Between 1998 and 2000, Molson's flagship brand was flagging in Canada. Molson Canada was seen as a conservative company without a strong emotional connection to consumers. The
brewery looked to 2000 as the year to revitalize its image with the core beer-drinking market (18- to 24-year-olds in Canada).
The decision was made to revitalize an old Molson tag-line - "I AM Canadian" - with a new, youthful spin. Commercials featured "Joe Canadian," an average beer-drinker who
stands in front of a movie screen flashing Canadian images and explaining "what it means to be Canadian." His monologue starts off humble and builds to a passionate finale when
Joe screams, "My name is Joe! And I AM Canadian."
Molson turned to Thornley Fallis Communications to support the new advertising with a marketing communications campaign. The Thornley Fallis team recognized an opportunity to
take the message directly to the people. "Canadians think of patriotism as a U.S. tradition," says Dave Jones, VP with Thornley Fallis. "Canadians are more reserved. The rant
serves to identify how we feel as a culture. We thought, 'We could do this live.'"
How to reach Canadians in-person? Hockey was the obvious answer. Molson's top competitor was the broadcast sponsor for NHL games, but Molson sponsored the events. During a
time-out at game, the "Joe Canadian" actor appeared in front of 20,000 screaming fans.
Thornley Fallis booked Joe for live appearances at NHL playoffs and other venues for about six weeks, culminating with a coast-to-coast tour on Canada Day. Joe began the day at
12:00 a.m. in Newfoundland and ended at 11:59 p.m. in Vancouver, appearing at patriotic events to perform his rant. Tens of thousands of Canadian beer drinkers saw him live, with
media voraciously picking up the story.
The result: Joe became a Canadian sensation. He appeared on the front page of 17 newspapers and was a featured guest on every major Canadian morning show. The rant got coverage
in USA Today, CBS "This Morning," The Boston Globe, The New York Times and People. So far, Joe has racked up nearly half a billion media impressions - not too shabby for an
average beer drinker.
(Dave Jones, Thornley Fallis, 416/515-7517 ext. 225)
Client: Molson Canada, Montreal
Agency: Thornley Fallis Communications, Toronto, Ontario
Campaign Timeframe: January - July 2000
Campaign Budget: Molson will not disclose, but Jones categorizes the
budget as six figures - in Canadian dollars, of course