What Québec Wants™

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.

Kelsey’s Neighbourhood Bar & Grill leaves Quebec’s neighbourhoods.

Josée Béliveau, a spokesperson from Edelman Public Relations explained the decision in an article published in La Presse (March 12, 2008 LaPresseAffaires.com): “Let’s just say that the concept offered by the chain has not appealed to Quebeckers”.

I am not privy to Kelsey’s national strategies and how (or if) they were adapted for the Quebec market but “pub-style restaurants” do just fine in Quebec.

Perhaps Dave Minnett, president of Kelsey’s, points to the real issue: “The competition is different in Quebec.” (The Gazette, March 13, 2008).

Quebeckers seek familiarity and a sense of place in the restaurants they patronize. And St-Hubert BBQ and its pub-style St-Hub Resto-Bar are a tough act to follow.