Montreal agency BCP, considered the first entirely francophone-run creative shop in Quebec, has been absorbed by Publicis Canada.
The merger comes nearly two years after Publicis Canada chairman Yves Gougoux sold his 100% agency stake in BCP to Publicis Worldwide, a unit of the French holding company Publicis Groupe. Gougoux owned and managed BCP since 1984.
Merging the agencies will “combine strengths and provide BCP clients with an immediate access to Publicis Canada and Publicis North America resources,” Gougoux told Marketing. “It’s pretty much a no-brainer to do that.”
Previously, the two agencies were in the same building, but on separate floors. Now the two shops will share one office.
Continuing to provide BCP clients those resources “in a relatively small market like Quebec, where we chase the same human resources, chase the same prospects,” would have been difficult, he said.
It is premature to discuss staff cuts, Gougoux said, though “obviously there will be efficiencies” in the back office. “We still are finalizing the details.”
BCP has 100 employees, while Publicis Montreal has about 125 employees.
BCP clients have reacted positively to the news and “are really enthusiastic with discovering and benefiting from the resources of Publicis,” Gougoux said. No clients have been dropped as a result of the merger.
BCP clients range from Metro banner Super C to Future Shop/Best Buy.
Alain Tadros, who was president of both Publicis Montreal and BCP, will lead the newly-integrated shop as president. Thomas Lecordier, who was executive vice-president at BCP, will perform the same duties at Publicis Montreal, while Nicolas Massey and Carl Robichaud are vice-presidents, co-creative directors.
BCP was co-founded in 1963 by the late Jacques Bouchard who was dubbed the father of modern Quebec advertising. Bouchard was a pioneering advocate for Quebec-specific advertising rather than translated fare, and wrote Les 36 cordes sensibles des Québécois, which identified 36 distinctive cultural traits of Quebecers.
BCP created such groundbreaking campaigns as “Mon bikini, ma brosse à dents” (my bikini, my toothbrush) for Air Canada and “On est six millions, faut s’parler” (We’re six million, let’s talk) for Labatt.
“Jacques would have been proud” and would have agreed with the move given the current environment, Gougoux said.
“To me the best way to ensure BCP clients the best in class was for BCP to join [Publicis]. The BCP spirit and brand will continue to live inside Publicis in many, many ways,” said Gougoux. He noted that a new program has been launched called BCP Inside that will ensure Publicis in Montreal never forgets the brand.
Gougoux said it is better that he made the move as opposed to passing the buck to someone else who would have been accused of damaging the BCP brand.
“The coming together of BCP and Publicis will create a stronger presence for Publicis Canada nationally,” said Duncan Bruce, president of Publicis Canada. “It’s a day of mixed emotions. BCP is a very important agency in this market with a storied history, but as time has changed we felt that this was something that will be better for our clients and ourselves.”
