Big Things Podcast

With the landscape of retail in a constant state of flux, both physical and online retailers are perpetually needing to keep up with the latest trends. Ben Crudo joins us today to talk about his experiences in e-commerce as CEO of diff Agency and why he places so much importance on the values of a company. Diff builds custom e-commerce websites for some of the world’s biggest online retailers. Ben has a deep family history in retail, which is what fuels his passion for online retail today. He is also a champion of accessible websites, a topic and a set of standards that are rapidly gaining more importance as our lives migrate more and more into digital environments.

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/

Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.

The marketing space is growing increasingly saturated with hollow, one-dimensional, and even culturally exploitative marketing campaigns, and peoples’ ability to see through these shallow plays is sharper than ever. Brands and marketers know they have to tell stories and be discoverable, but their approach can either make them feel dated, lazy or out of touch or the complete opposite. Today’s guest is Tamon George, co-founder of Creative Theory, a consultancy/creative agency that helps their clients identify a path to their true story, navigate important culture moments, and prioritize diversity and representation in their marketing and engagement efforts.

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/

Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.

Some brands build a client base through the sheer force of capital, while others build relationships through more intuitive and engaging methods. The former group push their own visibility and earn purchases by being the loudest, but the people who buy their products never see themselves as more than customers. The latter group, the Nikes and Apples of the world, focus on making impressions rather than buying them, and the people who engage with their products tend to evolve from customers into loyal brand advocates. Today’s guest is Chris Kneeland, co-founder of Cult Collective, The Gathering, and Communo. He joins us today to talk about these three projects and how they all revolve around a central principle of building relationships vs just producing transactions, so as to engage with customers in ways that exceed the mundane, thereby producing cult followings and brand advocacy. 

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/

Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.

Welcome to the finale of season one and the first time we feature two guests on the show at the same time! Our topic for today’s conversation is influencer marketing, and we are fortunate to have Jay McDonald and Kayley Reed share their thoughts on the subject. Kayley is an influencer marketing strategist, founder of Hermana agency, and host of the Self Care Sunday podcast.

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/

Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.

It’s a big claim to say that you built the first social media agency, but it’s one Mike Germano can safely make having founded Carrot Creative out of his basement in 2005. Being a self-proclaimed nerd, Mike had always been into building community websites and when he saw Facebook pop up at some nearby Ivy League schools, he was certain of one thing: social media was the future. Through a forged college internship, Carrot was born. A combination of living and breathing social media, excellent timing and no fear of punching above their weight saw Carrot blazing the trail as the first agency of their kind. Social was so new in 2009, that being the first on the scene became powerful positioning for them.

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/

Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.

In the age of social media and instant gratification, working in a creative field can sometimes get frustrating when our success is not immediate. It’s easy to forget that building a craft and skill takes time, and there’s no way of getting around that. Putting in the hours will always pay dividends and our guest today, Viktor Radics is a shining example of this. As a self-taught photographer, Viktor felt a rush and a deep sense of joy when he first started taking photographs. While his journey began casually, shooting photos of friends and music gigs, the intention was always there to have photography be a fundamental part of his life. Nearly 15 years passed between him picking up his first camera to working with an agency, and then recently going freelance. Viktor starts the discussion by sharing more about his photography journey and the various meandering paths it has taken. He also discusses how the lifestyle photography he specializes in is used in marketing.

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/

Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.

Instagram is by far our favourite online platform for a variety of reasons and our guest today, Taylor Loren of Later, may love it even more than we do. Taylor is a strategic marketer with over 10 years of industry experience and is the Head of Content Marketing at Later, the number one marketing platform for Instagram (over 2 million users globally). Taylor is a thought leader in the content marketing space and she joins us on the podcast to dig deep into the ins and outs of Instagram, why you should treat Instagram Stories as its own platform, and how brands can make the most of the social media in 2019. We delve into some details about Later, such as their approach to Instagram content, metrics, and how they manage their timely and authoritative blog, and Taylor also addresses the importance of being authentic on the platform. 

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/

Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.

Our guest for today is Owen Reader, author of The Pot Apocalypse and founder of cannabis-focused non-traditional marketing consultancy Indelible. Owen talks to us about what drew him to the world of marketing, and how he stayed true to his devotion to brand-as-experience despite chiding teachers and the eye-rolls of his competitors, and how he translated it into the strategies he now deploys through Indelible. Our conversation with Owen covers a variety of topics and he talks with the knowledge and insight of a visionary. We hear all about how he built his first-team and learned lessons through a mixture of mentorship and mistakes, his journey with Cult leading to Indelible, and his entry into the cannabis industry.

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/

Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.

Today we’re joined by Rebekah Ho, former senior social media executive at Hypebae, as she shares about managing a community of over one million followers, operating on a 24-hour news cycle, and launching the HYPEBAE Beauty social media channels from scratch. As the female offshoot of HYPEBEAST, HYPEBAE had to carve out its own niche as a new addition to the brand and find a way to reach women despite beginning with a predominantly male audience. Rebekah walks us through the strategies and adjustments her team used in order to engage female like-minded audiences, disrupt beauty norms, and weed out the trolls.

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/

Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.

ATTN: Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year! That’s right, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are what we call “the most wonderful time of the year” for ecommerce brands because customers are ready and willing to exchange their hard-earned dollars for the products you’re selling. The only downside: attention and conversions during the BFCM weekend come at a premium. Everyone who’s anyone is advertising, but we still believe that this is a great time to throw your hat in the ring, acquire new customers, and generate sales. 

After running Black Friday ad campaigns for years, we’ve put together some best practices, streamlined strategies, and pro tips that we believe will help maximize returns for any ecommerce brand during the BFCM weekend. In this episode, we lay out a step-by-step plan that advertisers can follow to create a paid social plan that actually converts. In the past, we’ve seen ecommerce clients achieve as high as 20-30x return on ad spend (ROAS) using these tactics and we’re confident that it can help you maximize revenue from your ad dollars. 

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/

Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.