Back in 1999, when branded content was regarded as little more
than a media anomaly, an entrepreneur named Eric Schneider put
together a small team of journalists and marketers and set up shop
in downtown Toronto.
The company was called Redwood Custom Communications.
This year, as we mark 10 years of pioneering work in branded
content, we also celebrate a new corporate identity, a new
strategic partner and a refreshed vision for the future. We now
call ourselves Totem, and our tagline is "Brand Stories."
Eric's vision for our fledgling company correctly identified the
potential for custom media to cut through the clutter of
ever-multiplying channels and choices. As the branded content
industry evolved, we added capabilities to handle the holistic
demands of larger clients, such as Procter & Gamble, The Home
Depot and Mazda International. Redwood was also the architect and
content agency for Kraft's Food & Family initiative, the
largest CRM program in
North America.
As our company matured, Eric realized we could benefit from an
alliance with a larger media partner of similar ambition. He
pursued a merger with Transcontinental, the Montreal-based media
and printing giant. In the fall of 2008, we joined the
Transcontinental family as a cornerstone of their new Marketing
Communications Sector. A year later, we rebranded as Totem. The
name underscores how our "brand stories" create bonds of
significance between brand and consumer.
We leverage the power of narrative to tell brand stories. Our
Marketing Journalists (a term we've coined) craft these stories for
deployment in any media, using leading technologies and creative
techniques to capture the fleeting attention spans of today's busy
consumers.
Best of all, a great story is portable-as media channels and
choices evolve, our stories can lead the way. So, while we've grown
our core expertise from magazine publishing to fully integrated
digital and social capabilities, there's a good story at the heart
of everything we do.
From 12 employees to more than 120 today. From print to digital.
From Redwood to Totem. From "content" to "brand stories." It feels
like a lot has changed. But the story prevails.