Freeeeeezzzzzziiinnnggg!

This is the Toronto weather I was warned about.

This week I’ve had the chance to throw around some ideas for a branding project for one of the Digital teams client’s, TD (Toronto-Dominion Bank in Canada). The project is aimed at employees within TD to help explain an internal IT program centered around the roll-out of new hardware and productivity tools. It’s been a great introduction into the way the team works and to see how they collaborate. I’ve been working alongside Paul McGhee (Digital Art Director), Anestis Vassiliades (ECD), Jarek Stelmach (Director of Strategy) and Gaetano Carpino (Project Manager). We are presenting to the client tomorrow, so it’s another great opportunity to get involved and see the team in action.

I’ve also had the chance this week to get to know the other Lofters (Àngel from Barcelona and Andrea from Milan)- both in Toronto for the first time. It’s been great getting to know their experiences, getting some insight into agency life in their home cities and ultimately making new friends and connections. Great guys who don’t take themselves too seriously!

Halloween is a big deal here!

It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before. The holiday is supposedly the second biggest for retailers after Christmas. Each year, Canadians spend approximately $1 billion CAD on Halloween. The average Canadian shopper spends $52 on costumes, $43 on decorations, and $42 on candy!!!

The Innovation Lab

This week I also got a quick rundown of Plastic’s in-house ‘Innovation Lab’- this is where they create, build and test all sorts of ideas out, mainly based on apps for mobile but overall digital experiences and more recently they’ve been experimenting with voice recognition and AI. It’s awesome that they have this space as it’s a great way to show clients what’s possible, take them on a bit more of a journey which gets them engaged but also takes them out of the standard ‘boardroom’ environment. Technology changes so fast that you need to be constantly exploring what’s next and how it can be incorporated into the work for your clients (when relevant).

All in all, everything’s going well. Halfway through the program and lots of people still to meet, names to try and remember, lots to learn and still to see but luckily I’m working with a great team here and really enjoying the experience so far.