MONTREAL – One of the province’s best known stand-up comics is likely laughing all the way to the bank with a new advertising campaign.
Sugar Sammy is benefiting from a publicity stunt that is getting a lot of public attention.
The iconic comedian placed a billboard advertisement in about a dozen metro stations that read “For Christmas I’d like a complaint from the Office de la Langue Française.”
François Côté took him up on his offer and announced on his Facebook page that he had complained to the Office.
Sammy replied by blackening out the English words and re-writing, ”Pour Noel J’ai eu une plainte de l’Office de la Langue Française.”
But the last laugh may be on the Côté or anyone else who complained.
WATCH: Sugar Sammy speaks to Camille Ross about the success of his new French show “Ces Gars La”
The Office told Global News that Sammy’s original sign may not have even violated bill 101 as exceptions are made for artists to publicly display signs in languages, other than French, to promote cultural or artistic shows.
But more than that, Sammy is getting the kind of attention, especially in the social media circles, that money can’t buy.
”This is marketing 101,” Robert Soroka, a marketing professor at McGill University said.
The advertisement and the fallout is a well orchestrated publicity campaign that Sammy has executed perfectly.
”What he did in fact was ingenious. He was able to get a lot of free media, free publicity that compliments the advertising. He’s able to rise above all the clutter that’s out there,” he said.
Sugar Sammy is even thanking his fans on his Twitter account for giving him the exact gift he wanted.
Sammy is known for controversial remarks that often pushes the envelope on politically sensitive topics but crowds eat it up.
His next show in Montreal is scheduled for November 29.
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