Monthly Archives: February 2014

Relationship Marketing

Super Bowl 2014: “Puppy Love”

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If we look back into Top 10 commercials of this winter season, it’s not surprising to find Super Bowl ads taking the top positions. According to Aaron Cho’s Super Bowl: Battle of the Ads post and research, the Super Bowl commercials not only attract millions of views from both American and international audience but also create a very unusual behaviour in people by making them willingly seek advertisements. What makes Super Bowl ads so special and popular?

One of the ads presented during SuperBowl was Budweiser’s “Puppy Love” commercial, an instant viral hit that reached 35 million views just in a few days. It gives a heartwarming and sweet tale of friendship between Labrador puppy and one of the Clydesdale horses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQB7QRyF4p4

What surprises me the most in this video is the total absence of the actual product – beer in the commercial. However nothing is ever done without a thought in marketing, especially with Budweiser’s track record of making successful advertisements. Budweiser knew that the loyal customers would instantly recognize its brand from the moment they saw Clydesdale horses, Budweiser’s historical symbol. As for the other customers, providing this memorable and touching story between two animals would encourage them to buy Budweiser products in the future.

Speaking of animals. Budweiser was able to distinguish itself from the competitors by showing to its customers that selling beer is not about making profit, but about building relationships. Relationships between pals that watch Super Bowl together and enjoy a bottle of beer in the process and mainly about the long-term relationship of Budweiser with its customers. #BestBuds tag at the end of the video clearly conveys the message of friendship and loyalty and Budweiser’s intent on remaining best buddies with its buyers, who were so conveniently portrayed as dogs, the symbols of loyalty and devotion.

Yes, I have no words Budweiser. That was a very well-thought-out commercial if not slightly too cheesy for my taste. But oh well, who am I to complain? Let’s admit it, they deserve their success.

Website Design

It All Comes Down to Sushi

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My Yelp search for some good sushi bars in Vancouver has revealed 2 particular restaurants that were rated the highest either in ratings or reviews: Sushi Mart (4.5/5, 129 reviews) and The Eatery (3.5/5, 243 reviews). A quick glance over the restaurants’ websites shows a significant difference in their marketing approaches.

Web design of the Sushi Mart

Sushi Mart provides a simple, minimalist homepage that reflects the values of Japanese culture… or maybe it just has a very lousy website design.Anyhow, its strongest point so far is the menu section, which presents clear and mouthwatering photos of each dish.  According to Yelp reviews, the food and its quality here are top-notch and are definitely worth coming back for. It’s a successful representation of the restaurant’s mission statement, which states that Sushi Mart is an ocean-friendly place that provides healthy menu, great value and service. Basically it’s a differentiation based on product and service excellence.

Web design of The Eatery

The Eatery has put a significant amount of effort into its website design, which has a slightly geekish but very original feel to it. The restaurant’s mission statement is:

“We are The Eatery and we don’t just feed the common people, we feed your soul!”

It’s definitely more friendly and has a human touch to it that Sushi Mart lacks. Unfortunately despite the restaurant’s interesting interior design, website design and strong marketing, The Eatery is still behind Sushi Mart in ranking and the reason for that is the average quality of food and poor customer service. The Eatery is located in the Kitsilano neighbourhood that has low number of sushi places, so it’s likely that the restaurant is just taking it easy.

The Eatery is a place that Vancouverites will visit at least once for its unique atmosphere, but it’s still the Sushi Mart that people will keep coming back to, because at the end of the day it all comes down to eating good sushi.