For the last 19 years, Kate has somehow or another been involved in marketing on the internet. Before the web was graphical, she used mailing lists and FTP sites to market educational software. Over her career she has had the privilege of working with top-notch companies (either agency-side or as part of the company) to develop interactive and creative strategies that engaged audiences. This includes companies such as Nike, Molson, Petro-Canada. Procter & Gamble, Canada Trust and the Royal Canadian Mint.
Kate is a believer in the power of online communities whether the community is as technologically simple as a discussion forum or as advanced as a 3-D virtual world. She is an active participant in a number of online communities, including Second Life as the avatar Katicus Sparrow.
Driven by her passion for social media, Kate recently launched her new firm, reInvent! Communications, to work with marketers who want to develop more authentic relationships with their customers. Her most recent assignment is providing digital marketing direction on a soon-to-be launched social networking product for families.
Kate has been a part-time lecturer in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information Studies. And she has also served on the Advertiser’s Council of the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada. Kate writes about the intersection of marketing and technology on her blog.