Stock market crash, call for a boycott, rolling heads… the partnership with transgender star actress Dylan Mulvaney plunged Bud Light into a crisis in the United States, but what about Quebec? How ready are we to accept transgender people in our advertising?
“I myself was a model for BonLook. I was in all the stores. There was my huge face, and I received no negative comments. Zero”, entrusts the Log Chris Bergeron, star vice-president of the Cossette agency, a respected figure in the industry.
“I was recently spokesperson for a Desjardins campaign. I did not receive a negative email, nothing”, continues the author of novels.
In the United States, brewing giant Anheuser-Busch saw its stock market value soar after its partnership with influencer Dylan Mulvaney. More than $6.7 billion has evaporated in the stock market after a campaign with the transgender actress for Bud Light beer.
Days later, heads started rolling, including two top executives, reports The Wall Street Journal. Pro-Trump influencers then went wild on social media with airs of settling scores to protest against what they call “woke culture”.
In the midst of the crisis, the parent company of Bud Light has gathered at the top to urgently orchestrate a vast national marketing campaign to try to appease the discontent of some of its fans, who have been sulking about its nectar since the storm.
Open Quebec
However, according to Chris Bergeron, Quebec is much more open than the United States and the knee-jerk reaction of certain American conservatives can be explained by a well-oiled Republican machine in search of scapegoats, whereas the majority of Americans are rather open-minded.
“It’s not even a right-wing issue. It’s from the far right. That’s why we don’t see that in Quebec that much, ”she continues.
Despite the recent outcry of some against drag queens in libraries, Chris Bergeron is convinced that Quebec is already elsewhere.
“Yes, we are ready in Quebec. I did ads for Reitmans that featured drag queens three years ago. I used trans people in Reitmans not long ago,” she says.
“We don’t say more than that. It’s normal. It’s part of the cast,” she continues.
question of generation
According to Mathieu Bédard, president of the Camden agency, it is often a question of generation and the brand must ask itself where it is positioned on the chessboard of social progress. “There are younger segments in Quebec who are there. We feel an opening”, he analyzes
“Bud Light is a de facto brand with very strong DNA for a conservative market,” he says.
“Bud Light invests $100 million in advertising investment each year. Normally several million dollars in research justify each decision, so they would have done this without analysis? I have a hard time understanding that,” he says.
Expand your customer base
According to Yan Cimon, professor of strategy at Laval University, the choice of a partnership with a transgender person is a sign of openness, which aims to expand its clientele.
“However, such a choice must be made with consistency and authenticity. In fact, consumers sense when this is not the case, which can lead to a negative backlash and ultimately damage the brand,” he warns.
“It is high time that marketing efforts reflect diversity!” pleads the expert.
Drag Queens for SAQ Inspire
Questioned on numerous occasions in recent days, Molson Coors was walled in silence when The newspaper wanted to know his vision of the Dylan Mulvaney affair.
At the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ), its spokesperson, Linda Bouchard, said she did not have specific projects yet with transgender people, but was open to having them.
“Besides, we recently presented drag queens as part of our SAQ Inspire campaign,” she pointed out.
For its part, Beer Canada, which prides itself on having members who represent more than 90% of the beer sold in the country, declined to comment on the case.
“Beer Canada’s mission is to represent the interests of all Canadian brewers and consumers,” it concluded.