I am Canadian
|
A screen capture of Joe from an I am Canadian commercial, with the maple leaf of the Canadian flag projected on the background |
I am Canadian was a popular series of
Canadian television commercials aired in the
1990s and early
2000s advertising the Canadian brand of
Molson beer in
Canada; the commercials also aired in the
United States.
The most famous commercial in the campaign first aired in April
2000. Using
patriotism as a platform (or perhaps even
jingoism depending on varying opinions [
1]), the ad starred a man named Joe: an "average Canadian", standing in a
movie theater, 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 – or, at least, what many Canadians hold as common American stereotypes of Canadians ("I don't live in an igloo").
The advertising campaign was a huge success for Molson, stirring the often reserved patriotism of the Canadian public. 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,
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.
In
2005, Molson announced that it was retiring the
I am Canadian slogan; this happened shortly after its merger with
U.S. brewer
Coors. The company is now headquartered in
Colorado and
Montreal.
Though a huge success, the ad was criticized by some Canadians for different reasons. Most of Joe's speech concerns what he is
not (a stereotypical American) rather than what he
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.
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 separatist.
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.
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
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut.*
Canadian beer*
List of Canadian companies*
Joe's Rant (QuickTime format)*
"I am Canadian" Molson Website*
A sequel to the original - I am Canadian song (QuickTime format)*
Molson Canadian 'Rant' Parody
