With the celebration of Canada’s 143rd birthday last week and the upcoming G8/G20 summits in Toronto later this month, Canada has recently received a lot of attention in international media. The question being asked domestically is centered on its national identity; specifically, people want to know: does Canada have a “brand” and brand potential that it can export overseas?

Place or nation branding is not a new or foreign concept. Often, cities and countries launch big budget advertising campaigns to attract economy-boosting tourism. These advertisements present the location as having something unique to offer; in this way, they attractively differentiate the place from the areas around it. For example, Malaysia highlights its multi-culturalism and diversity with “Malaysia, truly Asia”, Australia’s tagline is There’s nothing like Australia”, to name a few. Beyond these campaigns, countries can also build their brands over time by linking their names with certain quality products. France is associated with couture fashion, and Japan with electronic gadgets. With high expectations stemming from these associations, brands can collect premiums on these products and maximize their brand potential.

Canada’s brand can be said to be constructed on three main pillars—its excellence in agricultural production, protective economic policies, and a reputation for peace-making and stability.

1. Agriculture

If the recent “Canadian Corridor” is any indication, Canada’s idyllic landscape is a top seller. The $1.9 million indoor pavilion was built for the media center at the G20 summit; it simulates a Canadian cottage, with an indoor lake and dock, a Muskoka chair and even the sound of calling loons. Evidently, Canada wishes to highlight the fertility of its natural environment to the press. By extension, this also sheds light on its agricultural industry.

In addition, “Branding Canada” is an initiative sponsored by the AAFC (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) to boost Canada’s reputation for high-quality food products that are safe, fresh and natural. In order to increase the sales and profile of Canadian food and agriculture products, it encourages Canadian brands and companies to plaster Canadian flag graphics on their domestically manufactured goods.

2. Financial Security

Other than agriculture, Canada also boasts the title of the world’s soundest financial sector, as rated by the World Economic Forum. Its protective government policies have kept its own market stable during periods of economic crisis. It also has a unique access to the North American market through NAFTA.

Last week, The New Yorker magazine revealed that all the ads in the edition coinciding with the G8 and G20 summits were bought by Canadian companies and paid for by various federal, provincial and local government departments. These advertisements, which invited foreign investments through boasts of clean energy industries, serve as proof of the Canadian government’s close involvement with fiscal matters.

3. Peace, Order and Good Government

Canada’s international reputation seems to be glowing: a recent international survey commissioned by the Historica-Dominion Institute reports that 77% of Chinese and 53% of the world’s “24 leading economies” would immigrate to Canada if given the choice. Stated reasons were its “quality of life,” “tolerance of people from different racial and cultural backgrounds,” “welcoming of immigrants,” and “respect of rights and freedoms.”

Canada’s reputation for such friendliness and harmony may have to do with its historical roots. The value of “peace, order and good government” comes directly from its Constitution Act of 1867. Compared to the US, which also celebrated their national day this month, Canada was founded not on revolution, but on a union between four founding provinces. This may explain the difference between autonomy-loving Americans, and cooperation-minded Canadians.

The findings of this survey, however, might need to be interpreted carefully. Countries with the highest percentages of positive responses towards Canada consisted of second world countries like China, Mexico, India and Turkey. Countries like the USA, Japan and Sweden actually had much lower positive responses. Furthermore, as an organization centered on spreading “greater knowledge and appreciation of Canadian history,” the Historica-Dominion Institute is not exactly an objective source.

Just as companies can profit considerably from investing in brand equity, so too can countries gain political, economic and international leverage from enriching their “brands.” Canada’s brand seems to be hinged on the core idea of dependability in both in its food production quality and government policies. But is this idea differentiating and relevant enough to sustain international interest and appeal? In the current global climate, it appears to be, but Canada must continue to work on its brand in the years and decades to come to maintain its position as a preferred nation brand worldwide and maximize its brand potential.