Brand Canada, are we ready for it?

I was fortunate to read two stories today, and both from different perspectives but calling for more or less similar actions.

The first article I read was the coverage of the delegation from ICCC (Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce) visiting India. This interview appeared in the Indian Express and is attached with this message. ICCC Indian Express Coverage Here Sunil Jagasia, President of ICCC and leader of the delegation talks about creating the ‘Brand Canada’ in India and making the indian business houses aware of the potential held by Canada.

The second story appeared in the Globe and Mail and is written by Perrin Beatty. The story can be accessed here.  Here Perrin talks about the efforts that need to go into creating ‘Brand Canada’.

From reading both the stories, it is evident that we currently do not have a brand and that is true. Our biggest barrier is also the same, awareness about the region is minimal around the globe. And for some reason or other, we do not seem to get our act together and work as a team with others trying to promote the country. Most efforts in promoting Canada are led by territorial bodies, provincial economic development agencies and some private sector investment. Recently the Feds have joined in the game, but they still have not captured the imagination of all involved. The high level delegations are a good start, but what is still missing is the synergy. We still seem to be a cart that is pulled in different directions by our territorial horses.

India is just one of the target markets that Canada could benefit from and the Chambers of commerce (ICCC, Canada Chamber of Commerce and local chapters around Canada) are just one piece of the puzzle. We need more vision and leadership from the Federal government side of things to have a structured program to develop and successfully market Brand Canada. Hopefully that day is not too far away.