Sharon Vinderine

At Promotex, we strive to serve missions that go beyond individual interests. A prime example is our unique partnership with The Leukemia Society of Canada, which organizes nationwide walks to support individuals fighting blood cancer. Their symbolic use of lighted balloons, differentiated by color to signify different stages of the battle: Red for individuals currently battling cancer. White in remembrance of those who have passed away. Gold to celebrate triumph over the disease. Before our collaboration, the Society had used traditional lighted balloons for years. However, recognizing the need for an environmentally sustainable alternative, Promotex embarked on a meticulous development process. Months of intensive research and development culminated in creating a sustainable, environmentally friendly illuminated lantern. Iterative prototyping ensued until the definitive design was achieved, ultimately gaining approval from The Leukemia Society of Canada. Yet, the narrative doesn't conclude here. The innovation transcended borders, extending to The Leukemia Society of the United States. Our lanterns illuminate countless events, generating hundreds of millions of dollars to support cancer patients in Canada and the U.S. to this day. This exemplifies the essence of our work at Promotex — facilitating esteemed organizations in realizing their vital missions through innovation and commitment to excellence.

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Is your IR strategy stuck in the 90s? Meetings for the sake of meetings and the same old programming doesn’t cut it anymore. We’re just days away from launching our new brand, and I couldn’t be more excited about what’s coming next. With irlabs now part of Alliance Advisors, I’m proud to say we have the best team in the industry – backed by unmatched business acumen, insights, data, relationships, and a level of hustle you’ve never seen before. Very proud of our team. Stay tuned for some big news next week! #investorrelations #brandlaunch #capitalmarkets

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What can we learn from Blake Lively and Beyoncé? Celebrity food and drink brands aren’t new, but the way they’re being marketed is evolving. In the past month, we’ve seen two contrasting approaches to drinks promotion, highlighting how building an authentic narrative throughout every element of the brand and product is key to making it delicious in culture. 🥃 Beyoncé has entered the whisky market with SirDavis. Named after her moonshine-making great-grandfather, its story is personal. It’s no coincidence that its Western-style branding perfectly complements her "Cowboy Carter" musical era. She’s not just selling a product; she’s building a culture, deepening her narrative, and creating a cohesive story that resonates with her fans. This venture feels like a genuine extension of her artistry, which is why it works. 🌸 Contrast this with Blake Lively’s recent marketing push for her ‘Betty Booze’ range, launched alongside the release of her latest film about domestic violence, It Ends With Us. The media storm around the publicity tour was the latest example of cancel culture in full effect.  While many may feel this was unjust, serving tongue-in-cheek cocktails named after the film’s dark characters alongside the release felt disjointed, especially given that Blake doesn’t drink alcohol herself. So why is authenticity so important right now? In an age where everyone has a platform and we’re bombarded with messages, trust is everything. Against a backdrop of fake news and public mistrust, people crave genuine connections. When these connections aren’t authentic, audiences are quick to call it out. #pr #marketing #sirdavis #blakelively #itendswithus #culture

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Big and smart deal. Well done

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So. I was planning on telling you this on my Month 3 update, but the cat's out of the bag! ✨Acquisition Complete!✨ Now we're LIVE 🔴 (Some sleepless nights included) come check us out! 📢For any SMB that needs marketing help, or wants to learn more on how to do it themselves, do point them to our new darling: diymarketin.com 📢 With this blog + newsletter (read: community-in-the-making), we set out to give more tools and resources in bite-sized formats to SMB owners & operators that want to tackle marketing. It's not just about our agency, it's about helping the community how we can with our skills and knowledge. #marketing #acquisition #rebrand #SMB #smallbusinesshelp #DIY #DIYbusinessHelp #tools #resources #blog #newsletter

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There are some extremely smart, interesting people in the Protein Industries Canada community. And I got to chat with some of them recently, to learn about the importance of IP in driving innovation and productivity in Canada's #plantprotein manufacturing sector. #cdnag #westcdnag #plantbasedprotein #protein #canadaagriculture Learn more in this short podcast:

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🎙️ NEW EPISODE OF THE SINCLAIR PODCAST IS LIVE! 🎙️ This week, I’m joined by Mario De Divitiis, MPA, C.Dir., CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities South Central Ontario (RMHC®SCO), for an eye-opening conversation about the operations behind running a successful nonprofit organization. Mario takes us behind the scenes of RMHC®SCO, diving into: -The financial strategies and fundraising efforts that sustain their mission -The logistics of managing a 40-bedroom House and multiple Family Rooms that serve over 150,000 visits each year -His personal journey to leading one of the most impactful charities in Ontario -We also discuss the challenges nonprofits face, the importance of community support, and how Mario and his team continue to innovate to serve families when they need it most. If you’re a business leader, aspiring nonprofit founder, or just curious about what it takes to run a mission-driven organization, this episode is packed with actionable insights. 🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts – link in bio! 🔗 YOUTUBE - https://lnkd.in/g9pkkfpx . . . . #SinclairPodcast #ChrisSinclair #MarioDeDivitiis #RMHCSCO #NonprofitLeadership #BusinessPodcast #Entrepreneurship #Fundraising #CommunityImpact #Leadership

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Content is exploding yet the time we need to read, watch and listen to it is remaining the same. As a result we have to become ever more discerning in the choices we make. Here are 2 great PR Podcasts that I have just caught up on, and you should too, both highly recommended. First up is the welcome return of The PR Hub Podcast with special guest, #PublicRelations guru Andy Barr of 10 Yetis Digital, rapidly becoming one of our industry's top voices in all things Crisis Comms. Hosted by Jon Wilcox and Adam Tuckwell, they dive into all of the issues surrounding the launch, or lack of a launch, of Co-Op Live. One of the key points discussed is whether this is an operational issue or a PR one, and following from that how difficult it is to communicate your way out of bad behaviour. No doubt great comms would have helped protect reputation and it appears that the comms team were not included early enough in the situation. Have a lesson and see what you think. On another tack entirely, Michael Murphy and Ben Smith are on the PRmoment pod sharing great tips for buying, growing or selling a PR Agency. Michael has reams of experience in this field and as someone who has grown, sold and bought agencies myself, his wise words really resonate. Michael emphasizes the importance of a realistic valuation and the emotional impact of selling, urging owners to recognize the significance of this possibly once-in-a-lifetime decision. Michael also highlights the importance of cultural fit over just financial terms when choosing a buyer. All great points along with many others you won't want to miss. I've shared links to each below.

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If you've been wondering how AI comes up with its trusted models and information, I'm guessing a list like this is not a bad proxy for how one ranking system can look at, say, journalism and media, and decide what's valuable. It's from a service called @prowly and it purports to list the top 100 media outlets in Canada. If you were based in Dallas or Shanghai it all looks plausible enough but you can see some of the subjective errors if you live here. They use a proprietary influence score based on: "number of social media followers the contact has, impact of the outlet they represent, completeness of their profile" You can see how the errors might start here - as it biases towards online presence of a certain kind the machines can scrape and analyze. And it doesn't distinguish between self-interested speech and public service information. It's also interesting that this list is what @google puts at the top of their search results (snake eating its own tail). Interesting that many companies (FreshBooks) and advocacy groups (@greenpeace) score as high as respected mainstream media like National Post, Inc. and @chatelaine Does an article on Freshbooks.com mean as much as a feature in the National Post? According to some metrics, yes. If you're just trying to reach eyeballs, it probably doesn't matter. But if you're building a model of the world you should figure out how to distinguish these sources the way a normal human would. https://lnkd.in/g94KdYzz

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Remember, tomorrow is the AdAi: OOH Toronto Conference. This event is aimed at those already in AI wishing to learn more about the Out of Home Industry and for those in Out of Home who wish to better understand Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Let me know if you are going there, and we can connect there! 😎 #AI

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Want to instil trust in your potential customers?  Put some faces on your website.  People don’t connect with brands or logos or copy, they connect with other people.  #ContentStrategy #CorporateCommunication --- Need a content strategy? Let's talk. Need a ghostwriter? Tell me about your project. Want a free website audit? Ask me how.

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Honoured that The Venned Group has been included on Canada's Top Companies: But let me tell you, it's not the recognition that matters. It's the fact that we're creating work that touches real people's lives. That's what fuels us and drives us forward. As founders and entrepreneurs, we're not just building companies. We're building something greater than ourselves. We're creating impact. I truly believe that the growth of one inspires the potential of many, that's our motto at The Venned Group after all! So, let's all take a moment to appreciate how far we've come. And then, let's get back to doing what we do best - creating value and making a difference in the world. Cheers to all the amazing companies, founders and entrepreneurs who are on this list AND continuing to develop business in Canada! Let's keep this spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation alive! Laura Hamel #canadianbusiness #softskilltraining #entrepreneurship #founderstory

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A video we are very proud of and one of the first videos created by Edgar Alvarez. Just in time for Earth Day. Spoiler alert.. climate change will have some radical effects on the Canadian health care system. #corporatevideos #animatedvideos #explainervideo

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Me being silent online means something special is happening offline. The first decade of July was marked by organizing and hosting the one-of-a-kind event in Ottawa - Second Transformational Games Night. Yes, we gather the local community to play games. 🚫These games are called transformational because their purpose is not to entertain or educate. ✅These games are crafted to provide tailored solutions for your professional and business goals or challenges. How it works: 1️⃣ Each player enters the game with a specific concern or problem they want to tackle in professional or personal spheres. 2️⃣ During the game participants collect resources. Resources come in the form of deep insights, information, tasks or collaborations with other players,. 3️⃣ They finish the game with the action plan to implement right after the game. As a result, real-life changes (aka transformations) start happening and make your life better. No magic or mysticism! 🧠 Each t-game is created using business methodology, and proven psychological or coaching techniques, and conducted by certified game practitioners. So proud of Ottawa game masters who joined the North American Association of Transformational Game Practitioners, I co-founded in 2023. ❓Would you like to try one of these games for yourself or your team, shoot me a DM #tgames #businessgames #transformationalgames #visibilitycode #naatgp #gamesforentrepreneurs #personalbranding

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Imagine the whole country of Norway became podcast listeners. Well, that's essentially what's happened in Canada since 2019: There are 5.1 million new monthly podcast consumers there – roughly equivalent to the population of that Nordic country. That's what we found in the 2024 Canadian Podcast Listener report, in collaboration with Ulster Media. Matt Hird covers the details in this blog post. https://lnkd.in/g4RqgP3V #podcasting #podcast

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ONLY for growth minded entrepreneurs in Toronto (GTA) One of my favorite Canadian entrepreneurs is coming to the big city to record his 60-second pitch sessions next week. If you're world-class, then you should consider applying. Not that Mike doesn't have a big enough reach, but this is really cool. #storytelling, #personalBranding, #publicSpeaking, #business, #demoReel ____________________________________________________________ Hi, I'm Cam. I make demo reels for 6 and 7-figure speakers that makes event planners go WOW!

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Keep Your Referral Pipeline Healthy! It goes without saying that the most important driver of incoming referrals is your reputation. But even if your reputation is powerful and continually evergreened, there are still steps that you can take to ensure the incoming stream is robust. These are some of the things that smart professionals do to keep their incoming referral pipeline full: 1. Reflect well on the referrer. By being stellar yourself, you endorse their referral to you and you make them look good. 2. Treat the referred client as special. Sometimes a token discount is appropriate, but always go above and beyond. 3. Speak well of the referrer. The word will get back. 4. Promptly and sincerely, thank the referrer. This is true even if the referrer is you business partner. 5. With your new client’s permission, report back to the referrer in a professionally appropriate fashion. 6. Make the referrer part of your “team”. Consider doing outreach events together. 7. Hold “thank you” events for your best referrers, let them know that they are special to you. 8. Thank the referrer in tangible ways-- take them to lunch or to a hockey game, send a Christmas basket, or a bottle of good wine, let them know that they are appreciated. Some professional bodies limit the quantum and nature of such gifting, but within your parameters, don’t be chintzy. The most important rule of all? It’s this: If you want plenty of good referrals, above all else you need to show yourself worthy of the trust, that you are the “go-to” person in the field, and that referrers are actually doing their friends and clients a favour by sending them to you. Norman Bowley writes, teaches, and coaches on matters of professional excellence. [email protected]

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Explore effective strategies for lead generation, email list building, and boosting sales in Doug Morneau's enlightening podcast. This episode is a goldmine for marketers and business owners looking to enhance their digital marketing tactics and drive sustainable business growth. Don't miss out on these expert insights! 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭: https://lnkd.in/gP-yitSk #EmailMarketing #LeadGeneration #SalesStrategy

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