What Québec Wants™

Accents and apostrophes

Should anyone care whether food retailer Metro has an acute accent in its name?

Yves Michaud, a well-known activist shareholder in Québec, clearly does. He filed a complaint with the Office québécois de la langue française and was quite vocal at Metro’s annual shareholder meeting held earlier this week.

Metro’s management isn’t budging. It argues that “Metro” (without an accent) has always been its trademark and is neither French nor English. From a strict legal standpoint, Metro is right and l’Office is likely to agree.

What might be surprising to some is not only the media coverage this is generating but also the views expressed in editorials by leading, pro-business publications.

Les Affaires’ François Pouliot asks “What would be the harm in giving Metro a true French name?” He argues that the retailer is a success story and a symbol of Québec Inc. After all, this wouldn’t have to be done overnight but gradually as new signs are installed so that they are “better adapted to Québec’s linguistic landscape” [The translations are mine.] Click here for the full article.

La Presse’s Vincent Brousseau-Pouliot writes that it’s difficult to understand Metro’s position on this. He suggests that Metro could keep its legal name for financial documents and for its operations in Ontario but gradually change its store signs in Québec. Click here for the full article.

Signs are expensive but the two Pouliots seem to forget that there’s far more to having two separate brand visual identities - just ask the folks at Staples/Bureau en Gros, Mark’s/L’Équipeur, Home Outfitters/Déco-Découverte, to name just a few.

Fueling this debate over accents is Quebecor’s recent public musing about adding an acute accent to its name in Québec. The media conglomerate is apparently studying the matter and will likely recommend the change to its board and shareholders.

Apostrophes

Retailers and foodservice operators entering Québec rarely have acute accent issues but they must sometimes deal with having an apostrophe in their name. Tim Horton’s dropped the apostrophe to become Tim Hortons when it entered the Québec market. Few in the rest of Canada seemed to care about the hockey player’s name new spelling. Just as few in Québec seem to care that Restaurant McDonald’s kept the apostrophe in its name.

On the Run

Don’t get me wrong. Language issues matter a great deal in Québec when branding decisions get media attention.

ExxonMobil brands its convenience stores On the Run, unstranslated, around the world, except in Québec, where opposition from the population, despite government sanction, forced Exxon’s local subsidiary to retain the French name Marché Express.

Marketing

Les Affaires’ François Pouliot claims that adding an accent to Métro would be “un bon coup de marketing” (a good marketing move).

It would be if Metro’s customers cared. Judging by the nature of readers’ comments in La Presse, it’s not clear that a majority does. Some rightly point out that even Paris’ Metro is spelled without an accent.
Even if many did care, one would have to assess the cost-benefit of implementing the name change on many more assets than simply exterior store signs? Would the brand equity gradually erode? Or worse, would customers start boycotting Metro without an accent?

I doubt it.

This is a public affairs issue at this point and it should be handled as such. How it’s handled will determine whether it becomes a marketing issue.

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Here are some cases that have attracted the interest of the language watchdog or people seeking to protect the French language:

• 1996: A woman warns the owner of a Quebec pet store she might get in touch with language authorities because Peekaboo, the parrot she wanted to buy, didn't speak French.
• 1999: The Old Navy chain is asked to rename its stores "La Vieille Rivière." It never happens.
• 2000: The owner of an Indian restaurant is told he's breaking the law by having coasters for "Double Diamond," a British beer.
• 2001: Some people express disappointment that race-car driver Jacques Villeneuve calls his restaurant "Newtown."
• 2005: Language authorities say they will investigate complaints that Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay's party used the word "Go" on its campaign posters and pamphlets, as in "Go Montreal."
• 2007: Imperial Oil says it will keep its Quebec-only "Marché Express" name for its Esso gas stations after protests against a proposal to change the name to "On the Run," as the stations are known elsewhere in North America.
• 2007: Language activists decry that callers to many Quebec government offices are told to "press nine" for English before instructions are delivered in French. Some of the departments have since changed the message to put English at the end.

[Source: CBC]

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Metro brings Québec’s love of food to Ontario

Sign language

Are you fruity and vibrant?

There’s a great scene in the movie Sideways where Miles (Paul Giamatti) instructs Jack (Thomas Haden Church) on the art of wine tasting.

Miles: Let me show you how this is done. First thing, hold the glass up and examine the wine against the light. You're looking for color and clarity. Just, get a sense of it. OK? Uhh, thick? Thin? Watery? Syrupy? OK? Alright. Now, tip it. What you're doing here is checking for color density as it thins out towards the rim. Uhh, that's gonna tell you how old it is, among other things. It's usually more important with reds. OK? Now, stick your nose in it. Don't be shy, really get your nose in there. Mmm... a little citrus... maybe some strawberry... passion fruit... and, oh, there's just like the faintest soupçon of like asparagus and just a flutter of a, like a, nutty Edam cheese... 

Jack: Wow. Strawberries, yeah! Strawberries. Not the cheese...

What do you do if you’re more Jack than Miles?

If you shop for wine in Québec’s liquor stores, you simply look for your colour. And I’m not referring to red or white.

Here’s an idea I’ve been meaning to write about for a while. It’s simple and beautifully executed online and in stores.

Go to SAQ.com and find your taste tag.

Let’s say you select ‘aromatic and mellow’.

You can then view all products from this tag, including their price and store availability.

What if you’re not sure about your preferred taste tag?

You take the online quiz to find your tag.

In case, you’re not sure about ‘fruit only’ versus ‘multiple aromas’, the illustrations should help… Jack would click on fruit only; “Wow. Strawberries”.

Pick your favourite varietal.

Bingo. You are fruity and sweet. Just look for all wines identified by this colour tag and enjoy.

 

 

 

 

Walmart Supercentres aiming to tap into the 'emotion' of food in Québec

Interesting article in today's issue of The Gazette about Walmart's plans to open six Supercentres in Québec.

According to Chantal Glenisson, vice-president of operations for Eastern Canada, "food in Québec is more about emotion... it's about family and socializing". Let's see what Walmart does with that insight that Metro hasn't already done. 

One-upmanship

 

Wikipedia defines one-upmanship as the art or practice of successively outdoing a competitor. And if marketing is mainly about creating relevant differentiation, there has to be a good dose of one-upmanship in any strategy to succeed.

I’m a fan of Home Depot’s campaign in Québec. The global retailer took steps to study this market and developed a campaign that clearly resonates with Quebeckers. Built around the thematic “C’est beau” (It’s beautiful), it emphasizes the end-result of home renovation projects and the pleasures it provides rather than the ‘you can do it’ part of DIY projects. The campaign is clearly working as it won an effectiveness award at the 2009 Concours STRAT in Québec.

The local competitor, Réno Dépôt, has long been associated with a claim that, whatever you might be looking for, “they have it”. It might still be the retailer’s relevant and differentiated platform. (It’s the brand signature on the website. However, these days the retailer is running a campaign that attempts one-upmanship. It’s claiming that Réno Dépôt is “more than beautiful”. The implication being that beyond looks alone, Réno Dépôt ensures that it’s well built. There’s nothing wrong with a strategy that counters a competitor’s claim.

What’s debatable however is an execution of this strategy that very overtly makes a reference to that competitor’s advertising.

Would Adidas ever just do it more? Would Audi be the penultimate driving experience? Or would PC’s ever think even more different?

 

 

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.

 

Tarjay in Québec?

Target is finally coming to Canada. What’s not quite clear yet is whether or not the conversion of Zellers stores will include the Québec stores. According to a Journal de Montréal article titled “Québec being ignored?”, an HBC representative refused to confirm that Target’s plans would include Québec.

I suspect Target’s plans include Québec. It intends to compete aggressively with Wal-Mart and Loblaws and both are already well established in the province.

I’m curious to see what French-speaking Quebeckers will end up calling the retailer. After all, Target already gets the French-sounding moniker "Tarjay" to make the shopping experience seem more upscale than it really is.

Loblaws is called “Lobelaw” by some, including by spokesperson Louis-José Houde in this tv spot.

We’ll see if Quebeckers also choose to give Target French flare by calling it Tarjay.

This reminds me of Kresge (which later became K-Mart). That's not an easy name to pronounce if you're French. I spent three years living in Québec City and many there used to shop at “Kredge”.

A Kresge store in Rouyn-Noranda, Québec circa 1960

 

Before Couche-tard there was Perrette.

There's a great documentary (in French) on Historia about Québec retailers.

Remember Steinberg, Consumers Distributing and Perrette?

Click here to view a clip.

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

 

Quebeckers, smart phones and shopping

 

With the Christmas shopping season in full swing, there is no shortage of pronouncements about how mobile technology has changed the way we shop forever.

Comparison-shopping is certainly a lot easier with smart phones that scan barcodes and connect to the web to provide local prices as well as online ones. Check out Google Shopper.

We might be in for radically different shopping trips in the future but, as they say in Québec, “c’est pas demain la veille” (the eve isn’t tomorrow). Only 9% of Quebeckers own a smart phone (Blackberry, iPhone, Android, etc.) according to a recent survey by Ipsos Reid on behalf of CIBC. Québec appears to be the province with the lowest ownership of such devices; Atlantic 17%, Ontario 26%, the Prairies 18%, Alberta 28% and BC 16%.

 

Guess who’s going to spend the least amount of time holiday shopping this year?

According to a new poll by Ipsos Reid conducted for PayPal, it will take the average Canadian 11 hours to complete their holiday shopping.

Quebeckers will spend the least amount of time with an average of 9.7 hours while residents of the Atlantic Provinces will take the longest to complete their shopping in 12.2 hours.

The survey also reveals that Quebeckers are least likely to do their holiday shopping online.

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This post is an excuse to show the holiday campaign we adapted for our client Virgin Mobile. The original concept was developed by Juniper Park.