'Your rebranding success sits squarely on an engaged workforce,' says expert
“In the past, Canadian companies might have hidden the fact that they were Canadian and made sure that they had a dot.com website. Now, they should redesign their logo and put a little Canadian flag on it.”
So said Catherine Connelly, professor of human resources and management at the DeGroote School of Business, in a recent McMaster University article.
The academic made the comments as the trade “war” between Canada and the U.S. was starting to heat up.
According to a Bank of Canada report, the tariffs could be “highly disruptive” to both the Canadian and American economies, and completely shift consumption and production.
“Wages and other business costs also adjust. In turn, businesses are likely to change what they produce and how they produce it, while consumers substitute away from some goods and services in favour of others.”
A Canada-centric shift in branding has already started to take effect. Across Canada, for example, some coffee shops like Montreal Café have decided to rename the “Americano” the “Canadiano”, CBC reported.
This shift in Canada-focused marketing aligns well with Canadian consumer intentions. A poll from Abacus Data revealed that 42 percent of Canadians would “absolutely do everything” to avoid purchasing U.S. products. And products promoted as “Made in Canada” would be purchased by 88 percent of those surveyed.
Successes of Canadian-focused marketing have also started to emerge. The clothing company Province of Canada has seen at least one of its new Canada-branded garments sell out, according to CTV News. Co-founder Julie Brown says the new line is a departure from her company’s usual basics, which tend to carry classic designs and are never “dripping in Canadiana” like maple leaves.
“It’s been a long journey to get here,” she said. “So it feels great to be seen by the country right now.”
Rebranding as an organization can mean a new customer promise, company name, visual identity, employee and customer experience, and go-to-market strategy, according to Jim Heininger , founder of the rebranding firm Rebranding Experts.
“It’s not an effort that can be executed by a small leadership group; it requires the full organization to enthusiastically and energetically align to make the new brand a reality. It requires all teammates to support the brand, serve as advocates and work to deliver a discernibly different customer experience representative of the brand.”
And each employee is the brand, he said in a Forbes article.
“Your rebranding success sits squarely on an engaged workforce. You must inform, educate, engage and enable them to play their role with confidence and enthusiasm. This is especially true in the B2B market where customers experience your brand through your people.
“Proper planning for a rebrand requires that you set your employees up for success.”
Heininger recommended several steps to take in rebranding an organization and getting employees onboard, such as explaining the why behind the rebrand, providing training to tell the story, “ritualizing” on-brand behaviours into the fabric of the organization, providing reassurance and consistency, and reinforcing the brand.
“Your branding success is dependent upon your employees’ enthusiastic participation. Give them all the tools, training and encouragement they need to play their part,” he said.
