Rock 'n Roll and Beer Advertising

In the 1990's I was lucky enough to be part of a great creative team at Scali, McCabe, Sloves in Toronto. I was an account guy on Labatt's Blue (it was Labatt's back then) and we were facing a surging Molson Canadian brand in most provinces in Canada. Molson had smashed the ad world with their "What beer's all about." campaign, and classic rock music was integral to their success. However, we believed that Blue could find an opening in Molson Canadian's music flank because they never tapped into the Canadian music scene, which was shocking given their name was "Canadian". So we developed a series of radio spots based great Canadian music that won a pile of national and international awards.


Now beer advertising and rock have had a great relationship for years but in Canada, the late 1980's and early 1990's were the heyday of this relationship in Canada.


Click on the link for a sample of Labatt's Blue award winning radio in 1990.

The Good, The Bad, And The Strategy.

For a few years now I have been telling my clients and students that success and brand relevancy comes from strategies and positions based on real insight. Today I came across a great article on McKinsey Quarterly based on a new book from Richard Rumelt called Good Strategy/Bad Strategy.The Difference And Why It Matters., that so easily drives this point home.

I love Richard's style and experience, both proven and to the point. You see Richard is fed up with bad strategy masquerading as good strategy. In short he says that "bad strategy embraces the language of broad goals, ambition, vision and values'. Wow I have seen a pile of broad strategy statements in the recent past. That's why I believe the Heath brothers book "Made To Stick" is bang on. It has taught us about creating missions and visions that will stick, not just sit there and cause nothing good for the company to happen.

Too many organisation are not taking the time to uncover insights that will lead them to better understand their barriers, and then take actions to overcome them. Instead as Rumelt says, they are doing one or all of the following bad strategy hallmarks.

1. Failing to face the problem.
2. Mistaking goals for strategy.
3. Bad strategic objectives.
4. Fluff.

Do your self a favour and quickly read the Richard Rumlet's McKinsey piece, and see if you have been making you strategies as good as they could be.

http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/The_perils_of_bad_strategy_2826