FITC is a 3-day event which brings together some of the more influential programmers, designers and thinkers in digital media today. The Toronto chapter of this event has come and gone, leaving us with some new insights to toy with and the word “algorithm” ringing in our heads.

As a proud sponsor of FITC, Grip shot some great interview footage with some of this year’s speakers. While the “Big Orange Banter” sessions are being edited and prettified, we leave you with a bit of a photo essay of some of Toronto’s key presenters.

Photo 1:
At left:
Tali Krakowsky is the founder of Apologue, dedicated to the creation of immersive storytelling environments. Committed to a highly multidisciplinary and collaborative methodology, Tali has worked with clients such as the Museum of Modern Art, Frank Gehry, Airbus, IBM, the Grimaldi Forum, Victoria’s Secret and Van Cleef & Arpels. Throughout her career as Director of Experience Design at Imaginary Forces and WET Design, Tali has led the conceptual and strategic development of projects that seamlessly integrate storytelling, new media and physical environments.

At right:
Jason Theodor is a Creative Director and Speaker who specializes in creative ideation, problem-solving, and innovation for brands in the digital space. He is a creative person who loves coming up with ideas, sharing them with others (preferably for money), and teaching people how to be more creative themselves. He is addicted to the internet and new technologies, always thinking about how people (and companies) can communicate better or in interesting new ways.

Photo 2:
James White is a visual artist and designer living in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. With 11 years of experience, James has worked on an array of personal art projects and with clients including Toyota, Nike, Google, VH1 Latin America, MTV, Armada Skis, Wired Magazine etc. and has been featured in Computer Arts, Computer Arts Projects and Advanced Photoshop magazines.

Photo 3:
At left:
Stacey Mulcahy is a Flex and Flash developer who once had a torrid love affair with Macromedia Director. When she’s not building rich Internet applications that even designers like, she can be found showing others how to do the same thing as a Flash instructor. She rants more than raves on her Flash-centric blog bitchwhocodes.com

At right:
Matt Rix is the creator of Trainyard, a popular iPhone game that he made in his spare time. For a week in October of 2010, Trainyard was the #2 app on the App Store. Matt graduated from the “Multimedia Design and Production” program at Humber College in 2005, and then worked at Indusblue in Toronto as a Flash Developer for five years. In January of 2011 he founded Magicule, a game development company, where he’s now focused on creating innovative mobile games.

Photo 4:
At left:
Greg Hermanovic is co-founder of Derivative and Side Effects Software, and has been meddling in 3D animation since 1974.

At right:
Steve Mason is a digital artist, designer, and programmer with over a decade of experience at ad agencies, boutique web shops, video game companies, art galleries, etc. He now works at Obscura Digital designing and implementing interactive environmental applications and installations.

Photo 5:
At left:
Robert Hodgin co-founded the Barbarian Group and is currently the Creative Director at Bloom Studio. His work ranges from simple 2D data visualizations to immersive 3D terrain simulations. His primary interests include theoretical physics, astronomy, particle engines, and audio visualizations. He works in Java, Processing, C++, Cinder, OpenGL, and GLSL and has spoken at conferences around the world, including FlashForward, FITC, Flash on the Beach, OFFF, and FlashBelt. He was also a guest lecturer at NYU’s ITP program, UCLA’s DMA program, and SCI-ARC and his work has been shown at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Wing Luke Asian Museum, McLeod Residence Gallery, Wired NextFest, San Francisco Exploratorium, GAFFTA, and the San Francisco Independent Film Festival.

At right:
Erik Natzke is an interactive designer who is constantly trying to blur the lines between design and technology. With a keen awareness for how and where to push the limits of the medium without isolating the audience, Erik is a consistent risk-taker. Crediting his success with having the willingness to fail and the stubbornness not to give up, Natzke’s work ethic has pushed the boundaries of what previously had been considered possible. Imagination, adventure, and a desire to amaze as much as entertain are all part of the driving forces behind his work.

We’ve reached the end of the Slide’s first full year, and we’re chuffed with the level of collaboration, readership and response we’ve had. This blog has become an exciting addition to Grip’s culture, and we look forward to evolving it even further in 2011 with your help.

Since we’re absconding from the office for a week or so, we offer up the following: A few of our (and your) favourite posts from 2010, humbly submitted for your holiday perusal.

Top 3 Q+As:
The following Q+As generated a mass of provocative (and often funny) responses.

• What brand do you think is most in need of a makeover and why? (Feb 25, 2010)
• What’s morality’s role in advertising? (August 27, 2010)
• Does Sexism sell? And is this that? (August 9, 2010)

Top 10 Posts:
Here are a few highlight posts from the year, selected according to their content, traffic and comments – and listed chronologically.

• The digital “why?” – Jacoub Bondre (January 14, 2010)
• Brand like Batman – Ian Mackenzie (February 3, 2010)
• Elements of Surprise – Leilah Ambrose (May 6, 2010)
• The “What” vs. the “How” – Harvey Carroll (June 8, 2010)
• How StarCraft made me a better producer – Jacob Karsemeyer (June 16, 2010)
• The Facebook Effect – Dave Hamilton (June 15, 2010)
• Photoshop til you drop – Warren Haas (July 16th, 2010)
• The Internet can wait – Jon Finklestein (August 24th, 2010)
• In defense of the :30 spot – Ameet Acharya (Sepetember 22, 2010)
• Ad Ageism – Sara Vinten (December 8, 2010)

Series at a glance:
Those with a resolution to dominate the advertising world in 2011 would do well to study these two series:

• How to get a job in advertising
• How to get ahead in advertising

Again, a big round of thanks to all those who have had their say on the Slide this year. We look forward to continuing the conversation in 2011!

A recent Edelman study indicates that our collective willingness to trust what our friends have to say about brands (and companies in general) is down.

Just as many marketers are getting comfortable with shifting dollars to social media, Edelman’s latest “Trust Barometer” presents something of a wrinkle in the plan: the number of people who view their friends and peers as credible sources of information about a company dropped by almost half since 2008, from 45% to 25%.

Reasons?

There are several we can speculate about: economic doom and gloom, a proliferation of empty “fan grab” programs on Facebook, the devolution (in many people’s minds) of FB, Twitter, etc. into mass media, or those suspiciously padded friend lists that number into the thousands.

But if consumers stop believing what their friends are saying about a product or company, the implications are significant for marketers. After all, the recent trend of shifting marketing dollars to social media has been built on the assumed endless availability of that very trust.

What to do? I’ve got my hunches:

Breakthrough: Enough with the fan pages already. Do something unique. Do it first. And don’t confine your efforts to Facebook.

Be multi-channel: Seeding your messages in at least five channels (a mix of online and offline) will give your target the opportunity to absorb your message in different ways and in different states of mind. Willingness to engage differs from channel to channel, and what you give up in reach you may just gain in a willingness to listen.

Converse: More than anything, people want to be listened to. And if your target is people, you’ll want to create avenues at retail and online, and through your PR channels for them to be heard so you can tweak and amplify your message as the relationship evolves. If they think you’re immovable, they just might be too.

In a nutshell, let’s put the mix back in marketing mix. Let’s stop looking for a silver bullet – where a full clip might be called for. Let’s strive to create dialogue and engagement that builds trust rather than erodes it.

I was working on a “best practices” blog post I thought might be of interest to advertisers getting ready to dip their toes into social media . . .

(Grip has had a lot of success in this channel, thanks largely to learning we’ve gleaned from our Young Adult initiatives for brands such as Kokanee, Budweiser and Bud Light.)

. . . but no sooner had I begun to hone my list of “dos and don’ts” when Colin Craig, Associate Partner, Creative (and designer of this here blog), flipped me this: How to suck at Facebook.

Cartoonist Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal describes nine social media personality fails: people who make Facebook worse for everybody. He’s spot on – and I’m not just referring to his “Desperate Marketer” example.

Each of the social media behaviours Inman lampoons offers important lessons for advertisers and marketers venturing into social media.

How do I figure? Because in this new and powerful channel, brands are no longer sponsors underwriting the cost of programming. They are fellow citizens and they’re expected to behave and conduct themselves accordingly.

There’s no shortage of web-savvy business owners boasting unbridled success via promotions on Twitter, or garnering legions of fans on Facebook. But when I recently broached the subject with my brother-in-law, a restaurant operator in Guelph, Ontario, he was unconvinced that social-media tools were a tangible way to boost traffic and ultimately sales in the food service category.

Daunted by his skepticism, I decided to do some digging to bolster my case. The facts are sobering: Nearly one-third of Canadians use social-media websites and tools at least twice a week. That’s according to a 2009 study by Forrester, a digital marketing and advertising consultancy. Additionally, more than half of social-media users say they feel a stronger connection with the companies and brands they can interact with online – in real time.

“Today, digital engagement is about going to where your customers are, listening and then responding with genuine, earnest dialogue,” says Adam Luck, Director of Interactive at Grip.

“Gone are the days of ‘build it and they will come’ websites. Facebook ‘Fan pages,’ like the ones we built for Toronto’s Duke Pubs, are where we are beginning see more and more traction.”

The real opportunity for food service operators looking to connect with their audience lies in reaching consumers where they’re already interacting: microblogs (such as Twitter), social-networking sites (such as Facebook) and opinion- or review-sharing sites such as Yelp.com, CitySearch.com, or local favourites such as MartiniBoys.com and Dine.to.

Not only do these channels foster conversations between brands and consumers, but their low cost-to-use compared with traditional marketing vehicles such as print, television and radio make them an excellent fit for smaller chains or individual franchisees looking to connect with local markets.

“For a startup like us, it’s an easy and inexpensive way to reach current and potential customers,” says Matthew Corrin, Founder and CEO of Freshii, a fast-growing newcomer to the quick-service restaurant (QSR) category.

“Facebook and Twitter allow us to promote specials or announce new store openings, but it’s also been a great way for me to hear honest feedback and course correct our business to better serve our customers.” You can follow Matthew’s tweets here: @freshii.

Simply put, I believe social-media marketing can drive traffic and sales in addition to building brand awareness and loyalty. To that end, Adam Luck (our Director of Interactive) and I have put together some quick thoughts: 5 Tips for Socializing Your Restaurant. If nothing else, I hope my brother-in-law can park his skepticism long enough to read it.