Two weeks ago we kicked off the branding and positioning project in Ottawa, meeting with Inter Pares staff and getting feedback from the board who were attending their annual board workshops.
This weekend was Media Democracy Days in Vancouver, and Hello Cool World had a table, showcasing many of our projects and campaigns. Since it was a veritable pool of the right sorts of folks to seek opinions from, we decided it was the perfect place to hold an informal focus test. We offered a chance to win one of the DVDs off our Hello Cool World webstore in exchange for about 15 minutes of their time to take a survey which asked them to review the Inter Pares logo, website, and brochure and answer a few questsions about these materials.
Most of our fellow tablers, were happy to help, as well as more than a few passers by, and in amongst a day of conversations about media, democracy, and our own set of projects, which include a new high school cut of The Corporation, we managed to get 15 surveys filled out, and lots of great feedback. We'll be putting the survey on line, in both Engish and French so watch for the link and help us gather feedback from our networks.
WE'RE EXCITED TO PUT THE HELLO COOL WORLD APPROACH TO WORK FOR INTER PARES!
We've worked with Inter Pares a few times over the years, creating the "Take Back the Day" and "Give Something Big" campaigns as well as designing their general brochure. We're strong believers in their work, and look forward to a year of collaborating with them, and their supporters, to give all their communications materials a new 're-freshed' identity.
Having build our own reputation through critique of corporate globalization, we at Hello Cool World simply don't do corporate branding. Period. But we do believe in using the tools of the advertisers, and the power of branding, to do good work for good people — like Inter Pares. Our version of "social" branding re-frames the very idea of branding, and uses a grassroots approach to engage our intended audiences in the process, and we hope, to get their support!
We will be talking to a selection of Inter Pares' donors and funders, long term and newly joined, to get their insights on what the organization means to them, and why they deserve support. As well we will be seeking opinions from beyond the converted, looking at what it takes to engage, in particular, younger audiences who may not have heard of Inter Pares.
Our greatest challenge will be to create simplified messages, that still authentically speak to what they are all about. For an organization that does so many things, this may be hard to express in one elevator speech.
For the moment, we are in a mode of gathering as wide a range of opinions and views on both their work itself, their image and their reputation in the community of like-minded organizations.
Katherine Dodds AKA "Kat" is the founder of Good Company Communications and HelloCoolWorld.com. Trained in renegade advertising & branding through her work with Adbusters in the '90s, Kat's early induction into the possibilities of the web-world was inspired by the term hypertext, which she immediately found comforting. She is dedicated to cause-related communication and to the development and use of tools that promote democratic processes.
"BAS!" is a film about trafficked women in Mumbai. Personally, I really liked this film because it gave a unique view into the individual lives of these women. I particuarly liked how the film doesn't shy away from talking about the things that are wrong with the system of transition as well, such as the fact that many of these women have to be married off at the end. The film is beautifully shot, and reveals some interesting facets of the lives of these women in transition.
David Ng is a Hello Cool World veteran with experience going back a decade. David first worked with us when he was just 14 years old as a participant in the youth advisory group for the sexual health education program Condomania. Now an accomplished videographer passionate about the issues of gender and power, he is currently on sabbatical in South Africa while he pursues a Masters in Gender Studies with a focus on international development.
Well, as the whole world knows, there was a very big party last week in Vancouver, our humble headquarters are in the midst of it all. There's a history of problems with drink spiking and drug and alcohol faciliated sexual assault when big events like this happen. SafeVibe is a movement for everyone who wants to keep predators out of the bars and put an end to sexual assault. The more people who actively get involved (men, women, youth, everyone!), the closer we will be to making social change a reality.
I loved watching the Canadian women’s hockey team spill onto the ice to celebrate their gold medal win. I almost missed the chance to see the three-time gold metal champions because the coverage of the men’s semi-final round dominated the headlines. But I saw the team gracefully play their way to a gold, lead by the only female coach in Olympic hockey. This victory was only 24 hours after four Canadian women medaled in bobsled, but I couldn’t help but be reminded of the group of women ski jumpers whose frustrating journey to compete in these games has been almost forgotten. And that’s likely because, according to University of Alberta’s Pirkko Markula, “women will have received only 5 percent of pre-Olympics media coverage, and will receive only 25.2 percent during the Games”.
Hailing from the mountain town of Salt Lake City, Utah, Lizzy enjoys picnics, reading on a lazy Sunday morning and adventurous bike rides. After learning about books at the University of Toronto she now calls Vancouver home. She joined Hello Cool World as a member of the LACE campaign action team, and luckily for us, decided to stick around.
We've worked with Inter Pares a few times over the years, creating the "
Katherine Dodds AKA "Kat" is the founder of Good Company Communications and HelloCoolWorld.com. Trained in renegade advertising & branding through her work with Adbusters in the '90s, Kat's early induction into the possibilities of the web-world was inspired by the term hypertext, which she immediately found comforting. She is dedicated to cause-related communication and to the development and use of tools that promote democratic processes.
David Ng is a Hello Cool World veteran with experience going back a decade. David first worked with us when he was just 14 years old as a participant in the youth advisory group for the sexual health education program Condomania. Now an accomplished videographer passionate about the issues of gender and power, he is currently on sabbatical in South Africa while he pursues a Masters in Gender Studies with a focus on international development.
Hailing from the mountain town of Salt Lake City, Utah, Lizzy enjoys picnics, reading on a lazy Sunday morning and adventurous bike rides. After learning about books at the University of Toronto she now calls Vancouver home. She joined Hello Cool World as a member of the LACE campaign action team, and luckily for us, decided to stick around.
