As one of Canada’s leading shipping and logistics companies, Purolator understands that small businesses are the heartbeat of the economy – and that’s why Purolator is proud to help deliver their promises every single day. Purolator also recognizes that Canadian small businesses are as diverse as our nation, and believes in the strength of this diversity and in supporting their customers in all their uniqueness.
Our goal was to build trust with small business owners and shipping decision-makers in order to grow market share in Quebec, a predominantly French-speaking province in Canada with its own distinct culture and traditions. Simply adapting a national campaign wouldn’t cut it. We needed to develop a campaign tailored to the Quebec market to make small businesses feel seen and valued, and confident that Purolator was the right shipping partner for them. And we needed to acquire more qualified leads for our Quebec Sales Team to close.
We needed to better understand and honour the many details and nuances of this unique market, so we spent time collaborating with our Quebec Sales Team. And it led to our inaugural, French-language-first campaign for small business owners looking to grow within Quebec – and beyond provincial borders.
Called “Fabriqué au Québec. Expédié par Purolator” (“Made in Quebec. Shipped by Purolator”), it had to feature local pride and celebrate Quebec products. It had to position Purolator as the right partner for growth within la belle province – and beyond. And of course, it had to be crafted in French.
It also needed to be simple and inclusive so all types of business owners could relate to it: from maple syrup producers to fashion start-ups to construction equipment suppliers, just to name a few.
Our illustrated campaign did all that – and more!
To drive up brand awareness and increase brand recognition, we put the iconic Purolator truck at the centre of the campaign. Our whimsical ads caught the eye of our aspirational target audience.
A variety of social, display and search ad executions targeted and re-targeted our audience (including the French-language daily newspaper, La Presse), all chosen specifically based on the media consumption preferences of Quebec small businesses. Messaging was optimized across Google Performance Max, Meta and StackAdapt platforms. Landing pages were also optimized for lead capture, featuring reasons to believe specific to the Quebec audience, exciting offer details, and an inspirational success story about how Purolator supported a popular Quebec business. And for the first time, our retail locations across Quebec featured activations, including posters and video boards. Plus, our local sales team was armed with sales collateral, including email templates, to help them close the leads.
Just like Purolator, the campaign really delivered!
And with an impressive year-over-year increase in leads generated, we knew it clicked with Quebec small business owners who felt seen in the ads unlike in past national campaigns.
And people haven’t stopped talking about the campaign since it launched.
“The Made in Quebec ads literally clicked with leads.”
- Mavith Hurtado, Manager SMB Sales East
“Purolator offered the best service across Canada. Our bagels were 99% guaranteed to get there next day.”
- St-Viateur Bagel
C’est vrai. “Fabriqué au Québec. Expédié par Purolator” (“Made in Quebec. Shipped by Purolator”) made an authentic connection with Quebec small business owners. The number of leads is off the charts – and so is the trust we’re building in la belle province.
* Based on November 22 – December 31, 2022 vs. November 23 – December 31, 2023 lead metrics.
