'Colder than people from Toronto' slogan gets frosty reception
Aug 18, 2009 04:30 AM
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Petti Fong
Western Canada Bureau Chief
VANCOUVER–They're mocking Hogtown again.
A new billboard campaign in British Columbia for Coors Light declares the beer is "Colder Than Most People From Toronto."
The slogan caught Newmarket resident Kathryn Morton by surprise.
"That's pretty insulting to such a large group of people," she said. "We hear stuff about Toronto people all the time but we couldn't believe anyone would put it on a billboard."
Morton, who grew up in Kamloops, where she said it was common for people to make fun of Toronto, saw the ad on a camping trip a couple of weeks ago. Her 16-year-old son Stuart spotted it first.
"He realized the political incorrectness of it. What bothered us was we saw the Olympic logo on the billboard. This isn't a great way to bring in people to the province."
But marketing expert Paul Cubbon said it's likely the people behind the billboards wanted to generate talk.
Making fun of Toronto is a unity issue that ties together everyone who doesn't live there, a strategy that has been used for years.
What has changed, said Cubbon, who teaches marketing at UBC's Sauder School of Business, is the speed at which localized ads can move outside their target area via cellphone cameras, YouTube videos and Twitter postings.
"I thought the ad was humorous," said Cubbon, who saw it last weekend while driving through the Okanagan. "Everyone out here likes poking fun at Toronto."
Beer marketing campaigns usually play up regional differences, Cubbon said. But ads can offend just as easily as they amuse.
Last year, Ford Canada dropped its campaign "Drive It Like You Stole It" after critics objected to its glib message, especially in western cities like Winnipeg, which has a high rate of auto theft.
Coors Light brand marketing manager Adam Moffat said he has heard complaints about the beer ad from one or two people.
"It was from Torontonians visiting the Okanagan who saw it and they thought it was curious," he said. "What we've told consumers is we're sorry and apologetic if we've offended anyone."
