LONGUEUIL, Que. – The smiling face of a senior citizen stares out of the poster as she gleefully exclaims she has lots of “cochons” and it only takes five minutes.
Didn’t get the pun? That’s because you’re not from Quebec where “cochons” can be translated to mean sex, as well as pork.
And it helps explain why Quebec has its own spicy style of advertising.
“If you want a promotion, do it locally,” says Gilbert Lavoie, a market development officer with the Federation des Producteurs de Porcs du Quebec. Advertising that suits the rest of Canada doesn’t translate well in Quebec.
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That’s why the federation doesn’t work on television commercials with the Canadian Pork Council, preferring to do its own.
The federation’s 4,300 producers contribute a checkoff on each hog sold that funds the group and provides about $2 million a year to promote their meat. The targets are consumers reached through TV ads and recipes, but the retail sector is also tackled.
The federation works with hotels and restaurants to develop new cuts and recipes and with grocery stores to train their butchers.
