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Breakaway Brands #2: Truth
What are the keys to making a brand stand out? Better yet, how can brands not only stand out, but break away from all others in their category?This is the second in a series of posts inspired by the...
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Breakaway Brands #3: Innovation
What are the keys to making a brand stand out? Better yet, how can brands not only stand out, but break away from all others in their category?This is the third in a series of posts inspired by the...
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Breakaway Brands #4: Leadership
What are the keys to making a brand stand out? Better yet, how can brands not only stand out, but break away from all others in their category?This is the fourth in a series of posts inspired by the...
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New "Life as a Planner" Series on APGCanada.ca
Happy New Year!While 2014 will no doubt bring new resolutions (more sleep!), it will hopefully bring more planning goodness on this blog, and more activity within the Canadian planning community in...
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Wynnevertising
Who knew that one of my favourite TV spots from the holidays would be a political ad?Source: YouTubeTypically, political ad dollars are either spent trumpeting campaign platforms, or slugging the...
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Death of the Easy Button
What does Staples' move into a more emotive territory mean for the beloved red button? Is it a good move or a bad one?For the first time in a long (long) time, Staples is changing things up, moving...
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A New Role for Brands
Killing off "Zombie" Ideas, and Why Brands Really MatterSource: CHUD.comMark Tomblin, Chief Strategy Officer at TAXI, recently spoke on the Planning Salon, a Google Hangout series where planners form...
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A Minimalist's Guide to the Internet
SourceI'm a minimalist. I'll admit it.Don't worry — no need to run for the hills (yet). Minimalism isn't what you think. It's not carting everything to the dump — clothes, DVDs, pogs! It's not cutting...
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Are Newspapers Brands?
Why newspapers need less news and more brandThis was a sad week for newspapers in Toronto.The Grid, a Toronto Star run weekly, formerly known as Eye Weekly, which had, over the past two years, grown...
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Behaviour! Insights!
Learning from a Behavioural Insights MeetupSo behaviour change "science" is all the rage, right? Well yes — of course it is. I myself have written about Habit science, as well as the Art of Choosing,...
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The Lean Brand
Brand Building in the Startup AgeBrant Cooper and Jeremiah Gardner present the "Lean Brand" approach at The Working Group on Oct. 27, 2014Back in the day — and I mean way, way back (we're talking...
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Go forth, weary traveller!
An ad so funny I just had to post it here. It's a great example of drawing viewers in with quick, engaging storytelling.No way was I gonna skip this one!Click here to watch this video on YouTube.
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Viva Ecuador!
It's 2015!But, taking a moment to think back to my favourite ad campaign from 2014, I couldn't help but be surprised. It wasn't a TV spot, or a fun digital experience, or even a tweet. It was a transit...
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Doing Good with a Twist
A refreshing new take on the dreary PSAA Public Service Announcement – or any type of "you should know this because it's good for you" advertising – doesn't have to be the dreary, preachy,...
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So you're going to be a manager...
5 Ways to Lead Your Team to SuccessIn the marketing world, hell, in any world, management training is pretty sparse. We've all had managers, both good and bad, but we rarely get the chance to study...
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Wake up your creativity!
A morning of creativity and inspiration at CSI AnnexWhat do coffee, TED Talks, and Honest Ed's have in common?Creative Mornings, of course!Imagine an early-morning meeting you'd actually want to go to:...
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Please, close your eyes...
The New Culture of SlownessYou're busy. I know.Well guess what: I'm busy, too! We're all busy— too busy to live in the moment, too busy to consider anything other than what's now, what's next, and how...
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7 Keys to a Killer Presentation
...even the Undead will be awed and amazed!Do your presentations turn your audience into the sitting dead? Do you see lots of glazed-over eyes, drooling lips, and inexplicable calls for "brains... more...
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Brand Masters #1: Greg Taylor
3 Tips from Crafting the Steam Whistle BrandIf big brewers are the evil Empire, how has a rapidly-growing craft brewery managed to keep its scrappy, upstart Rebel Alliance brand?Use the Force, Luke!At...
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Brand Masters #2: Donald Cooper
On owning customers for life... yes, life!He ran an iconic Canadian sporting goods company (Cooper). Then he sold it and founded another company, reinventing himself as an award-winning retailer (Alive...
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What I learned at Walmart
How a month in the big box rolled me right backThe 'beep-bing' of the cash registers. The gleam of the polished floors, reflecting harsh fluorescent lighting from above. The blue-vested greeters,...
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Hygge for the Holidays
Bunkering down with the philosophy of cozinessI type this as I nurse a piping hot cup of coffee, just the right amount of sweetness, my hand wrapped around a warm ceramic mug, the strings from Canon in...
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Findings from the Fringe
Account Planning Group Event RecapAre cultural trends born on the fringes of society? Do "Fringers" hold the secret to future shifts in mainstream values? What does mainstream actually MEAN,...
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Do Startups Need Strategists?
Account Planning Group Event RecapThe latest Account Planning Group of Canada event, “Building the Startup Brand – What are the Implications for Strategists?”, left everyone feeling a little...
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The Effectiveness Equation
Account Planning Group Event RecapIt was a testy affair. A room packed full of agency planners, strategists, clients, and the business-minded, all about to be told that they weren’t doing enough to...
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