Here’s what we learned this week at MarketingMag.ca
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Several have commented on the relative attractiveness and creative merits of the print ads deemed most-effective at driving social media action by StarchMetrix Canada. The 12 ads that performed well across three of StarchMetrix’ categories certainly cover the gamut between the art director’s focus on photography and the lawyer’s focus on fine print. Judge for yourself how “good” these ads are.
• 12 print ads driving social media engagement
Keep your French thesaurus handy
Coke found this out the hard way when it was forced to kill its latest Vitaminwater promotion. Under each of its caps were one English and one French word thaty consumers were meant to mix and match into funny sentences. Among them were the French words for slow and shower… “retard” and “douche.” Without the broader context of the campaign… well, you can see where some might take offense.
• Coke cancels Canadian promotion over offensive messages
Rugged, backcountry brands are urbanizing
Both Mountain Equipment Co-op and Mark’s unveiled new positioning statements and campaigns this week as they try to figure out how much of Canada’s ruggedness or outdoorsiness to include in their brands. MEC is seeing growth in more urban activities (i.e. running and cycling), and Mark’s has research that says it should be urbanizing a bit too, aiming for “outdoorsy without being the bearded, plaid shirt-clad L.L. Bean man.”
• Mark’s ready for a new brand
• MEC launches campaign with new branding
