WARMINGTON: 'Say cheese,' Donald Trump. This buy-Canadian campaign may age well

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Let’s just say a Canadian company decided to give President Donald Trump a little lighthearted cheese to go with his not-so-lighthearted whine.A

“We don’t need their dairy products, we have more than they have,” the American president said defiantly last week of Canada. “We don’t need anything they have.”

Well, it turns out Black Diamond doesn’t need anything America has, either. Nor do they want anything originating south of the border.

“Made with 0% American cheese,” said a giant electric billboard in Sankofa Square (formerly Yonge-Dundas Square) Tuesday, which featured an image of the famous Black Diamond Cheestrings Ficello package.

That’s as gouda as it gets. But it got even cheesier at the bottom of the ad — in a positive, patriotic way.

“Proudly made in Canada,” says the slogan in white type over a red background, which ensures it stands out for blocks and melts the Hoser heart of every Canadian who walks by.

And just like that, with one smart communications effort and no feelings hurt, these goofy tariffs were shredded.

“There’s never been a more critical time to help Canadian consumers identify Canadian products and brands,” said Sabrina Zollo, of Lactalis Canada, which is a Canadian division of the global companyA headquartered in France.

But Cheestrings are a Canadian invention like Poutine — and for three decades have been made in a facility in Victoriaville, Que., with 500 employees.

“Cheestrings is as Canadian as it gets, so we thought it was important to highlight this in the irreverent, cheeky way that Cheestrings always communicates,” said Zollo.

It worked.

And it’s exactly the right approach when handling the trade war with Trump’s United States. Clear, concise, firm but humorous. It sends a message but is not belligerent.

“Now, with a buy-Canadian wave spreading across the country, consumers are expressing confusion about what products are truly Canadian. In fact, a recent Pollara poll revealed that 85% of Canadians wish it was easier to identify Canadian products,” said a Lactalis Canada statement issued on behalf of the company by Bill Walker of MidtownPR, a long-time reporter at the Toronto Star who I have known for decades.

He explained Zollo and her team were already working hard on a buy-Canadian strategy, but once the tariff issue hit, they pounced on this brilliant campaign, working with Beverley Hammond’s award-winning, innovative Broken Heart Love Affair ad agency.

Trump has had his classic and quotable one-liners, but so have the Canadian combatants in this trade war.

“In response, Cheestrings is making it easier for Canadians to identify its beloved cheese,” said the company. “As a cheese that is sourced, manufactured, packaged and sold completely and only in Canada, the brand is using billboards to express pride for how wholly Canadian it is through a campaign called, ‘Cheestrings: Made with 0% American Cheese’ and will run in the GTA, starting on Feb. 6.”

It’s a hit already.

It sends home a poignant political message while marshalling Canadians to shop Canadian; it also highlights the company’s new “product of Canada” symbol on many of their brands.

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America may be proud of their bourbon, but Canada is proud of its cheese, too.

“Canadian brands like Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, Astro and Lactantia, with dairy products made right here in Canada,” said Zollo. “In fact, we’ve created a buy-Canadian grocery guide available at Lactalis.ca.”

It’s all Canadian employees, Canadian energy, Canadian grain, Canadian milk, Canadian recipes, Canadian know-how and, of course, Canadian cows.

As it turns out, no matter how big a tariff they impose, the Cheestrings people don’t need anything Canada’s 11th province sends them.

Say cheese, President Trump — because this tasty, clever Canadian slice of fun just may cracker you up.

jwarmington@postmedia.com