Facebook—it’s good for more than just sharing news or checking out your coworker’s vacation photos. Take, for instance, the Facebook Stories app that Up Inc developed for The Defector, a documentary-in-the-making, which chronicles the incredibly risky attempts made by thousands to escape the repressive North Korean regime. Produced in close collaboration with the film’s creator, Ann Shin, the app provides a forum for users to share their experiences of this modern-day Underground Railroad. Stories are plotted on an interactive map, taking users on a narrative journey and illustrating that the struggle for freedom is as universal as it is timeless.

Check out a demo of the app.

Internationally and here in Canada, prescription-drug shortages have been a recurring news item. So, when Teva Canada wanted to communicate its refreshingly progressive response to the issue, we were happy to help. In this pull-no-punches video, key players tackle the supply challenge head-on, outlining the problem and explaining Teva’s industry-leading solutions. It’s an honest glimpse into the people behind Canada’s #1 generic pharmaceutical company, where commitment and innovation evidently remain in full supply.

“Not pushing ideas just to win awards for ourselves” is Up Inc policy. But when we win, we have to admit that it sure feels great! That’s why we’re very proud to announce that we were recently honoured with eight awards for our 0 to 100 collaboration (including the book and iPad app), and our “What Is Independence?” promotional brochure. Awards ranged from “Integrated Campaign” to “Mobile Apps” to “Radical Production (Book).” We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to Applied Arts magazine, FPO magazine and the Advertising & Design Club of Canada for these accolades. We loved these projects, and we’re glad you did too!

As the go-to source for beverage alcohol, the LCBO has a pretty good handle on what Ontarians are quaffing. To share this knowledge, they partnered with us to create digital versions of The Trend Report, which details what’s hot in bevvies and food, serves up fresh cocktail recipes and highlights local tasting events. We designed and developed a micro-site (two, actually: one in English and one in French) and a mobile site (make that four: one for iPhone and Android, and another for BlackBerry, both in English and French), which allow users to access this info at their own convenience. What could be trendier—or more timeless—than that?

Even printers need websites, and we’re happy to announce the launch of Flash Reproductions’ new one (designed and developed by us, natch). Featuring cool photos of the shop’s equipment, and showcasing current articles and environmental merits in nifty expandable boxes, it certainly doesn’t look like a content-managed site. But trust us on this one. Built using Drupal, an open-source content-management system, the site (www.flashreproductions.com) lets eager Flash staff publish the latest news, whenever the spirit moves them (during late-night press runs, for example).

The beginning was humble, to say the least: Flash Reproductions told us about a cool new bookbinding technique. Intrigued by the possibilities, we brainstormed some ideas about how best to try it out. From there, we enlisted photographer Sandy Nicholson, and a critical mass of other partners, for a unique collaboration. The result? Together, we’ve created 0 to 100, a poignant photography book featuring 100 portraits of folks at every age, from mere weeks to a full century old. We’ve also created a companion iPad app with extra goodies, like videos and a fun component that lets users mix and match facial features from a collection of portraits. Call it the ultimate in face time. And check it out at www.0to100project.com.

We believe that every company, large or small, will benefit from making its brand part of its business strategy. So, when we were invited to speak to grape growers and winemakers at the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention, we saw a great opportunity to help some of our favourite local producers sow the seeds of success. Our presentation—an introduction to brand positioning and differentiation—enjoyed a full house in St. Catharines on February 23. Clearly, some people know fertile ground when they see it.

LCBO’s goLocal (Ontario Wines) promotion from 2009 has won a Canadian Marketing Association award (special thanks to the marketing team at the LCBO, who entered the work, and with whom we executed the campaign). We’re delighted to have helped play a role in promoting Ontario wines here at home. Now, to open that bottle of bubbly—VQA Ontario, of course.

When asked, we’re always happy to lend some expertise (and, sometimes, when we aren’t asked). Carey was invited to participate in a roundtable seminar at Print World, in November, with fellow panelists Mark Greene, the director of production and process in marketing and consumer insights at LCBO, and Bonnie Cook, the production manager at House & Home Media. The aim of this roundtable, sponsored by Rogers, was to answer questions from printers—largely, how to capture the attention of print buyers. Given that we buy print for clients on five continents, it was a great opportunity to share some insights on how our Canadian printers compete, both locally and globally.

When we were hired to rebrand Wines of Ontario, the consumer-facing arm of the Wine Council of Ontario, we embarked on a major discovery of what’s unique to the industry in this province. (Side note: The product-exploration phase was a blast.) While we’re proud of the new identity that we’ve created, we’re even more excited about the new name that emerged from our stakeholder research and analysis: Wine Country Ontario. No longer are our wineries simply selling bottles of vino; they’re capturing the climate, the soil, the hospitality, the dining, the whole terroir thing that makes our homegrown wines so great. Think of it: It’s not just a bottle of red or white—it’s a little piece of wine country to call your own.

Forgive us for boasting, but we had to mention one more recognition (two, actually): Lovely Package, a website dedicated to, as they say, “the very best that package design has to offer,” has chosen to feature both our package series for Fairmont Wellness Tea and our sample kit for Prismatique’s Vidro tabletops. Check them out at lovelypackage.com.
 

It’s always nice to find out about our clients’ social-responsibility efforts. It’s even better to help them communicate those efforts. So we were very excited to work with Teva Canada to launch an ad series outlining their accomplishments in the area of sustainability. The ads, which are currently running in national pharmacy magazines, don’t simply list Teva’s “green” initiatives (although these are certainly one factor); instead, they pose a thought-provoking question about what the word “sustainability” really means, from a variety of perspectives.

If you haven’t already done so, check out our work on the “Wine Country Ontario” billboards around the GTA, part of the Wine Council of Ontario’s 2010 advertising campaign. The billboards, which run until the week of August 9, feature gorgeous photographs of Ontario’s wine country regions; they’re also a visual tie-in with this year’s guide to Ontario wineries, another project we recently completed.