While Quebecers will continue to pay extra for maple syrup at restaurants, Americans will be able to be reimbursed for the same purchase thanks to a promotion from Érable du Québec.
The “Bill the Maple” campaign will allow American consumers to get their money back for choosing Quebec maple syrup instead of lower quality brands.
A promotional campaign that could raise certain questions among Quebecers who pay between $2 and $4 more to be entitled to Quebec maple syrup with their meals.
“Our idea was to make a splash over a short period. For Quebecers, if our industry emerges stronger, I think we are all winners, explains David Marino, director of marketing and promotions at Érable Québec, which brings together 13,300 maple producers.
“We are lucky to have a great industry. The more maple syrup we sell, the more forests we keep standing.”
Advertising campaign among Americans to encourage the purchase of real maple syrup
Screenshot Syrup Producers
Budget of $13,000
The total reimbursement budget was set at $10,000 US ($13,500 Canadian).
“We will not reimburse all Americans,” specifies Mr. Marino. The clauses are clear. The idea was to develop a campaign that generates a lot more noise than the budgets we have.
“With a million dollars in the United States, you don’t do much.”
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He does not rule out the possibility of doing the same type of campaign in Quebec in the next year. On the other hand, it is far from being cast in concrete.
“Quebec is the kingdom of maple syrup. We know that. We don’t need education. We use maple in all sauces. Each market is different and we have a strategy specific to each.”
Florida, the target
The Érable du Québec campaign will be concentrated in the southeastern United States.
“We targeted Florida and the surrounding states,” underlines Mr. Marino. According to our studies, this is where there is the greatest potential for conversion from pancake syrup to pure maple syrup.
“Our budget did not allow us to reach all Americans.”
He mentions that there is a lot of confusion in the United States when it is time to consume maple syrup.
“Many consumers think they are buying pure maple syrup when they are buying pancake syrup. With this campaign, we wanted to educate, says Mr. Marino. We wondered how we could transform restaurants in the United States into maple syrup tasting stations.”