About this Blog
Fact is, despite all the platforms to “sound off”, we’ve become passive consumers. Downright complacent.
We’ve allowed brands to get away with thinking it’s OK to break their “brand promise” and conversely, not applauded those that rock.
With 20+ years of marketing expertise, Susan Doré brings you her personal experiences on day-to-day interactions with brands big and small. Consumer opinions, from a marketer’s perspective.
2 Easy & FREE Ways to Subscripe to BrandStand
RSS Feed
OR
Connect with Us
CAT | Events
- Vancouver’s Hotel Georgia project adorned with the largest Canadian flag ever made
It’s all the buzz – at 142 years old, Canada is the “cool new” global brand. The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games certainly put Canada centre stage, but beyond graciously talented athletes and fantastic Olympic logo-wear, it’s national pride that’s raised the bar on this country’s brand experience.
The momentum started with a 106-day Olympic torch relay driving a uniquely Canadian energy as it united people across the country. And then, from Shane Koyczan’s “We Are More” poem at the Opening Ceremonies – where he spoke for Canadians and declared, “Some say that something that defines us is something as simple as please and thank-you” – to Sidney Crosby’s golden goal, the brand called Canada hosted a 17-day party for the world.
And the world bore witness to patriotism of epic proportion.
Turns out we’re not the Canada the world thought they knew. From tragedy to record breaking achievement, the brand called Canada found its voice and declared it loudly, complete with uncharacteristic flag-waving and spontaneous outbursts of “Oh Canada”.
What makes the Canadian brand so engaging?
We’re perfectly imperfect.
- When our athletes drink beer in public celebration of winning Olympic Gold medals, we roar and raise a glass.
- When International media criticized us early in the Games, we pushed “ignore” and now we get to watch them back-peddle.
- We also don’t take ourselves too seriously. When the fourth leg on the Olympic cauldron malfunctioned, we had fun showing the world how we fixed it… and when TV host Stephen Colbert called Canadians “syrup-sucking iceholes”, we laughed.
MY SOAPBOX: Endearing “Canadiana” aside, the already “strong and free” Canada has been galvanized and rebranded through the Olympics. We’ve reinvigorated the Canadian brand experience through human experience – individual athlete stories and “slices of life” that connect with the world and ultimately, mean more than medal counts. And it’s that brand equity that will shape Vancouver and Canada for years to come.
Tourism Vancouver President & CEO Rick Antonson summed it up today when he stated, “Right now, Canada is the world’s coolest brand. We must treasure that, protect it, and use it for the immense good of our communities.”
STAGE-LEFT: I know in my last post I said I’d report back on my Molson Canadian Hockey House experience especially after the logistical nightmare and public back-lash they caused during the ticket-purchase process approaching the Olympics… but you know what? Who cares. Ultimately, it was Molson’s promoter Vision Companies behind the ticket glitch… and after we got “inside-the-tent”, the 65,000 square foot sea of red, rocking energy made it all go away. Yes, the food sucked as did some of the big screen placements, but the service was good and the music and personalities were hugely entertaining. As for Molson’s rousing, grass-roots “I AM CANADIAN” Olympic ad campaign? Brilliant.
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 12th. (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!)