Introduction

As marketers, we are continually acting and reacting to a constant state of change. However, the one part of our industry that has not changed in the last 25 years is our mandate. Our goal is to turn products and services into instruments of competitive advantage.

I have had the pleasure of working on some great brands and creating others from scratch. But there’s one brand I’ve really had a passion for and have thought a lot about over the years. It’s a brand I love dearly and one that I believe has been poorly managed to date.

That brand is Canada.

Some people say you cannot brand a country as geographically and culturally diverse as Canada. There are too many variables for one brand message to say it all.

Others presume branding is the superficial and mercantile exercise of slapping a logo and a slogan on to something, and that could never apply to a country.

Others, it seems, just hate the idea of branding altogether.

A couple of years ago I was in a Starbucks in San Francisco. A guy in front of me asked for a medium coffee and the perky cashier responded gleefully with, “you mean a grande latte?” There was a pause and the customer replied with real venom, “ Listen lady, I don’t speak brand.”

For the purpose of this discussion and to skirt these negative perceptions, let’s replace the word ‘brand’ with another word with the same intent. That word is ‘reputation’.

Every country has a reputation. It’s formed by a host of impressions, political, commercial and social. Some of those impressions are carefully orchestrated, but just as many are beyond control.

We're more like celery as a flavour.

Canada’s reputation is often hard to define in the minds of our global neighbours – and often a challenge for our own citizens. I believe this is because we have not managed our brand carefully, or with a shared purpose. We’ve allowed our diversity to define us in broken fragments according to short-term tactics, not long-term goals.

Without a clear, singular vision, we inevitably default to describing ourselves by what we are not.

We become as Mike Myers suggests, the essence of not being.

“ Not British, not American, it is the mathematic of not being. And a subtle flavor - we're more like celery as a flavor.”

Jean-Marie Dru, Author of Disruption, writes about the dangers of putting too much emphasis on negative comparisons: “If you define yourself or your product by counterpoint alone, you risk appearing hollow, meaningless.”

Like Celery I guess.

Canadian author Will Ferguson writes: “We should be setting our standards by who we are and what we could be … not by what we are not.”

As marketers, we know that to be true. And we also know we would never manage one of our client’s brands like that.

We also know that anytime we fail to actively define a brand, there will be a lineup of competitors ready to step in and fill in the blanks with their own pre-existing definitions. These are often outdated clichés, or even worse, nothing at all.

There is one consistent theme to all the research I’ve read on international perceptions of Canada and it can be summed up by this image.

Blank. Canada is not a country you think of.

On behalf of the Canadian International Council, Robert Greenhill wrote a significant and well researched report on Canada’s reputation entitled, ‘Making a Difference.’ The interviewees were not the usual suspects, but instead individuals like Jeffrey Sachs and Henry Kissinger, experts eminently qualified to bring a global perspective to their responses.

This sobering quote sums up one of the key findings of the report.

“Where has Canada made a significant difference over the past 20 years? Nothing comes to mind.”

Robert Greenhill’s point was that given the quarter of a trillion dollars spent in the last twenty years on diplomacy, defense and international development you would expect Canada to have made a bigger difference than say, smaller countries with fewer resources like Sweden or Ireland.

It’s easy to conclude that this is a case of spreading ourselves too thin.

Or, as one person said, “You are basically everywhere and nowhere”---and strategically directionless.”

A reputation starts with a clear sense of identity and a collective sense of purpose. Our reputation should be our brand promise both to the world and to ourselves.

What’s the harm in being anonymous?

Defining and rolling out a brand reputation for Canada is a monumental task. I have often asked myself, is this an exercise worth doing?

Being nebulous and anonymous with a celery flavor hasn’t done any harm.

Or has it?

As marketers, we have known for the last century that when a brand has focus it becomes a contender. When it has focus, it’s gained a competitive edge.

Obviously, Canada cannot afford to be uncompetitive.

Our long-term prosperity, and our ability to pay for our highly valued social programs and public services will depend on our ability to compete effectively on a global scale.

According to The Conference Board of Canada’s 2008 report card

Canada has underperformed against almost all metrics for measuring competitiveness. We received “B” grades on our economic, education, and social performance, “C’s” for environmental performance and health, and a “D” for depressing on innovation. Beyond a dull edge to our competitiveness, Canada’s lack of focus and nebulous image can have negative social consequences.

For instance, at the last referendum there was no purposeful Canadian idea in favor of Canadian unity brought to the debate. It was all scare tactics.

Once again, we were defining ourselves with a negative. The message was NON!

And like a confused parent trying unsuccessfully to use the slap then hug approach, we poured into Quebec by the busload imploring anyone who would listen, “please don’t leave. We love you.”

In that vote, this country was one percentage point away from becoming severed states. That’s way too high a price to pay for weak reputation management.

With a lack of a clear definition among several generations of Canadians, what can we expect in a Canada whose population growth more than ever is defined by immigration?

But that’s enough of the issue. What’s the opportunity?

The good news is we’re working with a blank slate.

What if there was an idea that articulated clearly what Canada is today and what our ambitions are for tomorrow?

What if that idea engaged Canadians and enhanced our values, our standards and our productivity?

An idea all Canadians naturally wanted to be part of – whether they’re from Ste Foy, Saskatoon - or originally from Shanghai.

OUTING CANADA

I am talking about turning a page in our history, a turning point that can affect our future. I believe there’s an untapped opportunity to bring significant social, economic and even environmental benefits to Canada.

It is a project I call OUTING CANADA

Outing Canada is not a complete rebranding exercise.

It‘s about getting organized and creating the conditions that will update Canada’s reputation in a more authentic, contemporary and relevant manner – a reputation that’s more in line with our ambitions and the kind of visibility and opportunity we’re all striving for.

A prerequisite to this exercise is answering these three key questions.

1. Who should lead the effort?
2. What is the compelling idea or essence that will galvanise the majority?
3. How can we bring this to life in a tangible and visible way?

Who should lead the effort?

Let’s identify the players, their roles and the process that could lead to action and results.

The first step is as basic as getting organized. This has been a key obstacle to date.

Canada’s reputation management has been left to chance and has become a victim of inertia. That’s because the government bodies entrusted with the task have fallen short of fully grasping the potential of what an exercise in reputation management could accomplish.

Even if our Government has not demonstrated the aptitude to lead, they still have a key role to play as a facilitator. It’s imperative that this starts at the top.

We need buy in from a Prime Minister who understands and believes in the ROI of this initiative.

We need support through government policy and all the doors that can open.

The skills to lead this initiative are rich in our industry and I believe we should grab it. The benefits are obvious. We spend a lot of time money and energy promoting our industry. This initiative would be the best and most visible case study on the intellectual value we can bring to a brand.

It would be a great recruitment tool for our industry

A role for education would be to provide the stimulant or the necessary R&D.

Lastly, and critically, the private sector’s role is that of accelerator.

Canadian business has the energy and resources to get results. After all, they have the most to gain. We need 10 great companies to make that difference and get this thing rolling.

What should we rally around?

We all know that a reputation comes to life through its consistency and through celebration. We need a single focal point. A postioning that could be the root of a host of independent projects that blossom together into a halo effect.

I would now like to share a positioning developed by my agency, TAXI.

This is the criteria we have used:

1. A positioning that fits our national character and can resonate with who we are. Anything that fails to match our DNA will be rejected like a bad transplant and will never flourish.

2. A positioning that builds on current international perceptions of Canada. Too radical a change will not ring true and demand enormous energy and time to deliver proof and build credibility.

3. A positioning that fulfills - or better yet - anticipates a domestic and international need.

4. A positioning that is both inspirational and aspirational. One that people to want to be a part of.

5. A positioning that is inclusive and bigger than religion, ethnicity, history or geography. A positioning that is universal for Canadians of all origins.

6. A positioning that will inspire programs that can convince the best and brightest to stay in Canada or make Canada their home.

7. A positioning that our Government can back with policies to promote and facilitate its mission.

8. We need a positioning that is forward thinking and will build confidence. Louis Rubio, President of Mexico’s Center for Research and Development said, “ A lack of self confidence leads a country to keep chewing on the past”.

9. A positioning that is clear and inspires action.

Finding the sweet spot

Finding a sustainable positioning comes from locating the sweet spot between certain intrinsic Canadian characteristics: people, place and an identifiable cultural context we can all tap into.

People Truth

Product truth

Cultural truth

1. Place. What truth about our country is the most recognizable and motivating?
2. People. What truth about our people is the most unique and motivating?
3. Culture. What significant global cultural truth can the Canadian experience genuinely be a part of – or better yet, lead? This is essential for giving the idea traction in the marketplace.

We combine field and desk research and pour over their findings until these truths emerge.

Let’s start by taking a look at:

Resources and natural landscape inform much of the world’s perceptions of Canada. Words like majestic, natural, clean, cold and unspoiled come through in every research document I’ve read.

This is a no-brainer.

NATURE ON A GRAND SCALE

These features suggest a great place to live. And you have to admit it’s really beautiful here. Oh, by the way, that was a picture of Wyoming.

The point here is that nature is not an ownable trait. It doesn’t matter what you have, it’s what you do with it that counts.

Which brings us to:

PEOPLE TRUTH

Nature is our gift but it’s also been our crutch. With such an abundance of resources, we have been inclined to simply harvest them and export them.

Bluntly put, I believe that the abundance of natural resources has also made us fat, complacent and even dull.

Research and brand audits gather the world’s perception of Canadians in a consistent snapshot:

Trustworthy, honest, gentle, friendly, and tolerant with a moral conscience.

So, basically, we’re “happy complacent people living in a nice place.”

What this portrait misses is the next generation, one that’s younger, with more confidence and ambition. A generation that wants to be actively involved and more than just happy passive bystanders. They are defined by the very things that have characterized great moments in Canada’s history:

Confidence and Innovation.

In fact, Canada’s history is full of unsung moments where confidence and innovation have carried the day.

One of my favorite stories is about Joseph Howe, the father of responsible government in Nova Scotia. He loved to preach:

“Boys brag of your country. When I’m abroad, I brag of everything that Nova Scotia is, has, or can produce; and when they beat me at everything else, I turn around on them and say: ‘How high does your tide rise?”

Canada’s first creatives weren’t in any agency, they were our ancestors, both native and newcomer. Let’s face it, they had no choice but to innovate. It takes a lot of creativity to survive:

• Blistering heat
• Bone-chilling cold
• The longest winter in the world
• The shortest growing season in the world
• The largest landmass in the world
• And lest we forget: black flies

And where product innovation is concerned we are a nation of firsts.

It’s clear that we are friendly and tolerant but when we have been our most successful is when we have been self assured and creative.

FRIENDLY, SELF ASSURED, INNOVATIVE

With confidence, you can do anything.

With innovation, you can do great things!

Cultural truth

What part of the zeitgeist or emerging trends can we share in?

Adding this dimension will lend real world traction to our brand and actions. One of the most pressing concerns around the globe is the environment.

People like Al Gore, the scientific community and countless blogs have brought awareness and debate to the mainstream.

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the term ‘green’ was the single most patented word in 2007.

In a recent poll of 125 countries, the environment was found to be second only to the economy as the issue of most concern. Terrorism ranked a distant third.

This trend has given birth to a new consumer, one that’s more affluent, neo-green and willing to pay a premium for sustainable products and services. This consumer evolution is proving to affect every facet of our lives, from technology to design.

Contributing to environmental concerns and a wake up call for careful management is, of course, the rapid growth of the middle class in China, India and Brazil, and their growing appetite for natural resources.

Anne Golden and the Conference Board of Canada suggests that this fact profoundly affects Canada. As demand increases, we have a narrow window of opportunity to develop a national natural resources strategy aimed at maximizing economic benefits while at the same time ensuring the long-term sustainability of our resources and environment.

Without a plan to take control of our own destiny, the aggressive appetites of other nations can quickly transform into more radical forms of aggression

CULTURAL TRUTH:CONCERN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Each of these truths stakes out a key point. We can use them like a GPS to triangulate a location, or sweet spot for Canada’s brand.

PLACE truth:

NATURE ON A GRAND SCALE

People Truth:

FRIENDLY, SELF ASSURED, INNOVATIVE

Cultural truth:

CONCERN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

We summed it up with two words: Outside thinkers

Outside Thinkers puts a unique and credible Canadian spin on innovation. It’s about a direct relationship between natural resources and innovation. It’s about a radical shift from Canada as a land of stuff to a land of innovation.

This is a major shift.

We need to make Canada more productive by investing in and promoting our most precious natural resource: our thinking.

Our goal needs to be channeling that thinking into tangible evidence of who we are and what we can promise the world and ourselves.

This is not something an advertising campaign can accomplish. This is a whole host of tactical initiatives that line up behind the brand vision of Outside Thinkers.

How can we bring outside thinkers to life? What kind of initiatives can we accomplish? Here are a few ideas. Maybe they will inspire someone here to get involved or spark the connections needed to bring ideas to life.

One of my favorite thinkers is New York Times writer Thomas L. Friedman who suggests in his new book, Hot, Flat and Crowded:

“The major industrial country that gets the greenest the fastest, with the smartest technologies -- that’s the country that will lead the 21st century.”

He suggests ‘The ROI for that will be a higher standard of living, economic and national security.”

Why should that be Canada? Well, for starters, we’ve got the right logo.

To make that happen we would need a massive plan with a vision for the long term. We would need all the necessary conditions like capital, technology, R&D, etc. But the most important catalyst needs to be the vision and leadership to commit.

As Friedman suggests we need to change our leaders, not our light bulbs.

• a) Transform our resources into value added goods.
• b) Goods unique to Canada or that reflect our unique National character.

Anthropologists will tell you that countries exhibit undeniable traits. Often, these traits are interpreted into products. For example, the German attention to detail, order and efficiency takes tangible form in exquisite automotive and mechanical engineering. Swiss punctuality is translated into Swiss precision in watches. The character of the people influences their products, which reinforces their perception of who they are.

It can also be a powerful way to reinvent. When I was a kid in the 60’s, the derogatory cliché about anything cheap was that it was “Made in Japan”. However, Japan reinvented itself in the 70’s and 80’s and brands like Sony and Honda have contributed to our new perception of that country.

Commerce has the potential to help identify a nation both to itself and the world. They have the money and the resources to make a difference, but the ultimate success will be formed from a relationship between a manufacturer, a designer and a bank.

By treating our natural resources like commodities, we are selling them short when we should be selling them at a premium and getting all the recognition that comes with it.

We have trees. Sweden has IKEA. Which one has more value? Which one can be replicated? Which one will last longer? Which make a more visible and memorable statement for their country?

We have water. In fact we have 20% of the fresh water on the planet. France has Evian and Perrier. And they sell it for more than the cost of high-octane gasoline.

We have iron, nickel, copper and oil. America, Japan, Korea, and Germany have Ford, Toyota, Hyundai, and BMW. Oh, we can build them. And we do, to totals of about 14 million a year. But there is still no such thing as a ‘Canadian’ car.

Why not a next-generation, hydrogen powered, Canadian-designed car with an optional snowplow?

The list could go on and on. We harvest lots of produce, but where is our ‘Canadian Food’? We have the recipes. We have the chefs.

These observations extend to our intellectual resources as well.

When I turn on the T.V. in New York and I laugh, it’s often a Canadian making the joke. We have the actors. We have the directors. We have the writers.

But we don’t put it all together. We ship them raw to the factories of Hollywood to be transformed into products.

We are selling ourselves and our resources short. We ship them off shore before the full value of their potential is secured. The reward and recognition for Canadian leather doesn’t go to Canada – or even to the Asian manufacturer, the reward and recognition goes to the Italian designer.

Given the history in Canada of avoiding risks, how do we get these ideas off the ground? Here’s an example, the telephone was invented here but our banks hesitated at financing it. The US saw an opportunity and scooped it up.

I believe the solution is to create innovation clusters of strategists, designers, manufacturers and finance, not just to incubate ideas, but to hatch them and give them wings

Take the ingredients of engineering and design and combine them with proper marketing, a global need and we have the opportunity to build a great Canadian electric bike.

In response to this, TAXI is now collaborating with Magna Industries to market a Canadian electric bike. That’s an example of ‘outside thinkers’.

If we can’t make stuff, let’s at least get the credit for the ingredients.

Canada Inside would be a program to celebrate and promote Canadian ingredients. Think Intel inside, with the objective being to generate a desire and a premium for our key ingredients. For example, in the food category we have some of the most stringent health and food inspections laws in the world. There’s a world perception of Canadian ‘quality’ that we can tap into.

We are experts in insulation. We have great architects. We have the source material. We are a leading window manufacturer. Let’s put these separate ingredients together and design the ultimate prefab house for the world.

Today, prefab is the best way to insure fuel-efficient housing.

As well, banks like them because their customers spend less on utilities.

We need to transform our boring Consulates into story telling opportunities for Canada. These are often street level presences in major international cities with significant passing traffic or access to it. Let’s get someone like Frank Gehry to build it. Adding retail or a restaurant would provide a Canadian showcase to the world. We could tell the world all of our great success stories, like Blackberry and the Cirque du Soleil. Just two of many brands the world does not recognize as Canadian.

This is a big one. One I am committed to making happen.

I was struck by an image I saw on Google Earth when I flicked on the ‘night button‘.

Africa is the great neglect. Or could it be the opportunity

Let’s take our values, ingenuity and resources on the road and alter history. Think of it as an unexpected twist on Canadian tolerance, friendliness and innovation.

Here’s the headline.

The press coverage would read:

Canada has launched a multi tiered offensive against the nation of xyz in Africa where the average annual income is less than x dollars and the infant mortality rate is one of the highest in the world.

Armed with expertise, supplies and personnel, Canada’s attack is not focused on overtaking this impoverished nation to serve an imperialistic agenda, but rather to provide the means for them to define their own future.

Water, Health care, generic and inexpensive medication, communication, education, implementation, security and transportation.

Has this ever been done before? Who is more qualified to take this on than Canada? What better way is there to poke fun at our own disinterest in military prowess and history as peacekeepers?

CONCLUSION

I have identified an issue. I have defined an opportunity. I have outlined some ideas on how to solve it.

But whose job is it to get this done? Why is it so often that issues need to become a crisis before the best minds and energies can be applied to it?
 I have been preaching this sermon for about 10 years. In that time, I have also been helping my clients build their businesses and building my own at the same time. Like you, I have a day job.

But I also believe that, in Canada, we have the privilege of being part of a shared project in everything we do.

So, in the absence of a crisis which will force action on this issue, TAXI has sought out projects to be part of defining Canadian creativity globally.

Along with Gee Jeffery and Partners, TAXI led the charge to get Canadian agencies on the global stage with initiatives that have raised participation at Cannes from 20 delegates to 250 in the last ten years, with a mountain of entries along with it. As we all know, in 2007 a Canadian agency won the Grand Prix for Dove Evolution. Some of my American and British pals have asked what’s spawning this creative revolution? Canadian beer? No. We just got organized.

In 2006, we worked with Belinda Stronach on the “Spread the Net” initiative to bring a life-saving innovation to Africa. And today, we continue to develop the electric bike – a Canadian eco urban transport solution.

In 2007, TAXI developed 15below, a unique protective coat for the homeless to survive the Canadian cold and leveraged it through PR to garner international attention.

And, in 2008, working with MIT Media labs to promote the One Laptop per Child project, we have learned about the partnerships and methods that spawned the idea of Canada attacking a country that needs our help with our generosity.

Why should we do this?

Why the distraction from our core businesses? Why the human resource expenditure? Why take the risk? I’d love to leave you thinking that TAXI has a huge heart but there is more to it than that.

We have observed a business phenomenon in this country. It is the three generations of entrepreneurship and it goes like this:

The first generations are the entrepreneurs.

They build the company with simple means and lots of sweat.

When you think of it, Canada’s founders were entrepreneurs.

The natives and European settlers, Scottish industrialists, the Chinese labourers who built our railways, the Japanese who developed our west coast fisheries, the eastern Europeans who farmed our prairies.

Like entrepreneurs, they faced their share of obstacles and yet they survived and prospered under these difficult conditions.

The second-generation entrepreneur’s vision is growth.

This quickly becomes all about trying to hold the damn thing together and manage the growth. They have kept the thing rolling. Managing lots of space with a small population, they continued to dig and sell stuff. They even managed to give a discount with a weak dollar.

It’s all up to the third generation.

The company built on the sweat of the first generation and the shrewd management of the second generation, is now in their hands.

Canada, like a third generation company, is at a fragile juncture. The market conditions are not the same as when Grandpa opened shop, the competition is stiffer than in Dad’s day, and the son who has inherited it all has lived a pretty cushy existence thanks to the hard work of his forefathers. The case can be made that his survival instincts are less well honed.

Sound familiar? Birks, Eaton’s, Molson and Seagram are all companies that defined Canada, yet they each still struggled with the third generation challenge. They have struggled with the challenge of how to adapt businesses built for one era for survival in a new and transformed era. Let’s face it, when everything has become just a little too comfortable is historically the point at which things can seriously go down the tubes.

I believe we are that third generation. You and I and every happy, friendly and tolerant one of us are ready. All of us have the creativity, the skill and the confidence to define our future rather than leave it to struggle to grow through the hit and miss of chance and inertia.

This is not the time to do the easy thing

This is the time to forge ahead and secure the next generation, that of our own children.

We believe we have the plan to get there. Now we need to take action.

Paul Lavoie, November 5th, 2008

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