Shikatani Lacroix
The offerings help companies develop marketing strategies designed to resonate with customers, Lacroix says. The agency also assists clients in identifying the leading packaging, retail and digital trends that affect their branding initiatives. “There’s more choices for consumers, so there’s more challenges for retailers,” he says.
A Range of Clients
Shikatani Lacroix has worked on projects across numerous market segments, including the development of Tim Hortons’ new retail urban concept, the creation of a brand identity for Moosehead Breweries’ Moose Light Radler, the brand transformation of electronics retailer The Source, and the creation of a packaging design framework to revitalize the brand image of Montellier sparkling mineral water. “We cross every discipline, every channel,” Lacroix says.
Shikatani Lacroix works with a wide assortment of clients because of the comprehensive knowledge it has amassed over the years, Lacroix says. “We’re in kind of a unique position,” he notes. “We really understand what motivates consumers to make buying decisions. It is possible to track; we have a behavioral model that we use.”
For example, the agency maintains that “80 percent of [consumer] motivation is based in emotion,” Lacroix says. Indeed, the color or shape of a product play a significant role in a consumer’s decision to make a purchase. “Most people shop because they want to find something exciting, something new,” he says. Even something as basic as how consumers enter a store – most walk to the right – plays into Shikatani Lacroix’s advice to clients, he says.
“The decision to make a purchase is driven by emotion and it is made in the blink of an eye,” Lacroix says. Shikatani Lacroix calls this the Blink Factor™. Coupled with its ThinkBlink process, “it drives us to help our clients own the moment-of-purchase,” Lacroix says. The ThinkBlink process leverages the power of inherent emotional connections at the point of purchase, Lacroix says. Consisting of three main phases, the process builds on the learning and insights from each preceding phase: define strategy, design creative and deliver results. “The ThinkBlink process defines the steps we take to connect market opportunities with flawless design execution,” Lacroix explains.
Revitalizing the Blue Jays
Shikatani Lacroix’s relationship with the Toronto Blue Jays is one example of how the agency employed its vast understanding of the marketplace and consumers to help revitalize a brand.
The Blue Jays had a remarkable 2015 season, winning 93 games, posting two 11-game winning streaks and significantly improving their lineup by making major trades before the trade deadline. The result was a trip to the American League Championship Series, where they fell two games short of reaching the World Series. Indeed, the Blue Jays were back in a big way, and there was no better time to market the red-hot team and tap into renewed passion for the organization.
Although nothing trumps winning to renew fan interest and passion, Shikatani Lacroix has played a major role in recent years to help the Blue Jays reconnect with the city. The team struggled for several years to regain the energy from its back-to-back World Series wins in 1992 and 1993. Lack of momentum undermined the organization’s ability to invest in new programs. It wasn’t until Rogers Communications’ purchased the team did a sense of opportunity and excitement emerge. Shikatani Lacroix partnered with the Blue Jays to increase affinity for the brand and showcase its community involvement.
Shikatani Lacroix has worked closely with the team on multiple initiatives over the years, most recently designing an immersive digital retail experience for the Blue Jays’ official team shop at CF Toronto Eaton Centre.
In 2007, Shikatani Lacroix developed a 10,000-square-foot flagship stadium store at Rogers Centre. Three years later, the agency created a multimedia season ticket recognition wall at Rogers Centre. In 2011, the company was engaged as a design partner to build various community spaces for the Jays Care Foundation to support its involvement with a number of children’s charities and community groups. In 2014, Shikatani Lacroix designed the standalone flagship Jays Shop in CF Toronto Eaton Centre.
Shikatani Lacroix’s overarching marketing objectives in the Blue Jays campaigns were to:
- Reinforce the leadership position and Canadian equities linked to the Toronto Blue Jays;
- Create branded experiences that celebrate the history of the team and its contribution to MLB; and
- Support a platform that drives incremental sales and revenues throughout the year.
The Toronto Blue Jays are one of many longtime Shikatani Lacroix clients who have found success through increased sales and brand loyalty by resonating with their customers and connecting with them in the blink of an eye.