by Belinda Lui | Dec 6, 2013 | Advertising, Latest
I took a few courses at Seneca @ York University in Creative Advertising before pursuing a degree in Communications, and my favourite project while I was there was to create an ad for Social Responsibility. Without a pre-existing ad, my group designed copy and creative for Miller Genuine Draft. The 6 teams in my class would be able to present their pitches to my professor, and the winning team would be able to present the pitch to the actual company (with a possibility of being chosen). My team won — but it wasn’t the most rewarding part of the project: cause advertising that encourages social responsibility was. The concept was to encourage taking public transit after having a few drinks and the hope was to appeal to the emotions of people who have lost loved ones to drinking and driving.
In every industry, no matter the product or service, we have a part to play in raising awareness for social responsibility.
Here are a few of my favourite campaigns for social responsibility:
1. Coca-cola – Arctic Home
Raising awareness of climate change and how it’s affecting our Polar Bears.
2. Telus – Habitat for Humanity
Encouraging ‘community’ and helping each other build a better world.
3. Dove – Real Beauty
The vast differences between the way we see ourselves and the way others see us.
4. Red Cross – When You Give, We Give
Helping families rebuild their homes and lives after they have been struck with disaster.
5. Levi’s – Go Forth
A Campaign that encourages every individual to be the change they wish to see in the world.
For an ad campaign to be considered socially responsible, the advertising used in the campaign must meet an ethical standard. Corporate social responsibility marketing has been a focus of several major ad campaigns, but if the ads used in the campaign are seen as deceptive by the public, the company is unlikely to be considered socially responsible regardless of the theme of the advertisements.
What are some of your favourite social responsibility campaigns?
by Belinda Lui | Dec 4, 2013 | Latest, Social Media
Designing a Facebook marketing campaign can be tricky: you need to start with research and analysis, implement riveting creative, and post engaging content. It may seem overwhelming, but there is a way to kick-start your Facebook strategy: knowing these 7 important statistics will help you increase your following and engagement.
For optimized engagement: more than knowing when to post, it’s important to know what to post:
1. Photo posts get 39% more interaction
Posting photos are more engaging than posting videos, links, and text-based updates: so much so, that it accounts for 93% of the most engaging posts on Facebook.
2. Shorter posts get 23% more interaction
Writing shorter posts isn’t just handy on Twitter. Keeping your posts below 250 characters can get you 60% more engagement than you might otherwise see. You can even get up to 66% more engagement if you cut it down to less than 80 characters.
3. Using emoticons increases comments by 33%
If you thought emoticons were only for teens, you might want to rethink that idea. According to AMEX OPEN Forum infographic, emoticons can make a big difference to your engagement rates. Not only do posts with emoticons get 33% more comments, they also get shared 33% more often. Even better: they get liked 57% more often than posts without emoticons.
4. Engagement rates on Thursday and Friday are 18% higher
This is generally speaking – depending on the demographic of your following, the days with the most activity may vary. Fortunately, Facebook provides the information on which days get the most activity from your followers, so be sure to establish that before you create your Facebook marketing calendar.
5. Question posts get 100% more comments
If comments are the kind of interaction you’re after, questions might be the way to go. According to an infographic by Kissmetrics, they get 100% more comments than standard text-based posts. HubSpot shares a similar finding, although this data points out that question posts often get fewer likes and shares than other types of posts.
6. 35% of Facebook fans like a page so they can participate in contests
If you’re chasing down new fans, a contest seems like a fairly good way to encourage likes. A report from earlier this year showed that 35% of Facebook fans liked Facebook pages specifically to compete in contests. Contests obviously solicit interaction by asking for people to enter. It turns out this can work, as “caption this photo”-style contests actually bring in 5.5 times more comments than regular posts.
7. 42% of fans like a page to get a coupon or discount
According to Socially Stacked, 42% of Facebook fans like a page in order to get a discount or coupon. A study by Wildfire Interactive showed that coupon-based campaigns received the highest engagement rates. Giveaways and sweepstakes came in just behind coupons as highly engaging post types.
What are some of the ways that you have increased engagement in your Facebook strategy?
(Information taken from: Fast Company)
by Belinda Lui | Nov 28, 2013 | Branding, Latest
I briefly wrote about the Hudson’s Bay in my article, “Retail Marketing: Be Seen and Heard”, but I wanted to elaborate on the genius that is behind the mass retailer. Bonnie Brooks didn’t only make The Hudson’s Bay a trendier shopping destination but her business strategy re-positioned the entire brand perception. Reinventing brands is something Bonnie Brooks is familiar with: she formerly worked as an executive officer at Lane Crawford as well as Holt Renfrew.
Reinventing your brand when it has reached a plateau can give it the fresh, sales-driven push that it needs:
1. Advertising:
Hudson’s Bay launched several radio spots to reinforce their brand using Bonnie Brooks’ voice as the spokesperson. This created a more personalized feel, given that it came directly from the President herself.
2. In-store Re-design:
Hudson’s Bay spent millions of dollars renovating the department stores’ interior layout for several locations. A lot of businesses may not immediately see the importance of dishing out obscene amounts of money for a refresh in storefront appearance, but Brooks did – and it’s paying off.
3. Demographic:
Carrying brands that would appeal to the younger demographic, like Top Shop, was a very strategic move on Brooks’ part. Expanding the target demographic would mean more traffic and consequently, more sales.
4. Partnerships:
Hudson’s Bay now carries what they call the “Canadian Olympic Team Heritage Collection” – being one of the oldest Canadian retail brands, making partnership with the Canadian Olympics Team is a great way to sell product nationally. The 2010 Olympic mittens made it on “Oprah’s Favorite Things” list.
5. Heritage:
Brooks didn’t only make Hudson’s Bay a must-go shopping destination for some of the best designer brands but she also brought back the appeal of Hudson’s Bay’s brand too. From couch throws to the classic teddy bear, it’s the Hudson’s Bay as a brand that she’s selling.
6. Logo:
There’s a new strategy in place so why not a new logo to identify with the refresh? Logos can be tricky – you want it to be eye-catching but you also want it to “speak to the heritage of the brand” – and that’s exactly what Hudson’s Bay has done.
Can you name another company that has gone through major reinventing that is worth mentioning?
by Belinda Lui | Nov 25, 2013 | Advertising, Latest
Soon after Halloween passes (literally, November 1), the Christmas paraphernalia goes up. I used to be nauseated by how money-driven retailers must be to shove money-spending down our throats. Then, I remember that the Christmas music also starts soon after on the radio, and most importantly, the Christmas-themed commercials.
Seasonal advertising is probably one of my favourite type of advertising – it gives copywriters and art directors an opportunity to encapsulate the emotions felt during every holiday and prompt some sort of response from its viewers/listeners.
Here are a few of my most anticipated Christmas advertising:
1. Coca-Cola
From their seasonal packaging to their feel-good advertisement spots, Coca-Cola is definitely number one on my list of favourite Seasonal Advertising Campaigns.
2. M&Ms
Who wouldn’t love the two M&M characters? Seeing these animated chocolates, with whom a lot of us have grown a kinship with over the years, live out the innocence of preparing for Santa Clause’s arrival – brings back the memories in 30 seconds (or less).
3. Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons definitely gets the “feel-good”, “patriotism”, and “family” notions spot-on. Who doesn’t like a bit of those things during the holidays?
4. Old Navy
If you’re the type of person (and who isn’t?) that appreciates an upbeat, jolly, dance number – then you would look forward to these commercials too.
5. Target
Still considered to be fairly new to the Canadian market, Target has the ability to capture feel-good and “hip and trendy” in the same ad spot.
While the underlying goal in every advertisement is to push sales, it is no wonder why marketers spend most of their ad money in the fourth quarter: people are more willing to spend during the holiday season and are vulnerable to the emotions that come along with Christmas. Still, if only for the appreciation of great creative work: I thoroughly look forward to Seasonal Advertising Campaigns.
What are some of your favourite Seasonal Advertising Campaigns?
by Belinda Lui | Nov 12, 2013 | Latest, Marketing
In the saturated world of retail marketing, how can you ensure that you will be seen and heard?
There has been a noticeable shift in Retail space over the past five years: a face-lift, if you will, on mass retailers such as Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), Holt Renfrew, and several other major brands. Along with the refresh in storefront appeal, a lot of these brands have also created Smartphone applications and social media fan pages to reinforce their image and sales strategies.
For these retailers, what does it mean to have new competition enter the arena? With emerging brand re-designs, it just takes that much more to stand out. This is where a succinct and detailed brand strategy and an effective social media plan can ensure a more fruitful ROI. Design an effective retail marketing strategy today:
Bonnie Brooks, President and CEO of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), has completely turned the department store into one that deserves an honorable mention. Adopting big name designers, gaining exclusivity to having Top Shop in a couple of HBC locations has already put them ahead of the game. In 5 short years, Brooks has managed to re-position the department store and make it a must-go destination when shopping.
Retail Marketing and more specifically, promotion doesn’t stop at POP banners and weekly flyers, however.
The Hudson’s Bay has a 6.5k following on Instagram. Holt Renfrew has 38k followers on Instagram.Retailers know that to expand their reach, they must turn to the Internet and create an online community to reinforce the offline one.
For a retail company, it’s arguably easier to gain a following on social media sites such as Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook – and a little more difficult for those who are marketing services (in some cases) to gain traction amongst followers. But in tandem with my previous post (communication in the social age), knowing your audience and understanding their interests and behaviour will give you a vantage point in marketing to them.
Even in social media, there must be consistency and a call-out to one’s brand image. It isn’t ever just posting for the sake of posting. Remember: everything that is viewed in the social media will lead to conclusions being drawn and will either reflect positively or negatively on your brand. Make sure you understand this before posting.
So how do smaller, specialty stores make an impact on the social community? Arguably, social media has afforded smaller brands to make a big impact simply by designing an effective communications strategy that reinforces their brand. I’m convinced that successful social media plans have less to do with the product/service they’re selling and more to do with the impression they leave with the community.
Consider for a moment Canadian fashionista Jaclyn Genovese (Owner, JacFlash, 1036 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1H7, jacflash.net). With a knack for all things fashion and trendy, she has managed to run a flagship store in Toronto as well as a successful e-commerce site. To reinforce her business, she has a substantial 7.2K following on Instagram (@jaclyngenovese) where she doesn’t only promote product but she also promotes herself as the face of JacFlash – and rightfully so, she’s gorgeous.
Running campaigns with hashtags: #fallcontest #HBCrewards, for example are effective ways to trend on sites like Twitter and Instagram. This has proven effective for more than just marketing campaigns; hashtags have been used to organize guest photos at events like weddings.
Although a lot of brands have caught on to this trend and manage excellent social media plans, there are still a lot of companies that need to get on board.
What are some of your favourite brands to follow?
