In a playful twist on Montreal's ongoing language politics, the iconic but controversial rallying cry "Go Habs Go" has found a clever way back into the city's transit system. This time, it's not on the front of a bus, but on advertising billboards for Hellmann's mayonnaise strategically placed in downtown metro stations.
The Slogan Ban That Sparked a Debate
The saga began earlier in 2025 when the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) removed the "Go! Canadiens Go!" slogan from the front of its buses. The move came after the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) raised concerns about the use of the English word "Go." The transit agency replaced it with the linguistically correct but awkward "Allez! Canadiens Allez!" The decision ignited a widespread debate, with many Montrealers, both francophone and anglophone, feeling the action was an overreach.
The controversy reached the political level, with Quebec's French Language Minister, Jean-François Roberge, eventually weighing in. He declared that "Go Habs Go" was "an expression that's part of our DNA, our identity," leading the OQLF to soften its stance. The language office stated the word "Go" could be used "in certain contexts." Despite this, the STM has yet to reinstate the slogan on its buses, stating that "the reflection on the topic is still ongoing."
A Cheeky Advertising End-Around
Enter a savvy marketing campaign from Hellmann's. In November 2025, large billboards appeared in the Bonaventure and Lucien L'Allier metro stations—the two stops closest to the Canadiens' home arena, the Bell Centre. The ads feature the phrase "GOut Habs GOut," which translates literally to "Taste Habs Taste."
The clever twist is in the typography: the letters "GO" within the French word "gout" are capitalized, creating a visual pun that unmistakably echoes the forbidden "Go Habs Go." The campaign was explicitly designed to tap into the local cultural moment.
"When you approach a campaign you try to find something that will instantly recognize you as one of the fans and of understanding the culture," said Jonathan Dekel, the Toronto-based creative director at Edelman who conceived the idea. "I can't think of another place where a language debate would be so crucial to defining the culture. That really is only in Montreal."
Sports Culture Trumps Language Debate
In an ironic layer, Dekel is a self-professed Toronto Maple Leafs fan. He saw an opportunity to engage with Montreal's unique sports culture by highlighting the absurdity of the situation. The ads are placed in the very transit network that remains hesitant to display the slogan.
"It's an amazing opportunity to put these things up in places where really this conversation was happening," Dekel noted. "We're essentially saying: 'Let's have this conversation.' If the transportation industry doesn't want to provide this for you, we want to show you that we're aligned with the real fans."
For Dekel, the campaign underscores a larger point about the unifying power of sports. "Ultimately, sports culture is bigger than language culture," he argued. "'Go Habs Go' is not English, it's not French, it's sports."
The "GOut Habs GOut" billboards were the first phase of the campaign. In December, Hellmann's launched "Club 300," a promotion that upgrades a select number of fans from the Bell Centre's 300-level seats to a luxury suite. The promotion debuted at the December 14 game against the Edmonton Oilers and is scheduled to run again on January 10 versus Detroit and February 26 against the New York Islanders.
Despite his Leafs allegiance, Dekel admitted the allure of the Canadiens' legacy is powerful, even influencing his own family. "They're going to crucify me in Toronto for saying this, but it's so easy to fall in love with the Habs," he said. "The history and the winning and the stories are so much deeper than what you get in Toronto."
