Sonic Boom

What’s next for businesses using social media? Empowering the retail level

By Stacey Fowler Dec 5, 2012

THE BAD NEWS: I’ve found that industries with bricks & mortar stores as their main retail presence seem to suffer most in this uber-connected world. It’s a shame, because this is a place where customers really solidify their opinion, good or bad, of a brand and its products.

While we think a lot about e-commerce and the ways social media integrates into it, we can’t forget about the people on the frontlines who interact with customers and potential customers every single day. Not factoring the retail level into your social media plans means your brand misses out on leveraging built-in brand evangelists and, in the worst case scenario, could even lead to a social media nightmare.

THE GOOD NEWS: This is a gap we, as social media marketers, can fill for our clients. As Ford Canada’s Social Media Dealer Coach for its 430+ dealerships across Canada, let me offer some insight on where to start:

Social media education & guidelines: Your retail workforce probably contains everyone from students paying their way through college or university all the way through to part-timers who plan to retire soon. That said, you’ll need to level-set by meeting somewhere in the middle. I’ve started with Beginner-level training, which will be followed by Intermediate- and Expert-level training. Part of the training involves guidelines for employee participation in social media. While this is nothing new and big companies using social media already have guidelines, they often blast them out once and then forget about them. I’d recommend revisiting them every six months, especially with the retail level, in an innovative way.TIP: It can be hard to get the retail level’s attention – they’re a busy bunch. This is where you tap into contacts who already reach and influence them, like Regional Sales Managers; get them on board and prepare them with a personal communication they can tailor to those who may benefit from training.
Selective one-to-one coaching: Don’t expect that everyone is going to be into social media. And, if you’ve got a large number of stores, one-to-one coaching may not be scalable. After basic training, do your best to find the “handraisers” who are committed to the idea of using social media for their store and offer one-to-one coaching for them. Your involvement will help them define a clear strategy, differentiate themselves from competitors, focus their efforts on tactics tying back to their strategy, and measure their success.TIP: I’ve been toying with Zoho, a free CRM system, to help me keep track of my dealership outreach and coaching. Being organized from the start is crucial not only to tracking your own progress but the progress of those you’re coaching.
Leverage employee expertise and highlight social media successes: Once trained and coached, you should tap into their expertise. For example, I’ve always liked the fact that Home Depot uses its own employees in their YouTube videos to help customers with everything from choosing a paint colour to selecting the right snowblower. To make it scalable, start off with your handraisers and shepherd the program at a corporate level first, then give the retail level the tools to continue the program themselves. TIP: Employees feel great knowing the company holds their expertise in high regard, which can bring a whole host of other benefits (especially in terms of employee loyalty).

Tell me – do you have (or do you plan to get) a social media plan in place for your business’ retail level?

Yours in social media,

Stacey

About Us

Sonic Boom is a 15 year old startup going through a renaissance. Transformation and redefinition. A new team in a new time.

People often ask what we do. In an industry born of connectivity, fueled by innovation, and marked by an ever evolving ecosystem a firm definition is difficult.

We’re agents of change.

Pure digital. Data driven and accountable to the core.

Part digital architect, part advocate and part ambassador. Entirely stakeholder focused.

A connector of dots.

Sonic Boom is a conversation firm. An instigator of dialogue.

Engaging conversation and intense listening (yes, we’re full duplex). Connecting brands and stakeholders; ideas and people.

We’re problem solvers and business builders. We drive business metrics and measure performance against desired outcomes. And then we optimize.

We believe in honesty, transparency, integrity and collaboration.

These are not words painted on a wall but found in the spirit of the team who’s common goal is the creation a new kind of communications’ firm.

A little confused? That’s ok. Uncertainty and vulnerability are also core values.

In the last 13 months we’ve put fresh paint on the walls, recruited some of the best talent and attracted some of the world’s most sought after clients. And we’re just getting started.

But while we were busy relaying foundation we forgot to articulate our story so that it could be told.

So where does it say who we are and how were different? What’s our value proposition and USP? We’re getting to it.

Like all things, we are a work in progress. We are feeling good because we’ve got a lot of smart folks around the table to help us figure it out.

Shh. Don’t tell anyone.

@Juergens Thanks Doris! Don't worry - you'll get an invite soon for one of our famous 5a7s :-) cc @sylvainperron @zeidel

@sncboom

May 13, 2013 / 8:35 pm

Sylvain Perron and Richard Zeidel Join NATIONAL

October 19, 2011
As equity partners, Sylvain and Richard will lead Sonic Boom’s transformation to a full-service digital firm capable of meeting the most complex and sophisticated digital requirements of our clients…

Based in Montreal, but spending significant time in Toronto and in our other markets, Sylvain and Richard will lead our efforts to become the leading player across Canada and internationally.

They will work closely with the entire Sonic Boom team to provide clients with services in research and insights, social business architecture, strategy, design and development of digital assets, content and storytelling, community engagement and influencer outreach. Their arrival also marks Sonic Boom’s expansion in Montreal.

Both Sylvain and Richard have years of highly relevant experience growing leading-edge digital companies and consulting firms in Canada. Both have international experience and have worked with top global clients in developing and designing sophisticated digital strategies.

Sylvain and Richard are very excited about joining Sonic Boom. They recognize the power and great potential of the entire NATIONAL network and are very aware of Sonic Boom’s outstanding reputation in the marketplace for creativity and innovation.

Fostering entrepreneurial spirit in Canada’s youth with Start Something with Alesse

Pfizer Canada – Alesse Facebook Content Strategy

The Start Something With Alesse Contest, which champions youth entrepreneurship, is one of Pfizer Canada’s most ground-breaking digital Direct to Consumer (DTC) digital marketing programs. Now in its third year, Sonic Boom is collaborating with the Alesse team on their social media strategy.

National Facebook page

Quebec Facebook page

Tragedy and the Role of the Community Manager

By Crystal Sales Apr 16, 2013

Quite frankly, there is no nine-to-five for the community manager. Monitoring and moderating are tasks that need to be covered twenty-four hours a day to ensure there are no major disruptions to social communities. Citizen journalism is at its peak right now, which means that tragedy brings out the reporter in everyone online.

Yesterday’s misfortune in Boston saw frontline reporting via Twitter and Vine (primarily) and erupted conversations on both platforms, which became incredibly difficult to keep up with. Community monitoring is critical at times like these and there are certain steps to take to ensure there is empathy from the respective brand(s).
During adverse events, community managers should immediately do the following:

Alert All Employees: All employees that monitor social communities should be aware of the event and ensure they are posting accordingly. Establishing a guide for adverse events is a great idea (especially if there are new employees).
Reschedule Posts: Sure, scheduled posts can be a godsend however; CMs should revise and/or reschedule posts for the remainder of the day. There are many occasions where brands will have scheduled posts that continue to show up as planned, which insinuates a lack of empathy – something that no one wants.
Keep Conversation to a Minimum: Capitalizing on a hashtag (to increase brand awareness) during a devastating period is absurd. There are people who genuinely want to use a hashtag to find relevant information, so it’s best to keep out. Furthermore, do not try and add to conversation with hearsay. For instance, yesterday, there were many reports that the bombs were an act of terror – there was no confirmation at the time. Leave the news to the news outlets.
Review Content Calendar: A CM should forecast what the sentiment will be in the days following a tragedy. Reviewing a content/posting calendar is important. There is nothing worse than posting content that is insensitive to the situation and may offend the audience.
Offer Condolences: Is there a need to offer condolences? If so, craft a professional and succinct message on behalf of the brand.

There have been many case studies where brands neglected to check their social mediums, which resulted in bad publicity and otherwise defamed their social presence.

Michael McLeod

The Wizard of PROD

Michael McLeod

Technical Lead

The Internet? Is that thing still around?

Our Process

What we do:

Brand Planning & Digital Strategy:

Consumer Insights
Brand Positioning
Problem Solving
Engagement Planning

Content Creation:

Social Channel Planning
Brand Storytelling
Influencer Relations
Community Building
Governance Planning
Community Management
Infographics
Video Production
Social Media Copywriting
Custom Media Buys

Digital Development:

User Experience Design
User Interface Design
Web Development
Custom Facebook Applications
Mobile & Tablet Development
Portal Development

Measurement & Optimization

Have you taken a minute to celebrate YOUR 2012 successes?

By Stacey Fowler Feb 5, 2013

a•chieve•ment

/əˈCHēvmənt/

Noun

1. A thing done successfully, typically by effort, courage, or skill.

2. The process or fact of achieving something.

So what do you plan to accomplish this year? Wait, before you answer that, have you properly taken a moment to reflect and celebrate your own achievements from the past year?

Sonic Boom just did exactly that by celebrating the 2012 accomplishments of its employees. We’ve got a bunch of courageously talented and creatively skillful folks who go the extra mile for their clients and colleagues. Let me tell you a bit about ‘em:

We’ve got Helen Karrandjas-Moore, Sonic Boom’s Account Director for Ford Canada, who took home the Visionary Leadership Model Achievement Award. In a nutshell, this award goes to the person who delivers superior results through the enduring quality of his/her relationships with clients and colleagues; he/she acts in the long-term best interest of clients, team members and the company by constantly identifying opportunities to deliver value, grow business and advance professional development opportunities for staff he/she works with. Helen has worked very hard to build Sonic Boom’s Ford Canada team, create processes, ensure quality and develop relationships with all key players of the account including Senior Leadership at Ford, NATIONAL and partner agencies. She has been able to quickly build trust with the client which was demonstrated by their ask for her to fill in for the client’s paternity leave. That’s big!

We’re also lucky to have someone like Alex Ungureanu on the team, who won the Commitment and Collaboration Achievement Award. Essentially the winner of this award has made an outstanding commitment to the company and/or to the community above and beyond his/her usual duties, has demonstrated continuous career progress, and has strived to enhance collaboration by fostering inter-group and inter-office relations. Alex first joined as a freelancer on contract and was tasked with developing a process to effectively deliver our digital mandates to our clients. It was clear that she was a process ninja capable of much more! So upon joining full time, she took on responsibility to manage freelancers, vendors and overall resourcing for Sonic Boom as well as our new business process. Her processes have resulted in increased collaboration internally at Sonic Boom as well as with NATIONAL and AXON. In the time she has been here we’ve won Health Canada, GE, London Hydro, and many more great clients – this clearly demonstrates the impact of her work. She also teaches spinning at 5:45 am as well as yoga classes in the evening. She does it all!

And Alice Keith, our Business Development and Management Achievement Award winner, has contributed to the company by substantially increasing business through existing and new clients and excelling with project management including the development / management of budgets. She has super-strong client relationships, immediately connecting with clients she inherited by listening to their challenges and working with them to provide solutions that exceed their expectations. In a short time, this has earned her the trust of her clients, which has resulted in impressive account growth including Vaughan Mills, London Hydro and Pfizer; she also led the Health Canada RFP. Alice worked tirelessly to keep the pitch team on track, to create engaging ideas for the submission and to bring in partners from different NATIONAL offices and practice groups to strengthen the proposal. Upon winning Health Canada, the client commented on how Sonic Boom’s submission stood out from the rest and was the most clear and complete – now THAT’S an accomplishment. When asked about her win, she said:

“Business development has been something relatively new for me since I got to Sonic Boom. On my second day, I was handed a thick government RFP, and this is how the conversation with my boss went:

My boss: ‘You’ve led these before, right?’

Me: ‘Well, no actually. I mean I’ve helped out with some RFP’s before…’

My boss: ‘OK, well now’s a good time to start.’

And so it began – I love working on new business, and I love my clients! I’ve learned to stretch myself and try new things here, because as a team we genuinely support each other to learn, grow, and bring all our different skills and experiences to the table.”

Come tell us on Facebook and on Twitter: What does achievement mean to you, and how do you celebrate it?

Salima Valji

Witty, Critical Challenger

Salima Valji

Managing Director – Toronto

“People in this industry are always looking for new ways to innovate – it’s very inspiring.”

Jennifer Meehan

The Maestro

Jennifer Meehan

Managing Director

Alexandra Ungureanu

Agency Ringmaster

Alexandra Ungureanu

Director of Account Services & Production

“There’s no finish line in digital…we never know what the day will bring and where our ideas will take us. It’s challenging and exhilarating. ”

Helen Karrandjas Moore

Professional Wrangler

Helen Karrandjas Moore

Account Director

Innovation: The art of creating meaning

By Marco Gervasio Feb 25, 2013

Our world is complex and ever-changing. And there is no sign that things will slow down or get simpler any time soon. This rapid evolution phenomenon applies not only to industries and organizations but to people and social movements as well.

The way we conduct business nowadays is far different than decades ago: the competitive landscape is boiling with rising and falling players, society’s values are challenged all the time, technology is spitting out an overwhelming amount of new commodities, and customers have become overly stimulated and possibly blasé.

So how do we survive in this jungle of insanity anyways? Shouldn’t life be easier? But I digress…

Perhaps the madness began with the industrial revolution, a stepping-stone in our history that totally changed how we created and acquired products. The machine age helped make everything more accessible and businesses jumped on the opportunity. Suddenly, customers had access to so many goods and started piling them up. But people’s needs and goals have evolved over the past century.

One hundred years ago, customers sought products with great features, devices that would make their lives more comfortable and efficient: “My Lord! I can get light in the house by pressing a switch!” Decades later in mid-century, when access to products was easy and options were abundant, customers started looking for more superficial benefits such as image and identity: “Which brand will make me look swell in front of my peeps?” But are we really different today? Yes and no.

Both feature and identity benefits are still important. We want the incredible gadgetry and still desire to display designer labels proudly. But coming up with great product functionalities or developing a cool brand is almost the easy part now. Why? Because today, people expect even more. They aspire to something more relevant, significant, and momentous. In other words: something meaningful.

But what is meaning, you may ask?

Our now aware and awaken customers will basically pay more attention to things that can make an actual difference in their lives on an emotional, intellectual, and even spiritual level. Basically, whatever we offer should tap into how people connect with what makes sense around them, what is right, what is truly important in life. When people connect with your brand, do they get a sense of:

Togetherness & Contribution?
Harmony & Splendor?
Certainty & Transparency?
Encouragement & Improvement?
Illumination & Discovery?
Creativity & Achievement?
Freedom & Integrity?

To stay relevant nowadays, your brand must generate meaningful moments. This means your company must truly care for people and not look at them as numbers or buyers. It’s about a genuine desire to make a difference every time you engage with them.

Successful businesses understand that offering the best customer experience requires commitment. It must be part of the company’s beliefs and values, and every action must align towards that goal. If your culture is based on wanting to make a significant impact in people’s life, not only will you set up the grounds for innovative ideas to emerge but you will also ensure that the end product will connect with customers in profound ways.

Here are a few examples of companies that have had an impact on consumers, along with the meanings they have tapped into:

INSTAGRAM – Creativity & Achievement

This little mobile app is so simple yet it has achieved so much success. It did more than just allow people to take pictures on the go – it made people feel like artists. Sure, all the filters you can apply to your images help make everything look prettier than reality, but the app still made people want to become more creative by putting extra effort towards finding the right subjects and framing them in novel ways. Ordinary people suddenly had a tool to let the artist within come out.

MOVEMBER – Togetherness & Contribution

We all know about the ‘stache movement that helps raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, especially prostate cancer. What makes this event so brilliant is how simple things came together: body marking, tribe building, giving back. A little hairy feature on the face (a very noticeable one) would make people ask questions, allowing the advocate to lure them in and make them either donate money or become part of the fundraising tribe. By mixing fun, style (arguable for some, but creative nonetheless), and collectivity, it just made people want to be part of it all. Participants feel they contribute to a movement, something bigger than themselves; that makes this fundraising campaign stand out from all the rest.

APPLE – Harmony & Splendor

Decades ago Apple made the conscious decision to make every product beautiful and easy to use. The outcome was a series of powerful devices that were slick and intuitive; they just made sense and were better than any alternative. Not only did Apple push innovation on a feature level, but they also integrated an overall experience. From purchasing, to opening the packing, to using the product, to getting technical support; every step was designed to make people feel great.

Remember:

“It is not the strongest of species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin

Marco Gervasio

Creative Director at Sonic Boom

Audrey Houde-Forget

Chief Unicorn Officer

Audrey Houde-Forget

French Social Media Copywriter

“There is no place such as the web industry. It’s organic: always moving, growing, changing. Everyday is different, filled with exciting moments and opportunities.”

Sean Carruthers

Global Hermit

Sean Carruthers

Digital Media Producer

Crystal Sales

Preppy with a Pinch of Sass

Crystal Sales

Community Manager

@JulieTyios @socialnerdia We do! We do! Thank you Esteban! #SocialSlate

@sncboom

May 6, 2013 / 11:20 am

Our Culture

We are solution-oriented entrepreneurs who revere resourcefulness over resources, fantastic failures over mediocre successes and curiosity over the status quo.

We live for Monday mornings. We are as passionate about work as we are about play. We focus on solutions and work as a team to unleash groundbreaking ideas. We put people first to foster a collaborative and creative environment. We’re inclusive, we speak the truth and encourage our clients and brands to do the same.

We foster a culture in which everyone is valued, encouraged and supported. We collaborate amongst passionate, creative and brilliant individuals who continually push each other to go further.

We play in a space where we push the boundaries, create and innovate, test, optimize and grow. We encourage risks, which inspires innovation. We are built to learn.

Our studios in Toronto, Montreal and London, England believe in community, open communication, integrity, curiosity, respect, balance and teamwork.

We take our time hiring as cultural fit is our number one priority. It’s not easy joining Sonic Boom, but for the few who join us, come in to a family.

Julie Tyios

Scotchy Scotch & Zombies

Julie Tyios

Social Media Lead

“The rapid evolution of digital presents new challenges and opportunities every day. It’s an exciting time to explore possibilities and create new ways to tell stories that matter. #HBIT”

Jean-Eric Henault

The Code Caïd

Jean-Eric Henault

Front-End Developer

“We plan to take over the web…one domain name at a time…”

5 Take Aways from Digital Media Summit 2013

By Mark McKay Mar 26, 2013

Originally posted on Not Your Average Dad.

Social media and marketing are changing everyday. It is almost impossible to keep up with everything that is going on. It is for that reason that I really value attending conferences. It gives me a pulse check on the news that is coming out by tying it to real world examples from people who have executed the tactics.

Recently I attended the Digital Media Summit in Toronto where I presented a case study on the Zombie Escape video I executive-produced for Ford Canada. There were quite a few interesting keynotes, panels and discussions at the Summit. I’ve compiled my top 5 takeaways from the conference below. If you attended #DMS2013 let me know what your big take aways were in the comments below!

Word of Mouth Marketing is the next big thing – WOMM was around long before social media, but the importance of word-of-mouth has been brushed aside in favour of social media and it’s flashy platforms and fancy apps. The truth is that as much as 90% of word of mouth still happens offline. To succeed in social media is to succeed in getting people to talk to about you outside of social media, not getting them to rebroadcast your message to their friends and family who will likely ignore it.
The traditional purchase funnel is dead – it’s been replaced by a loyalty loop that is built on 1-to-1 connections and conversations with customers. Getting personal creates lasting value and builds trust which leads to consideration, purchase and advocacy. Advocacy is word-of-mouth marketing.
Be FLAWsome – this one came from Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics and Digital Leader. It means – handle your mistakes with class. Take advantage of mistakes, and turn digital lemons into lemonade.
Create social influence at scale – this came from Facebook’s Alfredo Tan, and while he was speaking in reference to Facebook, I think these 4 key’s to success are true across the board – (1) Put people at the centre of the experience; (2) Connect with the right fans and build critical mass; (3) Engage them with stories though compelling content; (4) Empower them to influence their friends.
Make social content – social media channels are about engagement, creating conversations and developing relationships with the people who use your products. So your content needs to reflect this by having what Jason Fallis calls a “Holy Smokes Factor” – something that makes your audience stop and say “that was useful or fun and I need to share it with someone”.

The death of the corporate blog

By Melanie Ching Dec 5, 2012

I’ve asked myself: “self, aren’t you writing this on a corporate blog? In fact, isn’t this your very first post that is meant to introduce said corporate blog?” It’s a valid question. My colleagues and I will blog here but we’re not keeping this blog so that we can tick off the “integrate social media to the corporate website” box for our performance reviews. We aren’t sporadically posting about a team retreat we had six months ago at which we didn’t take any photos. And we certainly are not going to just re-post press releases. But we certainly might post about cats. And we will certainly have photos!

To be fair, I’m not taking credit for being the first to say corporate blogs are boring. A 2008 report by Forrester Research found that most corporate blogs kept by B2B firms failed to interest their intended audiences or engage them in conversations about trends and products. Of 90 enterprise-sized companies with corporate blogs that Forrester examined, 71 percent of the content was “light company or business topics,” with only 16 percent injecting “moderate personal insight” and only 13 percent using personal anecdotes.

So we want to do the opposite of that. Bilal Jaffery offers the following as a guide to ensure your blog – “corporate” or not – isn’t boring:

Be strategic, don’t blog because you need a blog
Align your blog with core business objectives and consider creating a mission statement for your blog, even if you’re the only one who ever sees it
Post regularly as infrequent posts don’t create community or attract new readers
Address controversy and bad news head on (check!)
Don’t pitch products or engage in happy talk, it’s not why anyone would read your blog
Don’t use your blog as another channel for news release distribution because if you have news, the blog is a great venue to offer perspective to your audience not available in the press release
Know your audience, if the blog is focused on customers, address customer issues or problems. If your company or its product(s) has fans, skew your blog to serve them
Accept comments (based on a comment policy) and address comments that need addressing, either within the comments section or with follow-up blog posts
Use a genuine voice and avoid corporate speak, nothing turns your network off more than formal speak and it’s even worse if you use it on your blog

Given that we just gave you this great list of what you can do on your company blog and since being transparent is good, we have three reasons for blogging. First, we genuinely want to talk about social media because we believe in its value and we have expertise that we want to share with you, no matter what stage of the social media game you are at. We’ll help you level up! Second, we are proud of what we do and how we shape our work and we want to share our successes and challenges in the spirit of community. Lastly, we want potential hires to know that this is a great place to work and current and future clients to get to know our amazing team.

Your friendly community manager signing off!

Melanie

P.S. From Wikipedia: The Maneki-neko (招き猫, literally “Beckoning Cat”; also known as Welcoming Cat, Lucky Cat, Money Cat, or Fortune Cat) is a common Japanese figurine (lucky charm, talisman) that is believed to bring good luck to the owner. The figurine depicts a cat (traditionally a calico Japanese Bobtail) beckoning with an upright paw, and is usually displayed—many times at the entrance—in shops, restaurants, pachinko parlors, and other businesses. So welcome to our blog!

RT @SophieCLaplante: @sylvainperron is digging the new digs #sncboommtl @ Sonic Boom http://t.co/qwa7vTko65

@sncboom

May 13, 2013 / 7:00 pm

We’re all about standing out!

By Salima Valji and Stacey Fowler Apr 12, 2013

Think about this – I mean really take a minute to think about this: What makes you stand out? Why would a company hire you versus someone else who has the same education and works in the same industry?

We’ve thought about the same thing for ourselves as a company – we want to stand out so that you’ll want to pick us as your employer extraordinaire. So let us tell you how we do that at our Toronto office:

We have a strong culture of promoting from within, meaning you can set your direction and we’ll help you get there. We’re not just saying that – we mean it.
Hello, open-concept workplace layout – the best way to encourage collaboration & idea-sharing!
That said, we value all ideas – toss ‘em around, put ‘em out there – don’t hold back!
We make sure there’s fresh fruit and drinks for our employees with our weekly food delivery!
Open-door policy is a real thing here – not just in theory; people actually use it.
You get variety in your day each and every day – it’s next to impossible to get bored here.
We have totally legit and comfy Herman Miller desk chairs for all, plus amazing Fatboy Bean Bags if you really want to kick back and relax!
We look for top-notch employees because they tend to attract other top-notch employees. We’re big on referrals and even offer a cash incentive if we hire someone that one of our employees has referred.
No formal dress code! YIPPEE!
We’re a small yet ever-growing organization with endless opportunities – that let’s you be more multi-faceted and don’t get pidgeon-holed in the same way you might at larger companies.
We’re not selfish. We share knowledge and help others on our team. We are all specialists in our own right and we are all willing to share our knowledge – that makes you and everyone else here more well-rounded.
We look at every resume we get, even if we get hundreds for one position. And if you stand out to us and we stand out to you, it’s a match made in heaven!
We know you have a personal life and we want to celebrate it with you – we’re known for ordering in cupcakes & cake to celebrate engagements, babies, you name it (and we do gluten-free celebration treats too).
We like that you have a personal life – we’ve got someone in a band and we go to his shows. We’ve got fashion bloggers and food bloggers on staff. At one point we even had one of our fitness-instructors-on-the-side volunteer to do morning yoga classes for us! We love that you do it all and we salute you for that!
Hanging out on social networks – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Vine, you name it – is part of your job. How cool is that?!
WE HAVE A FOOSBALL TABLE!
WE HAVE NERF GUNS! Every new team member gets their very own!

Click here & hit “Careers” at the top to see what we’re looking for at the moment – apply if you like what you see!

And if you liked what you just read, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter where we share goings ons & snippets of info you’re likely to find interesting!

Ujwal Arkalgud

Art Vandelay

Ujwal Arkalgud

Director of Strategy

Mark McKay

One Hit Wonder

Mark McKay

Director, Content Strategy

“Because social media and content marketing are still young industries, there is lots of opportunity to innovate and create change.”

Sara Mercier

Young & Restless Diva

Sara Mercier

Associate Digital & Social Media Content Producer

“I love working with insanely creative, dynamic people! Each day is an adventure, each day I come back for more!”

Sophie Côté Laplante

The Sparkling Crossover

Sophie Côté Laplante

Account Manager & French Social Media Dealer Coach

Maria Gonzalez

Whip-cracker Mamacita

Maria Gonzalez

Digital Project Manager

“I love our industry because it is always changing and constantly engages the community. I love the amazing opinions that everyone brings to the table.”

Paul Jacobs

Pharmacologically English

Paul Jacobs

Director, Digital Strategy

“In this business there is always an opportunity to be constantly surprised and delighted by new ideas, technology and approaches, to disrupt traditional thinking and reinvent the idea of communication.“

Fariba Rassa

#HBIT

Fariba Rassa

Social Media Lead

“How beautiful is that?”

Tu aimes les couleurs, @urbaine2point0? MT @SophieCLaplante Beauté dans son nouvel environnement #sncboommtl http://t.co/OYsRzgYrGx

@sncboom

May 13, 2013 / 2:58 pm

Sylvain Perron

Our Tasmanian Devil

Sylvain Perron

Managing Partner

Rannie Turingan

Nerf Influencer

Rannie Turingan

Social Media Specialist

“I love working in the digital social space. It’s a whole new world: shining, shimmering, splendid.”

Sakis Spyrou

Caffeinated Eye Candy

Sakis Spyrou

VP Operations – Montreal

“I get to bring the right talents together to deliver tangible solutions and quality products.”

Aoife McKeon

Sassy Irish Lassie

Aoife McKeon

Group Coordinator

“Working with a bunch of loud, inappropriate & crazy lunatics really makes my day!! They’re the bestest.”

Le Prix Distinction en consultation #ACRPQ décerné à notre président-fondateur, Luc Beauregard cc @SQPRP http://t.co/7Q3Hrg9dhz ^sf

@NATIONALPR

May 13, 2013 / 6:59 pm

(Français) La Presse Affaires parle de nous

February 5, 2013

Darcy Kelley

Barman Insights

Darcy Kelley

Director of Insights & Strategy

“Being forced to solve for a new and evolving set of challenges every day. I get to better understand people, their beliefs and values, and how to communicate with them.”

Can we empower the interior design community with a mobile solution that makes working with clients more efficient? We can do that.

Kohler iPhone App

Kohler came to Sonic Boom looking for a way to allow interior designers to reference Kohler products in a more user-friendly way than the standard catalog.

We took the challenge and created an operationally efficient solution that allows designers to reference Kohler products on-site with clients: an iPhone application.

Today, designers can reference a comprehensive Kohler catalog in a quick and engaging way, view specification sheets, find suppliers in their area and watch videos showcasing new products. More than 27,000 products are at their fingertips and they couldn’t be happier about it.

Download the Kohler App

Sonic Boom Opens London, U.K. Office

Oct 15, 2012
Paul Jacobs Appointed to Establish London Presence

Paul Jacobs has joined digital and social agency Sonic Boom Creative Media, a sister agency of AXON Communications, as Director, Digital Strategy. Sonic Boom is establishing a London presence through the hire of Paul, who is based in the AXON offices in London. This will allow the two firms to work even more closely together in providing integrated digital communications to their clients.

“Digital and social is one of the fastest growing areas of our business, and having our colleagues from Sonic Boom working alongside us in London is an important step for ensuring we can fully integrate digital strategy into the solutions we’re providing to our clients,” said Miranda Dini, Managing Partner of AXON London, a division of NATIONAL Public Relations.

Paul brings more than a decade of expertise in healthcare communications and digital integration, with a passion for finding creative digital solutions for his clients. Most recently, Paul was Director, Digital Strategy at Medicus International, an agency within the Publicis network, where he worked with pharmaceutical clients to integrate appropriate digital channels into their communications plans. Paul has a BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences from the University of Salford and an MSc in Biomedical Science Research from King’s College London.

“We are delighted that Paul Jacobs has joined us in London. Paul is already an established leader in digital healthcare, and he brings outstanding experience to both our existing and new clients,” said Sylvain Perron, Managing Partner of Sonic Boom.

Speaking about the appointment, Ralph Sutton, International Managing Partner, NATIONAL Public Relations said: “The NATIONAL network has had a very exciting year in 2012, and Sonic Boom has been one of our success stories. We see great opportunities for Sonic Boom and establishing a London operation will provide a new platform for growth.”

[Photo Credit: Nathan Parton, 2007]

David Singh

Whisky poet

David Singh

Social Media Copywriter and Editor

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to create content that is viewed by hundreds of thousands of readers.”

Aww, merci Seb! Tu seras tjrs le bienvenu dans le loft! #sncboommtl MT @Seb_Fassier Bon lundi à l'équipe de @SncBoom dans ses nvx bureaux

@sncboom

May 13, 2013 / 2:56 pm

Maxime Leclerc

Blackmailed Tech Robot

Maxime Leclerc

Senior Manager of Technology

“There’s nothing more exciting than deploying an innovative tech project @ 3am. Sonic Boom!”

Adam Aziz

The Early Bird

Adam Aziz

Account Manager

“It’s enjoyable and inspiring to work with so many creative, forward-thinking people on a daily basis.”

The mission: Create an interactive, avant-garde website fit for the most ambitious fundraising campaign ever undertaken by a francophone university.

Campus Montréal

Sonic Boom, in partnership with NATIONAL Public Relations, was responsible for creating the web site for Quebec’s largest university complex – HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal and Université de Montréal, who launched the biggest fundraising campaign in their history, under the name “Campus Montréal”.

The goal? To develop a digital space for the broader university community and donors that will contribute to reaching the goal of raising half a billion dollars to support Campus Montréal in its mission. The website was launched at the end of November, 2012 and received positive feedback, notably from the university and business communities.

Campus Montreal Website

Stacey Fowler

Patient, Balanced Foodie

Stacey Fowler

Social Media Dealer Coach

“Teaching & helping people = my life’s work. It’s rewarding to see how dealership employees grow as I coach them one-on-one.”

That's a very good motto! RT @JoannaMWilson Be curious. Be fearless. Be generous. @NATIONALPR #VLMTraining

@sncboom

May 3, 2013 / 7:57 pm

Michele Heron

Quiet, Caffeinated Zinger

Michele Heron

Senior Digital Producer

“Leading a team to one objective is rewarding, especially if that one objective is customer satisfaction.”

Sheri Hachey

Dog-loving, Cat-herder

Sheri Hachey

Account Director

Marco Gervasio

Hipster Chic

Marco Gervasio

Creative Director

“As digital marketers, our job isn’t to just make a big splash but to find ways to impact people’s life meaningfully.”

Sonic Boom Wins Health Canada Digital Engagement Mandate

February 6, 2013

Sonic Boom Creative Media and Health Canada empower Canadians to access health and safety information anytime, anywhere

TORONTO, ON – February 6, 2013 – Sonic Boom Creative Media has added yet another win to its growing roster of clients with the announcement of a new contract with Health Canada. As the newly appointed digital agency for the Healthy Canadians initiative, Sonic Boom will lead the strategic and technical development of digital tools and content to capture the attention of Canadian parents and proactively bring relevant and authoritative health and safety information to their everyday lives.

Healthy Canadians is a Government of Canada initiative aimed at providing Canadians, specifically parents, with easy access to authoritative and credible health and safety information, such as healthy eating, physical activity, product safety, environmental health, bullying and road safety. This consumer-focused initiative, led by Health Canada in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada, Transport Canada, Public Safety Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, will help Canadians make safe and informed decisions in order to protect their health and safety and that of their families.

“We are delighted that Health Canada has selected us as their agency for this important health initiative”, said Richard Zeidel, Partner at Sonic Boom. “Our approach for Health Canada embodies Sonic Boom’s vision to use technology to make a difference in people’s lives. Our team views this project as an opportunity for innovation that will bring pertinent health information to Canadians anytime, anywhere.”

-30-

For more information, please contact:

Sophie Côté Laplante
Media Liaison
514-843-2376 / 416-586-9988
s.cotelaplante@sonicboom.com

Richard Zeidel

The Better Half

Richard Zeidel

Partner

“Our team innovates. We push what if into what is.”

Frédéric Mailloux

The Dancing Bear

Frédéric Mailloux

French Digital Media Producer

“I love that I can let my over the top creative ideas be free and roam the world. What is considered strange at other agencies, is just another great day at Sonic Boom.“

Jeremy Chaput

Social Prison Blues

Jeremy Chaput

Social Media Lead

But where is @zeidel? RT Ça jase business autour de la table de babyfoot cc @sylvainperron #sncboommtl @ Sonic Boom http://t.co/YtlmnDIqZA

@sncboom

May 13, 2013 / 8:35 pm

Alice Keith

Infographic Enthusiast

Alice Keith

Digital Account Supervisor

“My holy grail is making content so compelling that it doesn’t need a media buy.”

Senior Account Director/ Group Account Director – Auto – Toronto

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Digital Strategist – Toronto

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Human Resources Generalist – Toronto

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Senior Account Director/ Group Account Director – Auto

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Senior Analyst – Pharmaceutical – Toronto

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Bilingual Administration Manager – Toronto or Montreal

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Interactive CopyWriter/ Content Strategist – Toronto

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Senior PHP Developer – Montreal

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Digital Art Director / Designer – Montreal

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Senior Analyst – Toronto

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London (UK)

Montreal

Toronto

What’s next for businesses using social media? Empowering the retail level

About Us

Sylvain Perron and Richard Zeidel Join NATIONAL

Pfizer Canada – Alesse Facebook Content Strategy

Tragedy and the Role of the Community Manager

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod

Technical Lead

Our Process

Have you taken a minute to celebrate YOUR 2012 successes?

Salima Valji

Salima Valji

Managing Director – Toronto

Jennifer Meehan

Jennifer Meehan

Managing Director

Alexandra Ungureanu

Alexandra Ungureanu

Director of Account Services & Production

Helen Karrandjas Moore

Helen Karrandjas Moore

Account Director

Innovation: The art of creating meaning

Audrey Houde-Forget

Audrey Houde-Forget

French Social Media Copywriter

Sean Carruthers

Sean Carruthers

Digital Media Producer

Crystal Sales

Crystal Sales

Community Manager

Our Culture

Julie Tyios

Julie Tyios

Social Media Lead

Jean-Eric Henault

Jean-Eric Henault

Front-End Developer

5 Take Aways from Digital Media Summit 2013

The death of the corporate blog

We’re all about standing out!

Ujwal Arkalgud

Ujwal Arkalgud

Director of Strategy

Mark McKay

Mark McKay

Director, Content Strategy

Sara Mercier

Sara Mercier

Associate Digital & Social Media Content Producer

Sophie Côté Laplante

Sophie Côté Laplante

Account Manager & French Social Media Dealer Coach

Maria Gonzalez

Maria Gonzalez

Digital Project Manager