It only took a couple of days in Toronto last week to remind me that Canadians are not only different from Americans, but they are also different from one another: by province, language and ethnicity. This diversity has some interesting implications when it comes to marketing brands not just in Canada but globally.

As my colleague Aurelio Diluciano puts it, “If America is a melting pot, Canada is a fruit cake,” meaning that in Canada people adhere to their origins and do not blend into one homogeneous culture.

While I am not sure that Aurelio’s analogy holds up to close scrutiny – after all, many different ethnic groups in the United States maintain a strong cultural identity – it does give the right impression. Diversity in Canada, where there are just 20 million people, is more striking and obvious than in the U.S., where there are 300 million. A visit to Quebec might convince you that you were in France, while a trip to Nunavut or British Columbia would give a totally different impression.

This diversity does not stop Canadians from being very proud of their collective culture, and some brands have leveraged this pride to good advantage. A notable example is Molson Canadian. This ad, “The Rant,” created substantial buzz around the brand with its humorous take on the frustration of mild-mannered Canadians who are overshadowed and often misunderstood by Americans (and others).

This ad appeals directly to Canadians but would not resonate the same way in the U.S. In this way, The Rant is like many ads in our Link database that test exceptionally well in one country but have limited appeal elsewhere. Similarly, a brand that plays to national culture may limit its appeal beyond the country’s borders, but may enjoy greater success within the country by doing so.

As I said at the outset, diversity has some important implications for marketing. If the choice to highlight similarities and differences among people has real marketing implications for brands, then an important question is: will the differences between ethnic and cultural groups in Canada and elsewhere stand the test of time?

My belief is that the answer is yes. As the world becomes more connected, we will observe two diverging trends: one towards greater homogeneity, and one toward greater diversity, a celebration of what makes us different as individuals and cultures.

We can see the two diverging trends at work online. Facebook, Google and YouTube have global reach, but much of the content shared on these sites is personal and local in nature. Just as these social media platforms connect people of like mind around the world, they also enable sharing among people in local communities who are likely to understand references to local news and events and enjoy the same type of humor. Recognizing this, these Internet brands have created local extensions to their global platforms. By creating sites specific to different countries, brands like Facebook and Google are seeking to foster a stronger sense of community.

I reviewed this idea with Matt Semansky, a reporter for Marketing Magazine in Canada, and he said he had come across something similar in researching an article that will come out this week. He suggested that people in Quebec recognize that they are becoming more similar to the rest of Canada in many ways but that this makes them more determined to celebrate what remains different.

This makes good sense to me. Humans have always been tribal in nature. Identifying with a group is important to us; therefore many brands have become successful by helping people promote a sense of community and shared interests.

In future I suspect brands will need to decide whether they want to be mass-market players that can appeal to common human motivations around the world, or if they need to solidly embed themselves in their local culture, whether that is defined by geography or values. We may eventually see a greater proliferation of niche brands, tailored and targeted to very specific audiences.

So what do you think? Will the world become more diverse or less? And what are the implications for marketers? Please let me know.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 at 3:22 pm and is filed under Brands, Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Print this Page