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Issues & Experts Archive > Week of April 1 – 8, 2002
Week of April 1 – 8, 2002
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Apr 03, 2002
Recovering from a health scare…Ads of apology for the health food scare that has so far motivated about 5,000 people in Vancouver to get vaccinated are appearing on radio and in newspapers. Capers, the organic food store where a food handler was diagnosed with Hepatitis A last week, is placing the ads. There have been no other confirmed cases linked to Capers. However, SFU marketing expert Judith Zaichkowsky says Capers is likely facing a marketing nightmare in terms of shoring up its consumers’ confidence following the health scare. "They will hurt big time in the short run and also in the long run unless they do something special to get the customer back inside," says Zaichkowsky. "Capers will also have to do something to assure their screening of their help to convince the public this is a one-time thing beyond the store’s control." Zaichkowsky notes other food stores have experienced similar health scares. Their recovery, she says, was linked to their ability to accomplish what she predicts Capers must do.
Judith Zaichkowsky, 604.291.4493, judith_zaichkowsky@sfu.ca
Luring media might…"You can’t buy advertising coverage like that," says SFU business administration professor Lindsay Meredith about the media interest buzzing around IKEA’s newest outlet in the Lower Mainland. Meredith can comment on the importance of media involvement in major business events such as the opening of IKEA’s second regional outlet in Coquitlam. The store covers several hundred thousand square feet and boasts 10,000 shopping carts. "When you’re investing the kind of money IKEA is into creating a megastore you want to count on more than advertising dollars to hook the public," says Meredith. "You need the kind of endorsement that comes from unpaid media interest in the opening." Meredith also cautions other megastores, such as Wal-Mart and COSTCO better watch out for the new kid on the block.
Lindsay Meredith, 604.291.3653, lindsay_meredith@sfu.ca
Bring on the boycott…As tactics go, do boycotts work? Should, for example, businesses that gave money to the Liberals be boycotted, as some of those who oppose the government’s budget plans suggest? SFU labour historian Mark Leier says the boycott is not an infallible weapon. "It requires organization and responsibility to ensure it doesn’t hurt the very people it seeks to help. But the boycott is an important way for people to exercise their right to choose and to influence governments to do the right thing. It’s a crucial democratic right with a long, honorable and successful history." Leier can look at the evolution of the boycott from its roots in 19th century Ireland to campaigns on a variety of issues, from child labour and sweatshops to political regression.
Mark Leier, 604.291.5827; mark_leier@sfu.ca
Judith Zaichkowsky, 604.291.4493, judith_zaichkowsky@sfu.ca
Luring media might…"You can’t buy advertising coverage like that," says SFU business administration professor Lindsay Meredith about the media interest buzzing around IKEA’s newest outlet in the Lower Mainland. Meredith can comment on the importance of media involvement in major business events such as the opening of IKEA’s second regional outlet in Coquitlam. The store covers several hundred thousand square feet and boasts 10,000 shopping carts. "When you’re investing the kind of money IKEA is into creating a megastore you want to count on more than advertising dollars to hook the public," says Meredith. "You need the kind of endorsement that comes from unpaid media interest in the opening." Meredith also cautions other megastores, such as Wal-Mart and COSTCO better watch out for the new kid on the block.
Lindsay Meredith, 604.291.3653, lindsay_meredith@sfu.ca
Bring on the boycott…As tactics go, do boycotts work? Should, for example, businesses that gave money to the Liberals be boycotted, as some of those who oppose the government’s budget plans suggest? SFU labour historian Mark Leier says the boycott is not an infallible weapon. "It requires organization and responsibility to ensure it doesn’t hurt the very people it seeks to help. But the boycott is an important way for people to exercise their right to choose and to influence governments to do the right thing. It’s a crucial democratic right with a long, honorable and successful history." Leier can look at the evolution of the boycott from its roots in 19th century Ireland to campaigns on a variety of issues, from child labour and sweatshops to political regression.
Mark Leier, 604.291.5827; mark_leier@sfu.ca