Mr Beaver Learns the Value of Sharing in Charming Christmas Ad from Supermarket IGA

For the 6th year in a row, IGA is kicking off the holiday season with a traditional Christmas tale, Mr. Beaver’s Yule Log, with creative agency Sid Lee. This year’s tale highlights an essential theme of the holiday season: the importance of sharing and the feeling we get when we do so, with a grandfather telling Mr. Beaver’s story to his grandchildren. 

"The Christmas tale is an original way for our merchants to give back to the public, by doling out a little happiness to families in Quebec and New Brunswick," says Carl Pichette, senior vice-president marketing, Full Service, Liquor, Fuel and Convenience at Empire. "The current economic context is putting additional pressure on food banks, especially as the holiday season approaches. Our story has inspired our IGA merchants to act in solidarity with their communities with The Yule Log of Generosity, allowing consumers to enjoy an iconic holiday dessert while directly contributing to La Guignolée," he concludes. 

Yule Logs available for purchase at IGA to benefit people in need 

To make this wonderful story of sharing a reality, IGA and Sid Lee are launching a new initiative: the Yule Log of Generosity, the first ever Yule Log payable 100% by donation to La Guignolée, to help feed families in need. IGA is stepping up support of La Guignolée by adding Mr. Beaver's Yule Log to holiday season fundraising initiatives in grocery stores. The creative agency sweetened the tale by connecting it to other initiatives in this year's storytelling universe. In stores, Mr. Beaver will be inviting customers to celebrate the holidays with his Yule log, and above all, help them experience the real pleasure of sharing. 

"The Christmas tale has held a significant place in the hearts of the agency's artisans for many years now. It’s an occasion for our entire team to get together and have fun. More than ever, the notion of sharing is essential, and we wanted to bring it to the forefront through storytelling. We decided to go even further by developing other initiatives to reinforce this important trait, one that Mr. Beaver discovers himself in the tale," says Jonathan Lavoie, creative and innovation director at Sid Lee. 

The creative agency continues to collaborate on the animation of the Christmas tale with Tonic DNA, a Montreal-based animation studio, and with Circonflex for music and sound.

In addition to airing on television until December 30th, in Quebec and New Brunswick, the short film, Mr. Beaver’s Yule Log, will be available in French and English online, on IGA Vive la bouffe’s social channels and at IGA.net starting November 2nd. Yule Logs of Generosity will be available exclusively at IGA stores and online at Voilà par IGA until November 29th, 2023. For more information about La Guignolée, visit the community section of the IGA website.