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Partner/Creative Director | Engine Digital | Vancouver Age: 30
Partner/Creative Director | Engine Digital | Vancouver Age: 30
When Richard Gallagher and Stephen Beck opened Engine Digital in 2002, they circulated a self-promotional video via a website they created, BloodyFingerMail.com. Way before viral marketing became an accepted part of marketing campaigns or social media was a household word, the site caused a minor sensation and allowed people to go online, write and send a message using a bleeding finger.
“It was intended to launch for Halloween as kind of a joke and it was something that we initially seeded out to our media contacts. Within a week it got out of control and spread around the Internet really fast and got us a lot of exposure and a lot of attention,” says Beck. The site is still up and has close to two million hits.
By the time Engine Digital walked off with a truckload of hardware at last year’s Lotus Awards, the shop had already gained the attention of most of the city’s ad agencies and work for clients that include Nintendo, Paramount Pictures and Telus.
In March, Engine created a “virtual mirror” to help Coastal Contacts drive sales of eyeglasses.
Visitors to the website could virtually try on different eyeglass frames using their webcam or by uploading a headshot, and then share an image of themselves wearing the frames through Twitter, Facebook or e-mail. More than 100,000 users have tried the site and 500,000 photos generated in little over six months.
In July, Engine Digital launched SwissWater.com as part of a rebranding initiative.
Bob Weagle, vice-president of marketing of the Vancouver-based company, says the team moved Swiss Water into the social media arena and continues to work closely on global media campaigns.
“What sets [Beck and Gallagher] apart is not their passion and commitment, which of course are necessary essentials for any agency to be successful, but rather their poise and ease in delivery value added services,” he says. “Style and content—what a brilliant concept.”
Gallagher and Beck decided early on that to create the type of work they wanted they’d need to shift their company away from a web-only focus and towards an agency model.
“We start with the digital and look outwards, recognizing that a good campaign does have a number of touch points that may be off line,” says Gallagher.
