Coup de Pouce magazine is really milking its December issue.
The Quebecor Media-owned women’s title has partnered with Les Producteurs de lait du Québec (Quebec milk producers) on a “White Issue” featuring a milk-themed cover complemented by “white” content in its various departments.
The cover features an image of a cake accompanied by a glass of milk, with subscriber copies featuring an almost entirely white cover. Coup de Pouce has a monthly print circulation of 165,927, while reaching 1.4 million people across its various platforms.
Milk is also prominently featured in the food section, while Les Producteurs de lait du Québec is also running a custom three-page ad unit that features a cut-out in the shape of a milk glass.
Created by Montreal agency LG2, the ads highlight the benefits of milk, such as being a source of vitamin D. One ad plays on the theme of the three little pigs, with a cartoon wolf trying in vain to blow down a house in the shape of a milk glass while the pigs sit contentedly on the roof.
The December issue’s style and home sections also feature native content built around a “white” theme (the editorial features white dresses, white furniture etc.), accompanied by a standard ad on the back cover.
The campaign, which features the organization’s new tagline “Solide Liquide” (“Solid Stuff”), is the result of partnership between Quebecor Media Group’s in-house media creativity team and the Quebec milk producers’ agency partners Touché and LG2.
Donald Lizotte, executive vice-president of advertising sales at Quebecor Media Group, said that the execution utilizes the respective “DNA” of both the client and the magazine brand.
“They’re linked together so that it makes tons of sense for readers and is not perceived as an advertisement that doesn’t fit with the rest of the magazine,” said Lizotte. “It’s seamless from a readership standpoint, adds value from an editorial standpoint, and promotes the functionality and USPs of [the Quebec milk producers].”
Lizotte said that TVA Group properties have worked with a variety of advertisers on native ad treatments that have included a cover component, with the tactic becoming more common in recent months.
“It’s something that we love to do,” he said. “We try to link as much as we can to the DNA of the advertisers, because at the end of the day we’re trying to meet their business objectives.”
He said that media brands have become increasingly willing to “stretch a bit more” in terms of accommodating ad clients, but downplayed suggestions that dwindling ad revenue is a factor. Asked if he expected Quebecor to engage in more of this type of activity in the future, Lizotte responded: “Yes, that’s the game plan.”
He said that the company strives as much as possible to create an “emotional link” between the brand and its readers, while avoiding ads that could be perceived as “rude and intrusive.”
