To me, cupcakes are like “the banana of sweets”… perfectly packaged and full of goodness!  Ok maybe not as “transportable” but you get the gist.  It’s all about moist, delectable cake… straight up for purists or infused with gooey filling for adventurers.  Seemingly endless, mouth-watering, flavour combinations.  (Don’t get me started.)

But there’s an art to a cupcake… an art that’s not represented in the bulk, plastic packs of sprinkle-suffocated cupcakes you often see in super-markets.  So suffice it to say there was no one more delighted than me to see the original Cupcakes franchise explode onto the scene. 

From website to in-store, Cupcakes delivers Disney-like appeal.  They’ve done a brilliant job of creating branding continuity and a princess-like feel as soon as you walk in the door.  Honestly, you want to eat the walls.

However, after (several) visits to three separate locations I’m sad to report I’ve had luke-warm customer service experiences.  Each and every time I’ve asked a question about a particular cupcake, eyes glazed over like donuts.  You see the dichotomy.

Enter Big City Cupcakes.  I was on a busy Vancouver street and spotted the logo on their signage…first thought was CUUUPPPCAAAKE… 2^nd was ‘that branding needs a colour platform’.  First though prevailed.  I jay-walked, entered and asked a simple (albeit direct) question… with a smile, “What makes your cupcakes better?”  Her answer surprised me.  She said, “Big City Cupcakes was founded by 3 business women with an old family recipe and a vision.  All of our cupcakes are handmade with fresh milk, eggs and butter and the finest ingredients including Callebaut Chocolate.”

I bought a ½ dozen.

And as she walked me through selections like Truffle and Strawberry Cheesecake, I noticed nothing but the spectacular display cases showcasing these little treasures.  The rest of the shop was stylish but ‘in the background’…by design.  What shone through was a brand story and it was beyond engaging. 

So off I went with my gold ribbon package and product card detailing their locations and website, which… needs help.  However, Big City Cupcakes stayed with me… and the experience has been consistent in two other stores.

Here’s where the rubber meets the road… or the cupcake meets the lips. 

On the taste scale… the new-kid-on-the-block Big City Cupcakes is off-the-charts better tasting (confirmed in a blind taste-test with foodie friends).  And I shouldn’t be surprised.  I took some original Cupcakes to a barbeque with lots of kids and there were left-overs.  When I bought Big City Cupcakes the first time, I dug into one on the way home and had to pull over. 

MY SOAPBOX:  I could digress into the nuances of creamy vs. crunchy icing, moist vs. dry, etc… but the real take-away here is how two cupcake franchises growing at the same relative rate, deliver a simple product in two very different ways.  One sets a brilliant front-end stage and falls short on back-end service and product while the other needs front-end ‘packaging’ yet tells a story, engages the customer and delivers a better tasting product. 

Which delivers a better “brand experience”? 

By definition, all of the above.  But ultimately, it’s the product that raises the bar on taste, service, appeal, delivery… it’s the product that leaves you wanting more.

And isn’t it something when the under-dog actually RESETS the bar?

big city cupcakes, brand buy-in, brand efficiency, brand experiences, brand performance, brand promise, branding, branding continuity, canada, cupcake, cupcake franchise, cupcakes, original cupcakes, smd marketing, smdmarketing, Strategically Speaking, susan dore, vancouver

2010 vancouver olympics, 2010 winter games, brand buy-in, brand efficiency, brand experiences, brand performance, brand promise, branding, canada, canadian, hotel georgia, molson, molson canadian hockey house, rick antonson, shane koyczan, smd marketing, smdmarketing, susan dore, tourism vancouver, vancouver olympics, “we are more” poem

Living in the downtown hub of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic machine, I can officially report… it’s beyond overwhelming.  There are no words for the excitement, fun and international melting-pot of the mind-numbingly emotional highs and lows that come with celebrating these elite athletes.  But what’s taking it to epic levels is the digital experience.  And it’s being led by the Canadian television network, CTV.  

It’s Web 2.0 on steroids… squared.  Seriously.

Live TV is always great, but consider CTVOlympics.ca a value-added appendage to your journey in becoming the ultimate Olympic voyeur… fuelled by Microsoft Silverlight technology.  

Where-ever you are in the world, simply go to CTVOlympics.ca and enjoy:

• Live streaming audio of all events, which you can customize, jump around and view with ease… even if you’re a technical neophyte
• A live CTVchat-blog, MSN and Facebook feed to “friends” that are online
• Cool polls, athlete profiles and must-see event footage
• The latest scores, medal standings, photo-galleries, and an e-store for coveted Olympic garb

Other CTV touch-points:

• @CTVOlympics on Twitter for sound-bites of up-to-the-minute happenings
• CTV’s Olympic Facebook Fan Page for expanded news and chit-chat
• CTV branded videos/music on iTunes 
• FreeiTunes app  with mini-web platform (which I downloaded on my iTouch and prefer over their Blackberry web-link)
• CTV personalities host the Olympic Medal Ceremonies
• CTV has aligned with Bell on walk-in Olympic kiosks in all the right places to educate and convert cell-phone users to Bell where you can enjoy live streaming Olympic footage in the palm of your hand (I’m not on the Bell network but you gotta love the exclusive sponsorship advantage/lock-down!)

I’m sure there’s more I haven’t uncovered yet… as a marketer it’s as exhilarating as it is exhausting.  In fact, my real-time experience yesterday included catching Canadian Maelle Ricker win Gold in Snowboard Cross … I watched it on TV and had her qualifying video, winning video, Olympic history and more on my CTV laptop feed inside 60 seconds. 

We’re dialled in people… and the Olympic ride is just beginning, so strap in.  I’ll bet my red mittens we haven’t seen anything yet.

MY SOAPBOX:  The Vancouver 2010 Olympics have been hyped as the first true digital Games.  The CTV brand and network is the driving force behind that.  From a marketing “check-list” perspective, they’re off-the-charts on content with amped-up traditional online marketing channels combined with connectivity we’ve never seen before.  You bet I’m a proud Canadian, but fact is CTV has eclipsed every world-wide TV network to the extent that I’ve talked to visiting Americans who prefer CTV’s up-to-the-minute, impartial coverage (yes, they said impartial). 

STAGE-LEFT:  Next up, adventures at Olympic venues including the Molson Canadian Hockey House.  Have to say, the ticket-purchase process through Molson proved to be a highly publicized rough start.  It almost caused a media-frenzied Labatts Blue revolt (which is serious beer warfare in Canada in case you missed that).  Molson’s corporate band-aid was mediocre and mishandled… let’s see how a visit to their Hockey House for the Bronze Medal men’s hockey game plays out for me and my friends.  Could get ugly.

2010 vancouver olympics, 2010 winter games, brand buy-in, brand efficiency, brand experiences, brand performance, brand promise, branding, CTV, ctvolympics.ca, molson, molson canadian hockey house, smd marketing, smdmarketing, susan dore, vancouver olympics

Urban Barn – a hip, well-positioned home furnishing brand with soon-to-be 40 locations Canada-wide.

I had my first Urban Barn experience this past fall when I needed a dresser.  Great location, good selection, good service.  Dresser delivered… done.  Since then, Urban Barn has stayed in touch through occasional emails, but from a “brand experience” perspective, I thought we truly were done.  It was an efficient purchase and I’d certainly recommend them, but (as my favourite brand guru Seth Godin would say)… there was nothing “remarkable” about it.

Nothing remarkable, until now.  And if you haven’t heard about “Robbie”, HomeOnHowe and what’s going on with the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver BC… you will. 

Here’s the promote:  “Imagine Big Brother but with only 1 houseguest – Robbie.  For 17 days, during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Robbie will live (yes, live) at the Howe Street Urban Barn location.”

Translation:  He can’t leave the store for 17 days.

As of this post, they’re 24 hours away from launch… kicking-off with Robbie doing his own Urban Barn Scented Candle Torch Relay on Granville Street at 9am tomorrow, Feb 12^th.  (Hysterical!)  On location, they’ve minimized the extra furnishing inventory, added plenty of flat-screens and invited anyone and everyone to drop-by and hang with Robbie during his 2+ week cave-man stunt.  There’s voyeur-videoing 24/7 so, if you happen to be bored watching luge finals, you’re welcome to check-in on Robbie at homeonhowe.com (could be scary, but hoping Robbie has bathrobe-decorum.)

For anyone in the hood looking to participate, there’s a Special Events Schedule.  So, besides the obvious Olympic line-up, you can also sign-up for Wii Challenges, Comedy Night, Open Mic Night, and more.  (Thankfully, they’ve also installed a shower…because that was the caveat for whether or not I’d drop by and visit Robbie.)

Anyway… how much fun is that??

MY SOAPBOX:  I have never even seen Big Brother, but from a brand experience perspective, Urban Barn has suddenly re-engaged me with this crazy dude.  And from a consumer perspective, they’ve taken an average brand experience and taken it to new heights by drawing me into a fun, compelling story.  An immutable law of marketing.

Urban Barn’s corporate party line to the media is that “they hope they’ll be top-of-mind in March” when the dust settles after the Olympics.  You know what?  Between the buzz Robbie’s creating and the drama in the coming days ahead, I don’t doubt it. 

But don’t just take my word for it… check out the following video to really set the scene.  (Note:  The bleeping of the word “Olympics” is compliance with the International Olympic Committee’s strict rules around word usage… again, funny… engaging…and compliant!)

STAGE-LEFT:  The Olympic machine has been unleashed in my fair city and it’s beyond exciting.  I’ll let the networks cover the sports… stay tuned for in-the-trenches updates on how the “corporate sponsor” brand experiences unfold.

Back to Robbie… check this out and bookmark homeonhowe.com (just for fun!)

2010 winter games, brand buy-in, brand efficiency, brand experiences, brand performance, brand promise, branding, homeonhowe, robbie, seth godin, smd marketing, smdmarketing, susan dore, urban barn, vancouver olympics

So what makes a brand great?  In my opinion, it starts from the inside… the DNA of the brand’s vision and culture.  It’s the “juice” that feeds consumers, employees and stakeholders… not the “kool-aid”.  Gone are the days of cheesy slogans that made consumers fall in line like sheep.  We’re a tad more discerning on the “what’s in it for me” scale with fairly attuned BS meters. 

Brand buy-in cannot be forced, only earned through exemplary brand experiences.  And it’s the brands where customers tell the best stories that win.

Which leads me to my Clearly Contacts story. 

I’ve been a raving fan of Clearly Contacts from the get-go for the simple reason that they take the pain out of my eye-care needs.  They personify brand efficiency by delivering my prescription effortlessly, overnight… and while they’re at it, they save me money.  Fabulous formula, yes?  In fact, aside from annual exams, Clearly Contacts has made purchasing contact lenses and/or glasses through optometrists history.

So when a “reminder” email drops in my inbox with easy, one-click reorder details I almost click my heels together with the blissful simplicity of it all. 

This time was no different. 

Click, confirm… take advantage of sale price?  Sure, I’m in.  Option to pay any/every way possible including direct from bank account (even ship now/pay later).  Send… confirm… sigh.  So easy.  Expertly crafted confirmation email?  Received… done. 

But wait.  Within a few hours, I received a “your order is delayed due to supply” email. 

(Cue sound of needle scratching vinyl.)  What??  This is a first. 

Decided to pick up the phone… another first as I’ve never spoken live to Clearly Contacts in the 4 years I’d been dealing with them.  Less than a one minute wait.  Solution within 2 minutes after learning my particular product is being discontinued and replaced with something new and improved… fantastic!  Revised order received within 24 hours, complete with free shipping of course. 

So what else came in my perfectly packaged (albeit 2^nd favourite) little blue box?

1. A thank you card from the company’s handsome CEO Roger Hardy asking me what Clearly Contacts can do to make my experience with them exceptional (almost rhetorical);
2. A hermetically sealed lens case & handy lens change calendar so I always know when I need a fresh pair (love it); and
3. Big left/right stickers to apply to my contacts for those Mr. Magoo moments when I need to make sure I’m putting them in the right eyes (sounds over-the-top but…well, the technically blind people like me get it).

MY SOAPBOX:  So once again, Clearly Contacts didn’t just come through on their brand promise to “To deliver the highest quality eye care products at the guaranteed lowest prices anywhere on the globe”, they took it one step further.  They overcame a fulfillment speed-bump and fixed it with minimal delay.  At no point was a ball dropped in stick-handling me as a customer.  And at no point was I teetering towards bailing.  I’m in for the long haul with Clearly Contacts because clearly, they get it.

STAGE-LEFT:  I talked to another Clearly Contacts customer in the last few weeks who told me that he forgot his contact lenses while on vacation at a resort on Vancouver Island.  Within 24 hours of his online order, his prescription refill arrived.  Problem solved.  Did I mention he was on an island?  Again… and brace yourself because you will hear this from me many times… it’s the brands where customers tell the best stories that win.

brand buy-in, brand efficiency, brand experiences, brand performance, brand promise, branding, clearly contacts, smd marketing, smdmarketing, susan dore

Brands make promises…do they deliver?  With that question in mind, I thought I would launch this blog with a couple of random but tried-tested-and-true brand experiences that I know make it happen.

About to place a refill order from Clearly Contacts.  Looking forward to a repeat of a historically outstanding brand experience that promises:  “To deliver the highest quality eye care products at the guaranteed lowest prices anywhere on the globe.”  Here’s the beauty of it… I order, they show up the next day… period.  Perfect, prescription, made-to-order…as always.  Stay tuned on how that plays out.

But first, a brand experience much closer to home. Here’s a small business that doesn’t even have a website as of yet.  It’s called My Favourite Drycleaner and here’s why.  They have the only 24/7 pick-up service in my hood and beyond.  It’s called a “Magic Wardrobe”… you plug-in your credit card and the little roundy-roundy machine spits your crisp, clean drycleaning out of a trap door.  Same thing with a random DVD dispenser with all the latest-and-greatest movies.  I was at My Favourite Drycleaner the other night along with a small line-up of button-down, urban, professionals that were chatting while efficiently accessing both services.  Obviously, there was nobody working after hours, but as the customers all said…“It works perfectly.”  “It’s never failed me.” “I’ve never seen anything like it.”  “Why would I go anywhere else when this is so easy and convenient?”

But here’s the part that put me over the top.  I dropped off a skirt on Thursday that I needed for an event that Saturday night and  was assured they could have it ready by end of day Saturday.  Turned out, it was an extra-busy Saturday for me… I was running late… my cell rang late Saturday afternoon and it was Seann from My Favourite Drycleaner.  He said, “My wife asked me to call and remind you to pick up your skirt for your party.”  I forgot I’d even mentioned the party.

It was that experience that inspired this blog.

When does that ever happen anymore?  When do we as consumers get to be surprised and delighted by an intimate encounter with a brand that makes us feel like a customer vs. underwhelmed with pedantic excuses as to why brands can’t live up to simple promises like “next business-day delivery” (aka Staples… future rant/blog).

Bottom line?  Join me on this journey to applaud, reveal and revel in brand experiences.  I look forward to your feedback.

brand buy-in, brand efficiency, brand experiences, brand performance, brand promise, branding, clearly contacts, my favourite drycleaner, smd marketing, smdmarketing, susan dore