Montreal city resident Luc Rabouin officially initiates his mayoral election campaign

With just four months until Montreal's municipal elections, Projet Montréal's mayoral candidate, Luc Rabouin, kick-started his marketing campaign on Wednesday, aiming to make himself known to Montreal residents and tackle his "lack of recognition."

"Nobody knows me!" exclaimed Luc Rabouin, despite his eight years in Montreal's city administration. Rabouin, mayor of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough, unveiled a marketing campaign, displaying his image at the intersection of Sherbrooke and Frontenac streets, with the slogan "A fresh perspective on Montreal" accompanied by five pairs of colorful glasses symbolizing his visions for the city.

Communications strategist Louis Aucoin deems this campaign crucial to enhance Rabouin's public image, even referring to it as a "recognition deficit." Given Rabouin's relatively low visibility, "it's like a block of tofu. It needs a little flavor to stand out, and for him, that flavor is the glasses," Aucoin explained.

The glasses emblem, according to Virginie Gagnon, communications director for Projet Montréal, is "an iconic element" for Rabouin. Aucoin believes it's "a great find because there's a whole language that can grow around vision, perspective, and glasses."

Valérie Plante's 2017 notoriety campaign was a significant success, with the catchy slogan "The right man for the job." Projet Montréal now aims to echo that triumph. "It's safe to say that's part of the idea. We know that eye-catching stunts often leave an impression," Gagnon mentioned. The party has even hired the same agency that worked on Plante's 2017 campaign for Rabouin's campaign.

Unlike his predecessor, Valérie Plante, Rabouin admits that "it's clear we don't have the same style." "We come from different backgrounds, have different experiences," he stressed, emphasizing his expertise in economic development, private sector, non-profit sector, and management.

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Imminent challenges

"Thus, the challenge is to distinguish himself from Projet Montréal's administration while remaining credible," Aucoin pointed out. The strategist also considers that "his campaign appears to be defined in part by his opponents," as he responds to their criticisms. "Soraya Martinez Ferrada [Ensemble Montréal candidate] has fired a lot of arrows at the administration, and it's worked," he added.

Rabouin stated that his campaign is not restricted to Rabouin alone. He assures that new candidates from Projet Montréal, who would form his team, will be presented in the upcoming weeks. "We have a renewed team, we have new faces arriving in 2021, we will bring in fresh blood," the mayoral candidate declared.

Rabouin took the opportunity to recall his two electoral pledges: reducing construction permit delays by half and expanding the Bus Rapid Transit network in conjunction with the Bixi network. "The next challenge is the buses," he said, acknowledging a difference in approach with the recent withdrawal of the administration on the pedestrianization project of Sainte-Catherine Street West.

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In the race for Montreal's mayoral election, Luc Rabouin's campaign aims to set him apart from the current administration and address his 'recognition deficit' through a fresh, eye-catching marketing strategy.
The use of colorful glasses as an iconic emblem and the slogan "A fresh perspective on Montreal" are part of this strategy, mirroring the success of Valérie Plante's 2017 notoriety campaign with its catchy slogan "The right man for the job."