Innovation Through Communication

An inventive communications program can take a Canadian subsidiary from “branch plant” to international example.

I recently sat on a panel with several of my peers in the communications industry – people leading Canada’s top PR agencies – and was utterly shocked by what I heard them say. According to my fellow panel members, Canada is positively lagging when it comes to innovation.

It was an interesting consensus for them to reach, and one that demonstrated to me that they are either not paying attention to what’s happening in this country, or their own agencies are satisfied with providing their clients with the status quo.

Part of their argument is that, because Canada is primarily a host to subsidiary offices focused on marketing and sales, our hands are often tied when it comes to innovation. We’re simply a country of “branch plants.” How can we innovate when we can’t make our own decisions?

It’s a fair point, but in my experience, Canada is not lagging behind on innovation – subsidiaries or not. In fact, in many ways we’re leading the way, creating a true legacy of best practices. And I’m not just talking about good ideas that have us gathering in mutual back-patting sessions with our clients; I mean best practices that other markets clamour to adopt.

Take, for example, one of our clients that is constantly on the cutting edge of innovation. This subsidiary from Korea has raised the bar year after year for what can be done in this country to raise a brand’s profile through clever and innovative public relations and marketing. The strategy: to insert their brand into unlikely categories, eventually becoming aligned, and even associated with these areas. I’m referring to categories like sports, entertainment, and fashion – not exactly no-brainers for what was once seen as an electronics company.

This client has skyrocketed in terms of brand recognition in Canada, and has become an international example within its own organization as a subsidiary that breaks boundaries and lives and breathes innovation. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve heard from this client that a program we launched together in Canada has become a worldwide best practice.

Another of our clients that has made international waves through communications innovation has done so by moving the needle of its own brand perception. Traditionally seen as elite and unattainable by average Canadians, this client recently combined clever social media work with an integrated communications and direct to consumer campaign. In under a week, perception of them shifted from a brand linked to exclusivity to one that provides access by literally inviting people to experience what life is like when you are associated with their brand. This radical and measurable shift immediately resonated throughout the company’s international counterparts and the strategy behind the campaign has become a company-wide touchstone.

These are just two examples of innovation that I’m seeing every day.

The bottom line is that if a Canadian subsidiary isn’t generating innovation from a communications perspective, it’s in big trouble and will never be seen as anything more than a “branch plant.” As communications professionals, it’s our duty to help these subsidiaries kick-start innovation by bringing unbelievable ideas to our clients to help them shine on a global scale. Once that happens, the domino effect is unavoidable: a great communications program boosts sales, which catches the eye of the company’s corporate overseers, who then see the importance of investing in great communications programs.

No innovation in Canada? The problem, I think, lies less with Canada’s multiple subsidiaries, and more, perhaps, with the ideas its agencies are bringing to the table.