Not really a surprising advertisement

Poster promoting the Non-GMO Show, Broadway and Commercial SkyTrain station, Vancouver, BC

In Vancouver, and elsewhere in Canada, there is an increasing level of awareness and caution about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). GMO are often referred to by their detractors as Frankenfoods, after the title of the 1818 Mary Shelley book "Frankenstein".

While the companies that develop the GMOs are confident that they are safe, and a source of profit, many consumers are concerned about the long-term effects of the GMOs on both their own health and the environment as a whole.

And what is the best way to play the "safety" card? Include a baby. Yes, the old reliable mother and baby image. What mother would not be concerned about the health of her child. And what better to way to ensure that you baby grown up healthy and happy than to ensure that their diet is completely non-GMO.

It does not matter if the science on both sides of the non-GMO movement is not 100% proven, an illustration of a mother and child is sure to pull at everyone's heart strings. So even if you can't prove the safety of the biology, make sure your know your psychology.

Nice goal, but do the public make the connection?

Fairness Works sign, Broadway City Centre SkyTrain station, Vancouver, BC

Fairness Works sign, Broadway City Centre SkyTrain station, Vancouver, BC (Detail)

In 2014 the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) produced what I an only imagine is a pre-election campaign to raise awareness about a number of issues that it deems important to Canadians. These fall into five broad areas; Retirement Security, Good Jobs, Child Care, Health Care, and Human Rights.

Around Vancouver the campaign's signs were up on transit shelters and in SkyTrain stations. The sign above was on the wall at the Broadway City Centre SkyTrain station. The background to the sign is a made up on bandages, which most people would connect with health care at one level or another. The theme of this sign, "4 million Canadian don't have a family doctor. Is that fair?" is addressed on the CLC website.

"That's why we're advocating for a national strategy to recruit, train and retain more doctors and other healthcare workers in our public system." (Source: http://fairnessworks.ca/healthcare)

Advocating for a strategy is not really action. It is a plan to make a plan. And why is there a shortage of doctors? Some observers have said that part of the reason is because the various medical associations across Canada make it very difficult for immigrant doctors to be accepted to practice in Canada. And the communities that are underserved by doctors tend not to be the ones that new doctors want to live in. (Often rural, northern, and/or remote.)

So, while making sure that everyone has a family doctor is a noble goal, is that really something that the CLC can do anything about? Does the public think that the CLC can have any effect on a shortage of doctors? I suspect probably not.

The bikes are green and green, and so is the sponsor

Bike Share Toronto location, Bloor and Bay Streets, Toronto, ON

Poster, Bike Share Toronto location, Bloor and Bay Streets, Toronto, ON

Bike sharing systems have popped up in over 500 cities around the world. (Vancouver is still waiting, but evidently 2015 is when the city will roll out a network of bikes available for short term hire. British Columbia's mandatory helmet law for cyclists remains somewhat of a a stumbling block.)

In Toronto the system is sponsored by the TD Bank. So a green transport system, bicycles, is identified by the colour green and is sponsored by a bank also associated with the colour green. (The TD Bank refers to each of its its ATM machine as a "Green Machine".)

All told a pretty good piece of sponsorship and branding.

The right display in the right place

Coca-Cola display at the baggage claim area Toronto Pearson International Airport, Toronto, ON  

I saw this display at the baggage claim area of Toronto Pearson International Airport. It is a pretty clever display. Passengers have come of the flight and are waiting for their baggage. What could be better that a caffeinated pick-me-up? And the three machines are even dressed up to look like a big suitcase. Very cute.

I just shudder to think how much they had to pay the airline for the oversize luggage.

"We are always here for you", except the stores will all be gone soon so we won't

Sign outside the Sony Store, Pacific Centre, Vancouver, BC

Sign outside the Sony Store, Pacific Centre, Vancouver, BC (Detail)

Retail stores live and die on their combination of product, service, price, and location. And the Sony Store makes a big deal about the level of support available. But that level of service, in fact any service at all, will disappear as Sony closes all of its Canadian retail stores over the new few months.

So while customers may have purchased from the Sony Store based on the support promised, that support will disappear quite soon. But this does reinforce the common observations that if you buy based solely on price, that is all you get? Perhaps customers no longer place much value on the support from a specialist retail store. Perhaps home entertainment technology has become so easy to use that the lack of support is not an issue.

But perhaps more importantly, if consumers don't see value in buying from a physical retail store they will buy on-line and places like the Sony Store will disappear.

I still like going into stores. I'd much rather spend an hour browsing in a bookstore that scrolling through the Amazon website. Will I miss the Sony Store, probably not very much and that is perhaps why the stores are all closing.

And this week's Happy Meal toy? It's a book

McDonald's Happy Meal box, January 17, 2015

McDonald's Happy Meals are usually accompanied by a toy, often from the latest animated Hollywood film.

The food in the Happy Meal is not great, although the options are much better than for adult meals. The options for the kid's meal include a yogurt tube, apple slices, and plain or chocolate milk.

For some reason my daughter has fallen in love with the Happy Meal, so as a treat I picked one up on my way home from school. As per usual, she wanted me to call her so she could pick the toy. And much to my surprise there was no toy. Instead you could chose one of four books.

She already had Pete the Cat, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, but wanted the Flat Stanley title.

McDonald's gets criticized a lot, but these books are a great alternative to some piece of licensed plastic rubbish that will break in 10 minutes. And coincidently, unlike the usual toys, the books don't come in boy and girl alternatives. (Did you want Transformers or Helly Kitty?)

So, keep it up. I'd like to see more books on offer.

What is that loaf?

Sourdough loaf, Cobs Bread, West Vancouver, BC

I come from a family of bakers, and my brother is a keen baker making a couple of leaves every week.

I was in the Cobs location in West Vancouver and saw this sourdough loaf in the display case. The word "SourDough" was spelled out on the top of the loaf in white flour.

A tiny expense, but it did add some interest to the display, and pre-emptively answered the question, "What is that loaf"?

I love finding clever little things like this. It got me to buy a loaf, and it was rather good.

Is inflation over 11%? It is here. And I wonder what effect the price increase will have?

Sandwich board outside The Pizza Stop, Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC

Business students learn about the 4Ps of marketing in their first marketing class. Of the 4Ps; product, price, promotion, and place, price is the one that consumers notice first.

At this pizza place the price for two slices and a can of soft drink has just gone up by 11.11%. The tax-in price used to be $4.50, now it is $5.00.

According to the staff the price rise is due to an hike in the rent and inceasing food costs, especially cheese. Will this make a difference in sales? I think that is unlikely. But it will make a change in the tips. If a customer buys two slices and a can of C Plus, the bill now comes to $5.00 even. Will they fish in their pocket for a couple of quarters for a tip? A lot less likely than when they got two quarters back in their change.

So, this may actually result in less cash in hand for the restaurant and its staff. Oh the weird and wonderful world of microeconomics.

A year later and the sign is still up

Sign at Granville SkyTrain station, Vancouver, BC (Photo taken January 16, 2015)

This sign has been up for almost two years. Is the work still going on? Did it finish in "Early 2014"? Should passengers trust any signs that they see in a SkyTrain station?

Oh, the further annoyance of out-of-date signs on public transit.

Would I have eaten there if I knew that this was how the place was maintained?

Mr. Sub logo
(Source: http://www.mrsub.ca)

Graffiti in the washroom, Mr. Sub, College and Spadina, Toronto, Ontario

1:00 pm on New Year's Eve. My daughter was hungry. (We'd just had a tour of the fabulous Osborne Collection of children's books.)

On our way to the Spadina streetcar we passed a Mr. Sub and my daughter decided she wanted a sub. (She incorrectly identified the place as a Subway. How's that for owning the category?)

After our lunch we used the washroom/bathroom/toilet. I was astounded that the interior was covered with graffiti. Does Mr. Sub ever inspect the franchise locations? Seeing a location in this condition certainly helps partially explain how Subway is kicking Mr. Sub's backside all across Canada.

What's worse, out-of-date advertisements or empty frames?

Douglas College advertisements, City Centre Skytrain station, Vancouver, BC

I've written, more than once, about the problem of out-of-date transit advertising. Well, I think that this problem is worse.

Empty spaces just stand out, and not in a good way. Were insufficient posters printed? Was a poster stolen? Or could the people putting up the new posters just not be bothered to finish?

Just another of the million little details that marketers need to pay attention to.

The promotion was pretty good, the operations not so much

Target advertisement with Canadian spelling

Although Target Canada's distribution efforts were abysmal, the company's advertising showed a bit of awareness of the country. Between some token spelling changes and the inclusion of a few well-known building, the advertisements showed that the marketing department was aware than Canada was not the same and the United States.

Canada is big. The second largest country, but one of the lowest population densities. The entire population is less than that of California. Spanning over 5,000 kilometres from Atlantic to Pacific Canada presents huge obstacles for any firm trying to distribute its merchandise. (Paris to St. John, Newfoundland and Labrador is about 4, 000 kilometres, St. John to Vancouver, British Columbia is about 5,000 kilometres.)

The costs of shipping goods around the country can shave significant chunks off any retailer's profits.

And yet, while the distribution and logistics staff seemed unable to figure out which way was up, the advertising folks came up with some rather cute campaigns.

And there is lies the problem. The promotion staff was making promises that the merchandising and operations staff could not keep.

In retail it is all about details, and despite what you may think, the consumer notices everything. Especially if it is a store that looks about half-empty. Hard to cover that up with a few cute ads.

Just because you love me does not mean you understand me

Target Loves Canada logo

The biggest marketing news in Canada this week was the decision by Target to pull out of the Canadian market.

I am not all that surprised that Target decided to pull the plug on the Canadian stores, but I remain surprised that the firm let things get as bad as they did.

Empty shelves, high prices, and stores that looked pretty much abandoned did not create a good first impression.

The fact that Target's colour scheme was the same and the gone  but not all that lamented Zellers did not help. The new Target stores looked like too similar to Zellers stores, and that didn't help.

I think that Target Canadian's love of the retailer for granted. Canadian had fallen in love with the US stores and, not unrealistically, expected the same experience in Canada. That is not too much to ask for.

Too realistic, or is that just experience talking

Tech Deck advertisement

I saw this sign when I was out with my daughter. She has a few of these boards and they are mainly used by her Polly Pocket and Playmobil dolls.

But in my youth I did skateboard a bit and had a few injuries. Sprained wrists were a regular occurrence, along with skinned knees. The only break I incurred was my left arm while doing a downhill run with my youngest brother.

So, while I have not done in my leg while skateboarding, I know of enough people who have. This is one of those ads almost requires inside knowledge. Skateboarders, along with their parents and doctors, will get it.

Speaking to the prospective customer in language that they understand is critical to success. Chalk up a victory for Tech Deck.

One of my favourite coffee shops has expanded to Toronto

Sign in Caffe Artigiano, Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC

Yesterday I saw this sign in a branch of Caffe Artigiano in Vancouver. This coffee shop makes a big deal out of the latte art that its baristas create. When my brother, a very keen coffee drinker, came to Vancouver I introduced him to Artigiano. (The next time he came and I had to up my game and introduce him to Musette Caffe, the cycling-themed coffee shop.)

And now Artigiano has opened a branch in Toronto. The Toronto location is about 1/2 a block from a Starbucks. (Which is both a blessing and a curse.)

Consumers say they want good coffee, and yet the biggest share of the market goes to purveyors of mass-produced coffee-like beverages, rather than really good coffee.

I wish Caffe Artigiano the best of luck in Toronto. May good coffee flourish everywhere.

What's it called?

Sign at Balmoral Chemists, Toronto, Ontario

I saw this sign outside a drugstore in Toronto. Where are we? 1950s England? When has a drug store in Canada been called a chemist? A pharmacy perhaps, but not a chemist.

Of course the name, Balmoral Chemist, might have been an indicator of the UK connection that the firm is trying to maintain. (Balmoral being the name of the Queen's estate in Scotland.)

Or perhaps Balmoral is merely a geographic indicator, as the shop is close to the corner of Balmoral and Yonge streets.

But it is the word chemist that is odd. Having grown up in Australia I know what it means, but I wonder how many customers will make the drug store/pharmacy connection with the word chemist?

How clean is that washroom? (And when was it cleaned?)

eNITIAL Time Stamping device, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Mississauga, Ontario

I saw this device in the washroom at the luggage area at Toronto Pearson International Airport. This represents a vast improvement over the often ignored paper version of the washroom checklist usually attached to the back of the door.

The manufacturer's website lists the process for using the device. (Source: http://www.enitial.com/)

• Once a washroom patrol has been completed, a washroom attendant uses an iButton to "eNITIAL" the device
• The time & date displays with "This washroom was last serviced at..."
• Last serviced time & date remain until the next "eNITIAL"
• Team members download data weekly to PDAs
• Data is wirelessly transmitted from PDAs to our web Website

While this represents an improvement over the paper version, keeping track of maintenance and cleaning cycles would be enhanced if the collection of data could be done wirelessly rather than through a download to a PDA. (Who has a PDA anymore?)

The cute benefits of using this service

Grocery Gateway poster, St. Clair subway station, Toronto, Ontario

Grocery Gateway poster, St. Clair subway station, Toronto, Ontario

Grocery Gateway is a Toronto-based home delivery service for groceries. Founded in 1997, in the midst of the dotcom boom, Grocery Gateway was purchased by the Longo's chain in 2004. Despite raising over $100 million CDN in capital, but the time of the 2004 purchase by Longo's the value of Grocery Gateway was less than $7 million CDN.

These advertisements, which I saw on the staircase at St. Clair subway station in Toronto, demonstrate the benefits of using the service. For the time-pressed consumer, more time with their baby and/or dog are positioned as the tangible benefits of using the service.

And while the surrounding neighbourhood does seem to have lots of dogs, I did not see many children around.

Are there other time benefits? I'm sure that lots of people could use their grocery shopping time to watch complete seasons of forgettable shows on Netflix, or going to the gym, but kids and dogs are always an easy sell for most consumers. (And you should never underestimate the benefits of cute.)

Where do my skates go? Evidently straight into the dump.

Waste Wizard poster, TTC, subway car, Toronto, Ontario

Waste Wizard website
(Source: http://app.toronto.ca/wes/winfo/search.do#resulttop)

Like most large Canadian cities, Toronto is struggling to deal with the volume of household waste. In an effort to direct consumer waste into the right stream the city has set up the Waste Wizard website. By using the site consumers can "Learn what to do with unwanted stuff".

So, what should they do with the unwanted hockey skates? Donate them to a community centre? Give them to Goodwill? No, the first choice for that seemingly perfect good pair of hockey skates is straight into the dump. And that is evidently what should happen with all unwanted sports equipment.

Are there not better things to do with unwanted sports equipment? If the city is really serious about reducing the amount of stuff ending up in the dump the default information on the website should be reuse. There are plenty of organizations that could benefit from unused, but still usable, sports equipment. And given that skates are one of the featured items in the campaign, I expected that the default option for skates would be a bit more environmentally friendly.

Do lots of drinking and not much driving

Corby poster on a TTC subway train, Toronto, Ontario

In many cities it has become a practice for New Year's Eve public transit service to be sponsored by a company. Alcohol companies have often been the firms to sponsor this service. This is a bit of enlightened self interest. Drinking and driving is a huge issue in Canada, and companies that sell alcoholic beverages must assume some responsibility for how their products are used.

Corby Spirit and Wine is the Canadian importer and distributor of a number of well-known brands such as Absolut vodka, Jacob's Creek wines, Lamb's Rum, and Weiser's whisky.

While I think this is a great thing for Corby to do, I wonder what the firm gets out of it. The vast majority of consumers have no idea which firm distribute the brands they drink. And even worse, they really don't care.

So if the consumers don't care who Corby is, why would Coby pay raise its profile?  

Oh the irony (Starbucks does it again)

Poster at a Starbucks location, The Hudson's Bay store, Vancouver, BC

Starbucks is known for it devotion to turning the intimate coffee house experience into a mass-produced, branded product.

On Tuesday January 6 2014, Starbucks introduced its latest beverage, the Flat White. Similar to a latte, but with less milk and more espresso, the beverage originated in Australia. Yes the same Australia that Starbucks abandoned in 2014 because consumers there overwhelmingly turned their backs on the chain.

So now Starbucks has imported a rather nice little espresso beverage from Australia. Quite frankly I'll give it a miss. I'd rather take a trip to Australia and have a real Flat White.

Talking about the unspeakable

CrisisLink post in a TTC subway station, Toronto, Ontario

In recent years there has been a sea change in public discourse about many topics that previously would never be discussed.

Cancer has gone from a topic that was only whispered about to one that people seem to feel almost proud to take ownership of. It has gone from an almost certain death sentence to an increasingly survivable medical condition.

Suicide is seen as a sin in most religions and often regarded as a source of shame for the family.

In 2014, the level of discussion about suicide changed dramatically. The deaths of Robin Williams, Amanda Todd, and Rehtaeh Parsons, and the subsequent level of conversation about suicide has been a refreshing change.

Suicide is often a reaction to situations that people find to be insoluble. If you feel that you can discuss the problems that you are attempting to deal with is often regarded as the first step to finding a solution, or at least finding help.

I'm thankful that suicide is not a solution that I've ever contemplated, but I know that many people are not so lucky. My hope is that anyone facing a crisis seeks help, and that their friends and family pay attention and let their loved ones know that they are not alone in dealing with the obstacles of life.

I wonder what year this occurred? I guess that it was 2014.

"Taste of the Kingsway" sidewalk sticker, Royal York Road, Toronto, Ontario

In 2014, September 5th, 6th, and 7th were a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In pretty much every case Friday, Saturday, and Sunday would be good days for a food and drink event. Most people have the weekends off and so drinking a bit on Friday and Saturday night will not put people out of action for the work at the following day.

Almost four months later, December 27 2014, I saw a bunch of these stickers on the sidewalk around Royal York Road and Bloor Street West in Toronto.

Out-of-date signs are one of my pet peeves. They inform consumers about something that is no longer available. How can this not annoy consumers?

Oh well. I'll keep commenting on these things when I find them, and I expect to find them almost every day.  

What about Lay's and Pepsi is 100% Canadian?

Sign on the wall at Mr. Sub franchise, College Street, Toronto, Ontario

When I think of things that are 100% Canadian, Lay's and Pepsi are not at the top of my list.

Lay's was founded in 1932 in Ohio, and has been part of Pepsi since 1965. The Pepsi name has been in use since 1898, and the Pepsi Cola company has existed since 1902. Founded in North Carolina, Pepsi is currently headquartered in Purchase, New York.

So, what about products from two American companies is 100% Canadian? I'm sure that the potato chips and cola are manufactured in Canada, but the brands are American. For me that fails the 100% Canadian test.

A special glass for drinking Coke?

Riedel Coca-Cola glass at William Ashley, Toronto, Ontario

I was familiar with Riedel glassware for wine. The company makes special varietal-specific glassware that is designed to help maximize the taste characteristics of different varietals. The Sauvignon Blanc glass is not the same shape as the Chardonnay glass. The firm's Vinum series includes 28 different glass shapes specifically designed for almost every conceivable wine and spirit beverage.

This is a far cry from the array of wine glasses that was available thirty years ago. You were doing well if you had three different shapes; red, white, and sparking.

So it is not a huge stretch that the different shapes for different drinks concept should extent to non-alcoholic beverages. This glass is a modern take on the traditional Coke glass. Will it enhance the taste of a bottle of Coca-Cola? Could the same glass also enhance the taste of Pepsi? I'm not a cola drinker, but I'm sure that some people would notice the difference, and Riedel will give them the chance to pay for the experience.

Covering your bases at Christmas time

"Season's Greetings" projection on the floor at the Hudson's Bay Centre, Toronto, Ontario

"Merry Christmas" projection on the floor at the Hudson's Bay Centre, Toronto Ontario 

It was a bit surprising to see the "Merry Christmas" projection on the floor at the Hudson's Bay Centre in Toronto. Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Almost every ethnic and linguistic group you can imagine can be found in the Greater Toronto Area.

All of the common non-English speaking immigrant groups that we have come to expect; Chinese, Indian, Italian, Jamaican, Polish, and Ukrainian, are found here. But the Toronto immigrant community also includes sizable numbers of immigrants, and refugees, from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Somalia, and Sri Lanka.

And while all of the people in Toronto may not celebrate the religious side of Christmas, the season is still a festive one. People have time off, even non-Christian kids seem to expect presents from Santa, and who does not like to take advantage of an after-Christmas sale?

So the Hudson's Bay Centre, in an effort to cover its bases and appeal to everyone, has installed floor projections that say both "Merry Christmas" and "Season's Greetings".

Too bad there is only one calling card available

Sign outside Dollar Prince store, Toronto, Ontario

Is it too much to ask for retail store signs to be accurate? According to this sign, found outside a Dollar Prince location, the store only has one "calling card on sale".

I'm sure there is more than one card available, but that is not what the sign says.

In the best case scenario this sort of error just annoys pedantic people like me, in the worst case bad English sends the customers elsewhere.

Customers are hard enough to find at the best of times, sending them away due to poor English is inexcusable.

Is the retail office supply category dead?

Former Grand & Toy store, Yonge and Bloor, Toronto, ON

Grand & Toy was founded in Toronto in 1882. The firm was purchased by Office Max in 1996 and in 2013 became part of Office Depot.

While retail stores were a key part of the firm's distribution channel for over 100 years, Grand & Toy has recently closed all of its stores to concentrate on ebusiness and B2B sales.

Interestingly, Staples, Office Depot's biggest competitor, recently announced that it was planning to close up to 12% of its stores across North America.

So, the question is, how much longer can the retail store end of the office supply business survive? I'd give it no more than five years.