Posts Tagged ‘Strategy’

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Does Honda suffer from hubris?

There was a day when Honda was the most respected automobile manufacturer in the world. The cars were reliable, well built and solidly, if not spectacularly, designed. I looked forward to Honda advertising. It  had an irreverent tone that you might expect from a category leader.

Those days are gone. Today Honda is a company that makes…I’ll say it…boring cars. Admittedly, they’ve suffered a whack of bad luck recently, what with the tsunami, earthquake and floods in Thailand. But what they’ve suffered most from, in my opinion, is a series of cars that don’t arouse any emotional response. I’m not alone in this opinion. In today’s Globe and Mail, critic Michael Vaughan refers to Honda vehicles that “…ellicit[s] yawns from car reviewers”.

So here’s the curious part. Honda’s ad campaign, now running on major TV networks across Canada, leans heavily on a view of the brand that’s thoroughly 1990s – “It’s a Honda”. The strategy assumes that the word – and by extension the brand  – still has enough cache to lure buyers into showrooms. and ignores the advancements made by companies like Hyundai, Kia and more. All the buying public needs to hear today about the new cars is  “It’s a Honda”.  Wow, sign me up! Maybe in 1998. Not in 2011.

Honda is a brand that needs to work harder to earn the favour of Canadians. “I remember 20 years ago when Honda was the most awesome and exciting car company in the world”, states Vaughan. It’s time the marketing got up to speed, no?

Posted: November 24, 2011 by jhuckle | View Comments
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Marketing of Chevy Volt is Vexing

As past creative lead for the AutoShow, I have been anticipating electric vehicles for longer than most. So it’s with considerable confusion – bordering on disdain – that I’ve watched the new marketing roll-out for the Chevrolet Volt.

While not the only purpose, the goal of introducing of electric vehicles is to reduce our dependence on gasoline. The price of oil has skyrocketed and shows no signs of slowing down. The worldwide supply of oil will eventually run out, if we don’t destroy the earth’s ozone layer via the release of greenhouse gases first. My point is, there’s a great opportunity here for GM to lead, to show the world that electric is a viable alternative, that as a company GM is moving boldly into the future, and in the process, adding relevance to the brand.

So how are they marketing Chevy Volt? As the electric car with no limitations. What?! They invest millions to “perfect” the electric technology and then launch it as the electric car that will “take you further”? It takes you further because it’s got…you guessed it…a gas-powered back-up engine! Does this not strike you as back-assed? It’s as if GM is saying, “Don’t let the electricity dissuade you, because it’s got gas to make up for it.” Surely there’s a better story here. The technology. The vision. How buying one is smart, responsible and shows personal leadership. Something!

If you are considering a Volt, it’s because you believe in electric vehicles, Inherently, these consumers are willing to give up certain things to do what they believe is the right thing. At least that’s the way I see it.

Posted: October 26, 2011 by jhuckle | View Comments
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Making the Switch





One of the constants you’ll come across in dealing with Facebook, from a business perspective at least, is that it’s always changing. And perhaps that’s a good thing. It keeps you from becoming complacent and on top of your social environment. The downside? You spend a lot of time trying to keep up with the tech side of things instead of simply dealing with your customer base.

One of our clients, a not-for-profit organization, has made very good use of Facebook since it’s inception in 2007. The number of members in its Facebook group has steadily grown although that number has settled at the 1,500 mark in the past year. But since then, Facebook has introduce the Fan Page, offering businesses more ways to track and interact with their “fans.” And so the idea of switching from a Group to a Page has been lingering for quite some time. But at what cost? You can’t simply switch from one to the other and bring all your members along; you need to start from scratch. Back at zero.

Of course, we’re don’t expect all 1,500 Group members to migrate to the Page. So how do you make the transition and bring along as many as possible? You start by talking with them honestly and point out what’s in it for them; more info, better interaction, contests and whatever other benefit you offer. Then you look at the other ways in which to reach them, and others; we’ve made tremendous use of this client’s Twitter account, weekly e-newsletter and website. And finally, consider an incentive, something worthwhile to compensate your members for making the effort to switch over and keep in touch with your brand. After all, would you expect any less?

Posted: November 16, 2010 by mcharbonneau | View Comments
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The Olympics: Whose Marketing Won a Medal?

I’m sure someone, somewhere has done a review of the creative work by brands who battled to go higher, faster, stronger during the recent 2010 Winter Games hosted by Vancouver. If so, I have not seen it, so here are my Olympic Marketing Medals and Misses.

Let’s start with the Misses, those creative performances that would be the equivalent of a 17th finish. First up? General Motors. Here was a perfect opportunity for a tainted brand to apply fresh gold shimmer in front of record TV audiences. Talking cars? Sorry, not good enough. What was the shoot for these ads like? OK, rolling…OK cut. Great take, Sierra grill. How about Petro-Canada and their glasses? Asking viewers to equate a spinning glass with figure skating was too much of a stretch. Coca Cola was another disappointment. The “Our Game” anthem was nicely executed, but very one dimensional as hockey was the sole focus. Molson’s Hockey House was a much bigger idea. Finally, Galen Weston Jr. remains a charming pitchman, but the message of winning with Loblaws Blue Choice products was ultimately undercut by the poor performance of the Alpine Team.

Now, on to the Medals. The Bronze Medal goes to…Hudson’s Bay Company. Although I did not really like the attire at first glance, it’s sheer ubiquitousness wore me down. And I was not alone. According to the Globe and Mail, HBC’s realized a 43 percent increase in awareness of Olympic sponsorship, far above that of other sponsors. The mittens, I thought, were a nice stroke. An inexpensive way to show your true colours.

The Silver Medal goes to…RBC. The Royal Bank got the most bang for their buck, having sponsored the torch relay. The RBC little man icon was cute, but not too cutesy. I like the way the creative allowed him to interact with all the events. The shot of him sitting atop the spinning curling rock was a hoot.

Finally…the 2010 Olympic Marketing Gold Medal goes to…VISA. Every spot told a compelling story (the maple syrup story was very nice). Every spot was consistency blue-tinged and beautifully executed. Here’s the kicker. Moments before the big Canada-US hockey final, a VISA spot comes on with the simple message “For a brief moment, a nation held its collective breath”, accompanied by a slow motion shot of a puck floating down between two sticks at a face-off circle. Wow. Powerful. Simple. And most important timely. There’s no doubt in my mind that VISA produced this spot for EXACTLY this moment. You gotta appreciate the foresight and courage to have that ready. Brilliant.

So the mighty cauldron is extinguished. As we look back on 17 days of intense competition, a question remains – Are the Olympics worth the sponsorship dollars? For my part, I’m not sure I BELIEVE.

Posted: March 9, 2010 by jhuckle | View Comments
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Hyundai Wins Ad Age’s Marketer of the Year

Despite the onset of a recession and a spiraling automotive market, the folks at Hyundai worked their brand into the minds of consumers. Using a set strategy and benefiting from media solutions which presented themselves, Hyundai introduced a program that resonated with prospective customers. Read the full story HERE.

Posted: November 9, 2009 by mcharbonneau | View Comments
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