A Rant about Canadian Brands for Canada Day 2009

So you ask: “Mad at Switzerland? What could anyone possibly have against the Swiss” – those lovely Alp-ine purveyors of Rolex watches, Nestle chocolate, and fastidiously discreet banking services? Sorry Switzerland. It’s not about you. It’s about you beating the pants off Canada in the global branding arena.

And to be fair, in the rant video attached you’ll note that I have equal opportunity anger issues against Sweden, Finland, and even my own ancestral homeland the Netherlands. And as you’ll see, it’s all because of their brands. Each of these countries punches far above their weight in the contest for the global brand belt. As you’ll see in the stats below, these countries even beat the heavyweight in the ring – the USA – when you take their population into account.

So why the anger?

Okay, I’m a Canadian. I’m not actually angry per se: just hurt, frustrated, envious, mildly apologetic, etc.

Actually, I want Canadian brand managers to stand up and take notice. We need to get more internationally respected / recognized brands. In this deck on SlideShare, you’ll find some supporting data (from Interbrand / Business Week) and my challenge to Canadian Brand Managers.

Go Canada!

What Canadian brands are Global candidates?

Fortunately, the good folks at Interbrand also published a helpful guide in 2008 for that as well.

Interbrand report on Canadian Brands.

The top ten

1. Blackberry
2. RBC
3. TD Canada Trust
4. Shopper’s Drug Mart
5. Petro Canada
6. Manulife
7. Bell
8. Scotiabank
9. Canadian Tire
10. Tim Horton’s

Last week, Palm released the much-anticipated Pre. Hailed as the iPhone killer, the Pre is loaded with features that further push the limits of the smartphone category.

Today, Apple is anticipated to release a new iPhone 3G with bumped hardware specs and new software to directly compete with the Pre.

Two smartphones with near-identical hardware and features will have to find other arenas in which to compete, not the least of which is brand.  Apple has set the bar in recent years, while Palm, with a strong history, has lagged behind in recent years and hopes to recapture some glory.

While there are many ways to measure brand value that are much more scientific and comprehensive, this one is definitely more fun.  Take a look at the waiting lines to enter the iPhone launch two years ago, and the Palm Pre launch last week.  Looks like brand equity to me.