When corporate social responsibility, celebrities and engaging advertising meet.

I’m a big fan of BOS’ advertising for St-Hubert BBQ in Québec. I can’t say that I’m a Céline Dion fan but the way this campaign leverages some of Québec’s celebrities to highlight the restaurant chain’s corporate social responsibility is smart.

There’s nothing new about using well-known individuals in your ads who donate their fee to the charity of their choice. Harry Rosen does it well with the business crowd with ads featuring, among others, Robert Deluce, President and CEO of Porter Airlines and Rob Guenette, CEO of Taxi.

Yet the primary purpose is to showcase Harry’s clothes and link the retailer’s brand to the image of success.  “Innovators in their respective fields who share the belief that maintaining their own personal brand in uncertain times is integral to projecting confidence and ensuring success as leaders.” (Source: Harry Rosen’s press release)

The St-Hubert campaign goes further. It seamlessly combines brand sell, celebrity endorsement and the company’s corporate social responsibility strategy. If you think that I’m giving St-Hubert and its agency too much credit, read the company’s position on CSR, watch three of the spots in this campaign and draw your own conclusions.

Social responsibility

For more than 55 years, St-Hubert has been an enduring favourite among Québec consumers of all ages and has become an integral part of our culture. The Company is keenly aware of its responsibility to look beyond corporate interests and contribute to the sustainable development of the society in which it operates. St-Hubert is committed to fulfilling an important philanthropic role by helping to improve the quality of life in communities where it maintains a presence. Through involvement in economic, cultural and social development initiatives, St-Hubert gives back to communities and to the families and children living in them.

Philosophy

St-Hubert devotes at least 1% of its before-tax profits to social and community projects. The Company focuses its efforts and resources on empowering partner organizations in their charitable work. St-Hubert is also involved in innovative projects that share its core values of respect, passion, integrity, pleasure, authenticity, creativity, team spirit and a customer-centric approach.

Community commitment

- Assist organizations and foundations whose causes touch various communities in Québec.
- Prioritize assistance for non-profit organizations and charities.
- Direct financial contributions toward the areas of: Health / Welfare, Education / Arts and culture, Environment

The St-Hubert spots can be viewed on Infopresse’s website. Click on the links below.

• Celebrity endorsement: Céline Dion
• Brand sell: The diva and her sisters evidently enjoy St-Hubert’s food and the Dion look-alike waitress reminds us of the restaurant’s convivial atmosphere.
• Link to CSR: Ms. Dion’s fee is donated to the Association québécoise de la fibrose kystique  

Click here to view the spot.

• Celebrity endorsement: Louis-José Houde  
• Brand sell: The comedian loves St-Hubert’s chicken so much he’s unusually quiet.
• Link to CSR: Mr. Houde’s fee is donated to L’Oasis and Oxfam-Québec.

 

 Click here to view the spot.

• Celebrity endorsement: Claude Dubois
• Brand sell: The lyrics in the singer’s famous song dramatize the St-Hubert experience and how it is part of the community.
• Link to CSR: Mr. Dubois’s fee is donated to la fondation du Camp musical des Laurentides.

Click here to view the spot.

 

Comments

[Marie-Claude Ducas]

I also like this one, with playwright Michel Tremblay, which is a pastiche of a scene in his play "Françoise Durocher, waitress":
http://www2.infopresse.com/blogs/actualites/archive/2008/09/16/article-28343.aspx
And this campaign is becoming quite a phenomenon: at the beginning, the agency had to ask some artists if they wanted to play in a St-Hubert ad; now, it is the artists that contact Bos, saying they want to take part in the campaign.