Junxion Strategy

The 2007 edition of Green Space, a special annual publication from BIV Publications Ltd. , was named a finalist in the “Best Issue” category for the Kenneth R. Wilson national magazine awards.

Junxion principal and creative director, David Kuefler shares the award nomination as Contributing Design Director, alongside BIV Editor Paul Harris.

In addition to designing Green Space, Junxion contributed to writing content and advising on magazine content. The 20,000-circulation publication was distributed to engineers, architects, home builders, planners, building owners and managers, landscape architects, and residential and commercial developers, local universities and government agencies across the Metropolitan Vancouver region.

The award recipients will be named on June 4, 2008 in Toronto.

The Kenneth R. Wilson Awards are hosted annually by Canadian Business Press, a non-profit association representing the interests of more than 170 Canadian business, professional and farm publications.

Regarded as one of Canada’s top business writers, Kenneth R. Wilson wrote with clarity and authority. He was active in a number of editor and journalist associations before a tragic airplane crash ended his career in January, 1952 at age 47. It is the memory of Kenneth R. Wilson, his example and his achievements in business press journalism that CBP honours each year with these awards.

DDB Canada has formed a business alliance with Junxion Strategy, creating a new sustainability consultancy called DDB Echology.

DDB Echology helps clients create authentic sustainability programs supported by powerful communications strategies to motivate employees, create lasting social movements, build brands and bring about positive change.

Operating as a national strategic consultancy, seamlessly linked to all the communication services offered by DDB Canada and its integrated divisions, DDB Echology provides complete sustainability solutions that address the social, environmental and economic dimensions of sustainability.

The launch of DDB Echology acknowledges Junxion’s competency and credibility in sustainability consulting. It also provides Junxion with a greater geographic reach and enhanced opportunities into the commercial sector, where it can continue its record for positive change. Additionally, it brings Vancouver’s sustainability reputation to the rest of Canada.

Headquartered within DDB Canada’s Vancouver office, DDB Echology is being jointly run by Managing Director Steve Kennedy and Peter ter Weeme from Junxion Strategy.

The two leaders will spearhead a team of Senior Echologists located in Junxion’s Vancouver office, and DDB Canada’s Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal offices to address regional client needs.

Junxion’s team also includes David Kuefler, Mary Sturgeon and David Laulainen.

Spring has sprung and sustainability is popping up all over. Since early March, Junxion has added several new clients and expanded its role with existing clients by taking on new projects.

The Toronto Vegetarian Association has engaged our team to develop an organizational strategy to raise awareness of the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle among Greater Toronto Area residents. The goal is to help more Ontarians to adopt healthier diets, reduce the environmental impacts of their diet and to support animal rights.

Zazengo, a social networking tool that links people and organizations to ideas, projects and action, is looking to Junxion to assist with the launch of its first commercial offering, through targeted grassroots and viral marketing.

Action Canada, a national fellowship program aimed at inspiring young new leaders, brought a recent web redesign project to our Interactive team. The client has requested a site that is more dynamic and interactive and focused on the program’s fellows and their leadership achievements.

After working with Junxion to implement a seasonal awareness campaign around Zero Waste, Metro Vancouver has reengaged Junxion to support residents in meeting the goals of the Sustainable Region Initiative. Focus areas include waste diversion, water conservation and smart urban growth.

BC Hydro, with 5,000 employees, is one of the largest employers in BC. Faced with a tight labour market and a large number of retiring baby boomers, the corporation is competing fiercely to recruit talented employees. Based on the success of similar work for the provincial government, Junxion was engaged by BC Hydro, in collaboration with the corporation’s ad agency, DDB Canada, to develop a compelling employer brand strategy.

With more than 17 years of experience in business consulting and communications, Mary Sturgeon knows a few things about the valuable role of media coverage in propelling the sustainability movement. But until recently, the value of coverage was difficult to measure. Mary was asked for her opinion on a new measurement tool, Media Relations Rating Points. Her thoughts around the importance of having standards in evaluating and measuring media relations success appear in a recent Business in Vancouver article. Download the pdf here.

Junxion Strategy is pleased to announce the appointment of David Laulainen, former principal of Catalyst Creative. David joins Junxion as a sustainability consultant and is responsible for retail marketing and product branding.

Since launching his first company in 1988, David has established himself as a specialist in the natural products industry and working with environmentally progressive businesses in Canada. Over the years, his work has centred on affecting positive consumer choices, behaviours and attitudes.

David’s expertise in the retail sector and product brand development complements Junxion’s core capabilities of providing strategic sustainability and communications to business, social and environmental non-profits and government. He will also take an active role in Junxion’s new business development efforts.

David is working on sustainability, social brand and consumer engagement projects with Park Royal Shopping Centre, Soyaworld and the Pacific Salmon Foundation.

Mary Sturgeon represented Junxion as an expert panelist at “Sustainability 1.0”, billed as Vancouver’s first small business sustainability expo. Mary brought her sustainability marketing expertise to the panel discussing “Going Green-Incentives, Resources and Marketing Strategies.”

Hosted by the Strathcona Business Improvement Association, the event sought to educate the 150 attendees on what sustainability means, and how it can be used to strengthen a small business.

Junxion’s Peter ter Weeme and Coro Strandberg of Strandberg Consulting hosted Rhonda St. Croix, the new director of restorative economy at Friends of the Earth Canada, at a recent event that examined opportunities to drive sustainability deeper into capital markets.

Attendance was limited to 20 participants, who learned about Rhonda’s work to advance capital market reforms, green investment, climate and water governance and freshwater management. They were then invited to share their work in related areas, with the goal of finding collaboration and partnership opportunities on joint projects.

Junxion Strategy is now working with DDB, a leading worldwide ad agency and Strategy Magazine’s 2007 Agency of the Year, on a comprehensive sustainability strategy for their operations across North America. Together with DDB, Junxion was also selected to work on the marketing and communications elements of a new national conservation movement called the Big Wild.

A collaboration between Mountain Equipment Co-op and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, the Big Wild engages Canadians in a vision of keeping at least half of Canada in a permanently wild state.

On the social side of sustainability, Junxion has been selected by the Social Planning and Research Council of BC (SPARC BC) on the development of an advocacy strategy.

As well, we are working with the BC Healthy Living Alliance on the development materials to promote a range of initiatives in support of BC’s goal to lead the way in North America in healthy living and physical fitness.

During 2007, Junxion Strategy and Ethos JWT worked collaboratively on a Strategic Framework for Sustainability Action and Awareness for The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) and Environment Canada. As part of that initiative, Junxion/Ethos prepared a Sustainability Awareness + Action Best Practices and Key Lessons Report. The creation of this report involved two key areas of research:

• Literature review of on-line articles and published reports covering a range of areas related to sustainability, social marketing and cause-related marketing;
• Case studies that review success factors of relevant social and cause-related marketing initiatives and include interviews with individuals involved in the development and execution of these initiatives.

While this report was prepared for VANOC and Environment Canada, the findings can be generalized to a variety of social marketing initiatives. Click here to download a copy.