What Québec Wants

Advice to Dr. Rapaille as he begins his search for archetypes in Québec City

A follow-up on my previous post about Québec City’s decision to hire Clotaire Rapaille to build its brand.

Québec City’s newspaper Le Soleil reports that Dr. Clotaire Rapaille arrives in town today to begin his branding initiative using his unique approach – which is well document in his book The Culture Code. According to the paper, he will receive $250,000 for this assignment lasting ten weeks – plus another $25,000 for incentives for 330 focus group participants, plus travel and accommodation.

It’s the talk of the town in Québec City. The mayor has had to defend his decision to hire this outsider from the moment it was announced. Le Soleil covers it all including the stormy debate among the city council and the mayor’s visible irritation. The mayor even brought his consultant’s book into the debate yesterday and implored his opponents to read it.

Unsolicited advice:

Dr. Rapaille, forget the formal research – it’s going to be biased anyway given the debate raging about your legitimacy as an expert who can guide Québec City’s destiny.

Here’s an archetype – free of charge: CHAUVINISM

Chauvinism is an exaggerated, bellicose patriotism and a blind belief in national superiority and glory. By extension it has come to include an extreme and unreasoning partisanship on behalf of any group to which one belongs, especially when the partisanship includes malice and hatred towards a rival group.

Try building a brand with that one. Good luck. Bonne chance.

Oups, wrong version

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.

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You might want to read this article I published three years ago on the subject of taking the nationalism tack in advertising.

Course correction?

A follow-up to a recent post about the federal Liberals’ advertising in Québec.

The campaign was described by its creator as the first of several courses in a long meal. I may have missed the next course but it seems the impact of the first dish wasn’t what the chef expected. Here's one of the spots.

An Angus Reid Strategies opinion poll conducted from October 13 to 14 (roughly five weeks after the feast began) suggests that Ignatieff’s momentum is plummeting in Québec.

From the report:

For the Liberals, the situation is much tougher than it was at the start of the summer. The latest survey shows a drastic drop for Michael Ignatieff, particularly when compared with a poll that was conducted just days before he withdrew the party's support for the Tory minority government. The Grit leader is markedly seen as more arrogant and inefficient than he was two months ago.

While there were of course a few unforeseen developments in Québec since this campaign started (Denis Coderre’s resignation as Québec lieutenant wasn’t on the menu), the carefully planned meal might now require some improvisation or at least a careful look at some of the ingredients used.

Amuse-gueule

Make yourself comfortable. It’s going to be a long meal. The federal Liberals have released their pre-election ads and, according to Luc Mérineau, the creator of the ads for Québec who is quoted in today’s Globe and Mail, they are just the first of several courses as part of a long meal. His analogy is very Don Draper-esque. He must be a Mad Men fan.

The Liberals have chosen different menus for Québec and the ROC. The multi-course meal in Québec starts with an appetizer that’s negative and attacks the Harper government’s record while Canadians in the ROC get a taste of Michael Ignatieff’s worldview.

Another distinction: the slogan in English is ‘We can do better.” It has some of the think big qualities of Obama’s ‘Yes we can’. The French version is ‘Nous méritons mieux.’ or ‘We deserve better.’ It’s likely just the result of having to adapt rather than translate literally but it sets a different tone.

You will also notice that Québec Liberal strategists must feel that Michael Ignatieff needs no introduction in the province. The English spot begins with “Hi I’m Michael Ignatieff” but not the French spot.

I’m glad the Liberals can finally afford to buy us dinner. I just hope they’ll be serving a sorbet or some other palate cleanser between courses because this carefully set Table d’hôte menu is likely to be replaced by an à-la-carte menu when it gets too hot in the kitchen. I couldn’t resist.

Double entendre

I once heard a client say he loved a slogan because of its double ‘nintendo’. His boss corrected him but I thought the mistake had a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ that struck me as ‘déjà vu’. Those French expressions can be tricky.

This brings me to other ways slogans can take on new meaning. Here’s a poster I’ve seen in the offices of a few ad agencies in Toronto.

According to Rob Walker, in his always-fascinating column in the New York Times Magazine, the ‘Keep calm and carry on’ slogan was used on a propaganda poster that was meant to be distributed in the event of a German invasion during World War II. It remained unnoticed for decades until Stuart and Mary Manley, owners of a shop called Barter Books in north England, found one of the original posters folded up in the bottom of a box of old books and framed it. Customers liked it, and eventually they decided to sell reproductions. The design is in the public domain so it can be altered and sold by anybody.

Walker’s column is about how the slogan has since been marketed through merchandise around the world and how it’s been ‘remixed’ or transformed – e.g. ‘Keep calm and have a cupcake’.

Yet it’s how this slogan about a possible German invasion can be posted on the walls of recession-challenged advertising agencies and financial firms that I find intriguing - the repurposing of a slogan, particularly government slogans.

There’s of course the classic ‘I want you’ slogan of the U.S. Army that’s been ‘remixed’ in countless ways.

 Double meaning in Québec.

I’ve often thought that many slogans for the Québec government’s programs in the late 70s had rather obvious double meanings. I once mentioned this to an ad agency colleague who told me I saw a conspiracy where none existed.

When the Québec ministry of transportation was resurfacing a road, it put up signs that said ‘On fait du chemin ensemble.’ (We’re moving forward together.).

When the same ministry reminded Quebeckers to buckle up, it put up posters that said ‘On s’attache au Québec.’ (We’re getting attached to Québec.)

Maybe those were nothing more than coincidences. So I did a bit of research. It seems I’m not the only one who saw double entendres…

In an article published in the Canadian Journal of Communication in 1993, Jonathan Rose of Queen’s University examined the use of persuasive advertising during the 1980 referendum. Here’s an excerpt:

Ingenious advertising campaigns rich in connotative meaning complemented the publicity of the Québec government. Advertisements which ostensibly had little to do with the referendum and did not communicate any explicit arguments for or against the referendum may have played an important role in reinforcing the Québec government's position. For example, the Ministry of Transport ran a series of advertisements which exclaimed "On s'attache au Québec" ostensibly designed to persuade Quebeckers to use their seat belts. Translated as "everyone buckles up in Québec," it could also be read on another level as "everyone is attached to Québec." The slogan of the ministry of industry and commerce was as equally oblique: "Envoyons de l'avant nos gens" (Let's put our people ahead), exclaimed the billboards of Operation Solidarité Economique. Read in a different way, this slogan could be an incomplete argument for voting oui in the referendum. Throughout the referendum, the government of Québec sponsored advertisements which were billed as "une page dans l'histoire des québécois." One such advertisement celebrated the fortieth anniversary of women's enfranchisement. The text discussed many of the advances made by women over the last 40 years. In large print on the bottom of the ad was the "punch line": "On veut l'égalité" (see La Presse, April 25, 1980, p. A7). While supposedly referring to the status of women, it does not require a large leap to apply this argument to all of Québec society.

Professor Rose’s point that ‘ingenious advertising campaigns rich in connotative meaning complemented the publicity of the Québec government’ could likely be made about other governments’ advertising.

I was briefly involved in the development of an advertising campaign for Ontario’s new health insurance photo ID card during the Rae government. After a not so subtle brief from the client, we hit it right on the nail. The slogan? ‘You’ve got reasons to smile Ontario’.

The meaning of Québécois

It’s still called “La St-Jean” by most in Québec but the official name of today’s national holiday celebration is “La Fête nationale du Québec”.

And its two spokespeople, media personalities Marie-Chantal Perron and Boucar Diouf, suggest that when they talk about les “gens d’ici” (the people from here), they mean everyone who calls Québec their home independent of ethnicity.

But make no mistake; this is a celebration of the French language, culture and identity. For the past 25 years, the celebrations have been organized by the Mouvement national des Québécoises and Québécois. Its website claims that sovereignty, national pride, promotion and defense of the French language are at the heart of its actions.

The official website of la Fête - in French only of course – offers great content on the history of the celebrations including patriotic texts published over the years. And the theme this year is “une voix qui porte” – loosely translated as “a voice that carries, that resonates”.

So what is the definition of the word “Québécois”?

EKOS asked 1,022 Canadians in December 2006 shortly after the House of Commons passed a resolution affirming that the Québécois are a nation.

As EKOS wrote in its report, “the result, quite literally, is that the House of Commons resolution means one thing in one part of the country, and something else elsewhere”.

In Québec, the term Québécois is defined by residence and territory so it’s more civic than linguistic or racial in nature. In the rest of Canada, the term Québécois has retained the traditional English Dictionary definition as meaning a French-speaking Quebecker.

The EKOS report goes on to say: “In English, then, it seems, many Canadians make a distinction between “Quebeckers” who irrespective of linguistic background are residents of the province, and “Québécois” who are seen as Francophones.”

I’m not a research methodologist but it seems to me that asking someone in Edmonton about the meaning of the word “Québécois” instead of “Quebecker” is more likely to lead to answers about language than geography.

EKOS adds: “So, are these alternative understandings just a point of anthropological curiosity? We think not. The probing on whether or not recognition of a ‘Quebecois nation’ means more powers or is just a symbolic gesture becomes more charged when we consider that Canadians do not share a semantically consistent understanding of the term. The term is neither conceptually nor phenomenally equivalent across the Québec / ROC divide.”

Canadians do not share a semantically consistent understanding of the term?

How about just sharing a drink on this day? One look at the sponsors of the Fête nationale suggests that it’s what we should be doing instead of debating semantics.

Smoke and mirrors

Politics and brand marketing share much.

Last March, the online magazine Salon.com ran an interesting piece by Jeff Yang called Brand-aid. It argued that “on top of everything else it represents, the current presidential election is something like an ad agency review - - a chance to put a set of potential stewards for “Brand America” through their paces, to see the creative and strategic directions in which they’d take our product.”

In Salon's view, if Clinton were a brand, she would be Microsoft or Martha Stewart Living. McCain would be Winston cigarettes or Hummer, while his Republican rival Huckabee would be restaurant chain Applebee's.

Obama was seen then, as he clearly still is, as the coolest candidate, since he gets to be Apple or Nike.

But here’s a picture of the 44^th POTUS that’s not very Nike or Apple.

 

Much is said about Barak Obama's Blackberry dependency. But far less is reported about his hard to break smoking habit. We hear he’s trying to quit. Once a heavy smoker, he publicly gave up the habit, per his wife’s request, to run for president. But last June, he admitted to having “fallen off the wagon”.

Some even claim it’s a habit that could be part of his appeal. Another online magazine, Slate, suggested that there are “plenty of reasons for Obama's magic voice: where he grew up, how his parents talked, how he breathes. But perhaps most important is one Obama doesn't want to talk about: cigarettes. Smoking over time transforms a person's voice by thickening and drying out the vocal chords.” Now there’s one benefit the tobacco industry has not leveraged.

Image-makers have no doubt created a compelling brand for Obama. Cool and in control, “no drama Obama”. But the smoking doesn’t fit. Which is perhaps why there’s only one picture of him smoking (that I know of) on the web.

How times have changed.

Humphrey Bogart was cool and smoking.

 

And, In Quebec, smoking was part of Rene Lévesque’s brand.

So how cool is smoking among Quebec youth today?

The Youth Smoking Survey provides reliable data on trends in tobacco use. Findings from the 2006-07 survey reveal that 21% of Canadian youth in grades 5 through 9 have ever tried any type of tobacco product. This represents a 50% reduction since 1994. That’s the good news. But Quebec still has the highest prevalence of youth smoking.

In 2006-07, the percentage of youth that had ever tried smoking cigarettes ranged from lows of 13% in Ontario and 14% in Prince Edward Island to a high of 29% in Québec.

And cheap cigarillos are apparently now more popular with Quebec youth than cigarettes according to a Quebec government survey.

Last December, Ontario passed a bill to outlaw flavored cigarillos and require that non-flavored cigarillos be sold in packages of 20. To my knowledge, there is no such law in Quebec.

- - 

Back to Obama’s smoking habit. If he actually quits for good, there’s a brand that should consider rubbing off Obama’s brand. Obama apparently regularly chews Nicorette while not at events, and the release of a doctor's note from his primary care physician indicated that it has brought him a level of success. And while they’re at it, why not borrow the slogan as well?

“Yes he could.”

Quebeckers and Obama

They’re less likely to tune in to the inauguration but they might be cheering louder than other Canadians.

Quebeckers are less likely to watch or listen to the inauguration of Barack Obama today than Canadians  in the rest of the country. 56% of Quebeckers say they do not plan to either watch or listen compared to 45% nationally.

But it’s not for lack of enthusiasm.

Quebeckers are significantly more likely than Canadians in the rest of the country to say that the election of Barack Obama is a good thing (84% in Quebec compared to 76% nationally)

A majority of Canadians (52%) and Quebeckers (52%) believe expectations of Obama are overblown and people are expecting way too much of him and his new administration. Yet Quebeckers are significantly more likely to say that, in his first year, Obama will have a “big” impact on

• Improving the image of the US around the world (57% in Quebec compared to 43% nationally)
• Getting the US economy back on the right track (28% in Quebec compared to 19% nationally)
• Helping bring peace to the Middle East (17% in Quebec compared to 12% nationally)

Quebeckers are also more likely to say that Obama will have a “medium” impact in terms of making real progress on global warming (43% in Quebec compared to 30% nationally)

Source: Ipsos Reid survey for Canwest Media conducted January 12-14, 2009

A uniting "oui"

I discussed in a previous blog ( Words and elections ) that the Quebec Liberals had borrowed the sovereignists’ OUI as their election campaign's slogan. Like many Quebeckers who overdosed on elections after the US and Canadian elections, I didn't pay much attention to what the leaders had to say.

This weekend Jean Charest explained his "oui". Quoted in La Presse, he said in French that the "oui" he wants is an inclusive "oui" that unites all Quebeckers in the face of the economic crisis. Judging by the latest polls, Quebeckers are about to say "oui" to the Liberals. And so-called soft nationalists can't say no to that.

What brands say about politicians in Quebec. And vice versa.

Jean Charest is more Loblaws.  Mario Dumont more Kia. And Pauline Marois more Miss Vickie’s.

Here are the results from a survey conducted by La Presse among 5,000 readers of its online edition cyberpresse.ca. Respondents were asked to identify the brands in various categories they most associate with the three party leaders.

Coffee shops;

Mario Dumont = Dunkin Donut
Pauline Marois = Van Houtte

Automobiles;

Jean Charest = BMW and Volvo
Mario Dumont = Kia
Pauline Marios = BMW and Volvo

Computers;

Jean Charest = PC
Mario Dumont = PC
Pauline Marois = PC

Supermarkets;

Jean Charest = Loblaws
Mario Dumont = Super C
Pauline Marois = Metro and IGA

Quick service restaurants;

Jean Charest = Subway and McDonald’s
Mario Dumont = La Belle Province
Pauline Marois =  Subway and La Belle Province

Magazines;

Jean Charest = L’actualité
Mario Dumont = 7 Jours and La Semaine
Pauline Marois – Paris Match

Chips;

Jean Charest = Lay’s
Mario Dumont = Cheetos
Pauline Marois =  Miss Vickie’s