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QuickBooks takes flight with Quebec campaign

Intuit QuickBooks is once again walking on air, with a new wave of advertising in its one-year-old Quebec brand platform “Soyez au-dessus de vos affaires” (“On Top of Your Business”).

CIRA launches first French language .ca ad campaign

CIRA’s new campaign ‘Quand c’est .ca, c’est local’ (‘When it’s .ca, it’s local’) by Headspace highlights the fact that choice of a domain is an effective way for entrepreneurs to showcase that they are a local business that operates locally.

QuickBooks hits new heights in Quebec

“Soyez au-dessus de vos affaires” (“On Top of Your Business”), a new campaign specifically targeting Quebec’s entrepreneurial community.

How Bill 96 will Impact Retailers

Craig interviews Éric Blais about how Bill 96 will impact retailers with rules around signage on stores and other businesses. They also discuss language laws generally and how consumers are greeted in stores — and what the penalties might be for businesses in Quebec not complying. 

GoDaddy and skier Erik Guay get back to nature for new Quebec campaign

A Quebec campaign featuring champion skier Erik Guay, who is using the company to build a website for his new business, Parc Primal—a 100-acre recreational park and nature conservancy in the province’s Mont-Tremblant region.

John Sleeman is returning to Quebec radio - this time promoting vodka and gin

The campaign from Headspace Marketing will use drive-time radio across leading stations in Montreal, Quebec City and Sherbrooke. “You kind of plant the message in people’s minds on their way to work, and you remind them on the way home so they stop at the SAQ when they’re picking up drinks for dinner,” says Sleeman of the marketing approach, which will be supported by social media.

QuickBooks looks beyond accounting

Danny DeVito stars in a new platform aimed at showing how the brand serves the broader needs of entrepreneurs. Headspace Marketing adapted the ads for the Quebec market, hiring a voice actor who has previously dubbed many of DeVito’s Hollywood roles.

Marketer of the Year - Jill Schoolenberg's slam dunk

Working with Headspace Marketing’s Montreal office, the brand created a campaign that saw the football player sell handcrafted wooden bowls, with proceeds benefiting his namesake foundation.

Thousands line up for Quebec City IKEA store opening

An estimated 4,000 people waited at the doors for a 9:00am opening on August 22, which might be attributed to promotions and giveaways, not to mention an affinity for the brand.

GoDaddy brings sports alignment to Quebec

After launching service in French earlier this year, the company partners with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to inspire entrepreneurs.

The digital distinctions that set Québec apart

Due to their language and socioeconomic level, Francophone Quebecers spend less time with digital media than other Canadians do, and more time with traditional media, particularly TV. For brands, striking an authentic local tone and tapping into the province’s unique celebrity “star system” has helped gain favor with consumers there. 

The upside of politeness in Québec

Most companies operating across geographies comply with local regulations while looking for efficiencies. It's not always an easy balance to achieve and Québec, with its many unique requirements, can be particularly challenging.

Renewed focus on Québec begs the same old questions

Need an agency in Quebec? Eric Blais says it's more about relationships than geography.

Target failed in Québec too

Target Canada tried to win Quebecers over, but in the end it failed as badly as it did everywhere across the country, even if the reasons were somewhat different.

Why Target missed the mark

Retail experts and analysts weigh in on the discount chain's demise in Canada.

The Québec connection

On the surface Québec consumers seem to be becoming more like consumers in the rest of Canada. But deep differences do remain. Understanding the divergences and commonalities and being smart and strategic about exploiting them can be a major competitive edge.

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How to adapt your business model and marketing for success in Québec

Some proven strategies to ensure une victoire dans la belle province.

Target faces loyalty challenges in Québec

It's a tough sell in Quebec, but there is opportunity in being less-well-known.

The quest to get young Montrealers to hit the beach on the Great Lakes.

Advertisers spend billions of dollars per year to speak to consumers. So when those consumers take notice, and talk back, it would seem the last thing any company would want to do is ignore them.

At a recent meeting with a client, Eric Blais, president and co-owner of Toronto-based Headspace Marketing Inc., faced a question he has heard in one form or another many times before: "So, you rely heavily on freelancers, don't you?"

Toronto agency Headspace Marketing has published a study on the “emotional buttons that get Québec consumers to buy” with the aim of helping marketers better adapt their English marketing messages to la belle province.

Soft-drink maker hopes to keep its lock on the unique market with a new generation of targeted marketing.

Eric Blais, president of Toronto’s Headspace Marketing, was born and raised in Quebec and has made a business out of helping marketers understand its nuances. His firm conducts research and helps develop marketing plans for companies looking to make inroads with consumers in the province.

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