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GCI Group Welcomes Denise Brunsdon as Director, Social Media

February 24, 2010 | Toronto | gci news

GCI Group announced today that Denise Brunsdon has joined the agency as Director, Social Media.

“We are very pleased to welcome Denise as part of our commitment to having the most dynamic and strategic social media offering in the marketplace,” said Marion MacKenzie, President of GCI Canada.

“The depth and variety of Denise’s experience continues to add to our portfolio of expertise.”

Most recently Brunsdon was a research analyst with the Gandalf Group, where she specialized in consumer trends, brands and social media. She has also worked extensively in the political arena where she ran sub-campaigns as a National Director of Women’s, Youth and Social Media during the 2006 Federal Liberal Leadership campaign. She was also a MuchMusic Blog Correspondent in the 2008 Federal Election. Brunsdon has experience in the environmental sector, having previously worked at Boxfish Group to develop the first public awareness and municipal education program to reduce battery-induced landfill toxicity in Ottawa.

 

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Rings in the New Year with Hot New DVD releases

February 1, 2010 | Los Angeles | gci clients

As the company looks forward to its landmark 75th anniversary this year, today Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announces some of its key Blu-ray and DVD release line-up for the first half of 2010.

With pending cult-classic status on the horizon, Fox will release Jared Hess’ Gentlemen Broncos on March 2nd and Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox on March 23rd. For the younger set, the DVD release of Strawberry Shortcake: The Berryfest Princess Movie is slated for release on March 2nd.

In keeping with the theme of milestone celebrations, movie buffs can look forward to the 25th anniversary edition Blu-ray release of Ron Howard’s classic, Cocoon, and a special DVD edition of Oliver Stone’s Wall Street, timed to the theatrical release of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps this spring.

Working with its newly appointed Canadian public relations Agency of Record, GCI Group, Fox is also releasing several DVD packages over the next six months, including those to mark the company’s anniversary, as well as favourites to celebrate such occasions as Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Press materials are available for download at www.foxpressroom.com. Follow Fox on Twitter @foxhomeent.

About Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
A recognized global industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC (TCFHE) is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming on DVD, Blu-ray Disc (BD) and Digital Copy as well as acquisitions and original productions. The company also releases all products around the globe for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets -- from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce -- throughout the world. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC is a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company.

 

GCI Group Welcomes Four New Members to its Team

November 19, 2009 | gci news

GCI Continues to Grow Its Consumer, Technology and Public Affairs Practices

Leading public relations agency GCI Group announced today that four new full-time members have been added to their expanding team. Shelley Fremont and Maggie MacLellan come to GCI’s Toronto office as new Consumer Account Coordinators; Daniel Dufort joins the Ottawa office as a Senior Consultant with the Public Affairs team and Julia Perreria come to GCI’s Toronto office as a Technology Consultant.

“We are delighted to welcome these new team members as our business continues to expand,” says Marion MacKenzie, President of GCI Group. “This year GCI’s proposition particularly resonated with the introduction of our public affairs offering and the deepening of our social media credentials. As many businesses continue to move forward from a demanding economic year, so too does GCI relish the opportunity to develop.”

MacLellan comes to GCI after attending the Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, where she received her postgraduate diploma in Public Relations. In addition to this, MacLellan attended the University of Western Ontario where she graduated with an Honours B.A. in Media, Information and Technoculture. She comes to GCI from CTV, where she previously worked at The Comedy Network and SPACE.

Fremont comes to GCI from Public Relations firm DDB, where she aided in coordinating events for the Beaches International Jazz Festival and Moet Hennessy. Fremont holds a postgraduate diploma from Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning. She’s also a graduate from the University of Western Ontario (B.A.).

Dufort joins GCI Group with experience in political Public Affairs. Dufort has worked with the National Caucus Chair of the Conservative Party and has also been involved with political causes and campaigns at both a provincial and federal level. He attended Laval University and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.).

Perreira comes to GCI Group from Strategic/Ampersand where she worked on Nikon and Sony BCS. Prior to that, she was part of the Marketing Department at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. Julia is a graduate of Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, where she received her postgraduate certificate in Public Relations.

 

USCI Education Savings Plans Inc. Chooses GCI Group to Promote its Postgraduate Award Program

November 11, 2009 | gci news

Project to reaffirm the company’s commitment to promoting the value of post-secondary education

Leading public relations agency GCI Group announced today that four new full-time members have been added USCI Education Savings Plans Inc. Chooses GCI Group to Promote its Postgraduate Award Program
Project to reaffirm the company’s commitment to promoting the value of post-secondary education

Toronto, Ontario, November 11, 2009 – USC Education Savings Plans Inc. (USCI), the company that has been helping Canadian families maintain sound education saving strategies for more than 40 years, announced today its affiliation with leading Canadian public relations agency GCI Group. GCI will manage the media relations program surrounding the firm’s post-graduate awards program.

“The team at GCI Group really impressed me with their complete understanding of the scholastic awards market and their keen sense of news value,” said Jo-Anne Wong, Public Relations Manager, USC Educations Saving Plans. “Each year, as a demonstration of our commitment to the value of post-secondary education, we offer the Postgraduate Awards to students who have benefitted from RESPs from USC Education Savings Plans. We are confidant that GCI’s passion, creative thinking and communications expertise will help us gain attention for our deep-seeded commitment to promoting the value of post-secondary education.”

“We are excited about working with USCI,” said Marion MacKenzie, president, GCI Group. “USC Education Savings Plans has a long history of successfully working with families to ensure their children can benefit from a post-secondary education without the burden of financial struggle. We look forward to fostering awareness of the advantages of an RESP from USCI can provide especially through its postgraduate award program as it increasingly becomes more and more difficult to save for the future.”

About USCI Education Savings Plans

USCI, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the International Scholarship Foundation, is the distributor and administrator of USC Education Savings Plans. For more than 40 years, the company has been helping Canadian families enjoy the peace of mind that comes with a sound education savings strategy. As one of Canada’s leading providers of RESPs, USCI administers assets of more than $2.5 billion (as of April 30th 2009)

 

GCI Group Selected By Telford International Company Limited As Agency Of Record

May 6, 2009 | gci news

Hong Kong-Based Telford International Company Limited has selected GCI Group as their new agency of record as the distributor of liquor and beverage products looks to expand and bring their Tao Ti brand of green tea to Canadian consumers.

“GCI Group presented a solid communications strategy that was consistent with our marketing objectives for launching Tao Ti in Canada,” said Mark Brown, Manager, International Business Development. “GCI’s expertise in integrated public relations and strategic communications is what we need to help build the Tao Ti brand in Canada.”

GCI Group will undertake various marketing efforts for the Tao Ti brand in Canada through national media relations and communications activities this year including an influencer sampling program targeting key markets in Toronto and Vancouver.

 

Tourism P.E.I. Promotes Stress-Free Vacations

April 13, 2009 | gci news

Fearsome Swedish tour guides and whirlwind museum tours are among the vacation horror stories at the centre of a new Tourism PEI effort from Grey Canada.

Using the tagline “Take a vacation you won’t need a vacation from,” the campaign includes two TV spots that feature “holidays from hell.” They end with shots of sunny Prince Edward Island beaches and supers driving viewers to GentleIsland.com. Each ad runs in 15- and 30-second formats.

The idea is that people returning from a vacation on P.E.I. return refreshed, positive and free of the stress associated with traditional vacation destinations. It’s also meant to present P.E.I. as a stand-alone destination as opposed to just another Atlantic province, said Gerald Schoenhoff, vice-president and associate creative director at Grey.

In 2006, Grey Canada created a new brand positioning for P.E.I.— “the gentle island of rejuvenation”—and each year runs new campaigns centred on that theme.

Although more than half of the province’s visitors came from Nova Soctia and New Brunswick in 2007, only a third of last year’s media budget was spent in the Maritimes, as East Coasters are already familiar with P.E.I.’s offerings.

Grey president Ann Nurock said this year’s media buy continues that trend, with print ads appearing in U.S. publications such as Conde Nast Traveller and Harper’s.

“We’re going pretty broad,” Nurock said. “There are certain [markets] that P.E.I. is really known for that we’re going after,” specifically golf travellers, she added.

The Canadian market is not being ignored, however. Robert Ferguson, acting director of marketing for Tourism P.E.I., commissioned Montreal agency The Montreal Office to create original French-language ads after research showed growth potential in that market.

However, the biggest change to this year’s campaign is a 20% shift in spending towards digital and social media following last year’s foray into blogger outreach, handled by PR agency of record GCI Group.

The online phase of the campaign debuts in May with the launch of an online “portal” most likely located at the existing GentleIsland.com site. It will serve as a hub for visitors’ stories and pictures, a Twitter feed and as the centre of GCI’s outreach to travel blogs and discussion boards.