Mark’s who? You might ask…

Over the past couple of years Mark’s has dropped the ‘Work Wearhouse’ from its name and begun a series of store renovations across the country. Why the change? Mark’s wants to better represent the variety of fashionable and innovative apparel that the brand offers up to Canadians for everyday living.

To get Canadians talking about the NEW Mark’s, the High Road team hung a clothesline in Calgary, grabbed Mark’s models to walk the runway in Toronto and took media on a behind-the-scenes tour of the newly renovated stores in Calgary.

Mark’s hosted an exclusive event on September 15 in Calgary to celebrate the recent reinventions of all 14 Calgary locations. Held at the flagship store, media were invited for a night of Mark’s festivities, which included a media styling challenge, a specially prepared Mark’s-tini cocktail and a tour of the stores latest innovations. Mark’s executives, including president Paul Wilson and vice-president of operations Wendy Bennison, were also on hand to talk with media about all recent changes at Mark’s and the vision for the brand.

During the event, media experienced several new features of the store including the highly anticipated walk-in freezer where customers can test out the Mark’s cold weather apparel like the T-Max vests. With over 15 media outlets in attendance, the event was a great success and gave Mark’s the opportunity to introduce the new Calgary stores in a fashionable and oh-so-fun way!

In Toronto, Mark’s brightened up Yonge and Dundas square on a cloudy September day by hosting three fashion shows featuring exclusive looks from the new fall/winter collection. Models walked the runway in Mark’s latest Perfect Fit underwear, Denver Hayes Soft lounge wear, yoga wear, business casual and winter looks, while host Lisa Rogers discussed the new innovative features and styles that define Mark’s clothing. Street teams stood at each corner of the square handing out 20 per cent off coupons for Mark’s in celebration of the newly renovated Eaton’s Centre location. The chance to win a $1,000 Mark’s fashion makeover got people stopping at the Mark’s tent and signing up for the contest while winning a free piece of T-Max socks in the process.

From outerwear to underwear the show had it all, and consumers flocked to the newly renovated Eaton’s Centre location to pick up the latest looks from Mark’s.

Finally, Mark’s returned home to Calgary on October 13 to set up a 150-ft. clothesline on Stephen Ave. with 350 pieces of FREE clothing up for grabs. The clothesline boasted a variety of Mark’s innovations including Perfectly Pressed shirts, T-Max vests and DH Soft sweaters for both men and women. Fashion host, BR Pirri was on hand to help Calgarians pull pieces of Mark’s clothing from the line to thank them for their loyalty and support of the Mark’s brand over the last 30 years. Within 35 minutes all of the clothing had been pulled from the line and Calgarians went home happy, with new clothing in hand.

Next up for Mark’s? Mark’s Winter Look book comes out just in time for the holiday season previewing styles for holiday parties, nights by the fireplace and outerwear to brave the Canadian winter. Stay tuned and happy shopping!

It seems like World Wrestling Entertainment has found a new way to connect with their fans outside of their traditional television programs and PPV shows – they’re laying a smack down with social media, and it’s creating quite a buzz.

While the WWE’s popularity and profits have waned in recent years thanks in part to a fickle fan base and stiff competition from the UFC, they’ve come up with an interesting way to strengthen their brand and add a sense of realism to the scripted spectacle of professional wrestling.  A little context is needed:

Former WWE champion C.M. Punk created a stir at a recent WWE event when he gave a scathing on-air review of the company and the way it operated.  He won the title on the final night he was under contract with the WWE, forfeited it, and promptly left the company.  Or did he?

Fast forward two weeks:  The ousted champ showed up unannounced at a WWE panel at San Diego’s Comic Con.  Armed with a video camera (and an excellent guerrilla marketing strategy), he stormed into the panel and challenged another high profile wrestler to a bout.  But his videographer wasn’t the only one documenting the showdown.  Upon his entrance, seemingly half the room whipped out their smartphones and started rolling.  Within minutes, several different videos were posted on Youtube and Twitter, drawing the eyes of not only the wrestling world, but many old fans who had said “uncle” and quit the WWE a long time ago.

This particular digital strategy was a stroke of genius for the WWE, as it accomplished a few key things:

1)      It added a much needed element of realism to their product, something that’s been called into question over and over again.  They have deliberately taken to not mentioning the former champ’s name in their on-air programming  moving forward, lending credibility to the fact that this isn’t all staged (which in fact it is).  But is it interesting, blurring the lines and drawing eyes? Absolutely.

2)      Using Youtube and Twitter adds another layer for the fan base to engage with the WWE brand.  As a result of this stunt, many of these fans were able to post their videos of the showdown on Twitter and Youtube – the fans were allowed to break the news and add their voices to the narrative. What brand wouldn’t want such an engaged consumer?

3)      It’s  created a great ROI.  No major network television channels involved.  No expensive lights, cameras, and crews needed.  A camera, a compelling character, and an internet connection did the trick.

4)      It created a buzz, plain and simple.  Where will he strike next?  What will he do?  You had better check Twitter as he’s probably already hinting at it now.

You can watch the video here:

This is a great bit of engagement on behalf of the WWE, which highlights the fact that brands need to think outside the box and utilize all communication tools that are at their disposal.  It could even end up saving them from going down for the proverbial ten count…

May 3rd was a milestone for the Toronto cycling community, as the BIXI bicycle share service debuted in Toronto. BIXI unleashed 1,000 bicycles at 80 pick-up stations on Toronto streets, with a helping hand from lead sponsor TELUS.

Despite a federal election and steady rain, biking enthusiasts and journalists came out in record numbers to the official press conference held on Ryerson’s University campus. City counsellors, BIXI representatives and sponsors, including TELUS’ own Anne-Marie LaBerge, enthusiastically discussed how the easy and accessible bike sharing program will allow Torontonians to stay active in their day to day lives, beat traffic and help better the environment!

With several broadcast crews, top print outlets, and a range of key online outlets in attendance, the kick-off press conference was a major success, and plenty of TELUS branded bikes and helmets ensured Torontonians will be fully aware that TELUS is to thank for this nifty new public transport option.