1 percent is a big number

Change initiatives based on consumers voting with their dollars can be very powerful. Businesses that participate in 1% For The Planet do just what the name suggests: they donate 1% of their gross sales to non-profit organizations involved in environmental initiatives. Visit www.onepercentfortheplanet.org for more information.

How do you get your Christmas tree noticed?

It's not news when you put up a Christmas tree in your hotel lobby. But money talks. When you adorn the tree with $250,000 worth of Swarovski ornaments, you get local news coverage. A clever tactic by the Rosewood Hotel Georgia in Vancouver.

CVS/pharmacy takes a stand on tobacco

I was in New York earlier this week and noticed that CVS/pharmacy has become the first national pharmacy in the USA to stop selling tobacco products. According to their news release:

"Ending the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at CVS/pharmacy is the right thing for us to do for our customers and our company to help people on their path to better health," said Larry J. Merlo, President and CEO, CVS Caremark. "Put simply, the sale of tobacco products is inconsistent with our purpose."

Smoking is the leading cause of premature death in the United States with more than 480,000 deaths annually. So hats-off to CVS for taking a stand on what should be obvious to everyone: companies in the health care space should not be selling products that are proven to cause harm.

More art in public places

These sketches are posted in the change room at the Levis store in the Meat Packing District of NYC. It's fun local art in an unexpected place.

"Scent marketing" a bad idea

When my wife and I checked-in to a Yaletown-area hotel in Vancouver, we noticed a perfumed odour in the air. The next morning, we both woke up with splitting headaches (which has never happened before). The scent had made both of us ill, so we checked-out and got some fresh air. Problem solved.

I learned that some hotels now inject scents into the interior air through their ventilation systems in a new trend called "scent marketing". Apparently, the scent gives customers a point of differentiation and positive association with the location.

I'm not normally sensitive to perfumes, but many people are. In some jurisdictions, this sort of sensitivity is actually considered a disability. Aggravating people with disabilities is generally a bad idea!

Pinkyotto mannequin stands out in a crowd

I've said it a million times: You can't stand out in a crowd by being like everyone else in the crowd. This pinkyotto store mannequin stands out in the endless window displays along Prince Street in NYC.

National payroll week yet another creative ripoff?

It's already getting a little tired. Keep calm and (fill in the blank here). Will this slogan become as overused as (fill in the blank) Busters and Got (fill in the blank)? Probably.

But at least this ad takes a bizarre, obscure, boring-but-self-proclaimed-important topic and makes it fun / noticeable.

Aerial advertising in NYC

When you're doing business in a city with one of the densest populations in the world, it's good to keep in mind that potential customers are everywhere. Even above you.

Abortion by mail

I suspect nobody missed this recent New York Times Magazine cover. It's brilliant and provocative!

BC SPCA slogan gets to the point

Here's some more great thinking from the BC SPCA.

Doggie daycare solves two problems

Here's a great win-win problem-solving idea. People attending the farmers' market in Ganges village on Salt Spring Island can't leave their dogs in their cars on hot, sunny days. They can't take them to the market either because it's contrary to health regulations. So the BC SPCA has set up a doggie day care at the market as a fund raiser. The SPCA makes a few dollars and the pet owners keep their dogs safe from a hot car interior.

Whole Foods wants you to skip the shopping bag and support local charities

This Whole Foods store on Robson Street in Vancouver appeals to your sense of social responsibility by donating 10 cents to charity each time you forego a disposable shopping bag. Great idea! Not sure if other Whole Foods locations are doing the same thing. If you do decide you need a bag, it's biodegradable paper.

You are what you eat. And you are what you eat, ate.

Another clever sign. This one at Morningside Bakery on Salt Spring Island.

More creative signage

While we're on the topic of creative signage, here's another one that puts a fun spin on a tired message.

notafactory.com

Kudos to Hope Hill Farm for such a clever web site address!

Got creativity?

People who rip off a great creative advertising slogan don't normally get my respect. But I'll make an exception with this.

What happens in Vancouver stays in Vancouver

I was one of the people who stood in line for hours at Dominique Ansel's pastry shop shortly after he unleashed his cronut craze on NYC. It wasn't my idea to invest that much time cueing for his cross between a doughnut and a croissant, but my taste buds were glad I did.

Now, another clever idea is surfacing in Vancouver. Beta 5 is selling their new take on the lowly cream puff. This diet-busting pastry is by-far the guiltiest thing I've ever tasted. It tastes way better than skinny feels.

Sustainable produce delivery gets it half right

While I applaud spud.ca for their innovation, it's unfortunate that such a delivery service should need to exist. In a perfect world, people living in dense urban centers like Vancouver should be able to walk or cycle to their neighbourhood store and buy local organic produce. Just one suggestion here: the monster van kind of negates the sustainable theme. Electric vehicles or cargo bikes might be more appropriate delivery methods.

Hold the plastic! Butcher's Daughter deli offers boxed water.

The bottled water industry has taken a lot of heat over plastic bottles. Could this be a solution? I trust this packaging is recyclable. Kudos to the Butcher's Daughter deli in NYC for trying something different.

Advertising interest rates is boring. But Interac nails it.

When I worked in marketing and advertising in the financial services industry, one of the ongoing challenges was doing something interesting and clever with interest rates to attract attention while delivering a poignant message. Even harder: do it in less than eight words and make it readable at a glance on a billboard. Here's a great recent example of a well-executed billboard in Vancouver from Interac.