Executives' Perceptions of Canada's Business Climate
-
Upload
development-counsellors-international -
Category
Marketing
-
view
347 -
download
1
Transcript of Executives' Perceptions of Canada's Business Climate
September 23, 2013Andrew Levine, President/Chief Creative Officer &
Erin Bodine, Account Director, DCI
EXECUTIVES’ PERCEPTIONS OF
CANADA’S BUSINESS CLIMATE
A View from the Lower 48…
About DCI
1. The Leader in Marketing Places: Served 400+ cities, states, provinces, regions and countries since 1960.
2. In-depth Knowledge of Canadian Landscape: Recent/current clients include Calgary, Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, Toronto and Montreal.
3. Broad Range of Economic Development Marketing Services: Media relations, lead generation, digital/social media, talent attraction and research.
About DCI
Winning Strategies in Economic Development Marketing
Sixth Edition of Survey in 2011 (previous studies in ‘96, ‘99, ‘02, ‘05, ‘08)
Survey Audience: U.S.
1. Corporate executives with site selection responsibilities
2. Location advisors
Methodology
• Online survey with 10 questions conducted in August, 2013
• Sent to 621 SSCs, corporate executives in U.S.
• 105 responses received for response rate of 17%
• Even split of responses (54 executives, 51 SSCs)
• Respondents offered $10 Starbucks/iTunes gift card
Geographic Distribution of Respondents
Can you guess what the respondents said?*
What are the first 3 words or phrases that come to mind when you think of Canada?
1. _______________________2. _______________________3. _______________________
* Whoever gets closest wins $25 gift card to Tim Hortons for a double-double
List of Top 10 Words/Phrases
1. Cold2. Hockey 3. High quality workforce 4. Natural resources5. Friendly
6. Socialized Medicine7. Expensive 8. Clean9. Diverse10. French
Top 3 Words or Phrases
“Please describe your perception of Canada's advantages (or value proposition)
for U.S. companies looking to relocate or expand?”
Sample Responses for Canada’s Value Proposition for Businesses
“Western Canada (British Columbia) is an Asian gateway.”
“Canada has always maintained a neutral stance on most political and economic issues.”
“Business-friendly, R&D tax advantages, reasonably priced real estate.”
“Good access to many US major markets.”
“Cost –competitiveness”
“Very strong base for educated technical employees.”
“Tax reform has made Canada much more competitive for North American projects.”
“No health care cost to employer.”
“Proximity to oil and gas.”
“Well educated labor force and a good business climate.”
“Ability to recruit overseas talent without red tape of U.S. Immigration Policy.”
Top 5 Themes of Value Proposition
1. Stable, neutral and business-friendly government
2. Well-educated and quality workforce
3. Potential for lower business costs (labor, taxes)
4. Access to new markets
5. 15% of respondents indicated “none or don’t know”
“Have you considered Canada for a project in the last two years,
or are you currently considering Canada
for an upcoming project?”
Executives Regularly Consider Canada for Projects
Site Selection Consultants Corporate Executives
Overall, a majority of decision makers (53.3%) had considered Canada for a project in the last two years or were currently considering Canada
Ontario Leads Overwhelmingly for Project Location Consideration
Types of Projects for which Canada is Most Often Considered
“From your perspective, has Canada's business climate improved,
declined or stayed the same in the past five years?”
Decision Makers Believe Business Climate has Improved
Most executives surveyed believe Canada’s business climate has improved in the past five years.
“Let's compare Canada and the United States.
For each of the following factors, which country has a more favorable business environment.”
Canada Compared to United States
Ability to
Recruit
from O
utside N
.A.
Availabilit
y of Skille
d Work
force
Availabilit
y of Work
er Tra
ining Prog...
Business-
friendly G
overnment
Competitive Ince
ntives
Competitive Labor C
osts
Efficient T
ransp
ortation Syste
ms
Low O
verall O
perating Costs
Low O
verall T
ax Burd
en
Prese
nce of R
esearch
Insti
tutions
Proxim
ity to
Customers
Quality of L
ife
Quality/A
vailabilit
y of Site
s & Build
ings
Utility co
sts0.0%
10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%90.0%
100.0%
United States More Favorable
Canada More Favorable
“Please rate the business climates of the following Canadian provinces
on a scale of 1 (Poor) to 5 (Excellent).”
Ontario Leads Pack for Favorable Perception of Its Business Climate
High Number of “No Opinion” Responses Among Provinces
Toronto Edges Out Other Cities for Best Business Climate
High Number of “No Opinion” Responses Among Cities
“What are the top three marketing tactics Canadian cities/regions should use
to promote their business advantages to corporate executives?”
Face-to-Face Reigns as Best Marketing Tactic
Marketing Approaches Broken Down by Subgroup
One-o
n-one m
eetings
Familia
rization (F
am) Tours
Media re
lations/public
ity
Inte
rnet/w
ebsite
Trade Shows/C
onference
s
Special e
vents
Adverti
sing
eNewsletters
Social M
edia
Webinars
Dire
ct M
ail0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0%
100.0%
Overall Site Selectors Corporate
Marketing Preferences Vary Among SSCs and Executives
Top 5 Tactics for SSCs1. Familiarization Tours2. One-on-one Meetings3. Special Events4. Internet/Website5. Media Relations/Publicity
Top 5 Tactics for Executives1. Trade Shows/Conferences2. Media Relations/Publicity3. Internet/Website4. One-on-one Meetings5. Special Events
“In your opinion, which of these economic development organizations
market their region effectively tocorporate executives and location advisors?”
Site Selection Consultants Consider the Country’s Best EDOs
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0%
100.0%
55.8%
32.7%30.8% 28.8%
26.9% 25.0%21.2%
5 Key Findings
1. Executives Associate Canada with a “High Quality Workforce”
• Among top words or phrases associated with Canada• Common theme for Canada’s perceived
value proposition• Key asset as talent increasingly drives
location decisions
2. Canada Regularly Considered as a Project Location But…
• Ontario overwhelmingly leads the consideration set (80.4%)
• Followed by British Colombia (30.4%), Quebec (28.6%) and Alberta (19.6%)
• All other provinces at 5% or less
3. Much of Canada is a “Blank Slate” to U.S. Executives
• Ontario/Toronto are well known • Quebec/Montreal and British Colombia/
Vancouver have mid-level recognition• For the remainder of regions/cities, a large
number of executives had “no opinion” of individual business climates
4. Perceptions of Canada’s Business Climate Improving
• 44.8% of the respondents perceive an improvement in the country’s business climate vs. 6.7% that saw a decline
5. Different Marketing Tactics to Reach Different Audiences
• Best tactics for reaching corporate executives: 1) trade shows/conferences, 2) media relations/ publicity, 3) internet/website • Site selection consultants are best reached via: 1)
familiarization tours, 2) one-on-one meetings, 3) special events
Questions… Comments… Discussion…
Thank You!