Costco and Canon stand out as the only two brands to make the top ten most trusted brands in Québec and Canada overall.
The Gustavson Brand Trust Index (GBTI) measures Canadian consumers' opinions about 276 corporate and product brands across 27 categories. The GBTI evaluated responses collected from 6384 Canadian consumers to assess their levels of brand trust and examine what causes them to recommend a brand to their friends and family.
Canada's top ten most trusted brands:
MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op)
President’s Choice
Costco
Home Hardware
Shoppers Drug Mart / Pharmaprix
Canon
DavidsTea
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Band-Aid
Columbia Sportswear
Québec's top ten most trusted brands:
IGA
Rona
Lindt/Lindor
Sony
Canon
Purolator
Samsung
Costco
Agropur
FedEx
Gustavson Brand Trust Model
The brand trust survey instrument measures different dimensions of trust that influence whether consumers recommend a brand to their networks:
Brand trust – consumer perceptions of whether the brand is trustworthy and acts with integrity
Values-based trust – consumer perceptions on the brand’s social responsibility
Functional trust – consumer perceptions on how well the brand’s product performs or functions
Relationship trust – consumer perception on how the brand interacts with its customers
Net recommendations – whether consumers recommend the brand to others
La Presse recently published this ranking based on the subjective assessment of four experts in marketing-communications in Québec who were presented with one hundred brands to choose from.
While the ranking is debatable (you might want to have a look at Ipsos Most Influential Brands study instead), how the top ten brands are perceived by the experts offers insights into what makes strong brands in Québec.
Canadiens de Montréal is a cult brand, win or lose.
Desjardins is apparently the only bank Quebeckers are not afraid of and feel attached to.
Vidéotron focuses almost exclusively on customer service.
Cirque du Soleil might be getting old but it still rides on Quebeckers’ pride.
St-Hubert diversifies its menu but its loyal customers keep coming back for BBQ chicken.
Metro knows how to earn and reward loyalty.
ICI Radio-Canada gets its inspiration from its viewers.
La Presse has really figured out digital.
Québec’s Liquor Board, the SAQ, is loved for its love of wine.
Jean Coutu remains the pharmacist/father figure everyone loves.
Note that the captions for Jacques Labelle and Stéphane Mailhiot were inverted. That's what branding experts call poor brand attribution.
Some may dismiss this week’s story about how the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) ordered Eva Cooper, a small retailer operating a location in Chelsey, Quebec, to translate her Facebook page or face a fine as just another example of overzealous officials putting undue pressure to conduct business in French.
Marketers should pay attention to how this unfolds. This is likely not another Pastagate.
Some context: A year ago this month, an inspector from the OQLF sent a letter of warning to an upscale restaurant, Buonanotte, for using Italian words such as "pasta," "antipasti," "calamari," etc. on its menu instead of their French equivalents.
Instead of complying with instructions on the letter he received from the OQLF, the owner of Buonanotte went public and it generated a widespread public outcry across the province, even among francophones, about the Office abusing its powers. The incident also received international attention in newspapers, thus causing an embarrassment to the provincial government. The incident led to the resignation of Louise Marchand, head of the OQLF, on March 8, 2013.
Ms. Cooper has gone public too. And the media amplified the story this week.
Michael Bergman, a lawyer specializing in constitutional and human rights issues interviewed on CBC Radio’s Ottawa Morning, made his case against the OQLF's position:
“The language charter was enacted before social media existed and, for that matter, before the internet was popular. The French language office is expanding into the cyber sphere an ancient concept, so to speak, of traditional advertising. Social media is far from advertising, it's an interactive dialogue."
This seems right. After all, Facebook is a “social” network. It’s about personal conversations between friends. That’s what it was meant to be.
But when companies use Facebook to promote their brands - some do it very effectively by posting well-crafted relevant content while others use the social network as just another advertising media - the line between personal and commercial has been crossed.
That’s where the OQLF has a point. One that isn’t as ridiculous as ordering that antipasti be translated into French.
Jean-Pierre Le Blanc, a OQLF told the CBC:
“When it’s used for commercial publication, or commercial advertising, then it has to be written in French. More and more we see businesses using social media to advertise, to sell products. This is where the law comes in.”
This should not be about the law.
Target posts in French with translated, adapted or original content for Québec.
If marketers wish for consumers to “like” their brands, interact with them and become cult-like followers, they should improve their conversational French. While some have gone to great lengths to post unique Québec content and interact in French, others have jumped into social media without a rigorous approach to managing their French-speaking followers and have left their French-speaking communities wondering. Sadly, you can see the result on some brand pages: often previously loyal users exasperated by brands who can’t or won’t speak to them in French are asking in English for answers in French.
As brands' Facebook pages become an online contact point for customer care, answering promptly in French is just good business.
In 2009 Telus reportedly paid $28 Million to acquire Black’s Photography - the retailer of photo-related products and photofinishing services founded in 1948 by William Edward and Robert (Bob) Black in Toronto. We soon saw the rather awkward co-branding of “Black’s featuring Telus” and much space being dedicated to cell phones but the store concept remained essentially the same.
Some questioned the wisdom of the purchase of Black’s by Telus and The Source by Bell to expand distribution of cell phones. Blogger Simon Sage wrote “The end result will be that we’ll start seeing Telus phones in Black’s stores, seems like a strange fit to me. I can’t imagine there would be much tie-in with services… What are you going to do, order prints of your mobile photos?”
That’s exactly it.
A new retail format for Black’s just opened on Yonge just up the street from our Toronto office. With a completely new brand identity and design, the space and the staff are welcoming and you know what this store is about. Black’s is still photography, mobile device photography. Think of it as a bricks and mortar cross between an e-tailer of mobile devices and iPhoto print products, with the added benefit of on-site support when your Instagram photos don’t print as you had hoped.
Black’s operates under the Astral Photo name in Québec which Black’s acquired as a way to enter the Québec market - the same Astral that became Astral Media now part of Bell... It’s not known if the new concept will be rolled-out into the Province.
According to PMB 2013 data, 37% of Canadian adults printed photos in the past year but significantly less did so in Québec at 30%. Quebeckers are also less likely to do so in stores than online. While retailers like Walmart, Black’s, London Drugs, Best Buy, Costco and grocery stores like Loblaws are preferred by Canadians in the RoC, Quebeckers tend to visit Caméra Expert, Japan Camera, Jean Coutu, Uniprix, and Future Shop for their photofinishing needs.
Appliance manufacturer Maytag’s new integrated marketing campaign introduces a fresh face for the brand, the Maytag Man. According to a company release, the Maytag Man now has a brand new role as the machine. He will greet consumers as a Maytag appliance, the human embodiment of the brand's core values of reliability, durability and power. "No longer is our brand character sitting idle, lamenting his boredom due to Maytag brand's legendary inability to breakdown," said James Oh, vice president of marketing at Whirlpool Canada. "The Maytag Man is now the actual machine, symbolizing the reliability, durability and power that Maytag® appliances are known for."
The campaign is set to launch in Canada on January 23rd. It’s not clear from the company release or the various media reports generated from the launch hype if the North-America-wide campaign will be adapted for the French Québec market. A peek at the video on the Globe and Mail’s site shows the “newer model”, a “younger, slimmer, maybe even sexier” Maytag man talking to camera. Our female staff is hoping for a Québec version.
While it’s not clear if or how the campaign will be adapted into French, one thing is clear: the Maytag was born in the streets of Montréal.
In the late ‘60s, the distributor of Maytag appliances in Québec advertised on radio using a repairman who had nothing else to do but to drive around the streets of Montréal looking for work. That campaign inspired the now famous North American campaign Ol’ Lonely.
This little known fact was revealed in 2007 in a release about Maytag and Luc Pilon, the actor selected back then to play the Maytag Repairman in Québec. He was following Serge Christianssens (1992-1998), Paul Berval (1989-1992) and Rolland Bédard (1970-1989) who was the first to get the role.
Let's hope the slimmer, younger Maytag Man returns to his roots in Québec.
Staples announced a bold move earlier this week: a new tagline and campaign focused on how Staples’ expanded product assortment helps businesses succeed with more products in more categories with more ways to shop.
Aside from the new slogan, Staples brings a new twist on its iconic logo. The campaign removes the “L” from the logo – traditionally portrayed in the brand design as a bent staple. The “L” is missing entirely on the Staples.ca website as well as on the company’s Facebook and Twitter accounts where fans can join the “What the L is going on at Staples?” conversation by using the hash tag #WhatTheL.
The “L” is being replaced with a rotating collection of products, such as dog biscuits, plastic cutlery, paint brushes, chairs, and cleaning products, for example.
In a statement, Shira Goodman, Executive Vice President, Global Growth said that “Make More Happen highlights how Staples is reinventing itself to provide every product businesses need to succeed.” Steve Fund, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing added: “Staples makes it easy to make more happen by providing all the stuff businesses need to get stuff done. Our new campaign shows that if you have an idea, Staples has all the products you need to bring it to life.”
Both executives have “global” in their title which suggests the campaign is a global effort.
If it’s indeed a global brand repositioning effort by the retailer, Québec appears to be a hold out. Staples operates under a different name in that market: Bureau en gros (which refers to office supplies at wholesale prices).
There’s no doubt that rebranding Bureau en gros to Staples in Québec could cause short term pain - particularly in light of Quebeckers’ hyper sensitivity to language issues. Recall how Esso’s decision to rebrand its Marché Express to On The Run caused an uproar? 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.
However, in this case, this would no longer strictly be a decision to align with the retailer’s global brand name, it would signal that “Bureau en gros” isn't only about office supplies. Perhaps it's time to make it happen.
With the year coming to an end, this is the time for the annual “best of” and “worse of” lists. It always makes for entertaining reading and inevitably leads the reader to ask “what were they thinking?”. Adweek’s 20 Biggest Brand Fails of 2012 is one of those lists and we eagerly await the 2013 edition.
One blunder that generated a significant amount of media coverage and social media chatter is Radio-Canada’s announcement last June that it would rebrand itself ‘Ici’ and, in the process, drop Canada from its brand name.
The rebranding of Radio-Canada
As a marketer and a branding practitioner, unifying the Radio-Canada brand across all its platforms makes sense to me. I said so to the Globe and Mail’s marketing reporter the day the announcement was made. What I did not know at the time was how this would be reported. Here’s how I was quoted in the piece.
The move is garnering positive responses in the marketing world. Eric Blais, president of Headspace Marketing Inc., said the change does not constitute a full-scale rebranding since CBC’s instantly recognizable logo – designed by Burton Kramer in 1974 – remains part of the brand. “Radio-Canada is so much more than radio. It’s totally appropriate for this organization to want to revisit their brand to better reflect their offering,” he said.
Rather than be treated as a branding and marketing story, my comments were included in a front page story by Daniel Leblanc, the Globe and Mail’s Parliamentary reporter. Whatever debate we could have had about the merits of this branding strategy had instead become a story about how Radio Canada was dropping Canada from the federally funded broadcaster’s name and how it was wasting $400K on what many thought they could have designed better themselves.
The Heritage Minister at the time, James Moore, declared that “It’s concerning for a lot of Canadians. CBC has to make it clear to Canadians that the brand and the presence of Canada, in Canada’s public broadcaster, should not be diminished in any part of this country.”
Canadians across the country voiced their concerns too. Here’s a sample from an online comment:
“This is another example of how Quebec diminishes the Canadian brand in Quebec and yet we in the other provinces continue to ship over millions of dollars we work hard for to subsidize the tribal demands of people with a chip on their shoulder. Get rid of this spoilt child now!”
Many in Québec also thought the rebranding was a silly idea - including SRC’s own labour union. What is most surprising about this story is how Radio-Canada’s leadership did not appear to have anticipated the potential for this sort of public reaction.
Creating a unifying brand identity for all of SRC’s properties makes sense. Linking it to what has effectively been the brand’s tagline for as long as I can remember also makes sense. (‘Ici Radio-Canada’ is as much part of the brand’s equity as James Earl Jones’ signature ‘This is CNN’ is to the cable news network’s brand.) And shining a big light on Burton Kramer's classic logo makes sense. But dropping Canada from the brand name doesn't and, most importantly, wasn’t even required. The unifying use of “Ici” could have been achieved without raising hell.
A few days later, Radio-Canada publicly addressed the issue in a release with an apology from CBC/Radio-Canada President and CEO Hubert T. Lacroix.
“We apologize for the confusion that was created in people’s minds when we introduced the term ICI as a common denominator for all of our platforms. Our intention was never to distance ourselves from Radio-Canada and everything it represents. However, Radio-Canada has heard the message loud and clear that the public has been sending us over the past few days. We recognize people’s powerful connection to everything that Radio-Canada stands for.”
The release confirmed that the new ‘Ici’ brand identity would still be implemented but Canada would stay. “Télévision de Radio-Canada will be designated as ICI Radio-Canada Télé, the Première Chaîne radio network as ICI Radio-Canada Première, and the Radio-Canada website as ICI Radio-Canada.ca.”
If you’re confused, don’t be. This brand architecture diagram shows how the visual identity will continue to evolve over the coming months. This seems to be a decent compromise between the branding strategy originally announced and the need to keep Canada in the brand. However, as often happens with the implementation of branding strategies, it isn’t totally consistent with the promise to keep Canada in the brand. For example, ICI Alberta doesn’t include Canada. Could this be another example of how Alberta systematically diminishes the Canadian brand in Alberta?
Radio-Canada is reversing its decision to rebrand itself as ICI, and is instead putting "Radio-Canada" back in its marketing and branding.
See last week's post on the subject. We wrote: "If Radio-Canada chose to do this on its own (without consulting with its masters in Ottawa), this effort could soon join other embarrassing rebranding fiascos like Gap. That one was scrapped one week after being unveiled."
The decision to rebrand itself ‘Ici’ is front page news this morning. And the news is less about
branding and marketing than about politics. Changing or updating the brand identity of a public or private corporation inevitably polarizes. Remember Astral's new visual identity? While good branding is grounded in analysis and strategy, the outcome usually involves a creatively leap. Some will like it. Some won’t.
I happen to think the rebranding was required to unify SRC’s various offerings which go far beyond radio. And I find the result remains true to the brand’s identity. Many obviously disagree but that’s not the main issue here.
In Radio-Canada's case, the branding decision is obviously a political one. First, removing the word Canada from the brand name is politically charged. And you can’t dance around this one by claiming that the legal entity’s name still includes Canada. Second, any branding strategy initiative must involve consultations with all stakeholders. In this case, this includes the Heritage Minister and his department.
According to this Globe and Mail article, the Minister is not amused. “We had no idea the announcement was going to happen today.” This doesn’t mean Heritage was in the dark on that one. Perhaps they were caught by surprise. Either way, it spells trouble.
Our firm has had the opportunity to work on the branding of the National Film Board and Telefilm Canada in recent years. Like Radio-Canada, they are great organizations that play critical roles in Canada’s cultural sector. While they are autonomous in many areas, branding decisions are vetted by board members and by senior bureaucrats at Heritage.
If Radio-Canada chose to do this on its own, this effort could soon join other embarrassing rebranding fiascos like Gap. That one was scrapped one week after being unveiled.
She’s everywhere - including a show on the Food Network and a book titled “SKINNY CHICKS EAT REAL FOOD”.
She’s quintessential Hollywood.
Her profile states that she is a classically trained French chef, Certified Nutritionist, Media Spokesperson, TV Persona and Co-Host on Food Network’s show Fat Chef. She has been Hollywood’s go-to nutrition/culinary expert for celebrities such as Jeremy Piven, Audrina Patridge, Giuliana Rancic, Johnny Galecki, Paula Abdul, Rich Sommer, Jason Statham, Samantha Harris, Chelsea Handler, Henry Winkler, Kym Johnson, Steven Segal and Marcus Allen. Christine has counseled more than a thousand clients one-on-one in her private nutrition and fitness coaching practice located in New York City and Los Angeles, who have collectively lost more than 10,000 pounds.
Christine has shared her nutrition and culinary advice on the Today Show, Dancing with the Stars, Rachael Ray, The Doctors, Good Morning America, Oprah’s All Stars and dozens of others. Her insights can be found in magazines such as Vogue, W, New Beauty, Women’s Health, US Weekly, Health, Fitness, InStyle and many others.
She also recently endorsed The Skinny Vine launched in the US in January by Treasury Wine Estates, the Australian company behind Penfolds, Lindeman’s and Rosemount Estate. Yes. It’s wine for the calorie conscious.
According to an article by Peppi Crosariol in the Globe and Mail:
The Skinny Vine has shipments already exceeding 100,000 cases, the three wines – Slim Chardonnay, Thin Zin and Mini Moscato – weigh in at just 7.3– to 8.5-per-cent alcohol and 86 to 95 calories per five-ounce glass. That compares with an average of between 120 and 141 calories for comparable varietals made in California.
As expected, Christine’s visibility is enhanced by her extensive use of social networks. The day Peppi wrote about her endorsement of The Skinny Vine in the Globe, Christine tweeted “Got a great #shoutout today in The Globe! Many Thx @Beppi_Crosariol.
And on it goes...
Meet Dr. Isabelle Huot - Québec's version of Christine Avanti.
They share looks, a knack for getting exposure and a very smart business sense.
Isabelle Huot holds a PhD in Nutrition. One would think she also holds one in marketing with a specialty in personal branding.
I met her several years ago when she was a nutrition advisor for one of our clients and later became a spokesperson. Back then, she already had a binder full of press clippings to impress me during contract negotiations. There’s clearly no need for that binder anymore.
She is a successful entrepreneur who knows the importance of carefully cultivating her brand and generating visibility. The woman is everywhere in Québec.
She's on television. She is a regular contributor to TVA’s Salut Bonjour morning show. Québec’s version of The Today Show.
Salut Bonjour - TVA's morning show
She's in book stores. She has published six books with Les Éditions de l’homme (a division of Québecor Média)
One of six books published by Dr. Isabelle Huot
She's in advertising. She is the spokesperson for Québec commercial bakery St-Méthode. She appears in television advertising and her conseilsnutrition.tv advice is available via the bakery’s website.
She's on the web - in every way. Her ConseilsNutrition.tv website is classic content integration connecting the dots between the books, recipes, and online videos. It links to her website which goes a step further with a link to Kilo Solution, her nutrition and weight loss clinics.
Nutritional advice via web videos and other content
She's on cruise ships. Meet the doctor aboard a Royal Caribberan cruise ship. She’ll deliver conference themed “Nutrition at the heart of health”.
An invitation to hear her talk about nutrition while cruising the Caribbean
She’s on TVA’s Shopping Channel. Where she sells her line of food as part of her weight loss program.
She's on the radio. She has a regular segment on Rythme 105.7 FM in Montreal.
A radio commentator
She's in newspapers. She has a weekly column in Le Journal de Montréal (another Québecor Media property) where she delivers advice and she pitches her line of food. Why not treat promotion as news, if you can?
A weekly column
"News' reports
Or she reviews and recommends food products. Why not use that influence, if you can?
Reviewing and recommending products
She's in magazines. She is regularly featured on magazine covers.
Celebrity treatment on magazine covers
She’s on Twitter and Facebook. And she’s active.
Twitter & Facebook to engage and extend her reach
What’s missing?
Wine. I bet it won’t take long for the über nutritionist to start pitching it.
Agreement with the statement "I am confused about how to eat a healthy diet": 35% of French Quebeckers compared to 25% of Canadians in the rest of the country.
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