As the trade war with the United States drags on, the campaign to support homegrown businesses is gaining steam – and two Ottawa agencies are playing a key role in the buy-local push. Diana Ombe, founder of Ottawa-based marketing agency Agence Christelle, recently launched her “proudly Canadian” campaign, promoting four businesses in and around the […]
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As the trade war with the United States drags on, the campaign to support homegrown businesses is gaining steam – and two Ottawa agencies are playing a key role in the buy-local push.
Diana Ombe, founder of Ottawa-based marketing agency Agence Christelle, recently launched her “proudly Canadian” campaign, promoting four businesses in and around the National Capital Region.
Ombe told OBJ she wanted to help highlight local entrepreneurs in order to show the various businesses Ottawans have their backs as Canada and the U.S. continue to be embroiled in a trade dispute.
“We wanted to build a platform to actually encourage the public to buy a little more Canadian but also sharing the stories of those people,” she said, adding the campaign is fully funded by the agency.
The first business to be featured was Chap Chap Snacks, a food business that specializes in West African-inspired chocolates and spreads. The videos began to be featured on Agence Christelle’s social media platforms earlier this week.
While Agence Christelle didn’t intend for it to happen, all of the businesses featured in the “proudly Canadian” campaign are Black and women-owned. Ombe said this reflects many of the businesses the agency works with. “A lot of our clientele are women and a lot of them are Black women. I will say it’s also a good representation of the Ottawa region,” Ombe said.
One of the agency’s core values is showcasing humanity – something that is present in this campaign as well, Ombe said.
“These are not actors. Those are real people that are fighting every day and may not always have the opportunity to have a full marketing agency doing ads for them. We wanted to give back to the community but also put our dollars where our mouth is,” she said.
Ombe said she hopes the public will engage with the ads and consider supporting the featured businesses.
“I really want people to take the time and look at those businesses, but also understand the power of the local economy and the impact of your dollar,” she said.
It isn’t only small businesses that are hopping on the “buy local” bandwagon.
Ottawa-based retailer Giant Tiger has launched its own marketing campaign, “sharing Canadian values”, highlighting local franchisees through a series of videos produced by local marketing agency Banfield.
“This campaign was inspired by the passion and pride that we see every day from our franchise owners,” said Alison Scarlett, head of public relations, communications and corporate social responsibility at Giant Tiger.
Each video highlights a different franchisee and how they connect with the communities they serve, whether it’s giving back to local charities or carrying products that customers look for. The campaign is set to continue until the end of July.
Scarlett said it’s important that the chain’s customers feel connected to where they shop.
“Trust and community are values that have never mattered more. It’s important that when people shop at a local Giant Tiger that they know they’re supporting a local business owner who cares about the community, who understands their needs and who is committed to delivering everyday value with heart,” she said.
Aron Darmody, a professor at Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business, said many Canadian companies have adopted a more patriotic tone in their marketing campaigns since the trade war began.
“Companies like A&W, they’ve always presented themselves as buying from Canadian farmers and being supplied by Canadians. I’ve seen a shift in the language that they’ve used over the last number of months to double or triple down on their ‘Canadianess,’” Darmody said.
While this angle may be new or increasingly emphasized, he said the “buy Canadian” and “shop local” movements are largely positive for all businesses.
“In business, we often think about (it) as being about competition, and it is, but a lot of business is also about mutual support. If a new restaurant or café opens up somewhere and it’s going to attract a lot of people, it has a compounding effect for the surrounding businesses,” Darmody said.
Darmody said this type of marketing will rarely have a downside. However, he wonders how long the greater “buy Canadian” movement will last, especially if trade tensions with the U.S. ease.
“The ‘buy Canadian’ movement is a broad positive. Initially, I was kind of curious as to how this would be sustained…I’d be curious to see the data (in) six months from now, a year from now, two years from now,” he said.
