_Something different this week as we ask Five Questions of “SideCar’s”:http://sidecar.to entire interactive team. SideCar, one of Toronto’s newest boutique interactive firms, recently garnered press for making the shortlist, along with a few better-known agencies, for a very lucrative contract with web-newcomer CWM Inc. The team behind SideCar’s upcoming pitch spoke with One Degree about opportunities, ethics and being a small fish in a big pond._
*One Degree: This pitch opportunity with CWM Inc. is quite a coup for small firm like SideCar. How did you get their attention?*
Stephania, Creative Director: Well, since this is CWM’s first foray into the e-business landscape, it’s only natural they would be interested in taking the plunge with a company on the bleeding edge, a company _avec vision_.
Suzanne, Account Director: Also, as newcomers to the web, they require a great deal of personalized attention. One of the ways we piqued their interest was the level of support we offer throughout the e-business development process. By presenting SideCar as a team who will BE there for CWM, from website genesis to revenue generation, we provided an attractive alternative to larger, more impersonal firms.
Julie, Intern: I heard the client’s assistant’s boyfriend is a designer here.
*One Degree: Can you let us in on some of the pitch tactics SideCar plans on using to secure CWM as a client?*
Suzanne, Account Director: Well, I believe that the key to a successful . . .
Stephania, Creative Director: A strong creative, Ken. Any Tom, Dick or _Henri_ can build a website; it’s the creative element, the discovery and development of a client’s brand personality, that will really distinguish one company’s proposal from another’s.
*One Degree: To what lengths would SideCar go to create buzz for your clients? Can any of you comment, for example, on the recent controversy in Marketing Magazine over branding the homeless?*
Karl, Tech Lead: I don’t read the mainstream news.
Suzanne, Account Director: Well, I think that as marketers, we’ve all had to wrestle with ethical questions, be it about the products we’re promoting or the ways in which we’re promoting them. As a socially conscious person – and a lesbian – I would be strongly opposed to any marketing campaign based on the exploitation of marginalized groups, such as the homeless. The popularization of dehumanization being at an all-time high, however, I can see how it might be tempting to push the envelope on ideas that are, in my opinion, offensive. But I think we can all agree than an elegant, engaging creative has a more positive, long term effect than a concept based on shock value.
Stephania, Creative Director: I agree with Suzanne. There’s a homeless guy who hangs out near my condo and he’d be *terrible* in ads. So I say “No” to branding the homeless, Ken.
*One Degree: Can you give us the inside scoop on what it’s like to work for SideCar?*
Stephania, Creative Director: I can honestly say I love my job. The talent pool here is small, but deep. I feel _beaucoup de passion_ here.
Karl, Tech Lead: What can I say about SideCar? It’s a decent ruby-grab. The head clerics usually know their stuff. But I’d really like to see more emphasis on acquiring and managing druid particle weapons. We’re operating at a deficit right now and that kind of oversight can leave you up the Tokarnis river without your Carfaithian boat gnomes.
Julie, Intern: It pays better than retail. Also, I’m getting GREAT material here for my novel.
*One Degree: If you had to offer a single key piece of advice for having a successful meeting, what would it be?*
Stephania, Creative Director: Well, SideCar’s motto is “Know thy client.” And if it’s biblically, so much the better. I added that last part myself.
Suzanne, Account Director: You’ve got to go into that meeting with a clear goal. “The person with the goal is the person in control.” I really believe that.
Karl, Tech Lead: Bag of Holding with provisions.
Julie, Intern: Bring a pen.
_To see SideCar’s staff in action, be sure to mark “The Meeting”:http://www.rorokimtor.com/themeeting/index.html (at Factory Studio Theatre as part of the SummerWorks Theatre series here in Toronto) on your calendar. Pre-read available at the “SideCar Site”:http://sidecar.to ._