And we should not leave the rebranding of Canada to our politicians. Business can play a defining role in establishing and promoting clearer and more contemporary articulations of our brand vision. Canadian products could be marketed with more success if they rallied around common brand values that were uniquely Canadian-in other words, the personality factor that is essential to a great brand. Bombardier's Ski-Doo, John Fluevog's shoes, Nortel's many innovations or Cirque du Soleil's brilliance. We must learn to celebrate our successes-and stamp them with our identity.
Celebration is about confidence.
Confidence is about accepting who you are on your own terms. Let's start taking credit-and being accountable for our own destiny. In my business, the foundation for a brand comes in the form of a document called a brief. It's crafted to give focus and direction to various participants. If this were a brief for a product or company, I would be preparing it for designers, creative staff, media buyers and the PR team.