(Montreal) More and more Quebec advertisers are beginning to shift their advertising placements to the news media to the detriment of the web giants.
The Association of Creative Communication Agencies, or A2C, which brings together Quebec advertising agencies, announces that it has received more than 75 commitments from businesses, organizations and agencies to devote at least 25% of their digital advertising placements in local media.
Some big names are on this list, including A. Lassonde, Desjardins, Fonds de solidarité FTQ, VIA Rail Canada and Metro and its subsidiaries, which include Super C and Jean Coutu, among others.
A2C launched the Local Media Movement three years ago, calling on companies to support the media through this commitment to invest at least a quarter of their advertising purchases in the media. Two weeks ago, A2C returned to the charge, launching a new appeal with this time the promise to make public the names of those who would join the movement.
Arm wrestling around C-18
A2C’s call came in the wake of actions taken first by certain media and then by the governments of Canada and Quebec, which then announced that they were ceasing all advertising on Meta’s platforms, in particular Facebook and Instagram. , in response to Meta’s decision to block Canadian news. Meta and Google, in particular, are engaged in a tussle with the federal government, whose recent Bill C-18 obliges them to share part of their income with local media.
In the list of 74 registered companies, we find, unsurprisingly, most of the major media, including Cogeco and Quebecor, which had been the initiators of the boycott.
The influence of agencies
Also, in addition to large companies and organizations such as those mentioned above, there are also large advertising agencies such as Cossette, LG2 or Sid Lee, which have between 350 and 465 employees each. Nearly half of the signatories, in fact, are advertising agencies, which is not insignificant: the commitment of these agencies – which represent hundreds of advertisers – is to propose “responsible media plans or marketing initiatives with the objective of meeting or exceeding the target of 25% in digital media investments in Canadian media”.
Although this commitment does not include an obligation, being limited to encouraging investment in local media, and that the final decision rests with the customers, the president and general manager of A2C, Dominique Villeneuve, affirms that the opening is there and that many clients are willing to invest a portion of their advertising dollars in local media.
Several other companies had already announced their intention to boycott the web giants, including large state corporations such as the SAQ, Loto-Québec and Hydro-Québec.