Paris Hilton was in Montreal last weekend to promote her new line of footwear at a downtown Browns Shoes store where she also declared Montreal “ a beautiful city”. If you’re interested in Ms. Hilton's insights into her life, politics and her friend Britney, read Mathew Hays’ article in the Globe & Mail - Entertainment
Paris Hilton’s declaration that the city is “beautiful” must make the folks at Tourism Montreal very happy. The organization is launching a new campaign to promote Montreal to Torontonians, New Yorkers and Bostonians. Unlike the usual tourism ads where “beautiful” refers to landscapes, landmarks or architecture, this campaign seems to emphasize the beautiful latte-sipping people of Montreal with gorgeous shoes. A contrast from the bland, grey folks you presumably find in Toronto, New York and Boston. It’s an interesting departure from the typical “Paris without the jet lag” ads attempting to convince the same target that a weekend in Montreal is like a weekend in Paris.
Is this a cliché about Montreal or is there more “beauty” there?
Since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I won’t answer. But survey data paint an interesting portrait of Quebeckers and the importance of looking good.
An Ipsos-Reid survey from 2004 revealed that 75% of Quebeckers agreed with the statement “I’m high maintenance, I constantly make an effort to look and smell great” while only 38% of Canadians in the rest of the country agreed. Data from the Print Measurement Bureau supports this finding: 18% of Quebec women “don’t feel complete without perfume” compared to only 12% of women English Canada.
77% of women in Quebec agree with the statement “I always make the time to shop for clothes that are exactly right for me” while 56% of women in the ROC do so.
If looking young actually looks better, Quebec women are more concerned about looking younger. Almost twice as many women in Quebec (36% vs. 19%) agree with the statement “I want to do everything I possibly can to look ten to fifteen years younger.”
Yet it seems that Quebec women aren’t significantly more interested in cosmetic surgery than women in the rest of the country. An Ipsos Reid survey conducted for CanWest News Service in 2007 indicated that the provinces and regions where having plastic surgery is most desired were: British Columbia and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (24%), Quebec (21%) and Alberta and Ontario (20%).
No question, Montreal is by far the most stylish city in Canada, which contributes to its beauty. I work in market research and when I travel to Montreal for business I consistently see "the average person" is better dressed and with a lot more flair.
Posted by: Allison Hunt | April 08, 2008 at 11:17 AM