While Quebecers continue to pay a premium for maple syrup in restaurants, Americans can get reimbursed for the same purchase thanks to a promotion by Érable du Québec.
The “Bill the Maple” campaign will allow American consumers to get their money back if they chose Quebec maple syrup over inferior brands.
An advertising campaign that could raise certain questions among Quebecers who pay between $2 and $4 more to be entitled to Quebec maple syrup with their meals.
“Our idea was to create a sensation within a short period of time. If our industry comes out of this stronger, I think we’re all winners for Quebecers, says David Marino, director of marketing and advertising for Érable Québec, which brings together 13,300 maple producers.
“We are fortunate to have a great industry. The more maple syrup we sell, the more forests we preserve.”
Advertising campaign among Americans to encourage purchases of real maple syrup. Screenshot Syrup Maker
Budget of $13,000
The total reimbursement budget was set at US$10,000 (C$13,500).
“We will not reimburse all Americans,” specifies Mr. Marino. The clauses are clear. The idea was to develop a campaign that would attract much more attention than the budgets we have.
“A million dollars in the United States doesn’t do much.”
He doesn’t rule out the possibility of a similar campaign in Quebec next year. On the other hand, it is far from being cast in concrete.
“Quebec is the kingdom of maple syrup. We know this. We don’t need education. We use maple in all sauces. Every market is different and we have a specific strategy for each.”
Florida, the destination
Érable du Québec’s campaign will focus on the southeastern United States.
“We have targeted Florida and surrounding states,” Mr. Marino emphasizes. According to our research, this is where the greatest potential exists for switching from pancake syrup to pure maple syrup.
“Our budget didn’t allow us to reach all Americans.”
He mentions that there is a lot of confusion in the United States about when it is time to consume maple syrup.
“Many consumers think that when they buy pancake syrup they are buying pure maple syrup. With this campaign we wanted to educate, says Mr. Marino. We asked ourselves how we could turn restaurants across the United States into maple syrup tasting stations.”
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Originally posted 2023-12-05 14:58:28.