Yesterday I went shopping as I needed some new black leggings. I could have gotten some simple ones to wear from The Bay, but instead I knew I wanted a brand name. I set out with my mum, as she said she would pay for them. I knew where I wanted to go; Aritzia and LuluLemon. I just wanted plain black leggings that were made from a thicker material and a lyrca feel. I  tried the ones on at Aritzia. They were TNA and they were $55. “A bit expensive for a pair of leggings,” my mum said. Then I went to LuluLemon. They were $82, but they seemed to fit better. My mum said I should get the LuluLemon ones as although they were more expensive, the TNA ones were too expensive to buy for the brand they were. LuluLemon is a more trusted brand in my mum’s eyes. Both TNA and LuluLemon  are Canadian companies and sell work out gear for the trendsetter. The point of difference for LuluLemon in this case is its higher cost and better quality in yoga wear. It also has a strong brand image and reliability. So I bought the LuluLemon leggings and was very satisfied, even though I lost around $30 on a product that is most likely not worth that much.

Hockey equipment producing company, Bauer who has 52 percent global market share in ice hockey equipment is stepping out to increase its market share in the growing lacrosse equipment market. Lacrosse is the fastest growing team sport in North America, so Bauer sees a market opportunity in entering this market. Bauer is hoping to minimize the negative market impact of the NHL lockout on hockey equipment. They are expecting their sales to drop because of this, so they want to offset the negative impact by growing a complementary business. Bauer has purchased a company called Cascade Helmets Holdings Inc. in order to build a lacrosse business. Bauer is well recognized for producing quality sport equipment, and they have a strong marketing network and reputation, therefore their move into lacrosse equipment is complementary to their existing core business. This is an example of a company repositioning with a new product line through a corporate acquisition.

Source

Globe and Mail “Bauer aims to rebound from NHL lockout with lacrosse play”

Bertrand Marotte, Oct 7^th, 2012

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada launched a video on Thursday, October 4^th to bring attention to the importance of CPR. In the video, zombies in a post-apocalyptic downtown Toronto are chasing a woman. The woman escapes her predator only to have a heart attack. Instead of eating the woman, the zombies do CPR on her to save her life. The video uses humour and shock as tactics to gain a younger audience. The video is aimed at teenagers to bring attention to heart and strokes, and the significance of knowing and willing to save someone’s life. The company was nervous for the release of this video as using humour and horror was something they had never done before. The company did marketing research and used focus groups with young audiences in order to find out the most effective way to grab their attention as well as inform them. The video is educational but not as instructional as what they have done before. Check out the video for yourself at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApmPQDAzYyM and see if the marketing tactic appeals to you.

Source

Globe and Mail, “Heart and Stroke Campaign uses zombies to promote CPR” Susan Krashinsky. October 5th