Is anyone as annoying as Dr. Phil and his wife Robin? Apparently the Body Break couple could use a break. “Canada’s answer to Dr. Phil would have to be Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod,” writes Shannon McKinnon in the Williams Lake Tribune (Google cache of Bodybreak article.) McKinnon accuses the Bodybreak duo — Hal Johnson […]

Olympia Restaurant is embroiled in a trademark battle with the Vancouver Olympic Committee. Olympia Restaurant’s sign and logo use flames, rings and a torch, elements that also appearch in trademarks of the Olympics. The Canadian Olympic Committee has trademarks going back several years — 1985, 1995, and so on. For 20 years, the Olympic Committee […]

Bowls for dieters seem like a pretty good idea. Studio Panepinto has some cool bowls for sale. The portion-specific dishes usually come as a set, but you can also buy them as singles. I got a chuckle out of the caption, though: “Singles come in sets of two.” (c) 2006 by Andrea Coutu. Vancouver Marketing […]

In Vancouver, several companies offer marketing and communications services. Upon closer examination, these companies turn out to be advertising, PR, graphic design, web or copywriting firms. And that’s great if you’re looking for a communications company. But marketing means more than just marketing communications. True marketing involves connecting buyers to sellers. Yet, because of their […]

Ideas for email marketing from a Vancouver marketing consultant. Email marketing tips can help your marketing programs stand out. People like to buy from people they know, like and trust. The trick with email marketing is to make your marketing campaign work hard to build the tenets of that relationship. To build credibility through copywriting, […]

Magazine photos of models retouched in Photoshop — maybe you’ve heard of them. Via Lisa Manfield, my long-time client, comes this before and after reveal of a mock magazine cover. I asked her about the reveal. “I think it’s great that someone has taken the time to really showcase what goes on behind the lens […]

Brady Bunch – Wal-Mart commercial song. Wal-Mart’s got a new TV ad series that features a cover of the hit 70s “Time to Change” song by the Brady Brunch. If you’ve long forgotten the song that launched the Brady Six to stardom, here’s a refresher from the chorus: When it’s time to change (when it’s […]

The man who plays the mutton-chopped, ale-obsessed Scot in the Alexander Keith’s beer commercials has been arrested on charges of child pornography. Robert Norman Smith was allegedly caught in an undercover police sting involving people who were downloading child pornography from the Internet. The accused is innocent until proven guilty. However, Keith’s parent company, Labbatt’s, […]

The Canadian Tire Guy is gone. Canadian Tire has dropped him their campaigns. According to the Globe, the Canadian Tire Guy — Ted — and his wife — Gloria — will no longer show up in ads. Am I the only one who didn’t know these characters had names? As regular readers know, I’ve written […]

Coal Harbour Community Centre recently merged its website with Vancouver’s West End Community Centre and Barclay Manor. Up till the merger, you could find the Coal Harbour Community Centre simplying by searching for “Coal Harbour” in Google. Now it only comes up if you search for “Coal Harbour Community” or “Coal Harbour Community Centre” – […]