Less is more. Is it?

I grew up often hearing this being randomly assigned to various situations. Less is more. I used to think that yes that is true in some things, but it's also not true in many other cases. I suppose it varies from individual to individual. Growing up in Pakistan, for me personally, more food on a plate is what was thought of as better. Yes the quality of the food matters, but who wants just a spoon of Biryani? Biryani is meant to be had by the plate. Then when I would look at cooking programs and shows like MasterChef, I would see that small delicate dishes are being presented, and many times I would think to myself that the quantity shown while being beautifully presented and all, was not at all what I would term as a meal.

So when I came to Canada in November 2022 and then heard that the Canada Games 2023 were taking place in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, I was extremely happy. Here was a world-class event, with several disciplines and multiple teams from across Canada. And it was all happening in our city. I quickly registered as a volunteer and was excited to be part of the team. Now to be honest in my mind I was thinking of how an event of this size would be projected in Pakistan or India. I was thinking of grand billboards, shops, and markets plastered with sponsor information, the entire city being transformed for an event of this scale. I kept waiting and waiting. Yet nothing happened. A few posters were on display at a few shops and there would be mentions on the radio, but nothing more than that.

Where was the fanfare? Where were the sponsors? What was happening? Was it that, unlike large events in Pakistan, Canadian events are not as hyped? What was the reason behind the minimal presence of the event? Even as we entered the last week before the event's opening ceremony, there was still no massive campaign. Yes, there were a few spots here and there where one could pose for pictures with the Canada Games logo, but beyond that not much more. Local vendors and some fast-food chains were displaying signage related to the games such as "welcome athletes" and so on. But if you drove around Charlottetown, there was nothing to indicate that a major event was taking place right this every minute.

This was the big wake-up call in terms of how things are so very different here in Canada. Yes, sponsors gave millions upon millions to support the event, but they did not spend millions on advertising, print media, or television like what our sponsors do. It seemed that the only main area of concentration for the event was on ensuring that they had enough volunteers (and yes we were treated very well) and to ensuring that the athletes had a great time and were able to showcase their talents accordingly. While many businesses and corporations supported the event, it was at no point the in-your-face thrust that we have become used to in other countries. I remember that on one of the days, there was an Islanders hockey game at the Eastlink Center (our venue) and on that day we saw three to four times the crowd as opposed to other days. While I understand that hockey is a national sport and that in PEI the Islanders team has tremendous support, I felt that if the organizing committee for the Canada Games had put in a better marketing mix and made more of an effort, we could have had better crowds to support the amazing athletes that were attending their respective games.

Overall, the Canada Games opened my eyes to how different advertising and marketing are in Canada, or maybe just in this one case. But having been here for a year, I see such potential for campaigns and so many ideas come to mind, and sometimes you look at a campaign and you think, why are they not tapping into this segment or looking into this parallel option? Coming from the big brash culture of advertising in Pakistan where companies inject millions and billions into gaining an advertising foothold and where communication mediums are hard fought over, it is a relief to see a minimalist approach. The question however remains, is it too minimal? Is less really more?

I would like to remind people that these are my thoughts and observations and in no way reflect on the businesses or organizations mentioned. That being said, I would like to hear what you think about such advertising and marketing techniques and what is your take on the subject matter.