(Originally published in TOURISM)
If the value of non-traditional partnerships is gaining recognition across the tourism spectrum, nowhere are these collaborations sought more avidly that at the Canadian Tourism Commission’s (CTC) Paris sales office. The arrival of Sandra Teakle last year as managing director, and the subsequent appointment of Monique Simard as promotions and partnerships manager, have lead to the development of a French market non-traditional partnerships strategy.
Simard has since been tirelessly working to harness the power of partnerships to Canada’s advantage. “These partnerships usually involve the CTC and partners that are not commonly perceived as part of the tourism landscape. They usually come from outside our normal business realm, but they tend to have affinities with our destination and what our destination portrays as an image. These partnerships may involve Canadian partners who are conducting activities in France, or we may wish to work with France-based partners.” To ensure these partnerships are profitable, measurement tools are put into place to evaluate how effective each partnership is and to help decide if they are worth sustaining.
Simard gives some examples of companies with appeal from the CTC’s point of view, including luggage manufacturer Lancel (a brand associated with innovation, quality and creativity) and J.C. Decaux, the leading French outdoor advertising firm that is injecting a more human face to the way cities and streets are used as a backdrop to convey messages. The CTC might also consider French retail leader Auchan and mobile telecommunications’ SFR (a major national phone operator) as potential partners.
“We’d also love to work with the Galeries Lafayette (GL) on Haussmann Boulevard in Paris. This department store is the largest commercial retail outlet in the Western world, and number one in Europe in terms of sales. The chain has a very powerful international image. Of the 80,000 people who walk through the doors daily, 50,000 are from Paris; 75 percent are women; 37 percent are senior management; and 23 percent are middle management.
The Galeries Lafayette welcome eight million foreign visitors a year; the Haussmann Boulevard location gets four times the number of visitors the Louvres welcomes. And within its walls, one finds the largest travel agency in Paris: Lafayette Voyages.” CTC France might consider an alliance where Canada’s brand would be featured on the Lafayette billing system among other things, perhaps a Canada evening for the retailers 50,000 card‑carrying clients.
One of the initiatives Simard is working on involves Dance‑Sing, a troupe of dancers, singers, musicians and actors from Quebec, a live orchestra, a multitude of sets and costumes with an adaptable musical repertoire that appeals to a wide audience.
“Last year, I heard they were coming to Paris in June, so I went to see the producer. From there the idea to hook up with them was fleshed out into a real partnership; we have managed to be present on the entire advertising campaign in the Metro (subway system), in the RER (Paris region transit trains) and in train stations. We were present as well in the media with Pariscope, the official showbiz magazine. The musical is becoming the vehicle for Canada’s brand in the form of a radio contest on Radio Nostalgie that uses the Keep Exploring theme (Il vous reste tant à découvrir) to send consumers to the www.decouvertecanada.fr website targeting the French market.”
In essence, Dance‑Sing is a Canadian vehicle to which the CTC is grafting Canada’s brand in an organic way. It has an extremely sophisticated marketing engine, which is very valuable in achieving the goals and objectives of the CTC in the French market.
“500,000 flyers will be distributed all across Paris through hotels, in train stations, airports, at tourism attractions like Versailles and Disneyland, at the Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, Virgin, Carrefour and Auchan stores. We are talking about a value of about 800,000 Euros with the media, flyers, radio contests. Thanks to this partnership, we are present on web sites like the www.fnac.com (the most important retail outlet in France for books, shows, CDs) which is like Renaud‑Bray, Archambault or Chapters in Canada.
Dance Sing is presented for 6 months at the Trianon theatre in Paris. To take full advantage of the opportunities, Simards says the CTC commissioned a 14‑second film spot last spring for the release of the Da Vinci Code, shown on the screen before the performance and during intermissions at Dance‑Sing performances.
“We also have a planned exhibit of photographs about Canada in the theatre. These are taken from the book Sur les Traces de Jacques Cartier, produced by two journalists who have travelled across Canada for a whole year. The book is prefaced by Patrick Poivre D'arvor, a well‑known media personality in France. All these initiatives target the 30‑59‑year‑old age group which is our international strategic target.”
Simard also confides that one in two inquiries originating from France about Canada now target Western Canada, which points to an increased interest and new opportunities. The kind of non‑traditional partnerships pioneered by the CTC in France may be just the way to add extra clout to precious marketing dollars. It seems non‑traditional partnerships are here to stay.
Galeries Lafayette, Paris, France
A perspective recorded by a visitor from abroad.
If the value of non-traditional partnerships is gaining recognition across the tourism spectrum, nowhere are these collaborations sought more avidly that at the Canadian Tourism Commission’s (CTC) Paris sales office. The arrival of Sandra Teakle last year as managing director, and the subsequent appointment of Monique Simard as promotions and partnerships manager, have lead to the development of a French market non-traditional partnerships strategy.
Simard has since been tirelessly working to harness the power of partnerships to Canada’s advantage. “These partnerships usually involve the CTC and partners that are not commonly perceived as part of the tourism landscape. They usually come from outside our normal business realm, but they tend to have affinities with our destination and what our destination portrays as an image. These partnerships may involve Canadian partners who are conducting activities in France, or we may wish to work with France-based partners.” To ensure these partnerships are profitable, measurement tools are put into place to evaluate how effective each partnership is and to help decide if they are worth sustaining.
Simard gives some examples of companies with appeal from the CTC’s point of view, including luggage manufacturer Lancel (a brand associated with innovation, quality and creativity) and J.C. Decaux, the leading French outdoor advertising firm that is injecting a more human face to the way cities and streets are used as a backdrop to convey messages. The CTC might also consider French retail leader Auchan and mobile telecommunications’ SFR (a major national phone operator) as potential partners.
“We’d also love to work with the Galeries Lafayette (GL) on Haussmann Boulevard in Paris. This department store is the largest commercial retail outlet in the Western world, and number one in Europe in terms of sales. The chain has a very powerful international image. Of the 80,000 people who walk through the doors daily, 50,000 are from Paris; 75 percent are women; 37 percent are senior management; and 23 percent are middle management.
The Galeries Lafayette welcome eight million foreign visitors a year; the Haussmann Boulevard location gets four times the number of visitors the Louvres welcomes. And within its walls, one finds the largest travel agency in Paris: Lafayette Voyages.” CTC France might consider an alliance where Canada’s brand would be featured on the Lafayette billing system among other things, perhaps a Canada evening for the retailers 50,000 card‑carrying clients.
One of the initiatives Simard is working on involves Dance‑Sing, a troupe of dancers, singers, musicians and actors from Quebec, a live orchestra, a multitude of sets and costumes with an adaptable musical repertoire that appeals to a wide audience.
“Last year, I heard they were coming to Paris in June, so I went to see the producer. From there the idea to hook up with them was fleshed out into a real partnership; we have managed to be present on the entire advertising campaign in the Metro (subway system), in the RER (Paris region transit trains) and in train stations. We were present as well in the media with Pariscope, the official showbiz magazine. The musical is becoming the vehicle for Canada’s brand in the form of a radio contest on Radio Nostalgie that uses the Keep Exploring theme (Il vous reste tant à découvrir) to send consumers to the www.decouvertecanada.fr website targeting the French market.”
In essence, Dance‑Sing is a Canadian vehicle to which the CTC is grafting Canada’s brand in an organic way. It has an extremely sophisticated marketing engine, which is very valuable in achieving the goals and objectives of the CTC in the French market.
“500,000 flyers will be distributed all across Paris through hotels, in train stations, airports, at tourism attractions like Versailles and Disneyland, at the Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, Virgin, Carrefour and Auchan stores. We are talking about a value of about 800,000 Euros with the media, flyers, radio contests. Thanks to this partnership, we are present on web sites like the www.fnac.com (the most important retail outlet in France for books, shows, CDs) which is like Renaud‑Bray, Archambault or Chapters in Canada.
Dance Sing is presented for 6 months at the Trianon theatre in Paris. To take full advantage of the opportunities, Simards says the CTC commissioned a 14‑second film spot last spring for the release of the Da Vinci Code, shown on the screen before the performance and during intermissions at Dance‑Sing performances.
“We also have a planned exhibit of photographs about Canada in the theatre. These are taken from the book Sur les Traces de Jacques Cartier, produced by two journalists who have travelled across Canada for a whole year. The book is prefaced by Patrick Poivre D'arvor, a well‑known media personality in France. All these initiatives target the 30‑59‑year‑old age group which is our international strategic target.”
Simard also confides that one in two inquiries originating from France about Canada now target Western Canada, which points to an increased interest and new opportunities. The kind of non‑traditional partnerships pioneered by the CTC in France may be just the way to add extra clout to precious marketing dollars. It seems non‑traditional partnerships are here to stay.
Galeries Lafayette, Paris, France
A perspective recorded by a visitor from abroad.
Comments