What Québec Wants™

Starbucks' glocal brand

Howard Schultz, Starbucks' chairman, president, and chief executive officer had much to say during his talk this morning about his company's turnaround.

He was categorical about how the Starbucks brand experience is globally relevant and should remain so: "The Starbucks customer wants the global Starbucks coffee experience and doesn't want it changed to suit local tastes". He added "what many multinationals fail to understand is you must have local relevancy with the consumer and must have a local management team."

Ten years ago, Starbucks in Québec seemed to be have been adopting a different strategy with its 'Mélange Mont-Royal Blend', a coffee blend specifically for the tastes of the local and regional market.

He made a point about how a blue-chip consulting firm hired to advise on Starbucks' entry into Japan had recommended against it because Japanese coffee drinkers wouldn't patronize a coffee shop where smoking is banned. The consultants were wrong. It must have strengthened his conviction that customers want the global Starbucks experience no matter what.

Howard Schultz's new book is titled Onward - How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul. 

Québec’s cheap chic and saintly chicken are coming to Toronto.

The Globe's ROB reports that La Maison Simons department stores will open a store in the West Edmonton Mall in 2012, the first of about a dozen planned for the rest of Canada, including Toronto. The Québec City-based retailer is betting that its mix of cheap-chic styles and pricey designer lines will resonate outside Québec. Simons is an institution in Québec City and it has obviously done very well in Montréal if it's expanding in the RoC.

If it succeeds, it won't be the first apparel retailer to go west from Québec City. Holt Renfrew did the same many years ago. Simons was founded in 1840 and Holts was founded in 1837. Holts’ first store was on rue Buade and Simons’ was, and still is, on côte de la Fabrique.

According to the same article in the Globe, Mr. Simons and his team have done their research and will adjust their assortment for Edmontonians' taste, and their waist size - people in that city are on average two sizes bigger than Quebeckers. See this previous post about Quebeckers BMI (Body Mass Index).

Talking about waist size, St-Hubert BBQ, with its rotisserie chicken and decadent desserts, is also heading west. Actually, it is returning to Toronto since it appears it has nowhere else to go in Québec. St-Hubert had a few restaurants in Toronto, one on The Queensway and one on Avenue Road at Lawrence. If you have grown up with St-Hubert in Québec, let's just say it's hard to crave Swiss Chalet's chicken. Both locations were shut down although the Queensway location still looks like a St-Hubert from a distance.

According to various articles in La Presse and Le Journal de Montréal, St-Hubert plans to open three “Express” locations in Toronto’s suburbs in 2012.

The battle against Swiss Chalet will be a tough one but Ontarians might just find St-Hubert’s chicken irresistible judging by the reviews on Chowdown.

Here’s what one fan wrote

I'm sorry but I am one of those non-Quebecois that love the occasional pilgrimmage to the chicken church, fault me for that if you must, but there you have it.I will admit that the Avenue Rd. location was a bit depressing looking, but the Queenway saint has kept up with the corporate image and is (imo) more inviting and warm than Swiss Chalet. I also prefer St.Hubert's chicken, as the chalet chicken always tends to be a tad too pink for comfort. And DAMMIT!! you get all you can eat coleslaw, and it's good! They also have pudding chomeur, which I admit I have had better elsewhere, but it will do in a pinch. I just hope that the Queensway location doesn't close.

 

Logo fatigue

 

Could Starbucks go from catering to ‘familiar strangers’ to becoming ‘strangely familiar’ to its customers?

Organizations have to update their visual identity from time to time.

Yellow Pages had to evolve, as it no longer dropped these thick phone books at your door allowing your fingers to do the walking.

Federal Express went short when it decided to be called what people called it; FedEx. Gaz Métropolitain did the same in Québec; Gaz Métro.

Tim Horton’s dropped the apostrophe when it moved into Québec; Tim Hortons.

Some brands try to look younger by contemporizing their identity with what is essentially minor surgery. Betty Crocker and Aunt Jemima had makeovers over the years.

Others end up looking older and perhaps wiser by reclaiming parts of their past with references to their heritage.

Others have no choice but to create something new following a “merger of equals” which it rarely is.

I get that Starbucks wants to align its visual identity with its strategic direction of broadening its core business beyond coffee. But I’m not so sure that this requires the coffee chain to drop both its name and the word coffee from its logo. Academics were quoted yesterday in the extensive press coverage the change is generating (the change's real purpose?) saying that Starbucks is more than coffee, it’s an experience. True. But it’s likely to remain an experience rooted in coffee culture for a long time. Starbucks coined an expression to refer to this experience: the familiar stranger. A reference to regular customers known to baristas only by the way they take their coffee. Let’s hope Starbucks doesn’t become simply strangely familiar to its customers.

By the way, I was interviewed on French CBC radio this morning on this topic. It’s called Radio-Canada despite being in the television and webTV business…

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Here's a very clever take on what we can expect next from Starbucks - by Tim Nudd on Adfreak.com

 

How do you take your coffee?

While taste matters most to all Canadians, Québec coffee drinkers give more importance to ambiance than coffee drinkers in the rest of Canada.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between September 17th and 21st, 2010, on behalf of McDonalds Canada.

Handmade breakfast

Here's a billboard anyone driving around Montreal these days can't miss. As always, it features Cora herself introducing us to one of her creations. But it's the headline that caught my attention: Déjeuners faits à la main.

 

The French version of the website repeats the claim with "Brillamment fait à la main" (Brilliantly made by hand - the translation is mine.) But the English version invites us to "start your day with a star" - presumably a reference to the star-shaped fruit that tops this dish.

 

So why the "handmade" reference in French? Aren't all of Cora's breakfasts made by hand? Aren't most restaurant breakfasts made by hand?

Mea culpa advertising

PR experts call it the three R’s of crisis management: Regret, Responsibility and Remedial action.

This is usually the advice given to those caught cheating, stealing or lying.

It appears the strategy can also pay off when a brand is simply admitting it made a bad product and is intent on changing it for the better.

Many were skeptical when Domino’s Pizza revamped its menu and improved its pizza. While quality improvement is certainly not a novel strategy for a brand plagued by negative perceptions, a television campaign based on a candid admission that your product was ‘bad, tasted like cardboard, was mass produced, boring and bland’ was refreshingly honest.

All indications are that it worked.

According to the Wall Street Journal, despite tough competition from Pizza Hut and Papa John’s, the pizza giant boasted its most lucrative fourth-quarter earnings – producing twice as many sales, better margins, and lower interest expenses.

Honesty pays (at least, that’s what Quebeckers say)

Yankelovich asked Canadians which of two statements they agreed more with:

I believe that the best way to get along is not to tell people exactly what you think of them

50% of English Canadians agreed more with this statement compared to 13% of French Canadians.

It’s best at all times to be honest with people

49% of English Canadians agreed more with this statement compared to 87% of French Canadians.

Get iFat

If you’ve had to eat in a typical US airport in between flights, you’ve seen the rows of quick service restaurant counters and witnessed what repeated indulgence at some of these establishments will do to your waist size.

Now there’s a web based tool designed to help you chose your meal from your favourite restaurant. Called Fatburgr, the site and iPhone application act as a repository of nutrition information for ‘all your favorite restaurants’.

The name Fatburgr and some of the headlines on the website give you an idea of who’s targeted here... Find Your Food, Jiggle Less.

And the portrayal of the typical restaurant patron leaves no doubt.

 

Quebeckers and restaurant types

Here is where French-speaking Quebeckers say they’ve eaten up to 4 times in the past month according to PMB 2009 (and the comparison with the restaurant habits of Canadians in the ROC). You can see the 'St-Hubert effect'...

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.

 

Quebeckers and quick service restaurants

It gets ratings for TV networks and it sells newspapers (or it simply provide provocative content for the free dailies). I’m talking about the type of hidden camera investigation you see on Dateline NBC.

Le Journal de Montreal takes it to the next level with its sensationalist stories usually involving undercover reporters. There was the stunt last January where a reporter pretended to be a unilingual anglophone and still managed to get job offers from 15% of the retailers she applied with. It got a lot of attention from other media and politicians in the province. As several commentators pointed out, no one talked about the fact that 85% of the retailers approached actually declined to hire her because she did not speak French. Read Fagstein’s blog for his views on this and interesting comments on this story. Journal-does-it-again

Then a month later, Le Journal de Montreal attempted to repeat the stunt but this time couldn’t distort the findings for effect.

Instead of a reporter, they hired Thierry Daraize, a chef who has worked at such fine establishments as the Ritz-Carlton and le Club St-Denis, to work at three fast food restaurants “incognito”: KFC, Burger King and McDonalds.

His big findings?

Speed wins over quality. Grease is involved in the process. Things are pre-cut to save time. Some of the food is pre-cooked and kept warm. Drinks are a mix of syrup and carbonated water. Quel scandal!

It got the front page of the Journal and not much else. You can view photos of Chef Daraize in various uniforms at Journal de Montreal

It was a silly stunt and Quebeckers learned nothing from it. They’re already well aware that they shouldn’t overindulge in fast food.

The findings from Stats Can’s Canadian Community Health Survey on Nutrition released in 2006 showed that Quebeckers adopt a more moderate approach to fast food.

In general Canadian diets are similar across provinces but the study also found some notable differences:

Quebecers eat less fast food than other Canadians, 18 per cent compared to 25 per cent. Ontarians were above average with 29 per cent of adults reporting they had eaten at a fast-food outlet in the previous 24 hours.

Quebec residents get a smaller proportion of their calories from snacks than other regions - 20 per cent for adults, compared to 26 in the Atlantic provinces. Twenty-three per cent is the national average.

Vegetarians in Quebec get a facelift and a drink.

The Quebec-based vegetarian restaurant chain Le Commensal www.commensal.com unveiled a new look described as trendier and friendlier. Le Commensal believes its brand is “nutritious, ethical, organic and conscientious” and that “health starts with what people eat”. That principle has obviously been extended to what people drink as the chain is now introducing a wine bar (offering organic wines of course).

Founded in 1977, Le Commensal moved into frozen meals sold in grocery stores in 1998. Its President, Pierre Marc Tremblay, had this to say about the brand’s future: “People who want to eat healthy will know, beyond a doubt, that our
foods are good for them, that the brand has integrity, and that the
ingredients are authentic and delicious.” CNW Release.

I’ve always loved Le Commensal and I’d patronize its Toronto location if it were next door to our offices. But I always feel the sting when the cashier weighs my plate. Why does healthy have to cost so much more? Quebeckers generally want healthier food options but find it difficult to do so. A 2005 survey by Ipsos Reid revealed that 59% of Quebeckers (significantly more than Canadians in the ROC) agreed with the statement “I know it’s important to make healthy food choices, but I find it hard to do so.” Perhaps what makes it hard is the price. In the same survey, 67% of Quebeckers disagreed with the statement “Healthier food options cost the same as regular ones” (significantly higher than in the ROC).

On a related point…

Le Commensal also announced that “to personalize its new image on the advertising level” it had recruited Josée Lavigueur to “add credibility and visibility”. Ms Lavigueur is well known as a physical activity enthusiast in Quebec.

There’s an interesting pattern here: why is it that advertisers anxious to promote healthy living and eating in Quebec all choose attractive blond women to do so? Le Commensal has Josée Lavigueur. Bon Matin bread has Marie-Josée Taillefer. And MangezQuebec.com has Annie Broccoli.