With an aging brand identity and tourism offering, Quebec was not well equipped to succeed in the tourism industry against the fierce competition that’s out there, especially with relatively limited resources. The new image had to be aligned with travellers’ expectations, change their perceptions, and break down stereotypes associated with Quebec, all the while showcasing the richness and variety of its tourist attractions.

In practice, the new platform took travellers’ purchasing cycles into account in its deployment, in addition to rethinking the brand tools in order to adapt to current distribution realities, especially on the web.

The platform was based on the three pillars of Quebec tourism: authenticity, creativity and nature, captured in one word: Original. The QuébecOriginal signature evokes the destination and maximizes the overall effectiveness of the communications pieces.

A team toured the province twice, once in summer and once in winter, compiling 40,000 pictures and 150 hours of video illustrating the QuébecOriginal image. The result is a medley of colours, contrasts and analogies: videos telling stories about Quebec, punctuated by examples of typical Quebec idioms; as well as print pieces expressing the richness of the experience through dazzling mosaics accompanied by some unique Québécois words.

The communications objectives were achieved. Comments on social networks were unanimously positive. The videos were described as “wacky” and “amazing.” Other examples included, “I love the super-friendly tone,” and “The ad I saw before the movie made me want to pack my suitcase.”

While entries into the country are not always the best indication, the month of December saw a 3.8% increase in international tourists and a 2.4% increase in tourists from France.