Product placement in Canada is not nearly at the level it is at in the U.S., where much of our film and TV entertainment is created, but we do have an indigenous placement hot spot in Quebec – a province that is largely self-sufficient entertainment-wise.

‘Programming is produced here so you’re not buying shows from the U.S.,’ says Gloria DiIoia, managing partner for Groupe TMC in Montreal. ‘I think and more and more, producers will look for subsidies the product placement way. It helps defray the cost of producing.’

The fact that product placement has been done for so long within Quebec’s home-grown programs – more than 20 years – also means that viewers are more used to it.

‘I think Quebecers are more forgiving than English Canadians are,’ says Toronto-based Cheryl Fryer, associate media director with Bates Canada, who worked on an integrated program for Dentyne last year. ‘I think English Canadians and Americans, we take things like that a bit too seriously and I think the French have a much better perspective on it sometimes. It’s been much more a part of their television viewing experience for a longer period of time than in the rest of North America.’

There are two things Quebecers are known for – a unique sense of humour and a home-grown celebrity system. And both can be used to enhance placements in Quebec. ‘There is a certain sense of humour or spin to it that you need to be sensitive to in the market, and if you can tap into it, it adds tremendous dimension to what it is that you’re doing,’ says Lynn Mayer, SVP at Bates.

That’s what Bates tried to do with its Dentyne placement in Gala du Plus Bel Homme du Quebec, or Quebec’s Most Beautiful Man Gala. In pushing its ‘romantic possibilities’ positioning for Dentyne, the five male finalists took part in a kissing challenge and chewed the gum before the kissing was to begin. Not only did that placement work, but the promotion garnered extra media buzz when one contestant swapped his gum to his partner’s mouth – something that’s actually happened in a Dentyne spot.

Local celebrity Julie Snyder, marking her return to Quebec television from a stint in France, hosted the show.

‘That’s the easy way: find a star you like, who’s got the right image, and rely on her to communicate what you want to communicate,’ says Mayer. ‘But I think you need to move beyond that. We involved Julie, but we weren’t really depending on her to hold up a pack of gum and say ‘Chew Dentyne because we do.’ We benefited from the association, but the gum was integral to the program. I don’t know if you could have done that in English Canada.’