Cossette has been reappointed as the lead marketing communications agency for the SAQ following a mandatory review. It continues a relationship dating back to 2017, when Cossette took over from Sid Lee as the Crown Corporation’s lead agency. It had previously handled relationship marketing.

Cossette will be responsible for developing branding and communications campaigns, and providing strategic guidance in what it describes as the “evolution of the brand and customer journey.” It will also provide the same services for SAQ’s cannabis arm, SQDC.

SAQ marketing director Ariane de Warren said in an email statement to The Message that Cossette will be responsible for “even finer personalization” of its Inspire loyalty program, while helping the organization navigate the “many challenges that await us” in evolving the customer experience.

Cossette’s previous work with SAQ includes a 2019 campaign for SAQ Inspire called “Get more inspired,” which featured mock labels explaining the reason why a person bought a specific wine or spirit, such as “I grabbed the first one I saw” and “10 years of buying the same thing.”

“We’re proud to collaborate with an organization that enjoys such a unique relationship with Quebecers and contributes to the collective wealth of the entire province,” said Louis Duchesne, Cossette’s president, Quebec and east, in a release.

SAQ’s sophistication and eagerness to personalize the customer experience is pushing the agency to imagine and deliver tomorrow’s services today, he said. “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to innovate together.”