The ink has barely dried – this news is hot off the presses! Joseph Puopolo has joined StickerYou as the Head of Marketing and Business Development (yes I know I am referring to myself in the 3rd person but I couldn’t exactly say I or me, could I?). StickerYou is an exciting fast growing company and has some killer technology, I am excited to be a part of team. Check out StickerYou at StickerYou.com or follow them on Twitter @StickerYou A little bit about Sticker You: StickerYou is a fun, flexible and easy-to-use online technology for people to create their own high-quality vinyl stickers. We offer the ultimate freedom for anyone looking to create stickers with our freeform die-cut sticker printing. Whether you’re using our art and brands, or uploading your own images, each sticker looks awesome! Our leading edge platform provides unlimited opportunities to create stickers for a variety of needs. From decorating your laptop to personalizing your scrapbook our die-cut stickers can enhance any lifestyle. For small and large companies, StickerYou is a powerful and cost-effective way to build their brands and engage with consumers. StickerYou is already working with some awesome brands such as: Tweet...
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My wife and I are currently expecting our first child. As first time time parents, we have started to the do the normal things to prepare: read a few books, begin to set up the nursery, and hear stories about other parents’ experiences (sometimes ad nauseum). I have felt the inklings of parental vibes in the last 7 months, but as we get closer they get stronger and stronger. During that time we have begun to feather the nest and get the nursery ready to house this baby and all baby related needs. During the outfitting of our baby lair, there has been many moments of anticipation and excitement waiting for our new child. There has however been two instances where I have fallen prey to marketers. Now, you may say, we’ve all done that! What else is new?. As a marketer, I pride myself on being able to sniff out Unique Selling Propositions (USP), and don’t succumb to the tricks of my own industry. That said, two of the biggest industries for capitalizing on raw emotion are the wedding industry and the baby industry. Going to 7 weddings this year, I could see the wedding industry doing an excellent job selling services and products to create an experience. In the baby industry I could see that also playing itself out in two key instances: 1. Purchasing a handmade quilt for the nursery 2. Purchasing some other touches and finishes for the room Now let me put the responsibility where it is due: my desire as a marketer to build an experience for my child was similar to my desire to build that for a brand I work with. Let me clarify by saying the emotion levels are totally different, and my love for my child will far eclipse any company I work with or for. That said, I could see myself trying to build an experience for myself through the entire baby experience. This entire experience was pushed by clever marketers who greased the rails for me to go nuts as a father to be. I will share these two stories The Quilt Auction The first took place at the Mennonite Central Committee Relief Sale in May of this year. This is an excellent event where the entire community works together to donate goods and services to a giant fundraiser. This fundraiser that raises nearly half a million annually is anchored by the largest quilt sale in North America. At this quilt auction, my wife and I stumbled across a handmade quilt that would be perfect for our nursery. We instantly fell in love and “had to have it”. The tension built as...
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A bit of history When digital marketing first emerged, two groups quickly developed. The first group included those who embraced it willingly because they saw the opportunity that change brings, while the second group fought against it as they saw it as a threat to the way that they did business. In the first camp you had disruptive technology, typically younger individuals, and people who were more comfortable with the rise of the web. In the second camp you had traditional printers, ad agencies that have operated the same way for a long time in the same fashion and people generally worried that the ground was changing under them. These two camps warred for years until digital was so common that the concept of “Digital Marketing” was antiquated and people viewed it as just “Marketing”. The way that the war was won between these two camps was using a simple tool of ROI or Return on Investment. Marketing online gave marketers far more insights to the patterns of their prospective customers. Concepts such as click flow patterns 20 years before could not have been applied to physical ads. This was the ammunition that the digital marketers employed to prove themselves in a traditional marketing world. This caused huge disruption to the agency and marketing world as people had to adapt to this new world. Due to being able to clearly understand customer patterns through newly revolutionized digital funnel metrics, the case was made for a more evenly distributed balance between traditional marketing (ads, direct mail and events) to digital media (websites, email and webinars). Now, many view these indivisibly from each other rather than as individual types of tactics. Enter Social Media Disruption came yet again by the hand of a 20 year old Harvard drop-out – enter Social Media into the mix. As a result of a project conceived within a dorm room, marketers scrambled yet again to thrive in a new world that they once thought was flat. In an effort to stay ahead, marketers learned some lessons from the last battle between the digital and traditional world but forgot a critical one, ROI. Ironically, ROI is the biggest missing element from the way that the majority of marketers have approached social media. ROI had been the instrument that helped convert traditional marketers, but marketers got caught up in the buzz of social media and abandoned two of their core principles: does it advance the brand, and does it make money. One could argue that since it is early days, one needs to make a land grab for this virtual space. The same argument could be used for...
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For every guy who is into sports we all have people or influential figures that impacts the way we look at sport. This blog attempts to break down the people in each sport that most impacted my life. 1. Hockey – Doug Gilmour – Toronto Maple Leafs In my early years, I didn’t find myself interested in hockey. I didn’t play organized hockey because I was a terribly bad skater. That was coupled with the fact that Leafs in the late 80’s were totally underwhelming. All that changed when Doug Gilmour joined the Maple Leafs on January 2 1992 in a blockbuster trade with the Calgary Flames. He played with a workman-like team with a hot young goaltender named Potvin. Together they went on to go to the brink of the Stanley Cup finals for two years in a row. I think many Leafs fans were scarred by the missed high-stick call in overtime by Wayne Gretzky who ultimately put the Leafs out of the playoffs with an overtime goal. Doug Gilmour was the ultimate catalyst for the Leafs; he would play any role required to try and put the team over the top. I modeled myself after him while playing road hockey. My ratty Doug Gilmour jersey bears a pre-bandwagon A for Assistant Captain, and still sits in my closet, blood stains and rips and all. He taught me to do anything and everything to help your team win. 2. Basketball – Michael Jordan – Chicago Bulls This is an easy one pick. During the 90s, I sat like the rest of the world mesmerized by Michael Jordan’s skills. Aside from his talent, his will to win was unparalleled. He always demanded the best of the team and was almost a second coach on the floor running the offense and taking his team to the next level. I only wonder how many titles he could/would have won had he not tried to play baseball for a year and half. I do always admire that he followed his heart and tried something new. Today, people compare him to Kobe or to a lesser extent Lebron. I can honestly say there will never be another Michael Jordan no matter how many titles Kobe wins. He taught me that the will to win is the prerequisite to being a successful person. 3. Wrestling – Bret “Hitman” Hart Now, you can argue to death whether a professional wrestler deserves to be on my list, but I can honestly say he has had a big impact on me. I used to watch WWF with my dad and my grandpa (who used to actually be...
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In a time where people are constantly rushing due to busy schedules and busy lives, many of us (including myself) don’t take pause to wonder where our food comes from. Rushing in and out of a traditional supermarket, we rush to get things to make meals for the week and many times we don’t consider where these things come from. As I walk through many of the aisles, I see countless examples of California grown produce being featured while locally grown produce is not available. While I don’t want this blog to come off preachy, there is something to be said for knowing where our food comes from. Enter the Evergreen Brickworks Market in Toronto. The Brickworks goes beyond just getting food for the week; it is truly a shopping experience. As you meet some of the vendors who stand by the food that they work tirelessly to make, you can’t help but be inspired. This inspiration only takes one so far as the food truly speaks for itself. This one time outing has become a Saturday morning tradition and I will walk you through some of my very favorite things to do whilst at the market. Step 1: Everyone needs Energy! Like any good adventure, one needs fuel to help them go. Luckily, one of the vendors makes one of the best breakfast sandwiches known to mankind. This sandwich is housed on a very delicious ciabatta bun, pesto, basil leaves, tomato, Applewood Smoked bacon, free run eggs and cheddar cheese. It is truly something to experience! I was so busy sampling and taking pictures that they didn’t even realize that I had not payed. I quickly returned to the scene of the crime to rectify the situation. They also provide some wonderful homemade waffles that will make you weak at the knees and coming back for more! Step 2: Get some Fresh Produce The produce is probably one of my favorite parts of the trip. All of this local produce is absolutely fantastic, almost as if nature was creating art. All of these farmers are truly artisans as they paint their canvas with beautiful produce of all shapes and colors. Some of my favorites include the BizJak Farms Apple stand. I have a soft spot for apple farmers as my grandpa was one and I spent many a summer picking apples. The second is Everdale farms. My brother in-law’s girlfriend actually works for this farm and has excellent produce and value for your dollar. Step 2: Get Garnishes and Desert: Now that you have all of the raw materials to make some great dishes, it never hurts to get...
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Now you follow every inane thought I have on Twitter. Well actually you could do so for about a year, but common folks I need new content for the site. I chat with anyone about everything, this is one of the easiest ways to get a hold of me. If you are not following me on Twitter you can do so @JPUOPOLO...
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Welcome to the jpuopolo.com. While this site has been around for years it has been in drastic need of a major re-design. I hope this site will be a new online hub where I can share my thoughts on a variety of topics. Some of those ideas will include, marketing, business, startups, politics among others. I invite you to Subscribe for the blog this is only the beginning....
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Back in March I took a mini road trip down to see Kevin Smith (@ThatKevinSmith) at Walter Gretzky’s Hockey Tournament announcement in Toronto, where I got him to talk about just what you can do to your family videos to jazz them up a bit. I also came back with a signed hat! Unfortunately, my team was fallen with a series of injuries so we could not face Kevin. But next year we will be gunning for him!...
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In January I got the distinct pleasure of shooting a video with Super Produce Dame Grease (@DameGrease). Throughout Dame’s career he has produced the best in the hip-hop industry including DMX, Mary J Blige, LL Cool J, Wu Tang Clan among many others. I was fortunate to hang with Dame and his crew in Vegas where we shot this video....
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With less than 2.5 months to go the reality that a new little one will soon be sharing our home is quickly becoming evident. With every kick on my wife’s ever growing stomach I know I will fall in love as soon as I meet this little guy or girl. Countdownr Here was a video of our first ultrasound:...
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