From ‘prom’ to ‘disco’ to ‘Western,’ Olive Media knows how to throw a themed costume party.
And last Thursday it packed Muzik nightclub in Toronto with a crowd of revelers decked in either ‘hero’ or ‘villain’ costumes for its sixth annual bash, which Olive general managers Kristie Painting and Theresa Smith said is a way to thank the industry.
It was like Halloween come early at the party, which featured a DJ and offered lots of indoor and outdoor space for attendees to mingle. “We want people to have a good time and to celebrate how much fun we have in this industry,” said Smith, VP product at Olive, an online sales representation company.
Asked about how this year’s heroes and villains concept was chosen, Painting, the company’s VP sales and marketing, said there was a bit of a zeitgeist around the theme right now. (Likely thanks, in part, to the recent The Avengers hysteria.)
Smith said the company wants to outdo itself with its party each year and the themes, which have also included ‘garden party’ and ‘rock ’n’ roll,’ help. “We want our guests to really embrace it,” she said. One guest, a caped collections person, taped real coins in an ‘X’ on his chest. “That’s true customer engagement,” said Painting of the enthusiasm attendees showed by wearing such creative costumes.
So who do Painting and Smith consider the ‘heroes’ in today’s digital industry? Tablet is one, said Smith. As are the creatives pushing innovation of new technologies, such as mobile, said Painting.
And while people unfamiliar with real-time bidding may view it as frightening—or more a ‘villain,’ if you will—Smith said if Olive can educate its customers more about this fairly new way of selling and buying online display advertising, “then it can be a hero.”
