Repositioning a brand using D.O.Gs and oranges

Meet Akira, Vega, and Bosco

Over the past few months, Sunova Credit Union has begun to build two new locations in my area of the city and one in Oakbank.  Before they arrived, I had never heard of Sunova before.  I looked into where else they have locations, and most of them are outside of the city, in places such as Beausejour, Teulon, and Stonewall to name a few.  They actually used to be called South Interlake Credit Union, but in 2008, decided they needed a new, fresh feel, thus Sunova Credit Union was born.  

Its new slogan is "bank brighter".  To me, it feels as if they are saying Sunova Credit Union is the credit union of the 21st century.  After I wrote that, I read an article about their new positioning, which states Sunova is "a vibrant, innovative and friendly financial institution."  

The main thing that sets this credit union from the rest are its D.O.Gs, also known as its Director Of Greetings.  Like its acronym states, they are in fact dogs, Saint Bernards to be exact.  Right now the Saint Bernards are puppies that will be working at the three Winnipeg locations, and let me tell you, they are too cute for words!  I'm also curious as to how long is took Sunova to think of "Director Of Greetings", or if it just came right away.  I think the dog idea is very interesting and I'm thinking it makes the business seem less like a stuffy bank and more of a casual place to do your financial business, which reflects their new positioning in the industry.  I'm not sure if this would turn off people who do not like dogs or who are allergic.  However, in my opinion as a animal lover, I would totally switch to Sunova to see the dogs haha.  I also think a Saint Bernard is a good choice for a welcome dog.  Even though they grow to be huge, they are gentle giants, although a tad slobbery. 

Sunova also ran a contest where people could email five suggestions of names for the new Saint Bernards.  This got the community involved and thinking about Sunova.  The winners of the contest received merchandise from Sunova and the satisfaction of stating that they named one of the dogs.

The Leila Ave. branch opened this past Friday and had a mini celebration where people could visit to see what it is all about.  My Mom was at Garden City mall that day and said that there was a rep from Sunova walking around handing out oranges which stated "orange you glad we're open?" and listed the information.  I thought that was a cute idea, had a call to action, and matches the company colour theme, which involves orange. 

All in all, I think Sunova is doing a good job at trying to position themselves in their community.  From what I have observed, their target market seems to be young professionals.  And as I fit into that category, I will admit that it is working on me!

Good job Sunova!


* images taken from ctv.ca and sunovacu.ca

How can an event be too successful?

A couple weekends a go I attended a charity event that was in its 14th year.  I have attended it before and it always has been a good time.  The entertainment is always great, which is what I think helps to make it a great event.  However, when I attended the event this year, I noticed something.  I noticed that it was so insanely packed in the venue.  The event takes place at a hotel as this hotel sponsors the event and has been since it began.  However, for me it was too packed for comfort.  The dinner tables were very narrow and I had felt like I was climbing a jungle gym trying to get to my seat.  I couldn't imagine how someone older would be able to get into their seat.  As well, the venue is normally used for a comedy club so the normal set-up of the venue is on different levels.  They placed the buffet area in the middle of the dance floor, which also wasn't very wide.  This also caused traffic flow problems with people going to and coming from the buffet.

This charity event always raises an impressive amount of money.  But I wonder, were they over capacity?  Or if they were at capacity, adding extra tables made its capacity uncomfortable.  As this venue is the only one at the sponsored hotel, it seems as if its their only option. 

I think that if they were to find a new venue for the event, then they could accommodate more people, make it more comfortable for the guests, and also make more money for charity.

However, it seems that the sponsor of the event really takes pride and enjoys having it at their location.

I know they have been doing it for 14 years and it seems to be working for them.  However, given that, I just think the event has great potential to be bigger and better.

Perhaps the hotel sees no problem in the way the event is run every year and the money it generates for the charity.  My only concern is how many people will not be returning due to the uncomfortableness that they had to endure during the three hours of the event. 

My question is, what happens when an event becomes too successful for its venue? 

One thing I notice now that I didn't before CreComm

I was watching Modern Family tonight, which is a really funny show that I never paid enough attention to before.  I think it has done really well with ratings also.  What I did notice as I watched it was the filming style.  Of course I watch all TV shows with a critical eye now thanks to the training I received from CreComm haha.  Modern Family takes a non-traditional approach to filming and I think that's one of the reasons it works so well for them.  It's a prime time 30 minute show, but stands out from some of the others because of the documentary style filming.  It feels like the whole show is filmed with a free hand camera and often zooms in and out and pans quickly.  Although this might not work normally and may seem annoying, it actually works well with this show.  I'm not sure what makes it work so well, but I definitely noticed it and I like it! 

What do you think?

Shuffle, shuffle, buffalo, time step...uhh that's all I know

I am excited to get back to doing some of the activities I used to do before CreComm.  A couple years before I started CreComm I stopped dancing.  Before I had stopped, I had danced for about 16 years or so.  My main focus was jazz, but I always wished I took ballet, which I never did.  Being en pointe was always a dream of mine, but will never happen now.  I am no longer as flexible as I used to be and I injured my knee one year at a dance convention, so my days as a serious dancer are no longer. 

However, I still love it so much.  So I was thinking of taking a tap class at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.  They offer an adult tap class and it's something I've always been interested in, but never really pursued.  The great thing about tap is that you can do it at any age, you don't have to be super flexible, and it's great exercise. 

So I'm excited to try something new, but also continue my love for dance through a new way.  When CreComm is done, I will have my nights free and I think I will go crazy if I don't find activities to fill them.  Going from homework all evening to doing absolutely nothing is a huge change, so I'm starting to fill my social life again.  I can't wait!

Maybe some day I will be as good as these guys...highly unlikely though.

Dinner from Shoppers Drug Mart?

I have discovered a new brand of food that is delicious!  Shoppers Drug Mart has come out with a new brand named Simply Food.  I am not too sure how new the brand is, but I only just discovered it within the last couple of months.  The one section of the brand that I love is their frozen dinners.  So far I have tried three different varieties and they are all delicious.  I have tried Chicken Primavera, Garlic Shrimp with pasta, and Teriyaki Chicken with brown rice and vegetables.  The nice thing about the dinners are that they are all natural with no added preservatives or weird words you can't pronounce.  Also, they are low in fat, calories, and sodium.  And sometimes they are even on sale, last week they were on sale for $2.00 each, which is a great price for a frozen dinner.

 

So all in all, for whatever reason Shoppers Drug Mart decided to re-brand their brand, I think it was a great move.  I love the frozen dinners and I would highly recommend everyone to try them!

image from Shoppers Drug Mart website

Blenz Bandz: a fun idea!

I absolutely love coffee, as many other people do.  So when I was in Vancouver last week, it was no surprise that I wanted to get a coffee while I was out and about touring the city.  Vancouver has a Starbucks on nearly every corner, however, they also have a coffee chain named Blenz.  Since we don't have Blenz here in Winnipeg, I wanted to try it out.  The atmosphere is similar to Starbucks, as are the prices.  However, they had a special campaign that Starbucks didn't have.  Since Valentine's Day falls in February, Blenz decided to play on the holiday, but in a non-traditional way.

With all hot beverages, most people use sleeves since the drinks are too hot to hold on their own.  Well if you are single, then you can use the special red Blenz sleeve that allows you to write your name and phone number on it.  By using a red sleeve you are able to identify the singles in the coffee shop and you can choose to leave a person your sleeve.  There are posters explaining the campaign when you walk in to let you know the deal with the sleeves.

Social media is also heavily involved with this campaign.  There are Facebook and Twitter links, along with the potential to win prizes.  There is even a QR code to scan for more information.

I thought it was a neat campaign that took a different path to celebrate Valentine's Day.  The coffee is also very good as well!