I teach a advertising course at Capilano University. This week I had Jill Munro come to speak to my class. Jill is a Vancouver girl and the creator of “Creamy Garlic Caesar” chips, one of four Canada wide finalists in the Lays “Do us a flavour” new chip creation contest. For those of you who follow my blog regularly, you will recall I first wrote about this contest back in … [Read more...]
What makes word of mouth work? Trust & targeting
“Word of mouth is more than 10 times more effective than advertising.” “Word of mouth generates more than twice the sales of paid advertising in categories as diverse as skincare and mobile phones.” Both of these quotes originate from the McKinsey Quarterly, a quarterly publication by McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm. They’re pretty … [Read more...]
8 Reasons why Lay’s Do Us a Flavour contest is brilliant marketing
The “Maple Moose” flavour begged to be selected from the shelf of chips, if for no other reason than the name, and the promise of a great photo-op, along with a Molson Canadian beer in hand, for my visiting American relatives at the cottage. Maple Moose was one of four finalists in Lay’s Canada’s “Do Us a Flavour” chip naming contest. While there were over 600,000 … [Read more...]
Duct Tape Surfing: Authentic storytelling that begs to be shared
A friend from Australia posted a video link to my Facebook page recently entitled “Duct Tape surfing.” The sheer title begged it to be viewed and shared. But add in the fact that it featured a 50 year old paraplegic women who learns to surf attached to back of a thrill seeking 20-something young man and the interest level ratcheted up even more. Quite simply it is an … [Read more...]
Social media and public relations lessons “out of the blue”
Some brands sign celebrities for endorsement of their products. Strategically selected for their alignment with brand values and appeal to the brand target group, it’s a formal arrangement offering financial gain for both parties. What then to do when a self-appointed celebrity selects your brand, and you unwittingly become dragged into a negative association not of your own … [Read more...]
