Insights into Quebec and village culture with Sonya Bacon

Insight Connect is a platform where we interview senior brand marketers, cultural and international experts. We explore the tangible value of cultural intelligence and well-informed internationalisation plans.

In this episode, we explore the unique culture of Quebec and how it stands out within the broader Canadian context. From "I" to "we", from "tradition" to "modernity" and "local" to "global", Sonya shares her unique experience and perspective on a fascinating market and nuanced culture.

Sonya Bacon is a Senior Brand Strategist and Lecturer at Sherbrooke University in Quebec where she teaches the art of pitch and storytelling as part of the Marketing and Communications programme.

TRANSCRIPTION

MC: Welcome to Insight Connect, an initiative where we invite a range of international and local experts to share their experience and insights on cultural intelligence and why it matters. Today, I'm delighted to welcome Sonia Bacon, who is a Senior Brand Strategist and Lecturer at Sherbrooke University in Québec, where she teaches the art of the pitch and storytelling as part of the marketing and communications programme. Today, we will be exploring the richness and diversity of Canadian culture and how Québec stands out both linguistically and culturally as a separate dimension in this vast nation.

Welcome Sonya. It's an absolute pleasure to have you here with us today.

SB: Thank you.

MC: As means of background, would you like to tell us a bit more about how you landed in cultural intelligence to begin with?

SB: Well, my first encounter with cultural intelligence actually began at home. I grew up moving naturally between two worlds. The Quebec world where my mother came from and the British English Canadian. And that duality shaped my sensitivity to language, humor, values, and communication styles. I learned very early that the same message can land very differently depending on the cultural lens of the person receiving it. But my first professional exposure happened at Cossette, Canada's leading agency at the time where I worked on national brands, notably BMO, which is a leading financial institution. And that's where and when cultural intelligence became much more concrete for me. Working on Quebec campaigns, I quickly realized that Quebecers approach money, risk, and decision-making very differently than English Canadians. This wasn't about language. It was about how they view the world. The Quebec-specific platform (profiter), which means literally enjoy, captured that perfectly. It wasn't simply “enjoy”. It expressed a very Quebec ethos. You know: let the expert handle the complexity so you can enjoy life, family, and the present moment.That experience anchored a belief I still hold today. Cultural intelligence isn't a nice-to-have. It's a foundation in a country as diverse as Canada.

MC: That’s really fascinating and we've recently done some work together on a global local brand scope. And what really truly fascinated me is how in Quebec there is this focus on the “we” versus the “I” in the rest of Canada, which is an individualistic nation. Can you tell us a bit more about that?

SB: Yes, you're absolutely right. There's a fundamental difference when it comes to the “we” and the “I”. Of course, we are still individuals like any other country, but the “we” and the “I” distinction is one of the most powerful lenses to understand the Quebec culture. In many Western markets, communication is very much individual-centered. My story, my success, my journey. In Quebec, meaning is created collectively. Identity here is much more relational, historical, and cross-generational. Culture is not something on the side. It is central in Quebec. We have our own ecosystem when it comes to TV, music, humor, star system, and collective memory. That's why narratives here are very much anchored around roots, belonging and shared history that resonate very much strongly. Where do we come from? What did we build? How does my story connect to a larger one? This doesn't mean that Quebecers lack individuality. Quite the opposite. But the lens through which meaning is created is us before me. You see it in our language. “Nous", "ensemble", "nos histoires”, “us”, the “together”, “our stories” even in branding and marketing with “Ici c’est Pepsi” you know which is a Quebec only signature that work because it spoke to belonging not consumption. So, for brands this collective lens often makes the difference between being heard and being felt.

MC: That's really interesting. And actually, speaking of “we” versus “I”, there are other contrasting concepts that coexist in Quebec. We discussed the concept of “village culture” which you'll tell us a bit more about in a minute, but there really is a link, where there is a mix of tradition and modernity, local versus global, and there is, as you were mentioning, an emphasis on relationships, authenticity. How do you think this village culture manifests itself when it's applied to branding and marketing?

SB: It's a very good question. Quebec has a unique village culture even at scale. And I like to say there's kind of two Quebecs. One that is very much urban and modern and one that is rural and quite attached to its roots. So, it's kind of both a nation and a village at the same time. You know, Quebec has modernized quite rapidly but kept a deeply relational mindset that creates kind of a tree branding implication for brands. When you want to enter into the Quebec market, trust comes before. If you need to build trust, the brand needs to build proximity. So brands succeed when they feel human, close and quite familiar. You need to be less corporate, more neighbor-like, more the next best friend. Local voices, humor, references, and emotional warmth matter enormously. Here in Quebec, authenticity is non-negotiable. In a village culture, you know, people talk. If a brand pretends, it gets exposed and very fast. Consistency between the message and behavior is critical. Otherwise, rejection is cultural, not just commercial. Tradition and modernity must coexist because we have that two-Quebec existence. Quebec loves innovation. We are at the forefront of innovation but not at the expense of memory. The strongest campaigns here blend modern formats with cultural continuity and emotional recognition. That's what it needs to work and coexist between tradition and modernity.

MC: Brilliant. And there, what is interesting, is there's this need for it to feel local and authentic. You were mentioning examples earlier on with the signature of Pepsi. This is really quite strong. So, could you give us examples of global brands that have taken Quebec by storm and tell us what their secret was?

SB: Yeah, for Quebec, brands that succeed and why, the gold standard is very much McDonald's. They never treated Quebec as a translation market but as a culture. They have invested many years. Local marketing made them part of everyday life. They use spokespersons, they use Quebec culture icons. Their secret: they're acting local but with a global power. There's still that recognition of that big brand, but the way they act and behave and translate, it's really part of our Quebec DNA. The second one is now more of a historic master class. It is Pepsi, especially in the 80s and 90s, with Claude Meunier, who is a local humorist here and that slogan “Ici c’est Pepsi” was really a cultural positioning, not advertising. Quebec remains one of the very few places on earth where Pepsi still leads in terms of share of market. It is a direct result of that long-term effort. But there's a lesson here because when Pepsi reduced local cultural investment and relied more on global assets, resonance weakened. This year, even Coke became the main sponsor of our classic TV institution which is broadcast on December 31st called “Bye Bye”. This is our Quebec Super Bowl of advertising. And there's even a poll where consumers voted for their favorite ads and Pepsi was not part of that rendezvous.

 So culture must be maintained, not just be earned. The last one is Ikea, which is a global brand, but that feels "de chez nous" (comes from here) because they use humor, family ritual and warmth, even scarcity creates desire and loyalty. So there's three great examples and there's many others as well that really understand that Quebec uniqueness.

MC: That's brilliant. When you started your answer, you mentioned this concept of “translation market”. I love that. I'll take it with me. I'll reuse it because I think it's very relevant to what is sometimes not working. There is always this debate between going centrally and managing everything from a global entity into the markets or going more regional or going more local. And I think a good balance of all three is required. But very certainly not considering any market however small it might be as a translation market and generally the smallest are actually the most complex. In Europe, for example, you get Belgium who has two very different languages and two very different cultures within a very small country and yet, it's very complex to approach for marketers. It’s about trying not to have this vision of “big is the focus”. And always keeping this nuance and this complexity alive is really important.

So, maybe to wrap up, could you give us three tips that you'd like to give to global brands who are trying to crack the cultural code in Quebec?

SB: There are three important factors to take into consideration for global brands to win in Quebec. When they embrace three rules and three key principles. Number one: proximity over translation. Brands, they just don't convert words. They honor the local culture. Second one: authenticity over polish. Quebecois have a sharp radar for something that is not authentic. So we need to take that into consideration. Last but not least: humility over dominance. The brands that succeed never arrive with “here, who we are”, they arrive with that mindset: “here's how we fit with who you are”. So that's really kind of the three principles, proximity over translation, authenticity over polish, and humility over dominance.

MC: Brilliant. It feels like this is probably the sort of advice you give to your students in your classes at university, right? And it's not something that is actually only relevant to Quebec, but most local markets. So, it's very good. It's about having the framework right and knowing how to go about it and staying consistent in the approach. I think Pepsi is a really good example you gave earlier on where the effort is continuous. You can't just crack the code once and think it's resolved forever. You have to be consistent and keep at it.

SB: It's true for any brand. It's a matter. Now, consistency is key in branding and in marketing and advertising.

 And I think that's kind of the goal for any brand now to maintain its authenticity but also maintain its consistency. It's not just reinventing the wheel, you know, it's expressing who you are and your essence to truly understand your audience. And that's kind of a rule for every brand.

MC: Yes. Besides, they don't show up only three times a day on TV anymore. They're live all the time. They're living creatures that we see over and over again. And they have to be consistent.

SB: Yes, definitely through their ecosystem and through time.

MC:  Well, Sonia, thank you so much for your time today and for sharing your experience. It's been really, really interesting. And for all of you who are watching, this was Insight Connect, the place where cultural intelligence lands. Watch this space for more really interesting interviews in the coming weeks. Thank you.