Ramblings of TJR -- Marketer -- Mom -- TV Addict.

A few weeks ago I attended a BCAMA breakfast to hear Jim Nelson, Senior Manager of Marketing from BC Hydro speak. Jim oversees the PowerSmart brand and I found his presentation on changing and influencing behavior through social marketing very interesting. Several weeks later it is still resonating with me, in particular making me think how I came to be a cloth diaper advocate. I can easily be described as a city girl. I started in advertising in Toronto in the early 90s when Melrose Place was the 'best' example of my profession. No my skirts were never that short, no I didn't switch from an account person to a writer to an art director in a single episode and no I never tried to drown anyone in the pool in the center of my apartment complex. But I did live a hard working, fun living, disposable lifestyle. That changed somewhat after I moved to Vancouver. But I was still very focused on my work and my social life. When I met my husband I was travelling a lot for work, dr...

A friend of mine posted a blog a week or so ago about "Marketing in a challenging economy... Customer Service, duh!" http://giraffemarketing.blogspot.com/2009/02/marketing-in-challenging.html . He spoke about the companies he knows doing it right. I completely agree with his assessment, but one has to ask about those that just don't get it. When does the gap between the brand promise and customer experience become so big that you walk away? I expect an organization to deliver a customer experience that matches their brand promise. If not, then there is a gap in my opinion of them. This isn't just about customer service, this is delivering what people expect in product quality, technology, service, etc. It is delivering on your promise at every point I experience your company. The nice folks at Saturn called it the 'moment of truth'. And it isn't just about training your staff to be friendly and polite, it is providing your staff with the right tools and en...

When I first started in advertising my first client was GM of Canada working on Saturn, Saab and Isuzu. I worked with them for 5 years - all of them without a car. I was sort of the running joke the 'agency girl' that had to rent a car to come out to their offices in Oshawa. But it was my first job out of University, I had just moved to Toronto and a car was just not affordable (and honestly the receptionist was making more than me at the time). So I spent 5 years helping promote the benefits of cars, which I could drive, but not own. I had no problem getting my head around the relevant features and benefits. So when I bought my first car it was easy. (it was a Saturn 3-door Coupe). When I bought my second car, after I moved out to Vancouver, I knew I wanted a Jetta (much easier to fit those 6 foot art directors in the back seat when going to client meetings). I just had to shop around to find the best offer/deal. Had a little bit of help from a male friend and it was done. Whe...