Michael Beckerman, Canadian Airline International’s soon-to-be-departed vice-president of marketing, says media reports declaring the imminent demise of the Canadian Airlines brand name are off-base.

While Canadian Airlines will, indeed, be merged with Air Canada, Beckerman says Canadian Airlines’ rich brand equity will continue to be mined in some key markets.

‘What we’re talking about is a new Air Canada brand, that would leverage off Canadian Airlines’ traditional strengths in areas such as Western Canada and Asia Pacific,’ he says.

‘Canadian Airlines’ strength has been in bringing a sense of humanity to the travel experience,’ he says, suggesting that that branding focus will live on, with Gee Jeffery & Partners Advertising of Toronto continuing to develop advertising specifically for the Canadian Airlines banner.

Air Canada agency Marketel/ McCann-Erickson of Montreal, Beckerman says, will handle any joint branding efforts.

Beckerman leaves the airline at the end of the month to take over as vice-president, international for Chicago-based MVP.com, a sports oriented e-commerce site owned by Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan and John Elway.

In the recently released 2022 edition of the Kantar BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands survey, several Canadian companies landed in the top rankings, namely in the financial institutions and apparel categories.

Two Canadian brands made an appearance in the survey’s global banks rankings: RBC holds second position (57th overall), while TD ranks eighth (72nd overall), with brand values worth US$39.5 billion (up 43% from last year) and US$29.7 billion (up 47%), respectively. TD was among the fastest risers in the overall Top 100 survey, climbing 18 positions.

Lululemon takes fourth place as the most valuable apparel brand, behind Nike, Zara and Adidas. The Canadian athletic-wear company is valued at US$20.4 billion.

“Our 2022 rankings demonstrate both the resilience of our Canadian banking brands and their ability to create brand value by connecting with consumers to outperform other brands on the world stage,” said Scott Megginson, president of Kantar Canada in a release. “They are leaders among brands in the global financial services sector and the number one position is coming within reach for RBC.

“It is also encouraging to see how Lululemon has continued to build brand value as people return to work,” adds Megginson. “Its reputation for innovation, quality and reliability allows them to command a premium in the market.”

Overall, Apple has landed in the #1 position and is projected to become the first trillion-dollar brand. It’s brand value sits at US$947.1 billion, and is commended in the survey for its ongoing diversification strategy across its hardware, software and services portfolio. Apple moved up from second position in 2021.

Google has taken the second top spot, up one from the previous year, increasing its brand value by 79% to US$819.6 billion. In third place, Amazon dropped down two spots from last year’s #1 position, and this year its brand value equates to US$705.6 billion.

In 2022, more than three quarters of brand value originated from U.S. companies, with media and entertainment, business solutions and technology providers and retail categories contributing to over half the total value of the Top 100.

According to Kantar, sector leaders emerged from a variety of industries, with technology and luxury brands growing the fastest – 46% for consumer technology and 45% for luxury. Automotive growth grew by 34%, and banks by 30%, compared to other sectors such as apparel at 20% and personal care by 17%.

Combined, the value of the world’s Top 100 most valuable brands has increased by 23% to US$8.7 trillion in the last year. Set for release in October 2022, Kantar will rank Canada’s top 40 most valuable brands, along with reports and insights for its market.