On December 3, 2010 CBC Vancouver held an open house for all Vancouverites which raised over $400,000 for the Food Bank. The CBC made several key personalities available to Metro Blenz News Squad and here’s the first of our interviews

- by Rich Patterson

You only need here the smooth voice of CBC Radio’s Jian Ghomeshi once to have it indelibly marked in your brain. Listen beyond the smooth voice and there is an uncanny ability to find the nuggets in any interview and personality. Whether he is interviewing Winnebego Man or Leanord Cohen (the world’s other angriest man?) you can rest assured that the talk will be interesting, provocative and deep.

“We live in world where soundbite ADD culture is what we’re all about and there aren’t many venues for a 25 or 30 minute interview about your work” said Ghomeshi. “I think what we promise [at Q] is a long form, serious interview. That has helped us land interviews like Leanord Cohen, which is literally the only long format interview he’s done in over three years.”

Jian Ghomeshi, CBC Radio Q Host

And, according to Ghomeshi, when he and his team at Q earned a reputation for these serious interviews, it opened the doors for other major (and sometimes reclusive) stars to come on the show too: Tom Waits, Van Morrison, and Neil Young.  They either heard about or listened to their peers being interviewed and knew that Q was a forum for them.

The key for Ghomeshi's long format interviews: preparation and listening. He acknowledges that he is surrounded by a great Q team who furnish him with piles of top quality research. He undertakes to read everything they prepare but he takes it to another level such as in the case of the Cohen interview where he “literally watched everything available on the man.  But, beyond doing the research and having a sense where you want to go in the interview, the most important thing is to listen.”

He always opens with a prepared question but he wants to explore the interview in a way that hasn’t been done before. He claims the long form interview begs to be taken in a different direction and he constantly listens for what the interviewee is saying and assesses whether their direction is more interesting than the prepared questions he has.  If so, he’s happy to veer off course and follow any line of interesting discussion.

“When you interview someone like a Paul McCartney its incredibly hard to figure out what you can ask this person that hasn’t been asked before – he’s probably been interviewed twenty thousand times.”

The Q website promotional pages promise a cultural intervention.  Currently Ghomeshi wishes the Black Eyed Peas had a cultural intervention. “I find what they’re doing to be very cynical. It’s the same old bottom of the barrel pop grooves that crowd out the airwaves. I’d like to sit down with them and say, c’mon guys lets step it up a notch.  They're individually and collectively so much more talented than this latest album demonstrates.”

Behind the scenes, Ghomeshi likes the immediacy and ability to communicate that Twitter (@jianghomeshi) affords. He’s more a Twitter fan than Facebook although Q has a presence on both platforms. “I just had author William Gibson on the show and he said: ‘Facebook is like the mall and Twitter is like the street.’  I thought that was a great concept.  I’d much rather hang out on the street than in a mall.”  Ghomeshi rightly considered Gibson’s quote very tweetable– it appeared immediately in his twitter stream.

With one of the most successful programs on CBC Radio and a BoldTV version of the show,  Canadians seem to want to hang out with Ghomeshi too.

Rich Patterson, has a twenty years experience in Public Relations, Marketing & Sales. Rich owns a successful Licensing, Apparel & Promotional Product company. Contact Rich at rich[at]bigcoast.ca or follow twitter @bigcoastbrands

- by Rich Patterson

Tonight the power of the Olympics really hit home. And it hit me in a way that two weeks of non-stop athletic events, parties and happy streets could not have (although those ways hit me hard too, trust me).  Tonight I met Sergey, a Moscovite working for a major international consulting firm. He’s been here in Vancouver since early February helping the Sochi group at Science World prepare to host the world at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

Sergey Sirotenko board member Big Brothers/Big Sisters Moscow and Rich Patterson board chair Big Brothers Greater Vancouver

Sergey is also part of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization in Moscow – his little brother is in an orphanage and statistics for orphans in Russia are scary. Sergey says after they are released from state care most orphans aren’t ready for the “real world” and don’t know how to socialize – so they end up in gangs, in trouble, on drugs and often dead.  The Big Brothers/Big Sisters mentorship programme makes a big difference because it boosts self esteem, socialization, education and well-being.

As well as volunteering as a Big Brother, Sergey sits on the board of the Moscow Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. In his role as board member he decided to look up a counterpart in Vancouver and that’s how I met him.

We just had dinner tonight. It was amazing to compare stories on mentoring youth in our two very different cultures. They tend to focus on at-risk youth (in state care) while Vancouver’s Big Brothers programme is aimed at youth in one-parent homes (most likely without significant male role model).  I won’t bore you with all the talk at dinner but we did delve into budgets, fundraising, staff, leadership and board strategy.  It was really great to meet another board member from a brother organization halfway round the world.  We agreed that using technology tools like Skype we would introduce our boards to each other and continue discussions in the months ahead.

I want to thank VANOC and the people of Vancouver for not only staging an excellent Olympic games (helluva party!) but also for making an opportunity for businesses and organizations from around the world to meet. We are all the better for it.

Rich Patterson, has a twenty years experience in Public Relations, Marketing & Sales. Rich owns a successful Licensing, Apparel & Promotional Product company and is partner in a social media consultancy based in Vancouver. Contact Rich at rich[at]pattersonbrands.com or follow twitter @pattersonbrands

- by Rich Patterson (@pattersonbrands)

In a pre-Games post a few weeks ago I wrote about dealing with crowds. I couldn’t have imagined the reality of the first nine days of the games and record crowds hitting downtown for the fun, good weather and Olympic events. Will this be known as the Olympics of the 5-hour lineup, the overbearing security and the crushing sidewalk crowds?

Downtown Vancouver Crowds Feb 19/10

I get a kick out of how security guards and staff respond to these unprecedented crowds. While some stay good-natured, the majority harden under the pressure and choose to treat average citizens like terrorists.

I needed to pickup Olympic tickets at the Westin Grand on Friday and pulled into their circular driveway. Once into the driveway the “Lot Full” sandwich board was obvious so I began reversing out. Too late, two armed guards chased my Volvo Wagon down and were demanding to know where I was going. Well, I need to reverse out of your driveway you dopes. And, yes, that’s a real toddler in the carseat not a dummy packed with C-4 explosives.

A friend of mine was called in for emergency duty restocking Olympic swag at the Hudsons Bay Olympic Superstore. He told me (as we all know) it’s a total gong-show there with long lineups to get into the locked-down Olympic area. He said that parents with children who have to go to the bathroom are told to leave the Olympic area (since there are no washrooms in that part of the store) and lineup again to get back in. Real nice.

I had a similar experience at a major retailer on Robson on Saturday. My 3-year old daughter was crying she had to go to the bathroom so badly. The store refused. Luckily we were less than a block from the Sutton Place Hotel. The Sutton bellman graciously pointed us to the lobby level bathrooms without the subjecting us to terrorist profiling.

I realize Police, security and store staff are just trying to do their jobs. But I call for a big dose of reason.  The daytime crowds are here, and 99.5% of us are just average families trying to have some fun. Don’t treat 100% of us like terrorists in our own town.

Rich Patterson, has a twenty years experience in Public Relations, Marketing & Sales. Rich owns a successful Licensing, Apparel & Promotional Product company and is part owner of a social media consultancy based in Vancouver. Contact Rich at rich[at]pattersonbrands.com or follow twitter @pattersonbrands

- by Rich Patterson (@pattersonbrands)

Even before the Olympics began I think most riders agreed the Canada Line was an unqualified success.  One Vancouverite decided that the new transit line deserved its own Pocket Guide to describe the rich experiences available on and around the Canada Line.  I sat down recently to ask author Noam Dolgin about his new book.

RP: Thanks for talking to me about your new transit pocket guide, Canada Line Adventures.  Tell me, why a pocket transit guide?

ND: The Canada Line Project has proven to be one of Vancouver’s most controversial Olympic related projects, yet it is immensely popular moving more than 100,000 residents and tourists daily.  This guide will provide people the resources to more fully access the many offerings of Vancouver and Richmond in an eco-friendly manner.  No matter where one fell in the debate, the line is now complete and provides immense opportunity for personal use and recreation.  Why not take advantage of all it has to offer?

RP: Explain to me how the guide works?

ND: For each station, readers will discover unique neighbourhood highlights, and a self-guided off-the-beaten-track adventure.  At each station, readers will find a restaurant, cafe, bar, entertainment venue, special point of interest, children’s activity, walking tour, heritage buildings, and a suggested picnic spot.  A beautifully designed map of each neighbourhood, directs users through the walking tour and neighbourhood offerings.

RP: Where is the guide available?

ND: The guide can be purchased at 3 Vets at 2200 Yukon Stand various convenience stores and cafes across the line.

RP: What was the highlight of researching this book?  What new things did you discover?

ND: Minoru Park blew my mind, the Chapel, waterfall, bunnies, and so much more in the centre of Richmond, I had no idea.  In my own neighbourhood, I discovered schoolhouse #472, an originally one room school now serving as someone’s backyard shed.  The guide is full of hidden treasures.

RP: What station is a must visit?

ND: Everyone should take the opportunity to explore the airport now that it’s so cheap and easy to get there.  Take in the art, the parks, the observation area, and the general hustle and bustle.  It’s wonderful being there when you don’t have a flight to run off to.

RP: Why you? Why now?

ND: Growing up along Cambie Street, near what is now King Edward Station, I spent a considerable part of my childhood walking, cycling and riding the bus through the neighbourhoods now served by Canada Line.

Author Noam Dolgin onboard Canada Line

My first haircut was on Cambie Street, as well as my first sleepover and first job.

As an environmental educator and advocate, the opening of the Canada Line provided a great opportunity to encourage eco-friendly travel and I was delighted to help promote everything my neighbourhood and the city had to offer.

Rich Patterson, has a twenty years experience in Public Relations, Marketing & Sales. Rich owns a successful Licensing, Apparel & Promotional Product company and is part owner of a social media consultancy based in Vancouver. Contact Rich at rich[at]pattersonbrands.com or follow twitter @pattersonbrands

- by Rich Patterson (@pattersonbrands)

A group of social media enthusiasts have established Social Media House in Vancouver and for one night business people, marketers and Hockey Fans will be meeting on Thursday to watch Canada's Mens team in preliminary action against Switzerland.  The organizers say this an opportunity for those who connect online to come together offline and share a common interest -- in this case Hockey (and beer for some)!

One of the event organizers, Shane Gibson, said: "We have booked out the Caprice for Canada vs. Switzerland and are inviting the world to come meet Vancouver's social media community and watch Canada (and Switzerland) go for the gold.  For one night Vancouver will have its own Social Media House to celebrate the Olympics."

The Caprice has just undergone major renovations and has huge screens with wall to wall sound.  This free event gets underway at game start time 4:30pm and at 8:00 pm a special secret guest will show up (hint: a well-known social media expert).

The renovated Caprice

The Bar at Caprice

Where: The Caprice (aka Social Media House) 967 Granville Street, downtown Vancouver

When: Thursday Feb. 18th 4:30pm (game start) till 9pm

Cost: Free, RSVP not necessary but you can RSVP at VancouverTweetup.com or FaceBook

- by Rich Patterson (@pattersonbrands)

Without a doubt Canada has spawned world class entertainers: Jim Carrey; Michael Buble; Michael J. Fox; Donald Sutherland; to name a few. In Gold Medal Brands I will highlight some of the world class businesses that have Canadian roots.  In this installment I speak with Peter Van Stolk founder of Jones Soda.

Jones Soda is a brewed in Canada success story.  Edmontonian Peter Van Stolk founded Jones in 1996 after building up a successful distribution business with third party beverage brands.  From the beginning Stolk saw an opportunity to form his own irreverent fun soft drink brand that was everything the big boys (Coke & Pepsi) were not. He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.

By 2000 the company was growing quickly and he relocated to Vancouver, B.C.  By 2001 financing and distribution pressures forced another relocation to Seattle Washington.  From 2001 to 2008 Peter border hopped from family life in North Vancouver to a surging soft drink business headquartered in Seattle.

An in-depth 2005 Fast Company article summed up the brands cache as: “It has created buzz, produced 30% yearly revenue growth in a flat beverage market, drawn major distribution partners such as Starbucks and Target, and brought in $30 million in annual revenue. That [key growth] ingredient: you. Virtually everything about a Jones Soda, from labels to flavors, comes from customers. That's important because "the reality is that consumers don't need our s -- -," van Stolk says unapologetically…So how do you sell an unnecessary product? If you're van Stolk, a 41-year-old former ski instructor who started Jones eight years ago, you hand the product over to customers.”

Jones Soda founder Peter Van Stolk at Blenz Granville/Broadway

I caught up with Peter at Blenz Granville & Broadway location recently. He shared with me a frank assessment of the current state of marketing in general, Jones Soda today and his 2007 departure from the business he built.

RP: Firstly, let’s talk about this idea of brand, and where it lives. Some social media gurus – such as Chris Brogan or even you in the Fast Company article – suggest brand wholly exists within the purview of the customer. Is that true or does the organization itself have any control over brand?

PVS: Well, both viewpoints are true. I believe that you build a brand like a home. You need to have architectural drawings and ensure the home is built with natural airflow and ventilation. Once the home is built though, your customers determine the airflow. In that way the brand is a bit like a dance – to and fro – between what you say and what the customers say. If you remember in that Fast Company article I unequivocally said that you can’t just hand over every decision to customers. You have to steward the brand.

RP: OK, that’s cool. Now, fast forward to 2007. What exactly went down at Jones that left you on the outside?

PVS: I completely take responsibility. I invited individuals onto the board who I thought would bring a level of sophistication to the business and look attractive to investors.  The latter was true [investor appeal] but in reality the board member who was Chief Marketing Officer at a $2B beverage company had little relevance to a $40M irreverent soda brand. And unfortunately some of those very board members saw an opportunity to put themselves into senior management positions at my expense.  They were in, I was out – it was that simple.

RP: That sucks! What are you up to now?

PVS: After leaving Jones I spent a short period wondering if I had the right stuff. I lost a bit of confidence frankly. I think I’m on the right path now.  I have a brand consultancy, The Tree Fort Group, and we are currently working with a half-dozen packaged goods companies.  I am usually asked by the clients to help them with marketing but once engaged I find they need help with generic business topics: contracts; growth; management; legal; disputes.  All things I’m familiar with.

RP: That sounds great. What about the future?

PVS: For now, I’m sitting on five boards: four corporate boards and one non-profit.  The non-profit is an amazing Santa Barbara based organization Vitamin Angels .  I am currently looking at buying a business, a packaged goods brand that needs revitalizing. I’m just trying to decide how badly I want back in the game.

As a true marketing pioneer, it’s clear that whatever Peter chooses to do next, he will be wildly successful.

Rich Patterson, has a twenty years experience in Public Relations, Marketing & Sales. Rich owns a successful Licensing, Apparel & Promotional Product company and is part owner of a social media consultancy based in Vancouver. Contact Rich at rich[at]pattersonbrands.com or follow twitter @pattersonbrands

Yes, we know there’s a lack of snow here in Vancouver. I’m sure Olympic visitors are wondering why Vancouverites – in such a lush climate – can’t grow a decent lawn? Like Don Cherry says about hockey’s demise: blame the Europeans.  The European chafer beetle that is.

Chafer beetle grubs have infested most lower mainland lawns and local crows, birds, raccoons and skunks feast on those grubs.  If the lawn looks like its been chopped by a rototiller that means birds of all shapes and sizes have been at it. Raccoons and skunks gingerly roll-back the lawn into neat flaps so they can get into the grub-rich soil.  Either way, the lawn is ruined.

Birds have been hunt/pecking this lawn to death. Near Langara.

Langara area again. Notice lawn in foreground is terrible but the neighbors is untouched.

Although the grubs are called European chafers we can’t really blame the Europeans (sorry Don).  The Vancouver Sun reported in 2006 that the infestation was believed to have started in New Westminster after nursery stock arrived from eastern Canada where the chafer problem has been for years.

Over the past four years the chafer beetle has moved westward devastating lawns of New Westminster, Burnaby, East Vancouver and now into Vancouver proper.  Paul Corbett of Cutting Edge Lawncare said that there are 3 things you can do to stave off the Chafer:

1. As a preventative measure, keep your lawn in tip-top shape: fertilize often, aerate, water and leave it a bit longer than normal.
2. Also a preventative measure: you can douse your lawn with up to a billion Nematodes (microscopic bacteria) in July. You have to do this in the cooler evenings and water prior to and after application.  While completely harmless, the nematodes are only about 60% effective. A professional lawncare company such as Cutting Edge or a nursery can supply Nematodes.
3. Once you have the Chafer, you may choose to use a chemical pesticide such as Merit. Cutting Edge says you are exempt from a Vancouver by-law if your lawn demonstrates a Chafer infestation.  The pesticide application should be safe if done by certified professionals and has an 80-90% effectiveness rate.

For more info you can email cuttingedgevancouver@yahoo.ca.

- Rich Patterson (@pattersonbrands)

- by Rich Patterson (@pattersonbrands)

This past Friday night my family wandered down the pedestrian-only portion of Granville Street (700 block & South) and we were reminded of our trip to Beijing which has an amazing pedestrian only shopping district on Wanfujing Road. There is nothing better than being able to stroll down a wide thoroughfare, safe from traffic and take in great art, shops, restaurants and people watching.

Wangfujing Rd. Beijing, China. Dec. 2007

Right now a fascinating outdoor art exhibit – part of the Cultural Olympiad – also lends a taste of Asia to our downtown Vancouver Olympic experience.  Paraphrasing from their own website and signage: LunarFest is presenting contemporary Asian arts and culture to reach new Canadians and those who have been here for many generations. From Jan 22nd- Feb28th 2010 LunarFest brings together Soul, Art and Life on one stage.  This celebration will take over the grounds of Downtown Vancouver with thousands of lanterns decorated by school age children and large commissioned lantern displays. In addition to the lanterns decorated by the children, the world’s first totem lanterns with Canadian and Taiwanese indigenous designs will serve as the landmark in the forest and greet the spectators from the world with the spirit of Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

LunarFest Totems

Wang Hsun-Ping Double Happiness Chicken

For those in the restaurant, hotel and retail sectors, the next 25 days are surely exciting and nerve wracking.  Hundreds of thousands of guests will descend on Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler and everyone will be spending money.  How will you serve them?  What will you do to standout?  What if it's too busy and you can't handle the rush?

In 2002 I was so fortunate to help manage a Roots store in Park City Utah during the Olympics.  This retail location (1 of 5 in the area) was small, under 1500 square feet, but due to a smash hit product; we had lineups of about 500 people waiting to get into the store from 10am daily until close at midnight.  The store was processing over 5000 shoppers each day, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in receipts, which lasted for more than two weeks!  How did we manage all those shoppers and what did we do to make the Olympic spirit come alive?

1. We made it Fun!  Since 300 to 500 people were standing outside at any given time, in the cold, we decided to make it enjoyable. Using a bullhorn we told jokes, sang songs, and handed out hot chocolate.  I would page lost shopper "Hugh Jass" or announce that the Official Olympic Thong underwear had sold out.  Sure it's sophomoric and off-color, but people loved it.
2. We Celebrated being Canadian.  Since the store was sort of a beacon for Canadianness we embraced it.  We taught Americans how to speak Canadian:
add eh to the end of your sentence, how to pronounce toque, what a toboggan is.  Again, you may think that's sophomoric and stereotypical, but visitors told us repeatedly that our store was a highlight of their Olympic experience.
3. Put Athletes First. If an athlete visited we went out of our way to let them know how much we admired their competition at the games.  We invited them into our store, gave out gifts and made a fuss over their families.  I heard at other venues athletes were shutout and/or families were given a hard time. Why?  Isn't the whole point of the games ultimately for the athletes?
4. Innovate, Innovate, Innovate.  Our smash hot product was a hat. We were selling tens of thousands of units daily. There was a no-fly zone around Salt Lake for private aircraft, so we hired a Learjet and packed it full of Garbage Bags filled with hats (you can't put boxes on a Learjet, the small fuselage limits capacity, but you can stuff it full of bags). We landed the Learjet 2 hours north of Salt Lake in Ogden Utah and trucked the bags of hats in after midnight. It worked very well.
5. Acknowledge screw ups, apologize and move on.  If something goes wrong, and it usually will when you're trying to host a world class event with hundreds of thousands of guests, then just apologize and move on.
People are amazingly forgiving but hate to be ignored.

That's it. Have a terrific Olympic Games and remember to have fun.

- by Rich Patterson @pattersonbrands