Radar DDB, the new ‘social media catalyst’ based out of DDB Canada’s Vancouver office, aims to eschew traditional, often slow-moving agency procedures to quickly insert brands into hot water-cooler topics.

For example, when Radar was still in development last month, managing director Yvonne van Dinther noticed the frenzy surrounding cute polar bear cub Knut at the Berlin Zoo and thought it would be a perfect PR opportunity for DDB client Canadian Tourism Commission. DDB quickly put together a CTC-branded ‘care package’ for the bear, as well as ‘quick and dirty’ CTC postcards to be distributed at the zoo. As a result, photos of Knut playing with a red CTC ball landed coverage from news outlets around the world.

‘We’re set up to be opportunistic in our approach,’ says van Dinther. ‘In some cases, you have to be able to move quickly to get into the conversation.’

Radar will also focus on working brands non-invasively into Web 2.0 dialogues on social networks like Facebook. Its staff of four includes van Dinther (formerly VP of DDB’s brand integrity group), senior strategist Steve Wright, social media expert James Chutter and producer Blaine Pearson. AB