It’s the doorway for our advertising partners who want exposure on the RICARDO and IGA platforms. In collaboration with the kitchen and content creation teams, the team’s role is to foster good business relations by counselling the advertisers about the various possible types of media placements available. This synergy allows the brand and its advertising partners to shine, using the best strategy to highlight them.
Hugues Lavallée: Advertising Sales Director since 2019
Anouk Lebrun Malbeuf: Senior Account Manager, Creative Solutions since 2011
Marie-Ève Breton-Beaulieu: Account Manager since 2018
Florence Hémono: Account Manager since 2022
Andréanne Gagnon: Account Manager since 2023
Mélissa Gouge: Project Manager - Advertising Sales since 2018
Marie-Eve Fontaine: Project Manager - Advertising Sales since 2021
1. Sense of Belonging
If there’s one thing that the members of the sales team are unanimous about, it’s their desire to work for the RICARDO brand. The general atmosphere at the office emanates from this great motivation, as Florence explains. “Every employee is considered an integral member of the big RICARDO family and we’re able to contribute to the company’s mission, while feeling comfortable growing within it.”
2. Common Passion
Another aspect that distinguishes the RICARDO sales team members is their love of food. Their interest in cooking and the food industry is without a doubt the common denominator. “It’s part of our everyday life,” says Marie-Ève Fontaine. “This mutual interest makes it easier to work on food-related marketing projects.”
3. Bountiful Creativity
We've come a long way from the days when advertising was limited to ad space in a magazine. Now we need to be inventive to reach consumers and offer them products that reflect their tastes. Together with the kitchen and content teams, the sales service develops innovative concepts and implements them.
This way, we design integrated campaigns that offer the creation of recipes presented in a special feature in the magazine and that are later published on our website and the IGA website, then shared in our newsletters and social media. These are among current winning strategies.
“Depending on the available budgets, big or small, for each of our partners’ campaigns, it’s stimulating to find inventive means of standing out,” explains Hugues. “We’re proud of presenting media solutions that allow us to follow the consumer’s journey.”
4. Great Flexibility
The challenges that the industry must face on a daily basis are many, including competition between media and pressure on marketing budgets. The good news is that the RICARDO brand has managed to stand the test of time—and resist fads!—and that’s what motivates the team to move forward and keep adapting.
Among the most popular sales tools in recent years, content marketing sits at the top. It stands out from traditional advertising by proposing original collaborative content to our community. This allows us to promote the activities of an advertising partner through the creation and publication of content. A different strategy to that of conventional publicity.
“In partnership with our teams, we create recipes and tell stories while adhering to the RICARDO editorial policy. Our partners don’t just want advertising for advertising’s sake anymore,” specifies Anouk. “They want us to cook with them! We’ve adapted to these new realities.”
5. Work-Life Balance
Family values are at the heart of the RICARDO mission, so it’s only natural that they’re reflected in the workplace. On the sales team, employees especially appreciate the flexibility of their work schedules, the hybrid work environment and the leadership of the managers, based on trust and understanding.
“Our President, Brigitte, knows a thing or two about this as she has three children of her own,” says Mélissa. “During the pandemic, she was the first to tell us, ‘You don’t ever need to feel bad if your kids are in the background or on screen with you.’ Family is an important value within the company and it’s passed on through the teams as well.”
“Our President, Brigitte, knows a thing or two about this as she has three children of her own. During the pandemic, she was the first to tell us, ‘You don’t ever need to feel bad if your kids are in the background or on screen with you.’ Family is an important value within the company and it’s passed on through the teams as well.” - Mélissa Gouge, Project Manager
6. Innovative Vision
At RICARDO, we’re the only ones on the market to offer strategies that go from “inspiration to action,” through the IGA ecosystem. This includes content campaigns that follow consumers through various contact points.
“The gap has narrowed between the presentation of recipes in the magazine or website and the consumer’s in-store experience, thanks to this new opportunity that allows us to offer multi-ecosystem campaigns,” explains Marie-Ève Breton-Beaulieu. “It’s very gratifying and satisfying to observe the deployment of our collaborations in the grocery stores, reinforcing the brand association between RICARDO and our partners in the consumer’s purchasing journey.”
“The digital reach and the exposure in the 300 IGA outlets are the icing on the cake!” — Hugues, Advertising Sales Director
7. Strong Connection with the Clients
The sales team also makes it a point of honour to maintain a dynamic connection with the clients and keep up a quality relationship. “It’s the same as in friendship,” declares Andréanne. “We let things simmer on low heat and continuously feed our exchanges through phone calls, business lunches and small gestures.”
At RICARDO, we take care of those around us and we build on each person’s diversity and strengths. This requires sound management of the different services and team spirit, as well as respect for the brand and brand integrity throughout the process.
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