Tim Hortons has released its festive holiday mugs, but there's something missing in the Quebec version -- the maple leaf.
It's been replaced by a snowflake, in the latest example of Canadian companies specializing their products for Quebec culture.
If you've ever ordered a bottle of Labatts in a Montreal bar, you may have noticed the maple leaf has been replaced by a symbol that looks oddly like... a fleur de lis.
Tim Hortons may have gone a step further. All pan-Canadian images, from the Rocky Mountains to the CN Tower, are removed from its holiday mugs on sale in la belle province.
The coffee chain says it has nothing to do with politics. In a statement, the company said: "Sometimes, direct translations may not make sense."
It also said it was a "great opportunity to develop something specific for the Quebec market."
Michael Mulvey, a professor of marketing at the University of Ottawa, said it makes sense from a marketing perspective.
"Especially in this case, when they're dealing with different parts of a country or different nations, are they going to use a global appeal or localize the appeal?" said Mulvey.
"In this case, they're using a localized approach."
With a report by CTV's Richard Madan in Ottawa
