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Ikonica author first to research Canadian brands and new ‘brandscape’

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

By Terry Hadley
Venue: The Fairmont Waterfront

Jeanette Hanna founder of Ikonica Brands and co-author of Ikonica: A Field Guide to Canada's Brandscape. Photo: A.Grimes

Canada’s "brandscape" is undergoing its own powerful climate change and companies are going to have to adapt to it to survive, co-author Jeannette Hanna told The Vancouver Board of Trade at a lunch presented in cooperation with The Women’s Leadership Circle®.

Hanna, founder of Ikonica Brands, said she was inspired to co-author her new book, Ikonica: A Field Guide to Canada’s Brandscape because noone had ever written in depth about the success of Canadian brands. In fact, people are hard-pressed to list the success stories on Canada’s brandscape, many of which are impressive and globally unique, such as Tim Hortons, Four Seasons, Blackberry, Cirque du Soleil and Mountain Equipment Coop.

Hanna’s research, based on interviews with company heads, reveals authenticity is everything. Brands are not simply a logo. Aligning commercial value with cultural and community values in an age of transparency and authenticity is now a real competitive advantage, especially when combined with resulting employee engagement and customer loyalty. The company and its culture has to reflect its brand or customers will quickly move on.

Hanna said there is currently a real climate change happening in terms of connections, accountability and collaboration when perpetuating a company’s brand. "The new business ecology is commerce, culture and community are deeply interconnected …and evolve continuously over time," she said.

Hanna’s speech and Q&A session with the audience was followed by an exclusive Women’s Leadership Circle roundtable where Board of Trade/WLC members met for an informal discussion.

Jeanette Hanna takes questions at the Women's Leadership Circle® roundtable. Photo: T. Hadley

Quotes from Jeanette Hanna’s presentation:

The Values Thing…

"You cannot speak to Canadians as if they were Americans, not just because it is politically incorrect but because they have different values and priorities and live in a very different context." Michael Adams, Fire & Ice

"Human beings need a sense of participation and meaning… We got that by aligning the interests of the employees with that of the company… The culture creates the brand. What has amazed me is just how powerful this really is and how few people understand it." Clive Beddoe, Chairman, WestJet

"A one point improvement in trust in the workplace is worth more than a 30-per-cent increase in salary! …The way to motivate people is to have a set of shared goals they really want to achieve together." Chaviva Hosek, President, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research

"Gen ‘Why?-ers’ want a real relationship with their brands, as well as the employers for whom they choose to work… Brands will need to learn how to blend the marketplace, the workplace and the lifeplace to stay connected." Patt Cottingham, Brandchannel, 2008

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