53
Fleur de sel finishing salts?
Fig and black olive tapenade?
President's Choice "Our Best Ever Meat Lasagna?"
Memories of ... anything?
Martin Jamieson, brand master and marketing guru for Loblaw Cos. Ltd., will not be budged.
He will not reveal the food focus of the soon-to-be-launched final two Christmas commercials featuring executive chairman Galen G. Weston.
Thus far, the young Mr. Weston has drawn consumers into the preseason mood by appearing in a charcoal grey turtleneck touting Dulce de Leche cheesecake; in a red and black argyle pullover extolling Wild Pacific Salmon Mini Wellingtons; and in a red, zippered jersey chatting about decking the "halls, table, tree, front door, mantle, your dog" with President's Choice homewares.
What Mr. Jamieson will say is that nationwide consumer tracking has convinced the grocery giant that just in time for the quarter-century anniversary of the company's Insider's Report, Mr. Weston has hit his stride as company spokesperson.
"Canadians across the country from coast to coast to coast have responded amazingly well," he says of a survey set of consumers that he will only define as being greater than 1,000 respondents though smaller than 3,000.
"Over 80 per cent have an extremely favourable impression. They find Galen really friendly, approachable, honest, genuine."
"Interestingly," Mr. Jamieson continues, "the favourability is highest with women."
For a company whose operational motto is "Making Loblaw the Best Again," the marriage between the executive chairman and the company he oversees could be marketing gold.
Coming up? "I'm not saying," says Mr. Jamieson, whose formal title is executive vice-president, Loblaw Brands, Loblaw Cos. "I don't want you telling my competitors what I'm going to advertise in the next couple [of] weeks."
Not since the days of Dave Nichol and fur-child sidekick Georgie Girl in her little Santa hat has the Insider's Report been so stuffed with originally sourced products like the PC fair-trade milk chocolate from Ecuador.
Times have changed since the Dave days. "We're in a different time now than we were in the late 80s," Mr. Jamieson says. "I think what Galen brings to the brand these days is very much 'of today.' It suits today's consumer. Things are more sophisticated." He adds that the taking-care-of-the-environment corporate mission, extending to Marine Stewardship Council-certified salmon in those mini Wellingtons, is tailor-made to Mr. Weston's own passions.
A cautionary note is expressed by Will Novosedlik, partner in brand consultancy Chemistry. "Branding Galen as a pitchman in the shadow of Dave Nichol is kind of an impossible task," he says. "[Nichol] just had a heart for it, a passion for it. I think those kind of people are born that way." Mr. Novosedlik says Mr. Weston does seem more comfortable as a front-man since his days last summer shilling Blue Menu hamburgers. "I think it's possible that he could grow into it ... Some people might have the feeling, 'He's trying so hard.' "
According to David Rosenberg, a partner at the advertising agency Bensimon Byrne and creative director for the Christmas spots, Mr. Weston isn't "trying" at all. No acting coaches have been hired. And the witty endnotes to the meticulously crafted commercials are very much "Galen."
"When you talk to him you hear his sense of humour. It's very apparent," Mr. Rosenberg says. "We're simply trying to bring out who Galen really is."
Mr. Jamieson sees no end to the brand-building strategy. "We're watching very carefully for wear-out, as all marketers do," he says. "This is just not doing that."
Next up: Cranberry plum tart with pumpkin seeds? Mr. Jamieson will not say.
LOBLAW COS. (L)
Close: $29.65, down 85¢
