Most of us are quite familiar with Toms Shoes and their novel one-for-one promise. If you are not, Toms is a social enterprise that is widely recognized for their shared value approach of donating a pair of their shoes for every pair they sell. This approach certainly gives consumers incentive to buy a pair of Toms over the next brand, ultimately because they get the added bonus of feeling that philanthropic goodness.

Now, in an effort to help other social entrepreneurs achieve the same success, the company has truly taken shared values to a whole new world- a virtual world that is. Toms Marketplace, which just launched last Tuesday, is an online marketplace that hosts brands with common social purposes, and sells an array of different goods. Through different methods and allocations, all products sold on the site makes some kind of contribution in helping others. Just like how eBay is known for bidding and Etsy is known for vintage goods, Toms Marketplace has a created its own niche, providing an online platform known for- you guessed it- helping social causes. In the end, we buy Toms cause they look good and make us feel good about buying them, so can’t the same be done with everything else? I believe that’s the logic behind Toms Marketplace.

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Snapchat is an IPhone application that allows users to send and receive photos and videos that disappear after they are view. This nifty little idea that started back in 2011 has certainly become a hit as it recently received- then rejected- a multibillion-dollar proposal from Facebook. Oh and I forgot to mention that they make zero dollars. The reason behind it? As a very young company, Snapchat has its own plans in earning money, and this plan goes beyond solely advertising. Duplicating a strategy that a China-based chatting app called WeChat uses, they plan to earn revenue through a user subscriptions to specific brands. Snapchat users will subscribe to brands of interest, take Starbucks for example, which will then receive messages such as specials like “buy one beverage, get one free”. This different approach greater focuses on consumers need, rather than obnoxiously forcing products and services when consumers aren’t interested.

Digging deeper into this new method, it truly revolutionizes the major issue of advertising: when it backfires, ’cause consumers don’t want to see it. Similar to natural advertising, which advertises based on the users search history, this creates an even smaller niche of what is being advertised. Because the users are essentially choosing what they want to see, the response will be much higher because users are given the choice in the first place. If implemented, this new strategy might just definitely be worth more than billions.

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Trump. Out of everyone, us business students should know that that’s one heck of an important name. Slap it on a 63-storey tower in the heart of downtown Vancouver, and Vancouver just met a whole new level of luxury. Trump International Hotel and Tower Vancouver, predicted to be complete by summer of 2016 will provide 218 homes and 147 hotel rooms to those who expect nothing but exceptional first class experience. From Rolls-Royce chauffers to personal London Air Services for their residential owners- and that’s just the beginning of it, they aren’t kidding when they say ‘nothing but’. Beyond the luxurious experience, is an architectural work of art. The trophy-like contemporary shape that gently spirals upward will be equally as eye-catching as the interior, designed to give an “innovative, interesting and powerful” feel.

As Vancouver is quickly growing to be one of the most refined cities to live in, Trump Vancouver is definitely launching with the ultimate differentiation strategy in creating a whole new level of luxury. Aimed to attract the ‘A-list’ of all A-listers, this vision wouldn’t have been half as enticing if it didn’t have the brand image of Trump stamped on it. Thus, with both the very expensive features and very expensive name, Trump Vancouver is already capturing everyone’s attention, with residual sales already begun.

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http://www.theprovince.com/travel/Ready+play+Trump+card/9148913/story.html

Sears Canada is closing both its flagship location in Toronto’s Eaton Centre as well as four other locations. As the company has been shredding assets and cutting jobs in an effort to turn around its struggling operations, this involves closing most of their most prominent locations and reducing the number of employees. As part of a three-year turnaround plan to respond to the intense competition within the retail sector, they’re hoping that lowering their expenses will improve Sears Canada’s overall business.Sears Canada’s struggle in maintaining its company is a perfect example of the effect of new entrants entering the market. Since new entrants such as Nordstrom and Target are coming to Canada, Sears is one of the several retailers fighting to stay aflotat. In such a broad sector like retail departments, companies that are succeeding are the ones that are moving along with the latest trends. Take Hudson’s Bay Co. for example, which in the past few years has taken in higher luxury brand companies, along with young and trendy brands like Topshop and Free People, reforming the company’s overall image. Sears Canada’s major issue is that nothing has changed. With brands, people and trends changing all the time, not being able to keep up with change evidently leads to falling behind in the battle.

Article Link:

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Sears+Canada+close+Richmond+Centre+flagship+Eaton+Centre+store+Toronto/9096618/story.html