World markets were sent into turmoil again this week as the Trump administration unleashed another wave of global tariffs on Wednesday.
Goods compliant under the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement were largely left exempt as U.S. President Donald Trump’s 10% global baseline tariffs were announced, but Canada faces 25% levies on products in the steel, aluminum and auto sectors.
Thousands of autoworkers reportedly received layoff notices this week after Stellantis shut down an assembly plants in Windsor, Ont., upon the announcement of the levies.
Some brands got messaging out ahead of Donald Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” with ads pushing back at the U.S. President’s trade tactics and promoting Canadian unity.
Air Transat took a shot a the Trump’s push to rename the Gulf of Mexico with it’s April Fools’ Day “Fly Canadien” campaign that created a petition to rename the Atlantic Ocean the “Canadien Ocean.”
And last week, the Turkey Farmers of Canada placed real Canadian farmers in the spotlight in a nod to Molson’s iconic “I am Canadian” commercials in the organization’s latest “Think Turkey” video campaign.
The pair of patriotic efforts joined a growing list of companies that touching on “Buy Canadian” sentiment that now includes brands such as Birks, Mooseheads Breweries, Pizza Pizza, Cheestrings and many others.
Our “Maple Monitor” series looks at the “Buy Canadian” moments that caught our attention in the past week.
Mr. Rooter secures a dig with quick creative turnaround
Mr. Rooter entered the Signal chat with a jab at a Trump administration intelligence-leak scandal.
The Canadian plumbing brand capitalized on reports of U.S. officials’ accidental disclosure of plans for an airstrike on Yemen to an Atlantic journalist last month with a promise of its own to fix accidental leaks.
According to Newfoundland shop Ray Creative Agency, the art direction mirrors the style of the group-chat screenshots, reinforcing the connection between the event and its client’s services.
To get the OOH and digital campaign in the market before the news cycle shifted, Ray Creative completed the ideation, creative execution and media strategy in 24 hours.
“I think our clients are looking for an engaged, tuned-in agency partner who is always on the lookout for opportunities on their behalf,” says Josh Tucker, Ray Creative’s account director and business development lead. “As an agency partner, ‘added value’ is a term we hear a lot. Big, stand-out ideas are a great way to provide that to our clients. If they happen to capitalize on a timely cultural moment, even better.”
According to Tucker, Mr. Rooter understands the power of humour and the importance of standing out in a crowded marketplace.
“Plus, they are really, really good at fixing leaks,” Tucker says.
Dozens of brands get behind Pigeon’s Maple Leaf message
Indie creative agency Pigeon brought together nearly 50 brands this week to gather behind a truly Canadian symbol of solidarity: The Maple Leaf.
Using the help of artificial intelligence, 15 Pigeon employees set out to create brand-specific logos in an effort to aid consumers seeking out made-in-Canada products. Participating companies were encouraged to share their emblems simultaneously across social media and local media outlets on Wednesday.
Pigeon creative director Jean-François Béliveau and associate creative director Patrice Boudreault told strategy that the agency reached out to brands individually to assess interest with the expectation that 15 or so would be on board. Uptake surged as clients learned about the idea and the list of participating brands grew to 46 as companies such as Boursin, St. Hubert and Metro joined in.
Béliveau and Boudreault said Pigeon team banded together to turn around the project in time for April 2 using a blend of AI tools, traditional photography and Photoshop.
Canadians call out Amazon on 51st State merchandise
A petition calling for Amazon.com to remove merchandise promoting the U.S. takeover of Canada continues to build support as Canadians grow increasingly frustrated with rhetoric describing Canada as the 51st American state.
As of Friday morning, the petition calling for Amazon to shut down sellers with products promoting the U.S. annexation of Canada had gathered close to 65,000 signatures on its way toward its next goal of 75,000.
“While some may argue these products are harmless, even comedic, they disregard and belittle the sustained economic terrorism Canada has been withstanding. This is not a joke to us. It’s a threat to our autonomy and identity as Canadians,” a description on the website for the petition created Feb. 9 says.
Tesla taken to task by protesters
Electric-vehicle maker Tesla continues to face blowback in Canada and around the world with CEO Elon Musk under increasing scrutiny after taking on an advisory role in the Trump administration earlier this year.
Demonstrators gathered at Tesla showrooms across Canada last weekend during a worldwide “day of action” in protest, according to a report from The Canadian Press
Gatherings were reported at Tesla dealerships in Ottawa, Montreal, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Halifax along with a number of protests in B.C. as part of the so-called Tesla Takedown’s Global Day of Action demonstrations.
Last month, the Canadian government and the City of Toronto removed Tesla vehicles from eligibility in EV rebate programs and the Vancouver International Auto Show barred the company from this year’s event owing to security concerns.
– with files from Christopher Lombardo
