When Wal-Mart entered the Canadian marketplace five years ago to cries of despair from Canadian retailers, it vowed to act as a responsible corporate citizen and support Canadian manufacturers whenever possible.

To ensure that no one forgot that it had lived up to its promise (it claims that as much as 80% of the products in its Canadian stores are sourced from Canadian manufacturers), Wal-Mart followed through by highlighting Canadian products and manufacturers in its in-store promotional materials and household flyers.

Last year, it launched the TV portion of its Buy Canada campaign, which spotlights actual Canadian suppliers to Wal-Mart. The TV campaign kicked off with two 30-second executions – one focusing on a towel manufacturer and the other on the maker of squeegees.

Now, a third spot has just gone to air to spotlight the Terra Footwear Company of Harbour Grace, a town that once bustled as a fish processing centre but is billed in the ads as ‘the shoemaking capital of Newfoundland.’

The spot, as with the others in the series, is unscripted and stars actual employees of the company.

Lou Puim, director of marketing for Wal-Mart Canada, says the approach of using real stories told by real people has made a connection with Canadian consumers.

‘How,’ he asks, ‘can you not be interested in someone who seems real, saying it in their own words?’