We finally have an unexpectedly cuddly answer to what was causing all of those annoying passport delays last year: kittens.
LG2’s “Relaxez-vous” ad for pet supplies retailer Mondou, which showed workers at a passport office joyfully playing with kittens that someone brought into the office (“they say it helps you relax,” she explains), was the winner of CBC/Radio-Canada’s annual Bye Bye de la pub New Year’s Eve advertising competition.
Soundtracked by a version of the Dean Martin and Line Renaud song “Relax-Ay-Voo,” the Mondou spot shows people in an office environment gleefully taking time out of their day to play with kittens as they wreak havoc, stepping on computer keyboards and cutting off phone calls by stepping on the phone. The reveal shows people lined up outside the passport office.
“Our spot was designed to be an audience-pleaser, so this recognition shows we took the right path,” said Mondou marketing director Marie-Pier Léonard. “For a family-run Quebec business like ours, it’s incredible to have this opportunity to connect and ring in the new year with local consumers in such a festive and iconic setting.”
It is the second year in a row that Mondou and LG2 have won the competition, which has been characterized as the Quebec equivalent of the Super Bowl because brands and agencies strive to put their best work forward to win over audiences. More than 99,014 people cast votes for the 24 spots that participated in the annual year-end show (up from 18 last year).
The top three entrants this year were rounded out by another LG2 client, Les Producteurs de lait du Québec, and Metro with agency partner Cossette. The three brands are mainstays in the annual advertising competition, which is now in its fifth year.
Les Producteurs de lait du Québec garnered the second most votes for “Opération Nez blanc,” a more emotional spot than in previous years. In a nod to Quebec’s safe ride service Opération Nez rouge, the spot portrays a service where parents provide a safe ride to bed for children who have fallen asleep at parties.
Metro placed third with its ad featuring Quebec hockey personality Jean Perron, who is known for mangling popular sayings (“If I was their coach, I’d talk to them in the whites of their eggs.”).
“I never could have imagined a competition being able to bring together so many of our advertising partners,” said Donald Lizotte, general manager and chief revenue officer for CBC & Radio-Canada Media Solutions, in a release. “The whole industry benefits from the phenomenal buzz surrounding the event, not to mention the outstanding showcase it provides for creative excellence.”
