The “Canada” Wordmark

This presentation deals with the Federal Identity Program and conveys the results of a study on the “Canada” wordmark.

Strengthening presence and visibility

• Federal Identity Program
• A key element of presence and visibility
• Makes government visible in the lives of Canadians
• Shows how and where tax dollars are spent
• Visible government = accessible government = accountable government

NOTES:

The Federal Identity Program is the Government of Canada’s corporate identity program.  It is an important component of the government’s presence and visibility.

The Program helps Canadians recognize at a glance their government at work for them by showing how and where their tax dollars are being spent.

It facilitates access to government services and programs and supports accountability through clear identification of those services and programs.

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A government-wide program

The Federal Identity Program covers some 160 Government of Canada institutions and over 20,000 facilities in all regions of Canada and abroad. 

It applies to signs, vehicles, stationery, forms, advertising, publications, Web sites and shared cost programs.

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Symbols of government

The Coat of Arms, the flag symbol and the “Canada” wordmark are the three symbols of the Government of Canada.

The Coat of Arms identifies ministers and their offices, as well as institutions that report directly to Parliament.

The flag symbol identifies departments and a number of agencies.

The “Canada” wordmark is the global identifier of the Government of Canada. 

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“Canada” wordmark study

• Angus Reid Group conducted a study in August and September 1999
• “Canada” wordmark evaluated for awareness, recognition and other factors
• Respondents included general public and small businesses

NOTES:

The Angus Reid Group conducted a study on the “Canada” wordmark on behalf of the Treasury Board Secretariat in August and September 1999. 

The survey included 1,500 general public representatives and 200 owners and operators of small businesses.

The “Canada” wordmark was evaluated for awareness, location, frequency, recognition, credibility, reaction and pride.

The national margin of error for the general public section of the study was ± 2.5% 19 times out of 20.  For the section on owners/operators of small businesses, the margin of error was±7.1% 19 times out of 20.  The general population data was weighted to reflect the regional and demographic make up of the country.

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Awareness

“Have you seen this symbol before?” Percentage of general public saying “YES”

CANADA	77%
Quebec	83%
Ontario	77%
B.C.	76%
Sask./Man.	75%
Atlantic	74%
Alberta	71%
Small Business	74%
Men	80%
Women	74%
18-34 yrs	86%
35-54 yrs	78%
55+ yrs	66%

NOTES:

Seventy-seven percent of general public respondents and 74% of small business respondents had seen the “Canada” wordmark before.

Awareness of the “Canada” wordmark was highest in Quebec, among men, younger Canadians and Canadians with higher levels of income and education.

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Location

“Where have you seen this symbol before?”

(A = Government, B = Government of Canada, C = Combined)

General Public:	A = 48%, B = 23%, C = 71%
Small Business:	A = 56%, B = 21%, C = 77%

NOTES:

Respondents who had seen the “Canada” wordmark were asked to specify where they had seen it.

Forty-eight percent of general public respondents and 56% of small business respondents said they had seen it in government locations, while 23% and 21% respectively mentioned Government of Canada locations. 

Respondents who mentioned government locations probably meant Government of Canada locations given the very nature of the “Canada” wordmark.

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Frequency

“When was the last time you saw this symbol?”

Past Week	37%
Past Month	23%
Past 2 Months	11%
Past 6 Months	15%
Past Year	8%
Over 1 Year	3%
Don’t Know	4%

NOTES:

Sixty percent (37% + 23%) of respondents had seen the “Canada” wordmark over the previous month.

This means that as many as 12 million Canadians 18 years of age or over see the “Canada” wordmark each and every month.

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Recognition

“This symbol is used by all Canadian organizations or the Government of Canada?”

Government of Canada	81%
All Canadian Organizations	17%
Don’t Know	2%

NOTES:

When given two options for what the “Canada” wordmark represents, 81% of general public respondents associated the wordmark with the Government of Canada, while 17% said that it represented all Canadian organizations.

Results for small business respondents were almost identical.

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Recognition

“Thinking of the symbol, what are you most likely to associate it with?”

(A = Government of Canada, B = Canada in General, C = Both)

CANADA	A = 57%, B = 17%, C = 26%
B.C.	A = 63%, B = 15%, C = 23%
Ontario	A = 60%, B = 15%, C = 25%
Altantic	A = 60%, B = 14%, C = 25%
Quebec	A = 52%, B = 18%, C = 29%
Alberta	A = 50%, B = 19%, C = 31%
Sask./Man.	A = 46%, B = 23%, C = 30%
Small business	A = 60%, B = 16%, C = 24%

NOTES:

When given three options for what the “Canada” wordmark represents, 57% of respondents associated the wordmark with the Government of Canada, while 26% said that it represented both the Government of Canada and Canada in general.

Seventeen percent associated the “Canada” wordmark with “Canada in general”.

Association with the Government of Canada was slightly higher among residents of British Columbia (63%) and lower among residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (46%).

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Recognition

Demographic patterns

Men	59%
Women	54%
18-34 yrs.	63%
55 yrs.+	49%
University Graduates	63%
No High School Education	39%

NOTES:

Recognition that the “Canada” wordmark represents the Government of Canada was strongest among:

• men (59%), in comparison with women (54%)
• respondents aged 18 to 34 (63%), in comparison with respondents aged 55 years or over (49%)
• respondents with a university degree (63%), in comparison with respondents without high school education (39%)

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Reaction

“Using a scale of 0 to 10 where 0=negative and 10=positive how do you view the symbol we sent you?”

(A = Positive 7–10, B = Neutral 4–6, C = Negative 0–3)

CANADA	A = 75%, B = 20%, C = 5%
Ontario	A = 78%, B = 18%, C = 4%
Sask./Man.	A = 76%, B = 20%, C = 5%
Alberta	A = 75%, B = 21%, C = 4%
Atlantic	A = 75%, B = 24%, C = 1%
Quebec	A = 72%, B = 19%, C = 9%
B.C.	A = 71%, B = 25%, C = 4%
Small business	A = 75%, B = 20%, C = 6%

NOTES:

Overall, 75% of general public respondents said that they held a positive opinion of the “Canada” wordmark, compared to only 5% who held a negative view and 20% who were neutral.

Results for small business respondents were almost identical.

Regionally there were only slight variations.

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Pride

“When I see this symbol it makes me feel proud to be Canadian.”

(A = Strongly agree, B = Somewhat agree, C = Combined)

CANADA	A = 53%, B = 32%, C = 85%
Sask./Man.	A = 63%, B = 29%, C = 92%
Atlantic	A = 56%, B = 35%, C = 91%
Ontario	A = 56%, B = 32%, C = 88%
Alberta	A = 55%, B = 30%, C = 85%
B.C.	A = 51%, B = 30%, C = 81%
Quebec	A = 43%, B = 33%, C = 76%
Small business	A = 48%, B = 34%, C = 82%

NOTES:

Among general public respondents, 85% agreed with the statement: “When I see this symbol, it makes me feel proud to be Canadian”.

This strong agreement is consistent across the regions, although slightly lower in Quebec (76%).

Comparatively, 81% of small business respondents agreed with the statement.

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Credibility

“When I see this symbol on information I have more confidence in the information because I know it is from a credible source.”

(A = Strongly agree, B = Somewhat agree, C = Combined)

CANADA	A = 45%, B = 40%, C = 85%
Atlantic	A = 55%, B = 35%, C = 90%
Sask./Man.	A = 48%, B = 41%, C = 89%
Ontario	A = 45%, B = 42%, C = 87%
Quebec	A = 46%, B = 37%, C = 83%
B.C.	A = 40%, B = 42%, C = 82%
Alberta	A = 39%, B = 39%, C = 78%
Small business	A = 39%, B = 44%, C = 83%

NOTES:

Eighty-five percent of general public respondents agreed that they had more confidence in information bearing the “Canada” wordmark.

Credibility was highest in Atlantic Canada (90%), and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (89%).

Credibility was as high in Quebec (83%) as the national average (85%).

Credibility was equally high among small business respondents (83%).

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Use of the “Canada” wordmark

“Government of Canada should use the symbol on…”

(A = Strongly agree, B = Somewhat agree, C = Combined)

Publications	A = 76%, B = 22%, C = 98%
Web sites	A = 76%, B = 20%, C = 96%
TV Advertising	A = 72%, B = 23%, C = 95%
Event Sponsorship	A = 71%, B = 23%, C = 94%
Buildings	A = 63%, B = 29%, C = 92%

NOTES:

There was almost unanimous agreement that the “Canada” wordmark should be used by the Government of Canada on:

• Publications (98%)
• Web sites (96%)
• TV advertising (95%)
• Event sponsorship (94%)
• Buildings (92%)

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“Canada” wordmark = Government of Canada

• Very successful brand identifier
• High awareness
• Twelve million Canadians
• Predominantly positive views
• Adds credibility to information
• Overwhelming support for “Canada” wordmark

NOTES:

In summary, the study showed that the “Canada” wordmark is a very successful brand identifier for the Government of Canada.

There is high awareness of the wordmark across all regions and demographic groups.

As many as twelve million adult Canadians see the “Canada” wordmark every month.

Canadians hold predominantly positive views of the wordmark and believe it adds credibility to information.

There is overwhelming support for the continued use of the “Canada” wordmark as the Government of Canada’s brand identifier.