CANADIAN EXCEPTIONALISM

Canada a great brand, but needs marketing (Scott Deveau, Globe and Mail, August 14th,2006)

It's time to market beavertails, maple syrup and the BlackBerry on the global market with a Made in Canada stamp, after the country was named the world's second most popular national brand by a global pollster.

The Anholt Nation Brands Index for the second quarter of 2006 saw Canada jump ahead of Germany and Switzerland to claim the number two spot on the list of 35 countries. Canada's rosy image now only pales beside that of the United Kingdom's (and the EU's, which was featured as a 'guest country' on the survey).

But Simon Anholt, an international branding adviser who commissions the quarterly poll through Global Market Insite, Inc., contends Canada is failing to capitalize on its positive international image —— and points as proof to the gulf between those polled who say they would like to travel, invest and study in Canada to those who actually do. [...]

"What's so interesting about Canada is not so much the results themselves, but the disparity between the results and the country's actual performance," he said. "There's no question that the majority of people in the world think very highly of Canada, but it doesn't translate that into action."[...]

"(Canada) is also very strong on products, which is something that always surprises me," Mr. Anholt said, adding demand for Canadian products ranks 8th overall.

"Generally speaking, [those polled] think they would love Canadian products, if they existed."[...]

"[Canada's] a sort of bland paradise, there's no urgency to visit it," he said. "People say Canada is a place I have to go before I die, or perhaps after that."[...]

"Canada has a problem in that everyone knows and believes it's a perfectly wonderful place, populated by perfectly wonderful people, and yet people aren't going there," he said.

Now perhaps you understand why we are the perfect inspiration for the Democrats.