If an Ad Gives You Shivers, it's Fantastic

Last week I did a speech on "Alcohol in Advertising" and it reminded me of quite possibly one of my favourite ads of all time. I may be biased because a. I'm patriotic, b. I love hockey, and c. I love the outdoors. But this ad gives me shivers every time I watch it. It makes me so proud to be Canadian and I know this is what they were going for, but why fight it? It's the truth, this ad works. And I'm not ashamed to say this, I love this ad for Molson Canadian. To prove how great this ad is, I'll let you in on a secret. My boyfriend is an avid Bud fan and he admitted to me that when he saw this ad he loved it so much that he bought Molson Canadian the next time he was at the vendor. But...that was the one and only time he bought Molson.

Word of Mouth Works?

Last Monday, I did a market research assignment for my advertising class at Polo Park Shopping Centre. According to my teachers, this is still an important part of any ad campaign. In this case I wasn't working on a campaign, but just observing shoppers' habits and how stores advertise in the mall. As part of my market research, I spent about 45 minutes in David’s Tea observing the customers’ behaviour and watching how the store clerk sold products to consumers. I learned a lot about the company, David’s Tea, and the marketing they rely on.

The store clerk informed me that David’s Tea does absolutely no print, radio, or TV advertising. David’s Tea relies on word of mouth and the internet, which is definitely working for them. David Segal opened the first store in 2008 in Toronto and now there are over 35 stores across Canada.

From my personal experience, I know that word of mouth marketing is proving to be successful for their company. I heard about David’s Tea through a friend and also through Twitter. Many new companies starting up are taking this fresh approach and spending less money on paid advertising. David's Tea can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and also a site called Steepster.com where people can rate teas. David’s Tea also has a website that is consistently updated and interactive. They encourage people to buy tea online.

Since the company does no print or TV advertising, it is important that the salespeople are very helpful and leave a good impression in consumers' minds when they leave the store. It made me think that the company probably spends more time and consideration on the hiring process. I tested this theory out to see how good the salespeople were. I didn’t know anything about the brand so I asked many questions and sampled several teas. The woman working was very helpful and very persuasive. I had to try very hard to leave the store with no purchased tea in my hands. The store clerk’s knowledge of the products and her friendliness really made my shopping experience at that store.

This market research has led me to believe that this method of marketing can obviously work, but the company has to be confident in their store’s service. It also made me think about specialty stores versus franchise businesses. For example, Walmart does an ample amount of advertising on TV, print, and radio. But, they don’t offer the exceptional one-on-one service to consumers that David’s Tea does. Therefore, consumers won't feel compelled to refer others to the store.

Autumn Colours

Here are some pictures I took at the Seddons Corner gravel pits a few weekends ago. The trees were all changing colours and it was so beautiful with the lighting, I couldn't pass the opportunity up! Autumn is one of my favourite times of year and I'm sad that it's almost over.

"The Paraben Shop" and "Bath & Paraben Works"

Since working on a campaign for an environmentally friendly hair salon, Berns & Black, my eyes have been opened to the terrible world of parabens. I had never heard of parabens before I began this campaign for a school project.

I always hear people say they use organic hair and body products, but I never know exactly what that means and I have never heard someone say they use "paraben free" products. So I have done some research and looked into the research that my peers Jenn and Megan have done. So to sum it up for you in layman's terms, I've learned that parabens are harmful preservatives used in cosmetics to make them last longer on the shelf. But, they have been linked very strongly recently to breast cancer.

This is not something to take lightly because breast cancer claims the lives of about 100 Canadian women every week, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. So, for those of you that are thinking "well everything is linked to cancer" as you read this, remember there have been studies done and they have research to prove that parabens are harmful. So why take the risk? Why not choose to use paraben free products in hopes that it may be one more thing preventing you from getting to know the scary disease known as cancer? It's not hard to do.

Okay, I'll admit, it is hard to do. But it will be worth it if it's what stops you from taking a seat in the chemo chair. But, I feel for you and understand how hard it is to find out your favourite cosmetic is loaded with parabens and have to part with it.

I did a bathroom scan tonight and found out that my FAVOURITE perfumes and lotions contained the harmful preservatives. Every single Bath & Body Works and Body Shop product I own has parabens in it. This was like taking a punch to my stomach because I am a total scent person. I LOVE SMELLS. It is my favourite of the five senses. Unfortunately, I found out tonight that my favourite smelling products, Chanel and Bath & Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom both are both on the paraben hit list.
So afterwords I felt regret and wished I had not done the bathroom scan. But, I know in the long run it will benefit me and if anything raise my awareness.

One more thing before I sign off: I was SHOCKED that every single Body Shop product I own has parabens in it because they are always boasting about being natural and good for the environment! BOGUS! In their defense though, I have heard that most of their newer products don't contain parabens. So the best advice I can give you is always look at the labels when purchasing cosmetics and GO DO A BATHROOM SCAN! You'll be shocked!

Would you recognize Warehouse One's new logo if it didn't have their name beside it? I didn't.


I remember their older logos:




Yes, I think it was smart of them to rebrand themselves and choose a new logo. It almost makes them look like a new, more hip brand. This could be very helpful for them because many people don't think of the store as trendy. People that have never heard of Warehouse One might look at their logo and website and find it appealing.

The reason why I'm blogging about this is because I saw a billboard on Notre Dame Ave in Winnipeg for Warehouse One and I had no idea what the ad was for. The billboard just had the logo and if you looked hard enough you could tell the background was the texture of jeans. I was completely boggled. Yes, I was intrigued and it did catch my attention, but how is it effective if there was no way I could find out what it was for. If there was a website that would have been effective. But, there was no way I could look up the logo online. It was frustrating. I'm assuming that was what they were going for because yes now I'm advertising for them by blogging about it.

Oh, and to finish the story, the way I found out what it was for finally was simply by driving past their store on Portage Ave. If someone saw this ad and didn't drive past the store, they would have no idea what the ad was for.

Oreos Touch my Heart

This is an ad for Oreos that I keep seeing on TV and I love it! When I first saw it it almost seemed like it was an ad for Skype or another online chat system, but nope it was for Oreos! It's a smart ad because it strays from the obvious and works on tugging the viewer's heart strings instead. Also, it gives the viewer a positive image of Oreo, which is great for the brand! I think it's a very cute and smart ad, what do you think?