The “Maple Monitor” looks at attention-grabbing “Buy Canadian” moments and trends.
It’s anyone’s guess when political tensions between Canada and the U.S. will abate with heightened uncertainty the new normal during Donald Trump’s spasmodic tariff campaign. But there were signs that cross-border acrimony was softening this week, at least in the world of marketing and advertising.
Public Inc. struck a conciliatory on Wednesday with the release of a music-video ode to remind Canada’s southern neighbours of a shared history of common values and co-operation.
The agency collaborated with composer Ari Posner of Pirate Sound to rework the Civil War-era “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” A new set of lyrics replaces the original’s “glory, glory hallelujahs” with a unifying chorus of “glory, glory let’s restore it.”
“Most of the stuff that’s out there was all ‘Elbows Up,’ right? And ‘Buy Canadian,’ which is great, fantastic, but we didn’t feel like anybody was actually talking more specifically to Americans,” Public Inc. CEO Phillip Haid tells strategy. “The message is actually very, very intentionally a serious message. It’s just we felt like we’re going to cut through with a little bit of wink and smile to it.”
The visuals, which blend archival and contemporary footage with elements created by AI, were compiled and edited in house by Public Inc.
The certified B Corporation has a “profit-with-a-purpose” mandate to produce work that advances social and environmental issues. The new video adds to a growing portfolio of topical creative that serves the agency’s values rather than a specific brand.
“We don’t shy away from important issues, so we take it very seriously,” Haid says. “So that’s why we do these kind of campaigns. It’s a great way to flex our creativity, our strategy and our courage. To live off to the code and the values of Public.”
Band of brewers unites for charity
Craft-beer companies from around the country are joining together for a grassroots cause that goes beyond “Buy Canadian.”
Dominion City Brewing offered up its Glorious and Free IPA recipe for other companies to brew and sell if they committed to using 100% Canadian ingredients and agreed to donate portions of proceeds to a core cause.
The Ottawa brewery’s co-founder Josh McJannett tells strategy that the idea for a nationwide collaboration came to him ahead of the trade war kicking off. The brewing process for Glorious and Free IPA began on Inauguration Day in January.
“We offered, for people who were feeling anxious about wanting to do something and take some kind of action, an opportunity to vote with their feet, vote with their wallet, support local business, support local producers and, all of it together, support local communities,” McJannett says.
Initially, McJannett expected about 10 breweries to join in when he began putting out calls to gauge interest. More than 40 have signed on to participate in the “Glorious and Free” campaign since its launch in mid-February.
Americans extend advertising olive branches
Americans deployed unorthodox OOH this week in an attempt to bridge the U.S.-Canada divide.
CTV reported Monday on the purchase of ad space in downtown Vancouver with the message “Dear Canada, we are so very, very, very sorry – Your American Friends.”
CTV said the blue billboards were purchased by an American citizen who wanted to stay anonymous while voicing his distress over the U.S. government’s treatment of Canada.
And in Palm Springs, Calif., 40 banners emblazoned with heart-shaped Canadian flags were raised in a municipally sponsored display of solidarity with Canada.
The Washington Times reported on Wednesday that several businesses also made ad-outreach efforts to appeal to the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who visit the city each year.
Staying in California, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a tourism campaign that encourages Canadians to visit the state on Monday.
A video posted to Newsom’s Facebook account was branded with a Canadian flag and the message, “Don’t let Trump keep you from visiting CA.”
Metro CEO says sale of Canadian items is outpacing total sales
Metro president and CEO Eric La Flèche said during Wednesday’s second-quarter earnings call that Canadian products are outpacing total sales in the company’s stores.
La Flèche said “customers are responding well” to the company’s efforts to promote Canadian products through in-store and online tools, according to a report from the Financial Post.
Metro is among the companies labelling their shelves with in-store branding to help customers identify made-in-Canada products.
The supermarket chain reported sales of $4.9 billion in the second quarter for a 5.5% increase over the same period in 2024.
