The Story

Max Havelaar, the label that was the world’s first Fairtrade Certification Mark, recently released a viral marketing video to help promote fairtrade. I personally find this cool for two reasons. A) I got to hear one of Max Havelaar’s team members lecture about corporate social responsibility during a student conference in Copenhagen (back […]

Good news–after a bit of drama, I’m happy to follow up to my previous post, It’s Hard To Eat Your Own Dogfood, and report that we did the right thing. We’ve separated from a client who was not a good fit. Does it hurt revenue? Yes. Is it frustrating as hell? […]

Recently I’ve gained a new level of respect for the challenges our clients face. Not because of the economy, not because of competition, or anything like that. More because they’ve got me constantly harping at them, telling them to prove their stories…preaching that they need to have a spine, stand up for what […]

I was going to write this blog about how I rented and watched this movie based solely on the design of the DVD sleeve:

Then I started thinking about Berlin Alexanderplatz, a different film I recently bought as a gift for someone and how great that cover was:

Both DVDs are produced by Criterion Collection, a private […]

This morning I’m pondering the topic of rebellion…specifically, as usual, related to branding and marketing for banks and credit unions. I’ve always considered myself and CBC to NOT be about rebellion. Yet, we’re still very rebellious. We’re not contrarian, yet we have a lot of contrarian ideology and do a lot of […]

I recently learned about a promotion that stopped me in my tracks. It’s brilliantly simple, and I betcha it will never cost the promoter a dime.
I heard about it on the radio. The DJ’s of the local rock station in Vancouver, BC said that Dr. Pepper was offering a free can of the […]

Our neighbors up north are currently witnessing a great viral marketing campaign for a fake drug called “Obay”. Check out the photos below:

These pics are from a flickr gallery devoted to the campaign - see more here.
Billboards and bus advertisements like these have popped up all over Toronto. Who, you […]

I really really super love my tax lady. I’ve moved hundreds of miles away from her and could probably save money if I got some DIY tax software. But, I just love her. Every year I email her she says things like “I’m honored that you choose to work with me” and she remembers all […]

I was watching My Super Sweet 16 on MTV recently (I had a bad cold, don’t judge) and I realized that experiential branders and bank marketing folks can take some pointers from these bratty teen divas planning their lavish sweet sixteens on mom and dad’s dime.
Sure these spoiled kids are horrible, demanding and self-involved, but […]

You know who has a strong brand? Birkenstock. Do you know how you can tell? Because there is absolutely no way in hell that I would ever wear a pair. Consumer indifference kills brands. Luckily for Birkenstock, there is no indifference here. No way am I donning those dorky […]