Cameco and PotashCorp were listed as the Best Ranked IR Websites in North America. They were in good company alongside Intel, General Electric Company, Microsoft, Bank of Montreal, Del Monte Foods Company, and Overseas Shipholding Group.

After a complete site redesign and reengineering in 2008, Cameco has worked to enhance their environmental assessment content, regularly update the CEO messaging, add webcast and audio recordings, and consistently keep the site’s content fresh and relevant. In the past Cameco achieved an overall Top 5 ranking for best ranked IR website in North America (2009) and best online annual report in North America (2008), along with best IR website as ranked by technical criteria in North America (2008), and best IR website in Canada by technical criteria (2008).

“We strive to be a leader in our ongoing communication with investors,” says Lyle Krahn, Cameco’s director of external communications. “We rely on zu’s knowledge, advice and expertise to achieve that goal with our website. The awards reflect our combined efforts.”

PotashCorp reloaded and relaunched this year with a complete redesign and reengineering of their website. The new site features a  DataTool that allows users to easily find historical market and company information, and a library to access a range of documents in one convenient location. The focus on ease of navigation and simplified usability was spurred by feedback collected from investors. In past years PotashCorp has taken home IR Global Rankings awards including Best Online Annual Report in North America (2009), Best IR Website in the Basic Materials industry (2006), and Top 4 for Best Earnings Releases and Disclosure Procedures in North America (2006).

“At PotashCorp we focus on clear, transparent and timely disclosure,” says Denita Stann, senior director of investor relations with PotashCorp. “Our website is an important part of our communication strategy, and zu’s expertise and vision has been a key part of our success.”

“It is extremely rewarding for our team at zu to see the accolades our clients receive from everyone’s hard work,” commented Lejbak. “We are very proud of the work Cameco and PotashCorp have done and believe they will remain leaders in online Investor Relations for many years to come.”

About the IR Gobal Rankings
The annual IR Global Rankings and Awards survey is the most comprehensive auditing and ranking system for IR websites, corporate governance practices and financial disclosure procedures – a great opportunity to benchmark IR efforts vis-à-vis peers and industry leaders. Based on extensive proprietary research of publicly held companies and investors, and supported by input from independent audit, corporate governance and legal experts, MZ’s methodology is highly detailed, transparent and fully accessible to all participants.

If you Google “twitter hacked” you will see that banks, politicians, large corporations and individuals experienced the same issues as zu did. You will also read that many of them did not know what to do and they started sending out panic tweets, which probably did more harm than the original phishing attack. It should be noted that in all cases, no follower data was accessed.

Here is what we did a few minutes after the attack. We quickly changed our password so that the phishing attacks would stop. Then we disabled the ability for third-party software, such as TweetDeck and TwitterBerry, to access our account. Finally, and this is the most important thing, we sent out a tweet acknowledging what happened, apologizing and saying we fixed it.

This let everyone know we were aware of the problem and we fixed it. What happened afterwards was a bunch of people thanking zu and supporting @zutweets.

Phishing attacks will happen to everyone at some point. It is part of being on the Internet. These are not a big deal if handled properly, so prepare yourself ahead of time.

Actor Genie has been specifically designed for actors, but it can be a powerful tool for anyone working, or interested in the film and television industry. It’s the best way to know what’s casting, who’s casting it and where to find representation.

The app is the brainchild of Hollywood casting director Heidi Levitt, perhaps best known for her work on such films as JFK, Natural Born Killers, Nixon, The Rock, Joy Luck Club, Lakeview Terrace and numerous independent films.

As for zu, though we all considered auditioning for the new Conan movie, we’re just as happy to be on the development side of things.

For a closer look or to download it, check out the Actor Genie Website.

]]> http://www.zu.com/live/2010/02/news-events/news/new-iphoneipod-app-for-actors/feed/ 0 http://www.zu.com/live/2009/12/news-events/news/stampsconnect-takes-ima-in-sports/ http://www.zu.com/live/2009/12/news-events/news/stampsconnect-takes-ima-in-sports/#comments Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:05:29 +0000 Michelle MacDonald http://www.zu.com/live/?p=4063 For the third time this year, a zu client has won an Interactive Media Award. Woot woot! StampsConnect recently won the 2009 IMA Outstanding Achievement award in the category of Sports. Shout out to the Stamps on their progressive approach to fan engagement.

StampsConnect is a unique social media aggregator site that uses familiar platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. The Calgary Stampeders have successfully enhanced fan engagement by permitting their audience to participate and contribute to the content. Connect is a real-time aggregator of fan-generated photos, comments, blogs and videos that allows them to interact and share with others around the world.

The 2009 Grey Cup Festival also adopted the Connect concept to build anticipation and engagement around their event with Grey Cup Festival Connect. The potential for Connect sites spreads beyond sports, with opportunity for political parties, artists, actors, musicians and many others to enhance stakeholder engagement.

The Interactive Media Awards™ recognize the highest standards of excellence in website design and development, and honour individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievement. The Outstanding Achievement award is the second highest honour bestowed by the IMA and is an extremely challenging award to win.

twitpitch: StampsConnect takes IMA outstanding achievement award in sports for social media site. #calstampeders http://twurl.nl/ihc88p

In addition to the Overall Award of Excellence, PotashCorp walked away with the awards for Excellence in Financial Reporting, Excellence in Electronic Disclosure and an Award of Excellence for the mining sector. In addition, they collected the Honourable Mention for Excellence in Sustainable Development Reporting.

We’re proud to be an interactive provider for PotashCorp, working closely with local communications firm, Creative Fire. Go team!

Also, big shout out to TransCanada for taking home the Award of Excellence in the real estate/utilities and pipelines industry category.

The CICAs
The Chartered Accountants of Canada Corporate Reporting Awards  is the only national awards program that recognizes excellence and best practices in corporate reporting. Now in its 58th year, the CRA presents awards for excellence in financial reporting, corporate governance disclosure, electronic disclosure and sustainable development reporting.

November 20, 2009. SaskTel, zu and the Saskatchewan Roughriders are pleased to announce that Rider Priders from around the world are downloading the Rider App at an astonishing pace.  Since the public launch of the Rider App on October 8, 2009, it has been downloaded over 11,000 times in 64 countries and with the excitement of the Riders hosting the Western Final on Sunday downloads are growing every day. SaskTel estimates that over 8,000 unique users have downloaded the Rider App.

The Rider App is an innovative mobile phone application that delivers game scores, statistics and schedule information to members of the Rider Nation wherever they go. The Roughriders were the first team in the Canadian Football League to introduce a dedicated mobile app.

“This is a success story that demonstrates both Saskatchewan innovation and the passion Rider fans feel for their team,” Minister Responsible for SaskTel Don Morgan said. “Congratulations to SaskTel, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and zu for helping Rider fans around the world stay in touch with Saskatchewan’s team.”

“The Rider App is SaskTel’s first mobile application and the response has exceeded our expectations,” SaskTel President and CEO Robert Watson said. “We’re grateful to Rider fans as well as our partners, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and zu, for their contributions to a successful project.”

“The positive reaction to the Rider App demonstrates that Rider fans are everywhere,” Riders President/CEO Jim Hopson said. “This has already been a great football season and now Rider fans around the world can follow our progress quickly and easily.”

“We are excited not only to be bringing fans closer to the local fan favourite, but also to be helping move technology forward in our province,” commented zu CEO Ryan Lejbak. “Mobile is the future of the Internet and we are proud to be working with the Roughriders and SaskTel to lead the CFL in this new technology.”

The Rider App, developed by SaskTel in partnership with Saskatoon-based zu, is a free download for compatible mobile devices. Fans can download the Rider App now.

About SaskTel
Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corporation (SaskTel) is the leading full service communications provider in Saskatchewan, with $1.138 billion in annual revenue and over 1.3 million customer connections including over 510,000 wireless accesses, 555,000 wireline network accesses, 216,000 internet accesses and 70,000 Max™ (TV) subscribers.  SaskTel offers a wide range of communications products and services including competitive voice, data, internet, entertainment, national security, messaging, cellular, wireless data and directory services. In addition, SaskTel International offers software solutions and project consulting in countries around the world.  In 2008, SaskTel contributed over $610 million to the Saskatchewan economy through dollars spent with Saskatchewan-based suppliers and sponsorships to non-profit organizations.  SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries have a workforce of approximately 5,000 employees.

About the Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club
Since 1910, no other team has been a part of the provincial fabric as has the Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club. With three Grey Cup championships to its credit, the Riders are synonymous with Prairie football and are one of the flagship franchises of the Canadian Football League. The Roughriders continue to provide quality sports entertainment to their fans, and as a community-owned team, excel in reaching out and giving back to those who support the organization.

About zu
zu is an interactive agency specializing in web strategy, design and development. They are experts in online Investor Relations, social media and mobile applications. zu offers extensive experience in building complex websites, from concept to launch; a proven track record consisting of award winning and nationally recognized websites; 15 years of experience in the interactive industry; and a team of over 50 skilled in strategy, design, and programming. Headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan zu’s client list includes globally-recognized brands such as the Calgary Stampeders, Rogers, Areva, PotashCorp, Cameco and CN Rail.

For media inquiries only, please contact:

Andy Tate, SaskTel Corporate Communications
Phone: (306) 777-4548
Email: andy.tate@sasktel.sk.ca

Albert Jame, Creative Director, zu
Phone: (306) 653-4747
Email: albert.jame@zu.com

So how can we support the green team if we’re not going to the game? I say, do it online. Take something like Grey Cup Festival Connect that we built. It pulls everything to do with the Grey Cup and the two teams playing in from YouTube, Flickr and Twitter. So basically, any video you upload to YouTube, any photo you upload to Flickr, or any Rider tweet tagged ’sskroughriders’ or ‘greycup2009′, will make it onto the Grey Cup fan site. It’s a one stop shop for everything Grey Cup, generated by the fans. So it’s imperative for you Riders fans to take part. Here are some suggestions on how all you at home can participate.

YouTube

• Discuss your predictions or outcomes
• Wish the team well with a personal or group video message
• Send your ‘regards’ to the opposing team

Flickr

• Upload your ideal Rider Grey Cup outfit
• Give some inspiration for fan signs
• Upload custom ‘Photoshopped’ images of the opposing team

Twitter

• Lend Coach Miller some play suggestions (*ahem* Armstead option play)
• ‘Greet’ Allouette fans with a warm message
• Give recipes ideas for what to do with all that leftover watermelon

Don’t forget to join Grey Cup Festival Connect through Facebook. (See top right corner the Grey Cup Festival Connect site.) In addition to joining the fan page, log in and comment on Grey Cup Festival Connect using your Facebook account. Your comments will be shared to your Facebook profile.

And . . . don’t forget to follow live game stats by downloading the Rider mobile app to your iPhone or BlackBerry.

Follow zutweets and catch some of us at the game. Hope to see you there. If not, you know what to do.

twitpitch: Rider fans it’s time to shine. Tips to keep Rider Pride alive online. #greycup2009 #sskroughriders. http://twurl.nl/7yw1y7

That’s what our friends at 3twenty Solutions are proposing. Their new site details all their plans to create modern and affordable living and work spaces—all with an environmental approach. I first heard of this idea about a year ago from Bryan McCrea, one of the founders of 3twenty and was instantly jealous. After winning the coveted I3 Challenge at the University and being featured in every media outlet possible, they recently unveiled their prototype at the Dragon’s Den pitch party.

The site features a very clean and simple design, meant to reflect the nature of their renewed containers. Interested readers can follow all their updates on their blog, which is updated regularly. We encourage everyone to check these guys out—they’ve put in some long days the last few months getting the prototype ready, but once you see it, you’ll get it. When I asked Bryan for a quote, he gave me quite the groaner, so bear with me.

twitpitch: 3twenty creates the future of affordable urban living. @albertjame shares insights on these unique homes http://bit.ly/2QTisM

We collaborated with SaskTel Labs [more on them later] and the Riders to launch the first official CFL team app. There wasn’t any shortage of ideas planning this app. There were close to 30 features on the table, so for now, only the must-haves made it for the launch. This was a great project to work on with SaskTel Labs—which is a small, almost top secret innovation department within SaskTel. It’s R&D, yet not quite R&D.

Kudos to SaskTel for being able to work on an app for a phone they don’t even sell. The Riders are excited about this and hopefully it’s a touchdown [pun intended] with the fans. Take a look at the vids to get an idea of how it works. The app is completely free from BlackBerry app stores [iTunes coming soon] so stay tuned to Riderville.com for all the updates.

The Best in Class award is the highest honour bestowed by the Interactive Media Awards; it represents the very best in planning, execution and overall professionalism.

In receiving the Best in Class award for the PotashCorp 2008 Online Annual Report zu would like to recognize the collaborative efforts of Creative Fire, and of course, the industry leading efforts of the PotashCorp Investor Relations team in striving for excellence in all areas. The ongoing teamwork continues to generate recognition for this world-class website.

twitpitch: zu wins Best in Class from Interactive Media Awards in Financial and Arts and Culture categories.

TransCanada rose above more than 2,100 entries from 28 countries to establish Bronze excellence. The TransCanada 2008 Online Annual Report was judged on cover design, Chairman’s Letter, writing, interior design, financial presentation and overall corporate spirit represented in the report.

zu is proud to be representing TransCanada and their efforts in producing Online Annual Reports for the past four years. Recent enhancements include improved site navigation including a site search, strategic information architecture, and best practices for cross-browser compatibility and accessibility. We congratulate TransCanada on this most highly respected and prestigious competition in the field of corporate communications.

The complete article is available in the online July/August 2009 issue of SaskBusiness magazine.

What reinforces the principles of this CR, is the look and design; quotes and photos of employees were used to add a personalized theme, allowing users to familiarize themselves with the faces behind the company.

The existing corporate design guidelines were enhanced using the implementation of three key features:
• A rotating, click through banner using thematic images and quotes
• A quick reference keyword Glossary tool
• Find Out More generates a form submission page instead of listing contact information

While many corporations rely solely on PDFs to publish their corporate reports, zu developed a flexible communication platform for the TransCanada CR in order for readers to access information easily and get relevant results; readers can click through the website quickly to preview content and download summaries posted at the bottom of every page in the site.

TransCanada provides safe and reliable supplies of energy to millions of North Americans and is shaping the future through its leadership and innovative solutions. We congratulate TransCanada for their efforts!

The 2008 TransCanada Corporate Responsibility Report, and more information about TransCanada, can be found here.

zu wanted to create a rich interactive experience to engage Stampeders fans; the site is a virtual real-time shrine that fans can explore, contribute to and share with friends around the world. Fan generated videos and photos are automatically pulled from personal YouTube and Flickr accounts into StampsConnect when tagged with ‘calstampeders’. New videos and photos uploaded by fans ensure that the content is always fresh and engaging.

Fans can log into StampsConnect using Facebook to comment on videos and photos; they can also post comments on their Facebook profile which ultimately acts as a self-promoting vehicle for the site. Fans can also use the ‘real-time chat’ feature on the Twitter page—among a number of other cool features including News, Blogs, Polls, Ticket Specials, and Promotions that link StampsConnect to the official Stampeders.com website.

“Sports fans are very passionate and love to show their loyalty to their favorite team,” says zu CEO, Ryan Lejbak. “Over the past year, social networking has become mainstream with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr leading the popularity contest for sports fans. Both deeply engaged and casual fans are using these sites to connect with other fans already. What StampsConnect does is collect all of that great fan generated content and displays it in one place, allowing fans to interact with each other and contribute to the growth and success of the website.”

Trevor Turnbull, zu Account Executive adds: “We wanted to create a site that embraced the fact that millions of people are already actively using these popular social websites. So, rather than creating another exclusive ‘social network’ that requires fans to create a profile and upload their content that already exists on their personal social accounts, we implemented a ‘pull’ strategy that brings in content from popular social sites people are already familiar with and actively using.”

“We are extremely excited about this social media initiative,” says Mike Petrie, Director of Communication for the Calgary Stampeders. “StampsConnect allows the Calgary Stampeders to increase fan engagement by integrating a variety of interactive social media strategies and techniques. zu has helped us give our fans a platform to express their passion and connect with the team, players and Outrider cheerleaders in a way not possible before. Although Stampeders.com will still be the main resource of exclusive Calgary Stampeder content, we will utilize StampsConnect to provide fans with unique, behind-the-scenes content that will make it a really fun place to see the lighter side of the team, players and Outrider cheerleaders. Our fans are a major part of our success—on and off the field. We value their opinion and believe StampsConnect will help us further engage with the best fans in the CFL.”

Join the fun here:
StampsConnect
Calgary Stampeders Official Website
Calgary Stampeders Official Twitter Page
Calgary Stampeders Official Facebook Fanpage
Calgary Stampeder Outriders Official Twitter Page
Calgary Stampeder Outriders Official Facebook Fanpage

On Friday, June 26, we will be closed at noon for the big move. Production services will be down during this time, but in the event of an urgent request, clients should email their Project Manager. We will be checking for messages regularly.

On Monday, June 29, we will reopen the zu headquarters at our new location:
303 Pacific Ave
Saskatoon SK
S7K 1P2
Canada

Same phone (306 635 4747). Same fax (306 653 4774). Same zuCrew.

We look forward to touring you through our new space this summer.

Cheers,
The zuCrew