Village Gamer

Monster Media, an Orlando-based company with an office in Oakville and BMO Bank of Montreal have installed a monster-sized, 12′ X 7.5′ interactive electronic marketing display, prominently placed in Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, in an effort to capture the attention and the interest of more than 20 million travellers who move in and out of Pearson’s Terminal 1 domestic departures level each year.

The bright, bold display is comprised of an interactive memory game and credit card rewards calculator, promoting the bank’s new premium travel rewards credit card, BMO World Elite MasterCard.

“The sheer scale of the installation gives the display a fantastic presence for our World Elite MasterCard and for the BMO brand,” says Su McVey, VP, Marketing, BMO Bank of Montreal. “It’s a creative and effective way for us to build awareness amongst a key market segment – frequent travellers – about BMO World Elite’s superior travel benefits, using touch screen technology on a grand scale. The game provides travellers with an engaging way to get to know us a bit better.”

Travellers can test their memory by uncovering matching icons hidden behind the display’s virtual screen panels. The icons represent various BMO World Elite credit card features. Players can also calculate how many points they can earn – and what destinations they can travel to – by sliding a virtual scale over a range of monthly credit card spend amounts.

Ms. McVey says the display has a practical benefit beyond its sheer entertainment value. “Customers become engaged in the game and walk away with a much more immediate sense of if and how BMO World Elite MasterCard fits their travel needs,” she explained.

“We already have a strong presence in top airports across the U.S. and this new partnership is a natural and major step in our strategy to aggressively expand our presence throughout Canada,” said David Leetham, vice president of Canadian sales for Monster Media. “We are very pleased to be working with BMO to be the first to bring this engaging, interactive and effective form of advertising to a Canadian airport.”

The Pearson installation is another “first” for Monster Media and BMO. Last year, BMO introduced Canada’s first large-format digital storefront game to pedestrians outside the bank’s flagship Toronto branch at King and Bay Streets. Passersby were challenged to tend goal against five virtual youth soccer players. The campaign supported BMO’s sponsorship of grassroots soccer across Canada.

Google Earth continues to be a popular way to showcase 3D versions of Canadian communities to the global audience.  Vancouver and Toronto are so popular that they have been added to Google’s Building Maker online 3D modeling tool.  This tool allows 3D freelancers from around the world to remotely create 3D buildings for these cities.

Local governments of smaller Canadian communities like Fredericton and Banff have successfully tapped into Google’s ‘Cities in 3D Program’.  These municipalities understand the benefits of having a 3D model of their communities for use in promoting economic development, boosting tourism and visualizing community planning.

For smaller towns and villages, there are businesses like Nanaimo’s JAC GeoDesign that specialize in creating 3D models of buildings and structures to showcase on Google Earth.  Owner Judith Chinn is Canada’s First Google Certified Geo 3D Developer.  “My business gives me the opportunity to showcase our well known Canadian communities alongside some of our hidden gems to a regional, national and global audience,” says Chinn.

Businesses like Chinn’s are popping up all over the world.  They service businesses, as well as, communities.  They create 3D buildings to help preserve and share our past, promote our current state, and help plan our future

The Beban House - Tourism Nanaimo

development.  According to Chinn, “Google Certified Geo 3D Developers from around the world are in regular contact with each other and Google Earth representatives.  We get to share our experiences, troubleshoot issues, collaborate on projects and celebrate our successes.”

Advancements in technology offer new and exciting ways to showcase Canada’s 3D communities.  New applications for mobile devices are being developed showcasing 3D models in Augment Reality.  In New York City, tourist can use touch screens monitors to create and view a 3D tour of their itinerary.  3D models can be imported into 3D gaming software.

Chinn will be celebrating her first  year in business next week.  “It has been a challenging first year.  It is not easy to introduce a new service into the marketplace.  I spend much of my time educating and informing the public and potential clients about the benefits and versatility of showcasing locations in 3D.  The community of Nanaimo has been very supportive of my efforts.”  The Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce recently, presented Chinn with the 2011 Sterling Business Award for New Business.  “I am hoping to gain additional support from my fellow Canadians as I expand my service throughout Canada,” says Chinn.