An Escape That Would be Out of This World

I Am Canadian, Friendly Manitoba and Discovering Ontario

Breakfast: President’s Choice corn flakes and President’s Choice organic soymilk

Dinner: Farmer’s Pick bakery bun and no-name cheese sandwich

Other:

·      Life brand Acetaminophen 

·      Staples brand paper

·      Paper-mate Pen (did not have any unbranded pens at home and did not want to leave the house to buy some)

Today’s Reflection on the Breakup

            So it is day two since I have decided to leave my brands behind. Today’s reflection… that leaving behind brands may well mean having to leave behind the entire planet. Clearly I do not intend on traveling to outer space this week, but it seems that whether I stay in Canada or leave for any other destination on Earth I will be within a brand. That brand is the nation brand. Many countries and even provinces are branded.

            Looking just at Canada, for instance, one can see how the country is branded and how citizens, myself included, live this brand. You probably remember, “I Am Canadian” Molson’s Canadian’s beer advertisement.

           

            In this advertisement Joe, the speaker, dispels some myths or stereotypes about Canada and then goes on to say what makes one Canadian. He implies, for instance, that Canadians are nice, diverse, speak English and French and are interested or play hockey. Whether true or not these are certainly things that many in Canada would say is Canadian or at least seen to be Canadian. Furthermore, Canada promotes itself to others in similar ways. Consider the Vancouver Olympics, for example, where Canada featured what it referred to as the “cultural” part of the opening ceremony, which was a dance preformed by First Nations peoples. Canada certainly, therefore, promotes itself as multicultural. To be in Canada, therefore, is to live within a brand, a branded nation. Within this branded nation ones actions, such as going to a Sens game, could be seen as “living” or promoting the brand.

            Provinces are also branded. Manitoba the province I was born in and where most of my family is from is branded “friendly Manitoba.” This slogan is very well known and is even on the Manitoba license plates (Although since the Jets hockey team returned to the city many people have paid extra to have Jets license plates). Based on my experiences in Manitoba I would say that people certainly “live” their brand. People seem to be nicer, or at least friendlier, than in other provinces. Rarely will someone walk down a street without having the person who passes them buy wave, say hello, or acknowledge their presence in some other way. It also seems very interesting to me that Manitoba can still maintain its “brand” of “friendly Manitoba” despite the high crime rate of the province, especially within downtown Winnipeg.

            Ontario, on the other hand, is branded as adventurous, outdoorsy and fun. At least these are the words that come to my mind when I watch the “Ontario-Yours to Discover” advertisements (see example below).

            Currently, I am living within this Ontario, this province branded yours to discover. I cannot, therefore, escape branding altogether simply because I live within this province. Moreover, perhaps I could even be said to be upholding this brand. I certainly have done a number of the things shown on the above advertising; back home we even have a pair of snowshoes. I have also traveled many places within Ontario. As mentioned before I come from a small city in Northwestern Ontario and travel here for school. Yet, as I also mentioned I spent my first year studying in Toronto. In doing the activities and going to some of the places shown on the advertisement perhaps I have been “living” the Ontario brand.

            It seems already inevitable that I cannot escape the brand entirely. Branding is so much a part of my life that simply by virtue of being in a specific country and province I am immersed in a brand and the things I do can be seen to reinforce this brand. I wonder where one could, or if they could, possibly go anywhere to fully avoid “living” within or with brands? Today I leave you with this question.  

Works Cited

Vinko. (2006, May 22). I Am Canadian.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRI-A3vakVg.

Alexcalmoncanda. (2010, December 12). Ontario-Yours to Discover. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ0d9ONjVkg.