L’Association des agences de publicité du Québec (otherwise known as the AAPQ or, in English, Association of Quebec Advertising Agencies) has rebranded as L’Association des agences communication créative — or A2C — in a move it says reflects a changing industry.
The roles and expertise of member agencies have evolved and now go beyond advertising, said Alain Tadros, chair of the board for A2C, known now in English as the Association of Creative Communications Agencies.
Clients are facing complex challenges that have “compelled agencies to become partners of innovation for them,” he said. Creative communications that can create value for clients and help them achieve their business goals “is the common denominator that unites agencies in an industry as diverse as ours.”
Rare for a Quebec association is the fact that the new name for the 27-year-old association does not include the word “Quebec.”
Adopted unanimously by members during an annual general meeting on Oct. 21, the new name takes into consideration the growing importance of digital advertising around the world, says Dominique Villeneuve, A2C’s general manager.
Villeneuve notes that digital advertising has overtaken TV advertising in Quebec and the rest of Canada since last year. This has forced the industry to reinvent itself.
The name change has been accompanied by an economic study on the importance of the marcom industry in Quebec’s economy, conducted by Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton. It estimates annual investments in the industry are $5.9 billion and that it generates economic returns of $783 million in terms of GDP and employs 10,000 in high-quality jobs.
With the name change, Villeneuve insists the association’s role is more relevant than ever and that it will be more representative of the changes faced by members.
A2C has partnered with Lg2boutique to create a new brand identity that reflects the association’s repositioning. Part of the new identity includes the use of five different logos that aim to show the diversity of an industry in constant evolution.
The name change has also been accompanied by a website redesign and a video that includes members giving their job titles – none of which include the word advertising – and the meaning of the word “idea” today.
A2C represents 67 Quebec agencies of all sizes that generate more than 75% of industry business in the province.
