April 21, 2010
In a move that seemed to surprise no-one except Lakeport workers, Labatt has announced that it is closing the Lakeport Brewery in Hamilton. Shaking up the market and selling beer for closer to what it should cost made Lakeport a great story. Like Napster, Lakeport offered an alternative at a cheaper price. And like Napster, it was only a matter of time before the big money saw the threat and took control back. Considering the due diligence that Labatt would no doubt have undertaken, this plant was likely slated to close about 9 minutes after the acquisition was finalized. So now we’ll have to wait and see if it is the end of buck-a-beer or an opening for another upstart. It might be nice to see more micro-brewery action in Canada. All we can do is crack open a cold one and watch the show.
November 17, 2009
Came across an interesting news item the other day. Seems Canada Goose, makers of clothing designed for the world’s most inhospitably cold environments, will be teaming up with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. Soon, season ticket holders at the ACC will be able to store their coats at the Canada Goose coat check. Now the ACC is fairly inhospitable to the Leafs and Raptors, but it’s not that cold, just quiet lately. And you can look for your favourite Raptors basketball star sporting a specially designed Canada Goose coat, no doubt with pockets for the diamond encrusted cell-phone and keys to the Escalade. Well, I say, it’s about time. The oft-overlooked high-arctic scientists will now be rocking the same threads as the downtown T.O. set. Maybe add a little bling of their own and they’ll be beating them away with a stick at last call on an Alert Saturday night. But, to scientists everywhere, take advantage quickly. Once the urban crowd catches on to the Goose vibe, it’s gonna flame out before you know it. In a year, maybe two, you’ll be picking up your C-G at the local Costco, next to the $35 Polo shirts and bulk meat. Cheaper, yes but cool?
October 9, 2009
You may have heard some of the fallout recently over a new advertising campaign from Mr. Sub. Dubbed “not everyone likes surprises,” these spots place an adult male in a ‘surprising’ situation followed by the suggestion that you can “count on Mr.Sub.” For what, we’re not sure. Mercifully pulled due to public response, one execution features a middle-aged man announcing, over dinner to his very large family, that he is gay. Super, super gay to be more precise. The revelation is answered with dumbfounded silence from the aforementioned family; a response that I suspect was mirrored by every Canadian who had the misfortune to see it. The negative response from the lesbian and gay community is not surprising. That the other spots in this campaign are still running is.
I’ll spare you the usual marketing-babble; and just say this: these spots are wretched. Rather than prompt a laugh, which I can only assume was the intent, each version elicits a feeling of acute embarrassment and awkwardness that surely no company would want to be associated with. Even the hockey/commodity beer/Megan Fox loving set, who are used to being bombarded with insipid ads, must be furrowing their collective, and purported low, brow at this lazy attempt. Kudos to the bods at Mr.Sub for pulling one spot, whatever their reasons. Let’s hope we really can count on them to drop the whole lot and spare us any further embarrassment.
August 27, 2009
General Motors followed their recent spiral into bankruptcy with a shiny new marketing campaign. Featuring television ads and some social media engagement, GM assures us that the reinvented company will emerge leaner and stronger and smarter and niftier. Along with less brands and less cars, it appears that the only chapter they are focused on is chapter one. Well, here’s a thought for GM. You might want to consider that millions of Americans and Canadians are actually still focused on Chapter 11 and the billions of dollars that we’re coughing up to save a company that we’re not sure we really need.
So, before we move forward and put the past behind us and all that nice fuzzy stuff, why not give us a new campaign that does one thing: apologize. Apologize for the lack of vision, for the failure to understand consumer needs, for the financial mismanagement and for the diversion of our attention, and our dollars, from education and healthcare and all of the other issues we face. Imagine. A new campaign with no glitz, no shiny cars or ad-speak. Just a straight-faced apology from the company, along with an assurance that we won’t see you, hat in hand, in a few years time trying to explain where all the money went. A campaign like that might actually help restore some faith in the General. And, by the way, don’t worry about the cost, we’ve already paid for it.