Table of Contents 6 2012 OVATION Awards Winning Entries

OVATION Awards Winning Entry
Communication Management
Social Media
AWARD OF MERIT
Entrant’s Name: Cathy Bogaart
Organization: MaRS Discovery District
Division/Category: Division 1: Communication Management, Category 13: Social Media
Title of Entry: MaRSDD Website Re‐design
Time Period: 2011
Brief Description: MaRS Discovery District leverages the accessibility and reach of social media to engage
entrepreneurs, promote organizational services and showcase the accomplishments and merits of our clients. The
daily MaRS blog is a prime component of our digital reach, providing “snackable” information for the “on‐the‐go”
entrepreneur.
Business Need/Opportunity:
MaRS is a not‐for‐profit registered charity dedicated to maximizing the economic and social impact of
innovation. The MaRS model uses place and partnerships to build a community in which innovators,
entrepreneurs, scientists, professionals and investors can exchange knowledge, share best practices and
expand their networks.
MaRS offers a broad range of educational programs and business services to address the needs of
emerging and growth‐oriented startup companies. Public outreach activities span both science and
culture, while entrepreneurship programs for students reach a wide cross‐disciplinary audience and
create a culture that celebrates innovative ideas, entrepreneurship and commercialization.
To extend this community beyond the walls of our building, MaRS’ social media networks, including
Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, create an accessible digital forum for sharing information, thoughts,
ideas and opportunities. Social media allows for back‐and‐forth discourse on topics that matter to all
members of our audience. It also stretches our capacity to disseminate information and keeps everyone
at MaRS and beyond abreast of on‐the‐ground issues.
User opinion surveys revealed that our general online audience still perceived MaRS to be an entirely
medical institution despite our expansion into the Information Technology, Communications and
Entertainment (ICE), Cleantech and Social Innovation sectors. Furthermore, website visits and page
views remained stagnant despite the many useful entrepreneurial tools and resources that were added
on an ongoing basis. Clearly, better website promotion was required.
The solution for a revitalized social media experience had to equally promote all our industry specialties
without emphasizing any particular sector. This balancing act had previously proved challenging in the
face of various internal stakeholders, each with varying objectives and spheres of influence.
The opportunity came with the arrival of a new Director of Communications in March 2011, who insisted
on a fresh foray into our social media strategy. After budget reshuffling and a new emphasis on digital
communications, the team now had the monetary resources to revitalize MaRS’ social media networks.
Intended Audience(s):
Primary Audience:
Ontario entrepreneurs: typically highly educated with a marked interest in keeping up with the latest
market trends. They are generally active on social media platforms for both business and pleasure.