Canadian advertising legend Terry O’Reilly came to RTA tonight to talk about his passion and work in the industry. As a big fan of his radio show, Age of Persuasion, I confess that the event has been on my calendar since the beginning of the month and I was counting the minutes to see Terry talking about his new CBC radio show Under the Influence. The wait paid off, and the two-hour talk followed by a panel discussion with RTA students Lama Balagh and Erica Shaw, Dr. Charles Davis and John Girardo really inspired me to not only think creatively but also strategically.

I live tweeted the whole session and you can check out the discussion here.

Terry didn’t agree with me when I commented on the lack of diversity inside ad agencies and in the creative produced in Canada. However, I’d love to see him saying yes to this question:

What do you think? Will Terry accept it?

To be continued… (I’m hoping!)

Day #31: Terry O’Reilly at RTA School of Media is a post from: MadameHeringer.com

                          

We all knew that season four would be our last chance to revisit Erica’s regrets and do some time travelling through the Canadian TV series. We knew it, but we decided to ignore the fact. Now we are campaigning online for the return of a TV series that started courting its fans through social media. If you’re a fan of the series like me, you probably know that the CBC team did a wonderful job in building a loyal community around the Being Erica brand. From the first videolog on Youtube to the twitter accounts for Erica, Julianne and Dr. Tom, Being Erica was the first Canadian franchise to actually maintain a consistent online voice that gave life to the characters and engaged fans between episodes. No wonder we are using the internet to bring the TV series back

I still remember the first time that I heard about Erica Strange. There was a videolog flowing around and some buzz on twitter with links to YouTube videos. The series of weblog had actress Erin Karpluk as Erica recording bits of the story from her cubicle at fictitious WTP Insurance company. The first log, published on December 8th, 2008, had Erica celebrating the newly acquired webcam through a personal video intended to be watched by Ethan, Erica’s best friend at the time. The web exclusive series continued until January 2nd, 2009, three days before the show debuted on CBC.

Leading to the first season, the Being Erica team also developed an exclusive blog that could be easily mistaken for a “real” person diary. I first became a Facebook fan of the show through the blog by clicking on the button in the header. The following season kept a similar approach with Erica’s videologs from RiverRock Publishing. The show’s cast and CBC’s news team also recorded testimonials to support the season two campaign, which you can watch here.

On season three, entrepreneur Erica went on Twitter to tell her stories. Through the micro blogging platform, the fans got several clues into the episodes and had a chance to converse with the character. Twitter accounts were also created for Julianne and Dr. Tom, which allowed Erica to make her conversations with both characters public and RT their best lines.

As I mentioned before, being a Being Erica fan means falling in love with Toronto. I have yet to see a show that complies with the real CMF spirit of promoting Canadian cities and lifestyle like Being Erica. In my opinion, the TV series was able to attract so many loyal fans because it brought the urban Toronto vibe to Canadian households. Erica was a strong character who was constantly overcoming her biggest fears close to us, rushing through Dundas Square on a rainy day and kissing Adam in the summer at Queen’s Quay. It’s sad to see a show led by a female character cancelled, it’s even more discouraging to see a strong Canadian female character silenced.

 

 

 

If you want to join the Bring Back ‘Being Erica’ movement, you can start by liking the Facebook page and writing to the CBC Drama department.

 

 

 

 

Day #22: “Bring Back Being Erica Movement” and Cross-Platform Promotion on Canadian Television is a post from: MadameHeringer.com

                          

One of the greatest things about living between two cultures is that you get to laugh in two languages every single day. However, jokes and memes in my mother tongue tend to have a special flavour, especially now that the Brazilian youth is connected and  heavily using online platforms like their North American counterparts. I remember that my first computer, which in fact was the family computer, had very restricted access to the internet. We were still in the dial-up ages and the phone bill charges were not inexpensive. I was expected to connect to the internet with very specific goals and tasks in mind like checking my email, reading an article or researching something that my Mom asked about. “Fast Internet” arrived after I finished high school, only then I was able to spend hours chatting on ICQ, join Yahoo! groups and have my first Geocities page (dude, I feel old saying that!). So now, when I see the Brazilian Gen Zs creating all sorts of trending topics on Twitter, I get excited about being part of it even from far away.

What about Luiza?, you might ask. Well… Luiza Rabello is a 17 year old Brazilian exchange student living in Canada who became an online celebrity after her father Gerardo Rabello mentioned her during an informercial. According to Mr. Rabello he followed the original script produced by the real estate development team. The commercial for the development in the city of João Pessoa, in the Brazilian state of Paraíba looks like any other of its kind until Mr. Rabello mentions Luiza. The TV spot is 30 seconds long and  Mr. Rabello spends only three seconds disclosing that he “brought his whole family, except Luiza who is living in Canada,” to show his support to the local venture, but that was enough. The TV spot has received thousands of hits on YouTube and if you search for “Luiza Está no Canadá” you’ll find numerous articles and videos about this new Brazilian online celebrity. The #LuizaEstaNoCanada hashtag reached over 1.7 million people in the last 24 hours.

If you want to get involved in this meme, the official hashtag is #LuizaEstaNoCanada. If you want to help Luiza and/or kill some time, Fuse and Imaginaria have also developed a game called “Luiza is Living in Canada – Glamour at the Ski Hill Edition” that will do the trick. In the game, our heroine skies downhill trying to avoid rocks, pine trees, snow men and the Sasquatch. The real life Luiza was supposed to stay in Canada until the end of this month, but after over 9,000 people confirmed their presence at a fictitious party at the Castro Pinto International Airport, her family decided to speed her return to Brazil for the end of this week.

Safe travels, Luiza! (And too bad we won’t be able to use one of the best lines provided by the Brazilian advertising industry after the end of this week…)

Day #17: Luiza is Living in Canada (but only until the end of this week!) is a post from: MadameHeringer.com

                          

Our first winter in Toronto has been fairly atypical. Until now, we saw some snow sticking to the ground for two or three days after Christmas and that was it! My 600 fill parka has been more for fashion than for survival. However, on this Friday the 13th, it seems that winter came to stay here in Canada’s biggest city.

I am not going to say that winter is my favourite season, but after 5 years living in Canada, it has become part of my lifestyle. It’s super cold and I am not going to refuse a round-trip to Mexico if you decide to sponsor my winter escape. However, it doesn’t feel right to start the year without some cold, snow and scarves

The BlogTO published some vintage pictures of snow storms in Toronto today. It’s interesting how snow always brings some quiet time and silence to our lives, it almost feels like the time has slowed down a bit to be re-born again in the spring…

Day #13: And the Winter has Arrived… is a post from: MadameHeringer.com

                          

You say I have an accent, but I don’t hear it. As far as I can tell, the English words that reverberate in my head are perfectly understandable and my pronunciation is spotless. I know that I mumble a word here and there, and sometimes replace common words for more elaborate ones that I can pronounce a little easier. However, if I can understand a variety of accents in Canada, dude, you should be able to understand mine. But, I don’t know how, sometimes you don’t, so I decided to write you three quick tips to help you communicate with me:

To start, my first language is Brazilian Portuguese. Unlike English, my mother tongue has pretty much only one way to enunciate vowels and weird structures such as ção and há. It’s like French, you learn the sounds, you know how to say any word. You won’t necessarily know what you’re saying, but at least you can say it! English, on the other hand, doesn’t make any sense. For example, you can participate in a contest, but you contest your grade. The potato is “load-ed” with good stuff, but it was baked, not “bake-ed.” I am progressively mastering these diferences, but please don’t make a weird face when I don’t stress the syllables the way you expect. If you live in Toronto, I kinda expect you to have a trained ear…

Secondly, I am not deaf. In all fairness, this is not an English-speaker thing. My Mom also insists on yelling at Mr. Ames in Portuguese thinking that it will help him understand what she is saying. However, if you are having a normal conversation with me and you suddenly raise your voice, chances are that you’re going to scare the hell out of me! I have never been in a situation that I had to literally run away from a conversation, but after five years in Canada, I am starting to think that this day will arrive soon. The problem here is not that I don’t understand you, YOU are the one who is having a hard time understanding what I am saying! Just take a deep breath and try again. I’ll do my best to use new words to help you understand what I am saying.

Finally, there is no problem in asking me to repeat what I just said or spell out the word that you can’t understand. I am a smart girl and would feel respected if you just asked for clarification. Because, you know, if you keep talking I will know that you didn’t understand a word of what I just said and are trying to be polite by carrying on with the conversation. Remember when I said that I hate to be patronized? Yeah… that’s exactly how I will feel about you.

Seriously, this can work! I have been here for five years and so far I’ve been successful in making myself understood while working in the communications industry. I sometimes have a hard time understanding you too, but I always try to give you a fighting chance. I know that there are days that I am tired or have been speaking Portuguese before I met with you and my accent is super thick. I will give you that! Give me a minute or two, it will get better…

Disclaimer: This blog post is not meant to attack anyone that I know. It’s just a collection of funny situations that I hope will make you laugh and inspire your future interactions in English.

If you want to expand on the multicultural discussion, you should check out the Coop Culture website.

Day #12: Read in Case of Accent Emergency is a post from: MadameHeringer.com

                          

(clique aqui para ler em português)

I consider myself a very optimistic person. I know I have my days of grumpiness, but even then I believe that it will get better. The only exception is when I am asking for something and a salesperson tries to push me to buy another thing that I don’t want or need. It doesn’t matter if I am buying a book, a new haircut or a pair of shoes. If I tell whoever I am talking to that I, the customer, want a specific thing, I do want that thing and I will only buy that thing. So, please don’t try to convince me to do the opposite.

In Canada, I’ve learned that the word patronizing defines this type of customer service attitude that I often struggle with. It means that the person that you’re speaking with assumes that THEY know what’s best for you and just try to talk you into doing what they want. Unfortunately, to me, it’s just straight up bad sales training and disrespectful. I know that we are all trying to get back on our feet in the middle of an economic crisis and we all need to make a living, but this is definitely not the best approach for someone like me.

So, instead pushing your clients, learn to bring them closer. Listen to their own suggestions and if they get repetitive, like I do, just give them what they want!

Am I the only one who hates this type of sales approach? Do you have a good story to share?

If you’re really lost and have no idea of how build a relationship with your customers, the old Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People might be a good start

P.S.: By the way, Chipotle always serves what I ask for…

Day #10: Just Listen… is a post from: MadameHeringer.com

                          

In seven years of MadameHeringer.com, I have never written a Year In Review post because I didn’t think that you would care to read it. However, since you’re here, you’ve just proved me wrong!

2011 was one of the craziest years of my life. It was like immigrating to Canada all over again, but this time without the involvement of Canada Immigration and Citizenship. The year started steady and under control, then went through two months of totally freaking out, and finished with a very promising look to the future. 2011 was a year of crazy ideas and big dreams, of tears and laughs and wonderful friends both old and new. In 2011, I learned that the company you keep is invaluable through tough times and no matter how you connect, some friendships are truly forever.

So, if you’re still with me, hold my hand and help me figure out what really happened in 2011…

January

The year always starts well if I am able to jump seven waves at Copacabana Beach. Being at my first home is good for my soul, especially on New Year’s Eve. The start of 2011 was even more special because I was able to bring both my families together. My Canadian family made it all the way to Brazil to meet my folks in Rio and Espírito Santo. We all had a great time eating and laughing together!

The year also started with wonderful news from the blogosphere. MadameHeringer.com was awarded twice at the Canadian Weblog Awards and I was invited to participate in the Brazilian TV Channel Multishow’s social media project #Outros500.

February

OK, we already know that February is a very short month, but in 2011 the month almost seemed like it didn’t happen! The shortest month of the year was all about work, it seems… However, it was in February that Tracy Bains and the Coop Culture crew invited me to speak about my expat experience at #NetCulture.

March

Well… well… March is always fun, since it’s MY MONTH! This year, I found some time for a Habs game between birthday celebrations and it was awesome!!! There’s no wonder that the Montreal Canadiens are the only real hockey team in the world… #GoHabsGo

(I can barely wait to go to Montreal in 2012!)

April

April brought me one of the best gifts ever. My very good friend Antonia came to Vancouver to study and hang out with me for three months. It was wonderful to have her close again and to be able to share my new country and friends with her. Unfortunately, three months are not enough to make up for the last five years. So, Tunis, please come back soon!

May

May started great with a full week in Toronto at the CWC/Corus Career Accelerator program in Digital Media. It was great to connect with other passionate professional women and become a certified geek Thanks to the CWC/Corus initiative, I fell in love with Toronto and applied for the MA program at Ryerson University.

June

June was a month filled with goodbyes. After we decided that we were really moving to Toronto, we spent the month balancing our friends’ requests to stay in Vancouver with making moving truck arrangements. I’ve said it before, we miss our friends and family in Vancouver. However, without our memories from June, it would be even harder to settle in Toronto.

July

We were lucky to arrive in Toronto in the summer. Now that our city is cold and white, we see how a great summer helps us to look forward to the new year. Toronto is incredibly vibrant over the summer and it’s beautiful! It was great to be able to enjoy the city as tourists and explore all the festivals and fairs in the city during our first two weeks in our new home.

August

After a lot of thought and debate, I accepted the offer to the MA program at Ryerson and started getting ready for a one-year adventure as a student. Mr.Ames accepted his first job in Toronto and we spent most of the rest of the summer surrounded by amazing friends. However, the best part of August was the Blue Jays games at Skydome (sorry… can’t call it Rogers Centre!) I am finally close to understanding the game and the strategy behind the plays. I blame Oswaldo and Luiza for this new obsession!

September

September was all about the starting the MA program in Media Production at Ryerson, photo walks and new friends. It was also about changing my mindset to academic mode. The month just flew by filled with new discoveries and challenges…

October

October was all about the Thanksgiving long weekend! Mr. Ames accepted the challenge of cooking his first turkey and I made sure that we filled the house with good friends and wine. The only downside of hosting a Thanksgiving dinner are the leftovers. This year, we learned the hard way that there really is a limit to how much turkey one can consume in a week!

November

I was a zombie in November! If it had to describe the month in one word it would be “research.” And I researched media everywhere… before bed, in the subway, at Ryerson, while eating…

I love the fact that I am having the opportunity to develop research and write about digital media and transmedia storytelling, but in November it was so intense (too many academic deadlines) that all my memories from this months are related to books and articles, not people!

December

And the year ended on the best note ever! Mama Heringer came to Toronto to spend the holidays with us!

I really don’t know what to expect from 2012. Last NYE, I wouldn’t imagine that 2011 would bring us so many changes nor that I would be watching the snow melting from an apartment in Uptown Toronto… but change is good and always welcomed at the Heringer-Ames household. If next year is as dynamic as this one, I can guarantee good stories and exciting blog posts!

Happy 2012!

xoxo,

V

2011 Year in Review is a post from: MadameHeringer.com

                          

I don’t know if it’s the food, the weather or the cultural shift, but since I moved to Canada I catch myself saying that Christmas is my favorite holiday. It might be due the absence of a decent Carnival party around here Every year I convince Mr. Ames to support my decision of decorating the house (not allowed to do it before December though) and celebrating the fattiest time of the year!

Apparently, I’ve created my own little Christmas tradition. Every year, I buy a new Hallmark keepsake ornament for my tree. 2009 was the exception, but luckily I found the missing link on a collector’s website. The 2011 addition is on it’s way… I’ll post it here as soon as it arrives.

Things have changed a lot in the past 5 years, but it feels great to look back and see how much we have accomplished…

I love the fact that my husband kept all the ornaments that he was given as a child.

Most importantly, it’s our first Christmas tree in a new home in a new city. It seems that what really matters is still with us. Let’s celebrate!

It’s Starting to Look Like Christmas Around Here… is a post from: MadameHeringer.com

                          

I wrote this blog post a week after the changes in the parents and grandparents application process was announced by Minister Kenney. At that time, I stopped myself from publishing it after listening to the opinions of a friend who is an immigration practitioner. However, since I’ve been seeing a considerable number of immigrants celebrating the 10-year visa for parents as it was an advancement in immigration policy and my opinion hasn’t changed, here is what I think about this Conservative move.

Last month, the Federal government announced a two-year moratorium on immigration applications from parents and grandparents. The new policy implemented by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney apparently comes to address a huge backlog. In Minister Kenney’s words, “we need to change the math.” I couldn’t agree more, but at what cost?

According to Minister Kenney’s perspective, parents and grandparents of new Canadians only put more pressure on the Immigration system and therefore, should be banned for the next two years. It has been five years since I immigrated to Canada and one thing that I have learned is that if the Tories label something as temporary, chances are that it is permanent. Usually, they are just pretending that they care. The reduction on women’s programs funding is living proof of this theory, isn’t it?

Earlier this year, Citizenship and Immigration Canada conducted a public consultation on immigration levels and mix. Very little was heard about the consultation itself and the results of the poll, closed two months ago, are still a mystery to both permanent residents and Canadians. Since Minister Kenney and our Conservative government think that making transparent decisions is not an option, thousands of newcomers, who dreamt of reuniting their families in Canada, are now trying to digest this drastic policy change.

However, the new policy came wrapped with a shiny new 10-year visa that will be available to any permanent resident’s parents and grandparents. But, there is a catch! If the newcomer’s parents or grandparents want to spend a long period of time with their children they must purchase a private health insurance, pass a medical exam and prove they have family in Canada who can support them here. I have no objection to supporting my ancestors while they are here, that was an essential requirement of the now ‘on hold’ sponsoring process, however, I find curious that the CIC is now offering private health insurance as an option. Are the Tories now suggesting to all permanent residents and Canadians that private health care is indeed a viable option? Is public health care no longer an essential part of our cultural identity?

I would be extremely angry at Minister Kenney if I were a sponsored parent and heard him referring to me as a drag on society. Senior citizens often immigrate to Canada to support their children’s career, to take care of their grandchildren while their sponsors are (guess what?) working. Not to mention that parents and grandparents often work to support themselves and help their families. The perception that senior immigrants put pressure in the health and economic system is not entirely true. According to the CIC website, only 32% of the total immigrants accepted in Canada in 2010 were sponsored through the family class process, which includes parents and grandparents but also children and spouses. Since the 1990s Canada has been reducing the proportion of sponsored family allowed in the country, ignoring that family is a big part of anyone’s settlement in any country.

The new policy is unfair to all of us, to our whole society. By creating new restrictions, our Conservative government establishes more barriers to newcomers. Some people might say that it is not Canada’s problem. Nobody asked us to move here and that is true. However, once we are all here trying to figure out our differences, why should we support making it more difficult? Our multicultural society makes Canada unique by creating more conditions to embracing who we are, however, our current government seems to be interested in relegating new immigrants to second-class status.

Newcomers who arrived here this year will soon face the tough decision between their families and this country. To some, it might happen sooner as their family grows and parents are faced with no daycare options for their Canadian-born children while grandparents living abroad would be happy to care for their grandchildren while parents are at work (and running the economy). To others, it might come later when they need to care for their elderly parents. The reality is that only Canada loses when new Canadians decide to leave. The financial and emotional investment, from both parties, goes down the drain when newcomers give up on Canada. We moved here motivated by the dream of building the best country, economy and society in the world, however, it’s hard to stick with our decision when our government starts turning their back on us.

Canadian Immigration: Are We Supporting the Creation of Second-Class Citizens? is a post from: MadameHeringer.com

                          

Yes, I am working on my 3.0 version. This upgrade comes with different letters after my name and has its release scheduled for Fall 2012 As nice as it sounds, let me tell you, going back to school is very hard. Going from a professional to an academic mindset is no easy task. It felt like I was reinventing myself at the beginning, trying really hard to make sense of theories that I left behind at PUC-Rio’s pilotis. However, with time, thoughts and ideologies go back to where they were supposed to be. In fact, they were always there…

As you might know, this is not the first time back to university since I moved to Canada. I’ve always taken post secondary courses here and there. This time has been exceptionally exciting and rewarding though. A masters program is demanding, but it gives me the opportunity to develop research in what really interests me (new media, broadcasting television and audiences).

The only pitfall of this journey are my own expectations. I don’t remember myself as a big nerd, but apparently, I am. I get all worried about my grades and sometimes just forget to have fun. It’s a shame but it’s getting better! And luckily, when I am close to losing my cool, my wonderful classmates always come up with something that makes me laugh really hard. Apparently, the the last weeks of the Fall semester have been extremely inspiring to us. The latest is the #MPMemes!

 What about you? Are you back to school working on reinventing yourself? Are you enjoying the experience?

I’m Pursuing a Masters Degree in Canada! is a post from: MadameHeringer.com