I Am Canadian

I am Canadian was the slogan of Molson Canadian Beer from 1994 until 1998 (via ad agency Maclaren Lintas and then MacLaren McCann), and between 2000 and 2005 (Bensimon Byrne). It was also the subject of an extremely popular ad campaign centered around Canadian nationalism, the most famous examples of which are "The Rant" and "The Anthem". The ads aired in both English Canada and the United States. In 2005, shortly after Molson's merger with American brewer Coors, Molson announced that it was retiring the "I am Canadian" slogan.

"The Rant"

In April 2000, using nationalism as a platform (or perhaps even jingoism depending on varying opinions [http://www.omnivore.org/jon/orwell/Iam.htm] ), the ad starred a man named Joe: an "average Canadian", standing in a movie theatre, with a cinema screen behind him showing different images relating to Canadian culture. Joe proceeds to give a speech about what is it to be a Canadian and what it is not to be a Canadian, making particular efforts to distinguish himself both from common Canadian stereotypes of Americans ("I believe in peacekeeping, not policing") and common American stereotypes of Canadians ("I don't live in an igloo").

It was performed by actor Jeff Douglas and directed by an American, Kevin Donovan. The commercial won an advertising industry Gold Quill award in 2001. Ironically, Douglas moved to Los Angeles after his career took off in the wake of the commercial's success.

During the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, a copycat ad was produced by Australian beer company Foster's Group to advertise Foster's Lager. It featured a similar speech playing upon various stereotypes about Australians. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp-EAG29Qnc] Despite the common misconception it was a 'copycat', the Fosters advertisement was in fact based on the song I Am Australian, which came out long before this advertisement and is considered an unofficial Australian national anthem.

Criticism

Although the ad was a remarkable success, spawning a number of parodies and copycats, it was criticized by some as being too much about what a Canadian is "not", rather than what a Canadian "is". Rather than further pinning Canadian identity on comparisons to the United States, critics contended, Joe should have made an effort to establish his identity independently.

Parodies

The success of "I am Canadian" in Canada led to many parodies of the advertisement. Several radio stations have produced provincial variations on the theme. These include "I am an Albertan", "I am a British Columbian", "I am a Newfoundlander", and "I Am Not Canadian", the last of which focused on a Quebec sovereignist.

William Shatner, who is Canadian, performed his own variation on the idea in a Just for Laughs appearance. He announced to the world: "I am not a Starfleet commander, ...or T.J. Hooker." The rant continues, making fun of Trekkies and his own typecasting as James T. Kirk.

Weasel, the lead character of "I Am Weasel", parodied the advertisement in a promotional ad for the series' home, Cartoon Network. The ad proved itself to be popular enough to air on a similar Canadian outlet, Teletoon.

During the 2002 Swiss National Exposition, the Swiss National Bank pavilion featured an "Ich Bin Schweizer" adaptation of the ad, using stereotypes held by Germans about the Swiss.

In December 2007, The Muslim American Society created a video called "I Am A Muslim" which takes many lines from the Molson advertisement and applies them to Muslim stereotypes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQXh20OuhIc

Trivia

This commercial premiered during the Academy Awards, which, in that year, included Robin Williams singing the song "Blame Canada," a satirical song from the movie "."

"The Anthem"

This ad features famous moments from Canadian history (including the pounding of the Last Spike and the raising of the Maple Leaf flag), as well as a variety of "average Canadians", singing a song extolling the virtues of Canada and its citizens.

Molson also released an mp3 version of the song, which is entirely in English and sings rather than speaks "the one we call Canadian".

Later Ads

References

See also

* Canadian beer
* List of Canadian companies
* Anti-Canadianism

External links

* [http://www.coolcanuckaward.ca/joe_canadian.htm "The Rant" (QuickTime format)]
* [http://www.coolcanuckaward.ca/i_am_canadian.htm "The Anthem" (QuickTime format)]
* [http://www.indefual.net/canada/jokes/rant-amer.html Molson Canadian 'Rant' Parody]
* [http://www.iam.ca "I Am Canadian" Molson Website]