Friday Breakthrough: Tigers and Ketchup and Comebacks, Oh My!

The Friday Breakthrough is Ottawa's weekly roundup of some of the Internet's best marketing and social media articles for a less-than-intense day at the office.

1) I have a new favourite commercial (and not surprisingly, it's a Super Bowl ad). How cute is that baby tiger? Simon Houpt of The Globe and Mail explains that Cars.com is one of many Super Bowl advertisers that are connecting their ads to social media (in this case, YouTube) to build anticipate and start a dialogue. For more on Super Bowl ads, check out this previous Daily Breakthrough post by our own Casey O'Brien: "My Most Memorable Super Bowl Commercials".

2) The Globe and Mail reports today that the ketchup geniuses over at Heinz have revolutionized the ketchup packet. 40 years after they were first invented, the packets have been redesigned so that it "has a base that's more like a cup for dipping and also a tear-off end for squeezing, plus it holds three times as much ketchup than a traditional packet", reports Sarah Skidmore. On behalf of all ketchup lovers out there, I say "hallelujah!"

3) I received an email from Club Monaco in my inbox this morning and experienced major flashbacks to grade 8. The email announced the return of their iconic crest - "back by popular demand!", available in select Canadian stores only.

They say that if you wait long enough, everything will come back in style. Back in the late 90's, every girl I knew had a Club Monaco sweatshirt with the big crest. If memory serves, mine was a dark navy blue hand-me-down from my older sister. I would hope that my fashion style has progressed since back then, but I've gotta say... the more I look at those comfy looking sweatshirts, the more nostalgic I feel. I may have to get one, just for kicks, but I promise I won't pair it with a scrunchie.

Who Does Wrangler Think They Are....Dolce and Gabbana?

Wrangler Jeans recently revealed its new look for the 2010 Spring/Summer season. And it's red hot!

The campaign is titled "Red" and it builds on the "We Are Animals" concept that Wrangler Jeans introduced back in 2008.

The new ads feature scantily clad men and women covered in red dirt, who look like they’ve been shipwrecked on a deserted island.

It’s sexy, it's animalistic and it has me wondering...what is Wrangler thinking?

Knowing your target market and identifying their needs is the key to every business' success. Trying not to alienate your loyal customers is another. Companies who try to be too many thing to too many people, tend to give off the impression that they don't really know what business they're in.

The way I see it, this is exactly what Wrangler Jeans has done with "We Are Animals". They've completely gone against everything that the Wrangler Jeans name was built on. Wrangler is about comfort and value not image and sex appeal. Their jeans are meant for cowboys and All-American football players. Not models and indie singers!

Although this campaign is only running in the more fashion-forward Europe, I still believe that Wrangler Jeans should stick to their roots by focusing on durability, comfort, and value.

What's your opinion?

"The Death of Old Marketing"? Sorta... Not Really.

Last Tuesday, the Globe and Mail hosted an online Q&A session with Ryan Caligiuri, a marketing specialist from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Caligiuri is a proponent of "emotional marketing" and employing the following strategies:

• Communicating powerfully with the goal of evoking emotion;

• Building movements and engaging communities;

• Creating products and services that are worth talking about;

• Breaking current models and introducing solutions;

• Storytelling.

Although his pitch in the Globe and Mail was entitled "The Death of Old Marketing", Caligiuri admits in the Q&A session that this phrase was an exaggeration to attract readers to the discussion. While he does argue for "new" approaches to marketing, he acknowledges that if traditional marketing means are working for you, you should stick with what you're doing.

In my opinion, the Q&A with Caligiuri didn't really live up to the hype. Case in point, here's a direct quote from the expert: "Marketing directors to new graduates are all stuck in 1960" (emphasis added). Another direct quote:

"The interesting thing with ‘new marketing’ is that it’s not new at all. It’s been around for many years. However, new is all in the mind of the CEO, CMO or new graduate who might be learning about these principles for the first time. And through hundreds of conversations with marketing professionals and business owners calling it ‘new’ is still very much appropriate. Now, they are not new, but how many organizations really follow strategies of finding those with similar biases and build a product and story for them?"

I found it disappointing that Caligiuri used such absolutes and unsubstantiated claims, because such inaccuracies weakened any legitimate arguments he may have had, such as the merits of emotional marketing. Give the session a read and let us know what you think!

Friday Breakthrough: Google Goggles and Wacky Bananas!

The Friday Breakthrough is Ottawa's weekly roundup of some of the internet's best marketing and social media articles for a less-than-intense day at the office.

1) A picture is worth a thousand words! No need to type your Google search in anymore. Just take a picture!

Just point your mobile phone, take a picture, and Google will search for it! Wow!

Of course, if I'm already standing in front of the item, why would I need to search for it? I've already found it. Maybe you'll understand it better than me...watch the video.



2) Bill Gates joins Twitter! It was only a matter of time before the world's richest computer geek decided to step up and join in on the conversations taking place online.

Within 8 hours of joining the social media network, Gates had already made 100,000 new friends. That's impressive. Read the article: Bill Gates Surpasses 100,000 Twitter Followers in 8 Hours.

3) Are you looking for hours of banana-fun? Look no further than Chiquita Bananas' brilliant EatAChiquita.com. You can design your own Chiquita sticker face in classic blue and yellow and post it on the wall of the website. It's a fun way to kill an hour, but it's a great way to market the most famous bananas in the world!


Send in your favourite breakthroughs of the week, and maybe yours will appear in the Friday Breakthrough! Have a great weekend.

Logos Make the World Go 'Round

The Olympic rings are one of the most recognized symbols in the world. So are the McDonald’s “Golden Arches”.

Given that McDonald’s is the Official Restaurant of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, prepare to be completely bombarded by these two images in less than one month's time.

The term logo refers to the graphic devise that companies and organizations use as part of their overall branding. By today’s standards, a company would seem naked without some sort of corresponding emblem. However, it wasn’t until 1960 that Chase Bank became the first company to utilize a truly abstract logo.

We see hundreds of instantly recognizable logos on a daily basis, such as the Nike swoosh, the Red Cross; the Ferrari prancing horse, and the Starbucks mermaid.

Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student at Portland State University, only charged the executives at Nike $35 for the now world famous “Swoosh” she created back in 1971. Rumour has it, she was compensated much more years later.

Although the success of the "Swoosh" can’t be easily duplicated, developing a solid and recognizable logo can do wonders for a company’s brand and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. If you were to ask the executives at MasterCard what their company logo is worth and I’m sure they would appropriately answer “Priceless”.

Here's a list of the Top 20 Most Famous Logos.

The Friday Breakthrough: Text to Help!

The Friday Breakthrough is Ottawa's weekly roundup of some of the internet's best marketing and social media articles for a less-than-intense day at the office.

This week saw a lot of ups and downs throughout the world. On Tuesday evening in Haiti, a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince, leaving the country in ruins.

As horrific as it is, some good is starting to shine through. Since being established early Wednesday morning, the American Red Cross has initiated an instant messaging campaign to raise money for those in Haiti who need our help. The result has been overwhelming! People from all over have been texting for Haiti, whereby people have been donating money using their mobile phones.

"This instance [using texting to donate] is far more successful than any we've tried," said Gloria Huang, social-media specialist with the Red Cross. "We're definitely going to keep this in mind for the future." As of Thursday night, the American Red Cross has raised over $5-million through individual $10 text messages! Keep those texts coming in!

The American Red Cross is not the only organization helping out with the recovery efforts. Tiger Woods is planning to donate $3-million to the relief effort and sending a mobile hospital cargo plane to Haiti. That's some good P.R., Woods - you need it!

On the other hand, some bad P.R. is hitting UPS, the world's leading courier service. This is a perfect example of the power of social media, and how even incorrect information can spread like wildfire. Some time on Thursday morning, it was announced online that UPS would be providing customers with free shipping to Haiti on January 15, 2010. This news was heard throughout world on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

Unfortunately, for UPS, this was merely a rumor and the company has not such plan to provide any free service. So now, UPS must spend the remainder of today trying to shoot down any angry customers trying to get packages to Haiti. Yikes!

Social media rumors have become a reality that every organization should be aware of. Meaning, you need someone monitoring your online chatter to ensure your company is taking part in the massive social conversations, otherwise you may end up with a major mess on your hands - like UPS.

Have a great weekend! #Team Conan

My Most Memorable Super Bowl Commercials

With only 25 days before Super Bowl XLIV, every sports fan can feel the anticipation mounting, and I’m definitely one of them. Although I don’t follow any team religiously, I am a huge Super Bowl fan! Ever since I was a kid, I enthusiastically tune in to watch what I believe is the greatest televised event of the year.

Why do I think it's the greatest televised event of the year?

Super Bowl commercials! Although I love the actual game and the half time show, I’m always eager to see what companies have decided to dish out millions of dollars to reach the Super Bowl audience.

With over 93 million viewers in the U.S. alone in 2009, advertising during Super Bowl is seen by some as one of the best ways to introduce a new product or company to the masses. Or re-introduce an old product to those who may have forgotten.

According to MSNBC, the majority of the 62 ad slots available this year have already been sold. Although, the rates have dropped, Super Bowl advertising is still the most expensive ad buy of the year.

Considering there will be over 1,860 seconds of advertising during the game on February 7, I’m very excited for some entertaining material. Allow me to share with you some of the Super Bowl commercials that I’ve enjoyed in the past.