Happy as a pope, Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge announced Thursday on his Instagram account his big return to a film set.
Recall that Lemay-Thivierge had fallen into disgrace and had lost the vast majority of his contracts after a series of blunders including an Instagram post last March interpreted by some as being insensitive and racist.
A godsend from Boxing Day?
It is perhaps no coincidence that the actor and former host of Masked singer chose the Boxing Daya traditional day of reduced-price sales, to announce its return to the screen. The concept of the advertisement revolves around the opportunity to hire the actor at a discount given his “wide availability”.
“We proposed the concept to - for broadcast in the Bye byeas we do every year, explains Philippe Allaire, marketing director of Meubles RD. But the concept was rejected. We decided to turn around and offer the concept TVA and Noovo, who were willing to have it. We submitted another concept to -, again with our spokesperson Jérémy Demay, which they accepted.”
Philippe Allaire explains to Soleil that advertising focuses above all on humor and self-deprecation, like all on-screen promotions. “This is always what we use in our advertising,” he explains, “the smallest budget possible in order to pass these savings on to our customers and for this to be reflected in the low prices offered to them.”
(Taken from the Meubles RD Facebook page)
To the question “so you got Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge for cheap?”, Philippe Allaire answers: “Hey yes.”
If the scenario of the advertising available to be viewed is in perfect harmony with the narrative framework of the Meubles RD advertisements, the appearance of an actor multiplying controversies places the concept at odds with the rules to which the public broadcaster must adhere.
Joined by The SunGuylaine O'Farrell, first internal and external strategy director for Marketing and Communications at -, confirmed that the furniture retailer has indeed “submitted to them an advertising concept including the participation of Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge for broadcast during THE Bye bye. This concept unfortunately did not comply with article 1.3.11 of the - advertising code.
The article states that “- does not accept certain categories of advertising, in some cases for reasons of principle, in others to protect its commercial interests. This includes: […] any other message that could put the Company at the center of a controversy or public debate. “.
The retailer will still be Bye bye
“Meubles RD will still have its advertising space during the broadcast of the Bye bye and will broadcast advertising other than that proposed in the concept in question,” she continues.
As reported The Sunthe advertising spaces of the Bye bye of this year were sold out in a short day and were all snatched up by regular customers of - and its end-of-year television high mass.
At the beginning of December, Google revealed that Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge was at the top of the public figures most searched for by Quebecers in 2024 on its search engine. In front of American President-elect Donald Trump, in the middle of a presidential campaign year!
Bye bye not Bye byeMeubles RD has just had quite a bargain.
