I still remember unwrapping my first iPhone. It was 2007, and at the time I was living in the United States. I got an iPhone 1, a product that would change my life (and the entire world), before it was even available in Canada. I still remember what struck me the most when I opened it — a short but very visible sentence on the side of the box: “Designed by Apple in California.”
Even though the iPhone is manufactured and assembled predominantly in Asia, Apple chose to remind users that the product was designed by its team of talented engineers in California.
Recently I saw a print advertisement for Téo Taxi service, a new company led by serial entrepreneur Alexandre Taillefer. The ad displayed the following slogan in large print: “Designed and created by locals.” Aside from this and the picture of a green and white taxi, there is only one other sentence in the ad, in smaller print: “Imagine, explore, doubt… until you can’t anymore. Restart, passionately, intensely, until it becomes a reality.” Wow! Like Apple, Téo proudly highlights its creative process and local nature.
Why shouldn’t we, as local entrepreneurs, do this same thing more often?
In the past, there was often talk of “made in Quebec.” Many conversations were had about creating programs to promote buying locally-made products. But the economy has changed. The impact of globalization has been such that we have moved from a production-based economy to one that is knowledge-based. What if instead we promoted “designed in Quebec”?
While walking the streets of San Francisco recently, I glanced at a store window only to see the green tree logo of Montreal-based startup Breather, which offers on-demand workspaces. Pride. While driving through Silicon Valley on the highway, I passed a sign for the show Cavalia, which began in Quebec. Pride. In Toronto, I saw “Bixi”-style city bikes operated by PBSC Urban Solutions, based in Longueuil. Pride. A clerk at an independently-owned boutique in New York City rang up my purchases on a tablet powered by Lightspeed, a Montreal e-commerce company. In Los Angeles, Moment Factory’s multimedia installations light up LAX’s newest terminal. All of these things I experienced were designed in Quebec. These brands tell the world: we are here, we are innovating, and we make world-class products.
When I started the website Busbud with my co-founders in 2011, we proudly put “Built in Montreal” at the bottom of our homepage. Almost 5 years later, that is practically the only part of our website that has not changed. Today, the millions of travelers from 50+ countries who use our website every month to book bus tickets see it on every page. They see a product designed in Quebec that has global reach. To this day, we proudly display that message.
It is a matter of pride, but it is also an economic matter. Quebec is capable of building companies that are models of innovation, and that can both serve the Quebec market and stand out internationally. They create local jobs, and in the long term, a bigger portion of their revenue and taxes stays in Quebec, unlike foreign companies. It’s good for our economy.
We must continue to rely on our creativity to develop original concepts. As consumers, we must support these “designed in Quebec” innovations with our wallets when it makes sense to do so. Entrepreneurs, let’s fly our colours proudly. Here, and around the world.
[Note: This article was originally published in La Presse.]