ALLSEATING GINGERBREAD CHAIR
January 2, 2012
This year, we helped our friends at Allseating spread the joy with a sweet gift that encouraged recipients to make their own gingerbread chair. (more…)
Posted in CAMPAIGNS, INSPIRATION, NEW WORK
BRAVADO HOLIDAY CARD
December 12, 2011
One of our studio’s favourite projects is the annual holiday card for Bravado, a local company that has earned raves around the world for its fashionable maternity bras. (more…)
Posted in INSPIRATION, NEW WORK
HOLIDAY CAMPAIGNS THAT KEEP ON GIVING
November 3, 2011
In our technologically-laden world – where we’re constantly bombarded with tweets, blasts, pings and pokes – many brand marketers are realizing that there’s still something special about receiving a parcel in the post during the holiday season.
Posted in PARCEL POST
CHEERS!
October 17, 2011
The conversation and the cocktails were flowing at the Stirling Room on Thursday, October 13th for Parcel’s Whisky Tasting event. Special thanks to author Mark Kingwell for his insightful observations on whisky’s role in business culture, and to Laura Panter from the Martini Club International for her magnificent mixes.
The event coincided with the launch of our Whisky Rocks campaign, which hit LCBO stores last week and our Whisky Rocks magazine, which appeared in last weekend’s editions of the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and National Post.
Posted in Uncategorized
THE GOAL OF EVERY MARKETING CAMPAIGN IS TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS. RIGHT?
October 6, 2011
Then what happens if the customers you’re attracting are all wrong?
In the pilot episode of the 70s British comedy “Fawlty Towers,” Basil Fawlty, the hapless owner of a small hotel on the English Riviera, takes out an advertisement in the local paper. The headline reads: “No Riff Raff.”
Basil’s wife Cybil just wants to fill the rooms. Although Basil’s methods (and copywriting skills) may be questionable, his theory regarding attracting the “right” kind of customer has some merit.
Brands are co-created by the companies that sell them and the customers that buy into them. And if the customers buying your brand aren’t aligned with the values you’re trying to project, you can end up with short-term profitability, but long-term troubles.
(more…)
Posted in Uncategorized
BRAND DO-OVER? OR DON’T?
September 8, 2011
Ask any graduate of Marketing 101 and they’ll tell you that branding is about more than logos. It’s the sum total of the experience your product, service or organization delivers. It’s everything you do, say and promise to all your stakeholders.
This suggests that a logo is simply a visual expression of the brand, a symbol of the experience that follows. But that doesn’t diminish the value of that symbol; it must deliver the total message in a split-second, and if it doesn’t, it may be time to consider a refresh.
Herein lies one of the most daunting of design challenges: redesigning a logo – especially one that has established considerable equity. Logo redesigns undergo tremendous scrutiny and criticism. Will it alienate the core audience? Will it inspire a new legion of faithful followers? Is it a movement forward? Or a giant leap back?
Posted in Uncategorized
COULD YOUR BRAND USE A BACKRUB?
August 4, 2011
Aswath Damodaran, professor of finance at New York University’s Stern School of Business, recently pegged the value of the Coca-Cola brand at $79.6 billion. However, if Coca-Cola suddenly lost its name, this evaluation would be reduced by more than two-thirds. It just goes to show that, in an increasingly marketing-driven world, a company’s value can be linked directly to the strength of its brand.
A brand name must do more than merely designate, it has to deliver an entire message. It has to resonate with a variety of audiences and it has to represent what the brand stands for. To get through to the intended audience, the name has to stand out. It must be easy to remember, subject to minimum distortion and relevant to the targeted receivers.
A generic name encourages generic business. It shouldn’t simply describe something that everyone expects from the service (e.g. Creative Design, Quality Cleaners) it should be unlike anyone else within the category and un-confusable with other businesses or organizations outside the category.
Posted in Uncategorized
HERE’S WHERE YOU’LL SIT. BUT HOW WELL WILL YOU FIT?
June 2, 2011
Losing an employee because they just “didn’t fit” can be costly for a business – some surveys calculate it to be up to three to five times their annual salary. To minimize the risk of making such an expensive mistake, many organizations are turning to their brand to not only help evaluate fit when recruiting, but to retain new employees by integrating them into the corporate culture more quickly.
Companies spend considerable resources promoting and educating prospective customers about their brand, but often neglect to do the same when it comes to welcoming employees. Many new hires are simply shown a desk, handed a computer and assigned a phone – but are not given much in terms of an introduction to a company’s brand culture. Because they’re left to fend for themselves, they’re more likely to interpret the brand however they like, which leads to mixed messages amongst colleagues, prospects, clients and suppliers.
(more…)
Posted in Uncategorized
WOULD YOU SPEND $100,000 ON A VW?
May 5, 2011
With the recent unveiling of – and attention surrounding – Volkswagen’s newly designed Beetle (the first major redesign since the New Beetle debuted in 1998) we got to thinking about VW’s long history of industry-changing marketing campaigns (remember Doyle Dane Bernbach’s Lemon ad of the early 60s?) and then we thought of one very notable blip in their success – the Phaeton.
Do you remember the Volkswagen Phaeton? It was conceived in 2002 as a luxury sedan that would compete against such premium brands as BMW and Mercedes. Never heard of it, you say? That’s because it’s no longer sold in North America, and while it was, it didn’t quite hit the mark either. It never met Volkswagen’s sales expectations and was shelved after only a few short years on the market.
Posted in Uncategorized
SUPREME COLLISION MARKETING MATERIALS
April 4, 2011
Finding yourself in need of a collision repair shop never happens under happy circumstances. But Marty Reddick, owner of Supreme Collision Centres, has earned a reputation for trying to make it a more enjoyable experience. (more…)