For those of you who do business internationally and who wonder if using the Maple Leaf alone is sufficient to associate their brand with Canada (and all the assumed ‘good vibes’ from that association), here is an ad that appeared in a middle east news paper that might give you an idea of what many common people in various countries think of when they see this Canadian emblem:
[via AdblogArbia]
Window Glass Replacement:
Best Man Gifts:
Jane Novak:
Paula Deschamp:
Best New House Music:
socotra:
Elmo Helgager:
Great image – but I think you might have missed the point of it. (Unless I simply got the point of your post wrong.) At the bottom of the image, the tag line is, “Ignorance is Unacceptable.” I think using the maple leaf in place of the pot leaf is supposed to exemplify ignorance, not suggest people really confuse the two.
For what it’s worth, I’m not Canadian, (I’m in that country just slightly south of you) and I’ve always seen the maple leaf as synonymous with Canada. I know many of us sew them onto our luggage to avoid assault.
Hello Ciaoenrico and thanks for visiting the blog.
You are right, I should have been more clear in the post. Indeed, the purpose of the ad is to showcase that being ignorant is unacceptable.
The point I was trying to make is that such ‘ignorance’ is commonplace in some regions of the world, and the ad’s example is a very real reflection of one manifestation of that ignorance. The majority of citizens in the Arab world don’t know what the maple leaf stands for and are unaware of which flag it’s associated with, especially if it’s presented outside the context of the Canadian flag.
Similarly, many American citizens would not automatically be able to associate a product sporting a green Cedar tree with the notion that it is ‘Made in Lebanon”. The majority see a tree, and a lesser percentage might be able to identify it as a Cedar, and an even lesser percentage would know that the Cedar represents Lebanon and is at the heart of the Lebanese flag.
That’s why using a nationalistic symbol for international marketing or branding purposes isn’t always such a good idea. The meaning of those symbols can mean different things to different people. Is that a Maple Leaf or a Marijuana leaf? Does the tree mean the bag of chips is Made in Lebanon or does it mean the product is environmentally Friendly?
Coming to think of it, the Lebanese flag is a good example because it’s almost identical to the Canadian flag, with two red stripes, a white stripe, and a plant in the middle. Interesting, eh?
Okay – now I understand, and I concur. An image only represents a brand successfully if people already know what that brand is for. If I saw the Mercedes-Benz symbol for the first time, I wouldn’t know it was for cars either – and it would be pretty easy for me to confuse it with the peace symbol.
I’d like to think most Americans could connect the maple leave with Canada, given that we’re neighbors. Then again, every couple of years or so I read yet another study that says some embarrassingly large number of students can’t find North America on a map. I can’t be too smug either – if you hadn’t told me that was the Lebanese flag, I’m sure I would have thought it represented Greanpeace. So much for national symbols, I guess.