EchelonOne Consulting

Is a country a brand?

First, let me say that I’m a proud Canadian. I’ll complain along with the rest about taxes, the price of gas and our frigid winters. But when it comes down to the crunch, our freedoms, diversity and beautiful geography make living in Canada a privilege.

But Canada—a brand?      

According to “Canada earns gold in eyes of tourists” (by Peter Rakobowchuk, The Canadian Press, Nov. 5, 2010), Canada recently earned the number one spot in a survey of countries for the most favourable brand in the world. That’s compared to 12th place a short four years ago.

What changed? We hosted the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Canada seized this opportunity to showcase our country and what we have to offer to the world.

Which got me thinking:

• What would it be like if we thought of our brand as a country?
• What could we learn from Canada’s example? 

Your Brand is a Country

Think about it. If your brand were a country, what would it be like to live there?

• Is it welcoming?
• Does it have what I need to prosper?
• Is it affordable?
• Is it easy to get to?
• How hard is it to cross borders?
• Do the people speak my language?
• Is there a future here for me?
• Do its laws and customs fit with my lifestyle and beliefs?

Look at your brand and how you do business by asking these questions from a customer’s point of view.

Learn from Canada’s Example

Here are some things that Canada did to showcase their brand to the world and similar ideas you can try:

Involve the media. Mary Carillo from NBC was invited to Churchill for some polar bear watching and was then invited to run with the torch. The event was so popular in the US that the volume of activity crashed many of the websites covering it.  

Idea: Think about how you might get someone in the media to experience something exciting that’s happening within your brand and get them talking about it.

Show don’t tell. Who would have thought that people in India would be interested in the Winter Olympics? Canada invited Bollywood star Akshay Kumar to Toronto to run with the torch. Kumar returned home raving about how much he loved Toronto and all the wonderful things there are to do in the city.  

Idea: Is there an elusive market or company where you just can’t seem to get your foot in the door? Find an influential champion from the inside and get them to experience your brand as an honoured guest. This person may well become the ambassador who’ll open the doors for you.

Borrow from the best. Canada researched previous successes and followed the example set by Australia when they hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics. Australia claims that they advanced their tourism brand by 10 years because of the 2000 Olympics. 

Idea: Find a brand and company that’s successful and that you admire. Pay attention to how they present themselves, how they do business. If you can, arrange to have coffee with a key individual or founding member. Let them know how much you respect them and ask if you can pick their brains. Use that information to improve your brand.

Question: If your brand were a country, what country would it be? And what would it be like to live there?