What do Justin Bieber and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif have in common? They are the undisputed stars of Canadian and Quebec food advertising this fall. It must be said that associating with a personality has never been as popular as these days for the major brands in the sector. Social networks are increasing the reach of their campaigns. They also make this bet very risky. This week, The duty provides an overview of the phenomenon. First of a series of three texts.
Donut holes worth their weight in gold. A month after their launch, the popularity of the Timbits, revisited by Canadian pop star Justin Bieber, has not faltered. In Quebec, it is Laurent Duvernay-Tardif who transforms all the milk cartons he touches into gold. You can’t imagine the success of a campaign that suggests dipping Tim Hortons donuts in a glass of milk.
The Tim Hortons chain is no doubt licking its lips for sniffing out the bargain by asking Justin Bieber to create three new flavors for its smaller donuts, Timbits. This contrasts with the chain’s tradition of betting on professional hockey players to sell its coffee. But it was only natural for Justin Bieber, it seems. “I grew up eating at Tim Hortons. Collaborating with the channel has always been part of my dreams, ”he also said at the launch of the campaign.
Called “Timbiebs” to incorporate the Ontario artist’s nickname, the three donuts – birthday cake waffle, chocolate and white fudge, sour cream and chocolate chips – hit more than their target, which was the basis of the donuts. ” attract a younger clientele to the restaurants of the Canadian chain, known more for its inexpensive coffee and very efficient drive-thru.
Transcending Borders
Restaurant Brands International, the company behind the Tim Hortons chain, took the opportunity to market three campaign-themed accessories: a fanny pack, a toque and a reusable canvas grocery bag. As they are only sold to a limited extent in restaurants, it is the eBay resellers who are fueling the web virality of this very “advertising”. Canadian “. After all, there are just over 500 Tim Hortons in the United States compared to 4,300 in Canada.
A Timbiebs fanny pack costing $ 30 in restaurants but selling for $ 2,500 on eBay becomes de facto a phenomenon that transcends borders …
“For Tim Hortons, it’s huge,” says Luc Dupont, professor of communications at the University of Ottawa and specialist in advertising. “It goes beyond the historical framework of his campaigns. His previous spokesperson was Sidney Crosby, the son-in-law everyone dreams of. There, you take a risk by teaming up with a popular star who has made mistakes in the past, even if she has done well. “
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Is this the kind of campaign that could encourage Restaurant Brands to attempt yet another breakthrough on American soil with its Canadian brand? Because, so far, it has never succeeded. The Ottawa professor doubts it: it’s an interesting probe, at best. It is especially the digital frontiers that should be in the sights of Tim Hortons, according to him.
“Advertising may have had its golden age in the 1990s. With social media, it has become a lot more difficult for a brand like this to get noticed. “This probably explains why we are witnessing a certain comeback in associations between established brands and more“ at risk ”celebrities, concludes Luc Dupont.
The oldest recipe
Milk is also enjoying its heyday these days, both on social media and more traditional media. Over the years, Les Producteurs de lait du Québec have ended up making their advertising campaigns a very Québec end-of-year tradition.
This time, the professional footballer Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (LDT) has, so to speak, usurped the role of spokesperson for a group of children who are big milk lovers whose union has not said its last word.
Revenge is a glass of milk that is drunk very cold. And with a smile, of course. New commercials will air during the holidays, where more will be learned about this rivalry between spokespersons.
“Laurent is a golden personality; it affects everyone between the ages of 7 and 77, ”says Julie Gélinas, marketing director for Les Producteurs de lait du Québec. “He’s a local boy who grew up in a rural area. He is an athlete who is involved in the world of health and who has his own foundation. This campaign with children is already breaking all records, on TV and on the Web. “
Julie Gélinas does not know to what extent such a campaign contributes to selling milk. But it makes people talk, which can only be positive for dairy producers in the province, she says. “Every year, marketing becomes more and more difficult. Campaigns that were planned months in advance a few years ago are done in a few weeks nowadays. It forces us a little to stick to the news. “
News that can play tricks on advertisers. A professional football player, LDT could at any time suffer a setback worse than a trade to the New York Jets, a team known for its chronic lack of success.
“Associating with a sports personality is the oldest recipe in marketing. It is also one of the riskiest. If there is a skeleton in the closet, we can pay the price, ”summarizes Julie Gélinas.
If there is a skeleton in Laurent Duvernay-Tardif’s closet, we only suspect that he has excellent bones. In the game of notoriety, it is undoubtedly one of the Quebec personalities who obtain the best score at the present time. In addition to milk, the Sports Experts chain of stores has also recently made its headliner.
Will the public end up getting tired of the smiling footballer? ” I do not think so. In any case, not for the moment, ”believes Luc Dupont. According to him, Tim Hortons could also decide to take Justin Bieber for another campaign. “These are two cases where spokespersons go beyond the advertising message: they embody values that stick very well to the products they represent. “