meant red socks (keeping it  g-rated)

The program ran smoothly and on time.  The first performance was by Chantal Kreviazuk, elegant behind the piano, sang her heart out (no pun intended).  I could sing along to most of the songs.  Even though I am not a country fan, I am definitely a Chantal buff.  What stuck in my head was the big guitar (it must have a proper name but having grown up in Zimbabwe with little exposure to such instrument, I can get away with calling it a big guitar) It produced such an amazing sound and the guy who was playing it made it look like it was a piece of cake.

Deborah Cox, accompanied by a massive band was next.  For a woman who had just delivered baby #3 two months earlier, she looked unbelievable and soon had the house on its feet.  She livened the show as she gyrated tirelessly throughout her rendition.  Her last song was the inspirational "Beautiful U R" and had the crowd singing along.

Intermittently, short films documenting the changes in lifestyle made by women struggling with weight and health were shown (some of whom were in the audience).  Their stories touched a lot of hearts and hopefully a lot of people were encouraged to use stairs and of course switch to Becel.

Last but not least was Diana Krall, who left the audience still wanting more.  not having an appreciation for jazz, I am now a beginner fan - her performance was that spectacular.  Just looking at her so drowned into the piano and how she stroke every key with finesse made me feel like taking piano lessons.  She covered some of the songs by Nat King Cole and the one that got the audience giddy was called "Frim Fram Sauce" part of it goes like……

                                       I don’t want French fried potatoes,
                                                  Red ripe tomatoes,
                                                  I’m never satisfied.
                              I want the frim-fram sauce with the ausen fay
                                             With chafafah on the side.

Instead of "I want Frim Fram Sauce" she crooned I want Becel.  Talk about great PR, Unilever couldn’t have asked for more.  I was also a proud moment for the "amazing" PHD team.  She was a perfect ending to a perfect evening.

I am hoping that you will also be inspired to do One Small Thing - my pledge is to use the stairs - what’s yours?

PHD added to its charitable events repertoire on Friday January 30^th with the company’s first annual PHD Ski Day. The 1980’s ski theme event, held at Georgian Peaks Ski Club in Collingwood, brought out a total of 55 skiers and boarders from PHD and media suppliers for a day of fun on the slopes, raising $2500 for the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies. The conditions were fantastic making the experience all the more enjoyable.

PHD would like thank all of its sponsors – Onestop, AOL, CTV, NewAd, Stockhouse, Fan 590, Canwest, Rouge Media, Adcentricity, Rogers, MLSE, Heavy.com, Transcontinental, Canoe, Facebook, and Clear Channel – we couldn’t have done it without you!  

A special thank-you as well to the Georgian Peaks Ski Club for being terrific hosts for the day and for putting up with our antics during the après-ski!

See all of you next year for the 2^nd Annual PHD Ski Day.

Thanks,

Geoff Glen, Sean Cunningham, and Paul Paterson

About a month ago the PHD Interactive team was lucky enough to be invited to a breakfast with Microsoft Advertising. At that breakfast we saw a fantastic speaker Kenneth Wong. He was entertaining and informative which made the throbbing pain of your backside in those uncomfortable chairs we always get to sit in at conferences seem numbed. Please follow the link below for video of the presentation on Marketing in a Downturn Economy so that you can also be enlighten on how we can penetrate those closed wallets and make these financial times seem easier for us as a company to service our clients.

http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:28be9103-bff2-4d7d-92c4-1d2f7de58293&showPlaylist=true