Canada's Next Top Ad Exec - Top 10!

Right as March kicked off, well, near enough, (March 6), Kailee Jamieson and I successfully made it to the top ten of Canada's Next Top Ad Exec!  For more background on this contest see this post, or, enjoy this clip of Kailee and I being interviewed on CH Morning Live, a morning news program in the Hamilton, Ontario area.

  http://www.chch.com/index.php/morning-live-blog/item/7349-canadas-next-top-ad-exec 

This was both an incredible honour and a daunting challenge for us, as we now needed to look towards turning our successful 15-page strategy document from phase 2, into a full out 30 minute presentation, to be made to a room full of industry judges, for phase 3!  Adding a bit more pressure to this, was that we were also now the only team representing McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business  

Our Branded "Quest to Win" Title

Yet just as with phases 1 and 2, I was sure there would be no way we would not have fun with this.  In fact, it is quite safe to say that this fun was both had, and well documented.  In addition to the challenge of creating a communication strategy for the Chevrolet Spark, all the top ten teams were presented with a side challenge of creating a customer-based social media campaign for Canadian Tire.

Our Team Honey Badger mascot

The "Quest to Win Challenge," as it was called, was focused on generating a community around each team's story of how Canadian Tire products help them survive the tough times leading up to the phase 3 presentation day.  Armed with Canadian Tire gift cards, Kailee and I came up with our own unique story under the blog and banner of "Team Honey Badger in 24 Thousand," based on the number of minutes between when we launched the blog and when we would have to present our phase 3 submission.  We also had a Team Honey Badger branded Facebook business page and Twitter account.

There were two awards from this challenge, that were presented the evening before the phase 3 presentations at the Intercontinental Hotel in Toronto Centre, Most Creative Strategy and Most Engaging Strategy.  As a wonderful boost of confidence the day before our presentation, I am glad to say that Kailee and I won the Most Creative Strategy award!

Kailee and Ryan, Team Honey Badger