What a wonderful time of year it is. The snow is melting, the daylight is becoming plentiful, and the brands of the world are taking the you-know-what out of us for April Fools’ Day – again. Here are our favourite brand pranks of April 1st, 2014. 1. Google Maps: Pokémon Challenge …
The Branding Reason You Care Less and Less About the iPhone
iPhone Brand Positioning and the Mass Market The introduction of the iPhone in January of 2007 was a watershed moment in consumer electronic marketing. While other smartphones were already on the market, Apple, grasping the mass market mindset, positioned the iPhone as a new category. Apple cleverly launched the iphone …
Minimum Viable Social Media Plan
It’s no secret that social media has become a common marketing tool for brands to engage with their target audiences. But with the rise of social media marketing, many people have developed conflicting opinions about the ability of recent graduates to drive an organization’s social media efforts. Brands and Social …
Mars Curiosity: NASA Brand Building with Personality
While the Mars rover Curiosity has successfully landed on the Red Planet, it has also blasted off in social media. In the past few days, @MarsCuriosity has rocketed on Twitter from a respectable 140,000 followers to 850,000 followers. We admit that we began following @MarsCuriosity on August 3, 2012, and …
Can Experiential Retailing Help Differentiate a Brand?
Faced with increased online retail competition and witnessing the success of the retail innovations introduced by the Apple Store, brands are looking to innovate the retail shopping experience by enhancing the in-person retail experience. This trend is now referred to as “experiential retailing”. Experiential Retailing in a Nutshell The rationale …
Tips for Creating a Strong Brand Promotion Contest
A brand promotion contest can be a great way to increase brand awareness and reward brand loyalty. However, the brand marketing spend will be wasted if care isn’t taken with every aspect of the contest’s customer experience. The risks of harming your brand if some contest details fall below your …
The Pepsi Challenge: Brand Positioning against the Brand Category Leader
Pepsi is taking steps to build its brand. According to a May, 2012 Advertising Age article, Pepsi has fallen from its place as the number 2 soda to become number 3 (behind Coke and Diet Coke), and has seen its market share fall by 0.3% and a sales volume fall …
Brand Loyalty: Canadian Tire Money
Canadian Tire Money is an Iconic Brand Loyalty Program Back in 1958, Canadian Tire launched a visionary loyalty program. It started giving its customers Canadian Tire Money equal to a fixed percentage when they used cash at Canadian Tire stores. To this day, Canadian Tire Money can be used like …
How to Use Your Brand Strategy in Your Brand Advertising
Don’t Create Your Brand Advertising Until You’re Clear on Your Brand Strategy Your brand strategy – brand promise, brand position, brand personality – is how you win space in your customer’s mind. When it comes time to create a brand advertising campaign, it is important to ensure that your campaign embodies your …
Tim Hortons Branding: Sizing Up the Customer Experience
Canadians love coffee. Coffee is the #1 beverage for adults in Canada. The average Canadian drinks almost 50% more coffee than their U.S. neighbours. Most Canadians also love Tim Hortons. It is arguably Canada’s most beloved brand. Tim Hortons has built its brand on a well executed brand strategy. Tim …