From today’s National Post:
The image of a gigantic Canadian flag in a crowd of federalists lasts just seconds in the new Toyota ad, but fears that it would "polarize" viewers prompted the automobile maker to pull the spot from the Quebec market this week.
The advertising campaign, conceived by Saatchi and Saatchi of Toronto, was always intended to feature a distinctive French-language spot for Quebec, said Rebecca Wu, a marketing strategist for Toyota Canada.
For example, the French ad shows a stand selling organic fruit instead of the flag from the unity rally, and footage of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrating a World Series victory is cut. (Despite Quebec's lack of enthusiasm for the royal family, a shot of Prince Charles and Princess Diana survives in the French version.)
Ms. Wu said a communication error caused the version intended for the rest of Canada to be screened in Montreal's English-language theatres. There were no complaints, and Toyota officials were unaware of the situation until a Quebec reporter alerted them. "As soon as we found out that it was running in English-language theatres in Quebec, we promptly asked to have it removed," she said.
----
You might want to read this article I published three years ago on the subject of taking the nationalism tack in advertising.
Comments