Whenever the marketplace coins a term for a negative experience that is your brand name, you have a big marketing problem. And that's exactly what Air Canada experienced when their discount brand Rouge flights began service out of Vancouver last week. Launched with great fanfare and expectations of success last July 2013, Rouge, a discount brand within the Air Canada … [Read more...]
3 business cards that spark a conversation
If you're like me, you likely have stacks of business cards you've collected at various networking events, sitting on or in your desk. While they serve at the time as trophy proof that you made some connections at an event or meeting, the contents usually end up in an electronic database of some sort, for easy retrieval later and follow up. In fact I've encountered a couple … [Read more...]
Earned media & curated content: What Facebook Newswire might mean to you
Oh how things have changed. Gone are the days of typewriters, crumpled paper, rotary dial phones, collapsible cameras, cigarettes, and coffee. The world of journalism has arguably shifted dramatically in the age of the internet, but as of this week, it shifted yet again. This past Thursday Facebook made an interesting move in the media space that small businesses, … [Read more...]
Dove patches: from tricks to truth & remaining true to their positioning
I'm a huge fan of Dove. I love the approach they have taken over the last 11 years with their "real beauty" campaign, advocating empowerment and beauty from within. I've commended them many times for remaining true to a big idea, as part of their brand values. That said, they've taken some heat with their latest campaign installment called Dove patches. It was launched … [Read more...]
Veet’s Don’t risk dudeness dud: lessons from a consumer backlash
I have to preface this weeks post with an admission that I've secretly feared Veet (previously called Neet) ever since I was 13. And it's not because of some misguided teen hair removal exercise. One of my friends had Neet put in her hair during a high school initiation day, and clumps of it fell out in her hands. This image, as an insecure adolescent, is still vivid in my … [Read more...]